In a sentence: the fundamentals program has given me the means to accomplish my greatest athletic goals, and a new appreciation for the complexities of CrossFit.

The first session was goal setting, and I told my coach I wanted to develop strength in my lower body and master some tricky movements like the L-sit and handstand push ups. Right off the bat, I could sense excitement from my coach, a genuine drive to help me achieve what I hoped to. That enthusiasm quickly carried over to me, and I felt super motivated and ready to get lifting. I knew that for the next few weeks, I’d be establishing a foundational understanding of what I need to do to crush my PR’s, and really become the athlete I want to be.

Having a clear, sustainable path ahead of me was worth the money already. Over the next couple sessions we formed a developed, thorough understanding of my current athletic ability. As I huffed and puffed through the various tests, I could tell my coach was already thinking up the most efficient way to kick my butt into shape. I could tell he really believed that I could get a lot better, and I could tell he knew exactly how to bring me there. Later on, we hammered out the technical specifics of some of the fundamental CrossFit movements.

This is an area where the fundamentals program shines. Realistically, if somebody has a 150lb Clean and Jerk, and they set a goal for a 100lb PR, they aren’t expecting to bang it out in 2 weeks, or even 2 months. The fundamentals program has a very good understanding of the fact that 15 sessions may not be long enough to achieve some of the more extreme goals clients may set. The objective here is not necessarily to make someone into a Games-worthy CrossFit beast in a couple months, it’s to equip athletes with the tools they require to do it themselves well after they’re finished with the program. I’m learning more than I ever have about every single aspect of this sport, and I’m learning it at a staggering rate.

There are subtle technicalities in movements as simple as pull ups and push ups that can make the difference between a good athlete and a great athlete. There are countless easy accessory movements we can all do to dramatically improve performance in the gym, things you don’t find online and certainly don’t just figure out by yourself. These are tips and tricks that can only be syphoned from the expertise of a professional, educated, and confident coach who knows exactly what they’re doing.

I’m almost struggling to absorb all the new and valuable information, and I find I have to write everything down in a book to keep track of it all. My coach knows that eating is just as important, if not more important than what goes on in the gym, and he’s given me a ton of great advice on the good and bad of food, when to eat, and how much to eat. I know now that some things I thought were ok to munch down on after a tough WOD aren’t so good for my body, and in the same way I’ve learned that it’s ok to eat some foods I thought were off- limits. It’s totally normal for me to shoot Coach a text asking if it’s a good idea for me to eat this and that. In fact, I can text him with anything from food queries to workout advice, and he’ll promptly respond with exactly what I should do and why. He tells me whether or not it’s a good idea for me to come in on any given day and do the posted WOD, based on my training regime, the workouts I’ve done in the past couple days, my goals and the workouts he has planned for me. What I’m stressing here is that my coach is a priceless, and apparently bottomless resource for personalized advice and expertise.

This program has been exactly what I hoped it would be. It is completely tailored to my personal interests and goals, it’s structured, organized, and the knowledge I’m taking away from it will benefit me for the rest of my life. The posted WODs are awesome at CrossFit Biometrics, but we’re all different, and everyone has different goals, habits, bodies, minds, and sources of motivation. The fundamentals program identifies athletes at the personal level, and effectively works to achieve their personal goals. It rocks.