When my daughters were in 8th grade they had an exceptional team of teachers. The science, social studies and english teachers all worked together and created a cohesive approach to each class. What this meant was that command of the basics of language were as important in science and social studies as it was in english class. Spelling and grammar had as much weight in the grade of the sciences papers as did the content.

The kids had to practice what they learned in all their classes. They had to be good at mundane things like spelling to do well across the board. They couldn’t just be good at science. They had to be good at science and spelling.

The CrossFit open is upon us. We have created our teams,  practiced the skills and embraced the WODS. This Friday begins the test of our work. The same is true for us as it was for my 8th graders, you have to good at all the things.

During the Open you’ll be ranked by your strength and speed but before that you’ll be judged on the mundane things such as depth of your squat, push up and dips, height of your pull up and extension of your arms, legs and hips in all those movements. If they do not meet the basic requirements you will get the dreaded NO REP! This is one of the worst things to happen, it literally doubles your work.  Your movement must be virtuous to be counted.

This week take some to time to evaluate your virtuosity.  Will every rep count or will you be waisting your time and energy? Regardless of the answer, practice good standards. When the timer starts in the Open you’ll be excited and nervous. You’re going to want to be as fast and strong as you can. You should not have to have to worry about whether or not your reps count. Make good reps your norm.

I can not recommend the CrossFit Judges Course more strongly. More than anything it brings you awareness of how form affects your work out. Its a great education for just $10.