Top 10 intermediate mistakes.

#1. Jumping from one program to another. You gotta stick with it. Don’t just do workouts you think “look tough”.

#2. Learn how to Olympic lift. Sure you “can” muscle up 135 lbs in a workout a couple times. However, you are wasting potential, time, and energy unless you commit yourself to learning the Olympic lifts.

#3. Not spending enough time in the gym. I know, I know part of Crossfit’s selling point is that our workouts are short. I’m not talking about workouts, I’m talking about time in the gym. “Fran” is between 2 and 4 minutes long for advanced athletes. It isn’t uncommon for them to warmup for 45 minutes prior to Fran. Throw in PNF stretching and myofascial release (which you should be doing), and you are in the gym for more than an hour…. for a 3 minute workout.

#4. No organization or plan for supplemental work. Doing a couple handstand push ups every other week isn’t a plan. Running a couple 800s isn’t “doing CFE”. You need to have a plan. Set some goals.By January 1st I will be able to do X. The way I will accomplish this goal is Y.” And you gotta write it down. And you gotta talk to a coach.

#5. Not taking back off weeks. If you aren’t excited about getting into the gym to train, you need to rest. Every month or two, take a couple days off (not because of injury) and stay out of the gym. When you come back, you’ll be able to get after again instead of just “punching the clock”.

#6. Stop F$%KING pacing. Seriously. I know you can do 100 pull ups in sets of 5. Why not just “get comfortable being uncomfortable” and not set an artificial limit for yourself? Turn your rational mind off.

#7. Trying to  be something you aren’t. Look, if you are 5’6, 145 it is going to take years and years of training to have a 450 lb deadlift. Recognize that you are probably not going to have an 1100 lb CF Total at that size. You gotta play the cards you are dealt.

#8. Stop trying to get “lean gains”. I get it, everyone wants to gain 15 lbs of “lean muscle”. Me too. Not gonna happen. You can’t gain that much muscle in a short period of time without some serious steroid consumption or phenomenal genes. Gaining weight is a great goal, just recognize that you might not have an 8 pack for a couple weeks.

#9. Respect don’t revere Crossfit. Ask yourself this question: When was the last time you read something outside CF.com or the CF Journal that you applied to your training? If the answer is “never” it is time to explore the studio space a little.Want to learn to gain strength and weight? I’ll bet the strongman community knows a little about that. Want to learn some new gymnastics progressions? I’ll bet a collegiate gymnast would know a couple.

#10. Taking yourself too seriously. I get it, this Crossfit stuff is awesome and fun. However, in the end it is about working out. You aren’t good enough to get mad. Maintain some perspective on the whole thing. Your family, your religion, your country… these are things to take seriously.

If you don’t enjoy the journey, you’re in it for the wrong reasons.

Bonus: #11. Newsflash: You probably aren’t going to make it to Aromas. Neither am I. Here is the weird part- it doesn’t really matter. Honestly, it is a little anti-climactic. You have to love  training and working hard for its own sake, not for the sake of some competition you probably aren’t going to make.