CHANGE IS THE POINT

30-20-10
Medicine Ball Cleans
Ab-Mat Sit-Ups

This was the workout programmed during my Level 1 CrossFit Trainer Certification Course.

Prior to commencing the workout, The Master Trainers organised the Prospective Trainers in a circle as one demonstrated the points of performance, and another explained them. We were then given some time for independent practice.

At this point, I had been engaging the principles of CrossFit consistently for 2 years; having established some familiarity with a barbell or a dumbbell variation of a clean. The medicine ball variation however, surprised me. It felt awkward and misguided, unlike the barbell clean which I had come to understand and appreciate.

One of the Master Trainers walked over – I could sense her impending judgements:
“Don’t curl it”, she said.
“You’re bicep curling it. You need to shrug more”.

Receptively, I listened and eager to apply this cue, I picked up the ball again; the rogue branding facing the ceiling just as I had been directed and executed… yet another clean bicep curl.

The Trainer spent another 30 seconds with me, offering a range of different cues – “Move your feet!… Soften your fingers!… Get tall!…” – before giving up on me.

The workout commenced and I spent the next few moments curling my way to completion.

I was excited when this same movement came up in the program the other day, motivated to right my wrongs and to reconcile my failed attempts at this some four years ago.

Once again, the movement surprised me, but not in the same way.

While I still had to cognitively engage and focus on a few key points of performance, I was much more aware of my body and the ball in space. It felt like the perfect blend of physical and mental stimulation.

Things. Just. Clicked.

After four long years, I had finally demonstrated competency in the medicine ball clean.

Progression, we need to remind ourselves, is often not a linear process – a straight line between point A and point B. There are a range of factors which influence this relationship: context, recovery, training age etc.

CrossFit is a unique discipline. We are trying to move the needle forward on so many modalities: strength, power, gymnastics and conditioning to name a few. And because of this, we sometimes sacrifice short term linear progress in one domain in exchange for slower yet more rounded development across many.

This process can be difficult and humbling for some: those that feel like there should be more weight on the bar, or those that have lofty expectations that don’t line up with the objective reality or their current baseline of fitness.

In time, if we are committed to this practice, we start to notice little things tracking in the right direction – the reps start to feel crisper; we catch higher in a muscle up; we’re not as gassed come minute six. It may not be the fast food feedback that we are accustomed to elsewhere, but it’s probably what’s best for your long term development.

Because one day, things may just finally click.