For most CrossFitters, doing CrossFit is much more than an exercise program or a phase. It’s a lifestyle. It’s something you love and something you do for the long haul. But every once in a while even the best of us feel a little burnt out and don’t know why. Coach Clara sheds some light on what might be going on.
Here are five common ways to get burned out on CrossFit:
1.Not Setting Realistic Goals
One of the most surefire ways to discourage yourself and to remain in a frustrated state is setting too many goals that you could not possibly reach anytime soon. Goal-setting needs to have some long term aspects, but it is important to have smaller ones that you can achieve every few months as well. These small victories really help to keep you pumped and encouraged in your fitness journey.
2. Excluding Yourself From the Community.
This is a simple one: suffering is better with friends. Ostracizing yourself often can quickly lead to boredom and burnout.
3. Not Taking Days Off
While this seems like a very cool concept for most beginners, never get wrapped up in the sort of thinking that more is better. Quality over quantity always wins when it comes to training. Ideally, if you’re not headed to the Crossfit games, a good week should have one day of total rest and one day of something light such as rowing, biking, swimming or light jogging.
4. Eating Poorly
This is more of an indirect cause of burnout. Let’s say you have been doing Crossfit for a while and the workouts are getting a little more bearable but it still feels like you’re trying to drag your body through quicksand. Poor nutrition is probably to blame. But once you decide to improve your nutrition, you will immediately notice a difference! You will feel lighter on your feet. You will be able go longer and faster. Those of us who has made the change to clean up our daily nutrition know the importance of this. At the end of the day, you cannot out-Crossfit a bad diet.
5. Refusing to Treat Yo’self
Celebrate milestones. Make a big deal of every goal accomplished. Never get so wrapped up with looking at the accomplishments of those around you that you neglect your own achievements. Your 10lb pound PR is just as much of a big deal as the person that PR’d twenty pounds…. So treat yo’self!
By: Coach Clara Palacious