Contreras during the 2nd workout of the 2009 Rocky Mountain Regional CrossFit Games.
But CrossFit changes everything. It taps into those parts of our psyches that house competitive instincts and fuel our physical pursuits. It calls upon dormant hormones and startles to awareness the athlete in all of us. With each WOD, we are forced to decide how hard we will push, how fast we will go, how much we will lift, how well we will move. Unlike our contemporaries gliding on the elliptical machines with magazines in hand, we cannot go through the motions of our exercises while thinking about something entirely unrelated.
Allison Belger, CrossFit After 40, CrossFit Journal, January 2010
The thing about CrossFit is that it is measurable, either by recording the weight of a lift or the time a specific WOD is completed in. For those of us who have been CrossFitting on our own, without a coach, and without other athletes, we've been missing out. Simply performing the WOD with others improves performance. Humans are naturally competitive, and the fact is that if you are behind someone during the WOD, you're going to push harder. And if you're in the lead with someone breathing down your neck, you're going to push harder. Add a coach gently encouraging you, and you're getting it. But don't worry, keep on with your WODs and be sure to record your times. Evolve will open it's doors soon, and you'll see a measurable difference in your performance!
