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8 Common Mistakes CrossFit Athletes Need to Avoid

As Crossfit gets more and more attention, the number of boxes as well as the number of athletes is increasing. To minimize the risk of injury and reach the best outcome of your training, pay attention to these 8 mistakes and try to avoid them:

1. Feeling confident that you already know everything

In Crossfit, as in any other sport, you should never stop learning. There is always something you can improve.

Crossfit is an ongoing learning process and even if they are not your favourite exercises, you need to work on your weaknesses. Of course it is more fun to do the exercises you are already good at, but hammering your weaknesses will make you a much better Crossfitter in the long run.

Lauren-Fisher-SnatchSource: CrossFit Inc

2. Not paying attention to your mobility

Improving the mobility is often not the first priority, but it’s necessary to improve your whole body fitness. You can work on your mobility at home, and just ten minutes a day will make a huge difference. Missing mobility holds back your process, so take your time to work on it regularly. Mobility work will make you feel better during the days after the workout, improve your movements and lower the risk of injuries.

Crossfit Mobility: 3 Essential Exercises to Unlock your Hips

squat weightlifting mobilitySource: RX'd Photography
Always work on your mobility

3. Doing everything at once

While being enthusiastic about lifting heavy weights and doing as many reps as possible is good, you need to remind yourself to take one step at a time. You need to learn the technique properly before working on the weight. A solid base is mandatory for your process. It’s especially important to avoid injuries.

Beginner classes are the perfect way to learn the foundation of the movements. Starting with a pvc pipe or just a light weight makes it possible to concentrate on your movements. Improving your health is the biggest goal of Crossfit, risking injuries can end very painfully and hold you back from your progress.

4. A poor diet

Nutrition is very important for your body transformation, fitness, emotional health (being hangry sound familiar?) and has a huge impact on your training progress. Improving your health for the rest of your life is not only reached by training, your diet is always part of it. You will get the most out of your training when you minimize carbohydrates and sugar. But you should also take care to eat enough! Make sure you eat what’s healthy and what supports your training in order to achieve your goals.

nutrition articles female crossfit athlete
eat to perform

5. Not tracking your weights and recording your times

Keep track of your progress so you can celebrate new successes! Retracing your performances over time can help you to see what you already reached. A training log supports you to remember the improvements you made and is also time-saving! You won’t need to waste time by finding your 1 rep max again every time and you can make sure that you are moving on and not getting stuck at one weight or a number of reps.

Mat-FraserSource: CrossFit Inc

6. Not listening

There are two different sides you should always listen to: first your body and second your trainer.

Crossfit can become an addiction and of course you want to give your best every single workout. This is a great attitude but giving your body the rest it needs is your responsibility. Requiring too much of your body can lead to the exact opposite you want it to.

By not listening to your body you highten the risk for injuries and the risk of getting frustrated. Crossfit should be a fun activity in your free time, it’s not your full-time job. Your trainer is an expert in Crossfit and knows best about what’s good for your body. Listen to their advice and try to implement these ideas. Also you should recover from injuries completely before starting your training again, don’t overstrain your body. Recovery is just as important for your body as the training.

Ben SmithSource: Ben Smith

7. Paying more attention to reps than to your form

The number of reps is not always the most important thing you should pay attention to. Don’t let your form and technique suffer by trying to reach the maximum number of reps possible. Control your movements, do them deliberately: Don’t let your knees bend in while your squats, keep your back straight when picking up a bar… You will benefit much more from your training when you pay attention to your form even if that means to do less repetitions or have a slower time in a workout.

Katrin-Davidsdottir

8. Thinking that everything is a competition

Competition is always an important part of sports. Comparing yourself to others challenges yourself but every body is different and develops individually. Do not get frustrated if others lift heavier or do more reps, training is for improving yourself without any pressure. Don’t make every workout an external competition, the person you need to compete against primarily is yourself. Remember why you started Crossfit and keep sight of your goals.

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