Having a coach in the sport of crossfit is very important. Crossfit is a journey. And just like any journey one embarks upon, it’s always better when you have some type of guide. A football team does not go on a memorable playoff run without a coaching staff that prepares them. Nor does a child have a successful educational journey without the help of our teachers (who are, in my opinion, one the backbones of this country). Your fitness journey needs to have a coach helping guide you along for many reasons… Beyond just saying,”Hurry up and don’t stop!”.
A coach does many things, but one of the most important helping you find your own inner coach. When you first start CrossFit, a coach (that is, a good one) will drill you on movements and the mechanics of those movements over and over. They will help you to understand your own body and how to use it effectively and efficiently. And after a while you will begin to coach yourself. You’re going to be mid-WOD, doing what feels like round eleventy-hundred air squats, and find yourself repeating in your mind all the cues your coach has been giving you:
“Chest up, knees out, weight in my heels…
… Yeah that’s it… that’s what coach has been saying this whole time.
Man, and he’s not even looking!”
No worries, coach sees you and coach smiled on the inside. Coach now knows you can squat without him…and wallballs are coming next…
Coaches are really good at giving cues. But they are even better at something else… being a coach.
I think of the word coach as an acronym. Creating Options And Conquering Hurdles.
You’re going to run into many hurdles while doing CrossFit. Rather, it will be going through a period of no PR’s, having a time when your body is no longer responding to your diet, or just feeling burnt out. That’s when a Coach is there to give you advice on what to do in all these situations. Maybe there’s something you’re doing that you’re not even aware of that makes your efficiency during a WOD not as great. But Coach is there to make you aware of this and to help you fix it. Which can then get you back on track to getting those gains. What gains? All the gains.
There are many reasons that having a coach is optimal when doing CrossFit. And one of the most important reasons is simple ladies and gents: A Coach is a friend that will be there every time you show up, a friend that will understand your passion for this crazy thing that we do and won’t mind if you talk about it – All. The. Time. Coach is also someone that wants you to succeed just as much if not more so than you do. It’s the ultimate support circle.
And that in itself is worth its weight in gold.