Think Outside the Box

Shye says to think outside the traditional training:

Think Outside the Box, the CrossFit Box

Many CrossFit athletes get consumed with doing the WODS; some are even obsessed with them! However, one important aspect of CrossFit that you should take into consideration is to learn and play new sports. Think outside the CrossFit Box, whether it is at ACF or CCP. Why not take advantage of the level of fitness you have attained and incorporate it into a sport.

CrossFit encompasses 10 general physical skills: Cardiovascular endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance and Accuracy. These skills are used in a variety of sports. In fact, in order to excel in any sport you must be proficient in at least one of these skills. You will be surprised that all the WODs you have done will enable you to more easily grasp the basic skills of any sport you try. A perfect example for me is the sport of surfing. It is too late for me to be the next Kelly Slater. However, I decided that I wanted to learn how to surf. So I spent a week at a surfing school where I took two lessons per day. I found that my experience with CrossFit gave me a head start over the other beginners at the school. Surfing requires a tremendous amount of balance, agility, coordination, even power (you have to paddle with a lot of it in order to catch a wave). In addition, because of my stamina, I was able to make numerous attempts at catching a wave and actually surfing it (and achieving some awful wipeouts) without getting fatigued.

So go out there and learn some new sports. You don’t even have to go too far from ACF. Racquetball and squash are two sports that require some of the general physical skills I have mentioned. Also take advantage of the winter and hit the slopes, go snow shoeing, or ice skating. If you are going on a warm weather vacation, get out on the water and kayak, swim, or if you are lucky enough surf a wave!