Doing your first CrossFit competition | Individual or Team
rodrick lopezHOW TO APPROACH YOUR FIRST CROSSFIT COMPETITION
What is up rolosquad!
I have used these tips for myself and the hundreds of athletes I have coached since 2013.
Use these tips for local FUN competitions AND serious competitions.
The RIGHT preparation is KEY to feeling confident when you're out on the floor for the first time. Or let's be honest ANYTIME.
PREPARATION
You signed up for your first competition - now what?
TELL YOUR COACH!
Your coach can look at the time between NOW and the competition and help you prepare.
I always recommend starting your preparation at least 6 weeks before the competition.
INDIVIDUAL COMPETITOR:
If you are doing this competition for fun DO NOT sweat it. Keep going to your daily workouts and don't change a thing. After all you are doing it for FUN. So keep things fun and enjoy yourself.
If you are looking to compete at a high level you need to meet up with your coach to create a plan of attack.
Coach will be looking at:
- Where are you in your current cycle? (strength, aerobic, threshold training, sport specific)
- Are there any movements in the competition you are nervous for?
- How many days long is the competition?
- What is your nutrient intake currently?
- And more...
Once they have a clear picture of where you are and where you NEED to be - the preparation can begin.
DURING THE PREPARATION
Quick tips and tricks for your first competition:
1) Practice the workouts AS written as close as possible.
- If the workouts have been released AND they have the flow of the workout etc... written down. Try to create that same exact layout at your gym.
- Then grab a strict judge and perform the workout.
- Try to get nervous and in the same mindset you will be in when you are actually on the competition floor.
- Once you complete the workout take notes on how everything went. Where can you improve. What felt good, what felt bad. Think about those things while training for the competition everyday. This will help you gain some confidence.
2) Think about the competition while you train EVERY SINGLE DAY.
- Be mindful of every single piece you do. When you did your clean complex would those movements hit the standards at a competition? If the competition requires you to call out your weight before going - do it every lift in training. Building habits that will make it easy to NOT think at a competition is GOLD.
- I see so many athletes screw things up at competitions. They thought they would be able to pull it off without practicing. YOU WILL NOT remember to do it at the comp unless you practice. Does the competition make you move a DB every 10 DB snatches? Then start doing that every time your training has DB snatches leading up to the comp.
3) Play with your nutrition EARLY on.
- A week or two before your competition you should be pretty locked in on what you're eating. If you eat 30 minutes before doing the WOD at your gym - be sure to mimic that at a comp. Even if you don't FEEL like eating - have a plan and force yourself to stick to it.
- Whatever you do - DO NOT change your nutrition the week of or day of your competition.
4) Start learning how to COOL DOWN.
- So many athletes at competition finish a workout and immediately go sit down. Then an hour later they have to get up on a sore body and full send.
- Cooling down will set you apart of the rest of the field. Something as simple as a light 10 min bike right after your workout followed by some stretching and EATING/Nutrient intake.
5) WARM UP
- You might be nervous and your adrenaline is running high but DO NOT skip your warm up. I recommend creating a general warm up you do before everything so you don't have to think. THEN do some specific warm up for whatever the event is.
ex. At a comp I start with a full joint mobilization into either a 5-10 min cardio piece or intervals on a machine. (depending on the workout.) Then I will go do some of the movements that are in the event!
TEAMS
If you have signed up for a team competition there are only a few differences to your preparation.
1) Start training with your teammates as OFTEN as possible.
- Knowing your teammate(s) and what makes them tic is important. Also getting to know everyone's strength and weaknesses is huge.
2) Incorporate the style of workouts you see in your competition into your training.
- Team training is fun because you have many different ways of doing it. Synchro work, waterfall work, you go - I go, and more.
- If you have synchro movements in the competition do them with your teammates as often as possible. You can even do this in your daily WODS you don't need any special training days. Show up to the gym and whatever is on the board for the day - make the entire workout synchro. OR double the reps and make it you go I go.
3) Know your directions
- The amount of times I have seen athletes run into each other or not know what is going on is crazy. Preplan what direction 1 person will be getting off the rower and how the other person will be getting on. Which hand will you be tagging? About how many reps is everyone doing?
4) COMMUNICATE
- The more vocal you are with your teammates the better you will perform. If you are doing toes to bar and you think you got 3 reps left in you - YELL 3 reps. That way whoever is next knows where you are at.
- As you get comfortable with your team you may not need to talk. But until you are FOCUS on communicating. It will set you apart!
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Be sure when signing up for a team competition that EVERYONE has the same goals. If 1 person is there to have fun and 2 people want to be competitive - you are not going to have a good time. Be on the same page.
OVERVIEW:
Whether you are an individual or a team competitor it is important to prepare. Do this by practicing the workouts, communicating with your team/coach, and thinking about the competition every time you step foot in the gym.
When you show up to the competition you should already know a few things:
- How you will be eating
- Your warm ups
- Your cool downs
The more thought you take out of the competition the more you can focus on pushing yourself.
Want a coach to help your guide you to and through your first competition? Comment below and let's chat about working together!