Some athletes are able to get pretty good at CrossFit pretty fast.

But, these athletes often find themselves hitting glass ceilings in their performance.

Even though they are able to do most of the gymnastics movements, hit decent weights, and grit through conditioning workouts, they plateau earlier than they think they should.

What’s going on here?

Often, these athletes have skipped steps in their development and are able to compensate their way through training.

To improve long-term, these folks need to be willing to go backwards in their training and rebuild. This can be a huge ego hit, and – to be frank – not everyone is mature enough to do it.

But, if we’re serious about getting better over time, that’s often what we have to do.

Check out the full conversation with Jon, Luke and Todd to learn:

  • The surprising ways that athletes learn to compensate – and it’s not just about mobility and technique
  • Why backing off on conditioning is actually much better for building an engine – and why too much effort is a bad thing
  • The psychology of taking a step backward in order to take two steps forward – and why it’s so hard for us to do

Listen below – or on the podcast player of your choice.

Listen Here

Show Notes:

  • [00:15] Some athletes are able to get pretty good at CrossFit pretty fast. But, what are some surprising ways that these athletes find glass ceilings on their performance?
  • [7:41] People think of “compensation” as a bad thing, but better athletes are often better at compensating. Compensation isn’t just about lifting technique – how do some elite athletes compensate in their conditioning work?
  • [17:41] Why taking a step back threatens athletes’ egos – and why the measurable aspect of CrossFit has a dark side that can have a negative impact on performance.