Recently a colleague of mine wrote an article called “The
Jack”. It was a fantastic article
referencing being a “jack of all trades, master of none”. He was writing of his account of
current firearms instruction in law enforcement. His points all ring true across the spectrum of skill
building. While reading it I
couldn’t help but to think of a current trend in fitness.
There is a trend abound of becoming a jack of all trades,
and not focusing in on any one discipline. Such disciplines might include running, weightlifting,
swimming, powerlifting, gymnastics, etc.
The broad focus includes still a full time-range and strength
range. By the way, before
CrossFitters start throwing fruit and gluten free snacks at me for knocking
their training regimen, I am not.
I think that CrossFit’s philosophy is wonderful for building overall
fitness (GPP). I was a full time
Greg Glassman adherent for five or six years, starting in 2004. I counted my almonds and weighed my
bacon on an electronic scale for a couple of years. I have the figurative and literal t-shirt. I read all of the journals, when the
founder wrote them all. Glassman,
early on, regularly encouraged participants to gain competency in the lifts,
gymnastics, etc. Competency… proficiency,
expertise, skill, aptitude. How do
you gain competency in a skill?
Trust me, it is not in the middle of a 40 minute, all out, seeing stars,
conditioning session. Kelly
Starrett of The Mobility Wod, said practice makes permanent. The colleague, I mentioned earlier,
gave me an analogy, or metaphor, or something apropos of this subject. I will adapt the story for my needs
here. He said, imagine that every
time you performed a good repetition of the snatch that you wrote on a card
“good rep”. Every time you did a
bad one, you wrote, “bad rep”. Now
put yourself in the middle of a 30 repetition for time snatch workout. How many cards of each will you put in the
pile? If you predominantly train
this way, what kind of cards are you placing in the pile over the long haul?
The next time you train, what cards will you pull out? You will extract the ones you have
trained yourself to.
There should be a time set aside to build competency. It takes hundreds of GOOD repetitions
to make good solid habits. Once
the heart rate elevates or the weight gets heavy, you will sink to the level of
your training. You will not rise
to the occasion.
Take the time to master your craft. Have a long-term training plan… 5, 10,
15, 20-year plan. Get really good
at the movements. It will improve
your performance and keep injuries away from your doorstep.