BUILDING A QUALITY CULTURE

2020 had its own magic and for the CFH community brought a lot of progress in the strength and fitness of many.

But in 2021 we want more for our community.

We have already implemented some changes and we plan on slowly implementing some new things into our program and weekly structure.

A move away from the leaderboard and a bigger focus on self and individual progress.

A move away from constant comparison to others and a greater focus on self improvement.

A move away the weight of the bar and a move towards range of motion, technique and control.

A move away from the number of reps and a much bigger focus on quality of those reps.

A move away from always trying to get things done as fast as possible and a move towards self awareness, strategy and pacing.

A movement that is all about “HOLDING THE STANDARD”

A movement towards QUALITY, LONGEVITY AND INDIVIDUAL PROGRESS.

To say we are excited about this it a massive understatement!

Here are my top 13 tips (1 for each month and a bonus tip) to get the most out of your experience at CFH in 2021:

1. BE COACHABLE: If you want to improve, you need to be able to take on constructive feedback and advice from your coaches. This goes for beginners all the way through to professional athletes, and coaches. The coach only has your best interest at heart and is trying to help you improve. If you don´t want their help, what are you paying for coaching for?

2. NEVER EVER CHEAT YOUR REPS: Out of all the things we notice as coaches in the gym, this is up there with the most undesirable. Believe it or not, this has been happening at CFH, A LOT. It has come as a major shock, and we have not addressed it publicly but we are now. As the saying goes, you are ONLY cheating yourself. If you struggle to count, find a way that works for you. And if a coach approaches you about this, take it on the chin and do something about it – because it is for your best interest!

3. FOLLOW THE CFH PROGRAM TO A T AND IF YOU WANT MORE, ADD TO IT: The CFH program is something we pride ourselves on and sets us apart from other gyms, including CrossFit Gyms. We have traditional CrossFit, mixed in with structured strength cycles through the year, as well as other features to help develop the Athletic Potential of our members. Of late we have seen a move towards substituting parts of the CFH program for more desirable workouts. If you want more, don´t take from it, add to it!

4. THE THINGS YOU DISLIKE THE MOST ARE PROBABLY THE THINGS YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE MOST: The wise ones will recognise this and address it and not constantly use it as an excuse. Everyone has the ability to turn their weaknesses into their strengths. It just takes some hard work and consistency. If you know there is something that limits your performance in a big way, give yourself 12 months and stop it from being a weakness and limiter. Imagine how you would feel if it was no longer detrimental to your performance.

5. STOP MAKING EXCUSES BEFORE YOU EVEN START: We see this a lot as coaches and we can also be guilty of this ourselves at times. We have a tendency make up stories and constantly tell them to ourselves that we can´t do this, we can´t do that, that we suck at this or that….. Stop telling yourself these things and then accepting the poor result because you told yourself it was always going to happen. Instead change the story to one where you accept the challenge and will do your best and strive to improve.

6. REALISE THAT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE THE MOST CONSISTENT PEOPLE: Not just in performance, but across all domains. This is one of the most common and basic messages you will get, and for very good reason. In business, in relationships, in finances, in training. The most consistent people will get the best results. You don´t have to look too far to prove this point. Think of those around you that you consider successful in a certain area of their life. Does consistency pop up?

7. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND GIVE IT WHAT IT NEEDS: Especially when it comes to rest and recovery. If you are feeling very sore, very lethargic, under performing, take some time off. Athletes have rest days. Athletes have off seasons. Athletes do not flog themselves every day. Learn from the best!

8. THE ONE THING THAT WILL POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR PERFORMANCE THE MOST IS SLEEP: Take it or leave it, this is true. If your sleep is poor, if you put a fraction of the energy you put into your training into your sleep, you will notice significant improvements all round. Most people need 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.

9. EAT MORE PROTEIN. EAT MORE CARBS: EAT LESS FAT. DRINK LESS ALCOHOL: Unless you are Keto of course! You don´t have to count your calories if you are filling yourself up with premium fuel. Not sure about you, but I fill my car up with Premium Fuel, and my body is worth way more to me than my car. Like your training, if you make a shift towards quality, there can be a reduced focus on quantity. Something to think about for many. That aside though, many of the people we work with do not consume enough protein or carbohydrates to fuel their training adequately and provide enough building blocks for growth and repair. This needs to be an area of consideration if you are serious about your training.

10. DON´T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON SUPPLEMENTS: If you don´t have everything else right. We often see people who are not training consistently, or not getting enough sleep etc etc blowing their money on supplements. There are so many things in your control that do not cost a cent, that will have a bigger impact on your performance. Tap into the free stuff before you go and waste your money.

11. IN CROSSFIT, STRENGTH IS KING: If being better at CrossFit is one of your main goals, focus on getting stronger. We have seen a significant move in our community towards ramping up the conditioning. I would encourage the majority of people we see doing that to shift their focus away from the machines, and toward body weight strength training or weightlifting. Improving your strength and skill rather than aerobic capacity will move you closer towards doing workouts RX and not always needing to scale workouts.

12. IF YOU FEEL RESTRICTED WHEN YOU MOVE, YOU CAN FIX THAT: There are a large proportion of our community limited in their ability to meet movement standards because of their own body. That doesn’t need to be the case, and can be changed, with a consistent approach to their mobility. Know that you have the power to improve your flexibility and mobility, but it needs to be something you commit to and want to improve. Like your weaknesses, give this 12 months – not 1 or 2, to see big improvements.

13. PREPARATION IS KEY: I have said this time and time again but it is true. When you enter CFH on a daily basis, how prepared are you? Are you on time? Do you have all your gear? Do you know what the program is for the day? Do you need to do extra warming up to physically prepare? Do you know your numbers? Do you have a strategy? All these things will help you get more out of everyday you train. If you want to maximise your training experience, come prepared!

I hope this information and these tips find you well and you are as pumped for 2021 as I am.

We want the best for each and every one of you and I look forward to getting back into the gym next week and continuing to build a quality culture with you all.