CROSSFIT SUFFOLK  **  Forging Elite Fitness

Roy Boehm, the sailor who founded the SEALs has passed away.  He was a remarkable man who got much accomplished in the Navy.  You can read about him here in the article from the Charlotte Sun and further in his autobiography, First Seal, which is fascinating.  The article leaves out an important fact for New Yorkers: Boehm was from Brooklyn!

First SEAL Passes Away

"Champions aren't made in the gyms, they are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have last-minute stamina. They have to be a little faster, and they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill." – World champion boxer Mohammad Ali –

Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don't like to do.  -Albert Gray-

What's the difference between a top-tier CrossFitter and other Crossfitters?

What's the difference between a pro-athlete and an amateur athlete regarding the technical skills of a particular sport?

Here's a better question than the first two and the heart of the matter:  Do the men and women who compete at a high level of any sport do things technically different than the little leaguers, amateurs or weekend warriors?

I didn't say better.  I said technically different?

A professional baseball player doesn't throw a ball any different than your average high school player.  He may throw better though.  The pro player swings a bat the same way the high school player does.  The pro may swing better though.  The point is the difference between the top-tier athlete and other athletes isn't that the top tier guys and gals know some secret technique that allows them to compete at a higher level.  The difference is the top-tier people develop their skill set to a higher degree than the other athletes.

Do some people have natural abilities that others don't possess? 

Sure.  Not all the top-tier competitors do though.  To dwell on this issue does you no good anyway.

The qoutes from Muhammed Ali and Albert Gray have to do with the single trait that matters more than all others: will.

What are you willing to do to be better?

Are willing to be the best you can be?

Are willing to sacrifice time and convenience to be the best?

Are you willing to work hard?  Harder than most other competitors?

To be better at anything requires focus on the skill and the will to do what it takes to work harder than most others would.  Just wanting to be better is not enough.  Everyone wants to be better.  Not everyone really wants to though.  Some are happy to be "good enough".  "Good enough" isn't–not if you want to be amongst the best.

What your willing to do to be the best will determine how you focus on skill development, how much time you put into training and practice, how well you eat, how disciplined you are about rest and sleep and how you prioritize your schedule.

I'm willing to bet that the top-tier crossfittters and pro-athletes get up earlier if need be to get their workout in.  They keep good training habits.  They set goals and stay focused them.  They don't make excuses.  They don't whine.  They regularly extend their comfort zone.  They push themselves.  They are not forced by anyone, but themselves.  They want "it" and they do what it takes to get "it".

If you look at the top-tier CrossFitters many have outstanding athletic backgrounds.  When discussing them invariably their athletic prowess prior to being CrossFitters comes up.  "So and so is a great crossfitter because of his/her deep athletic experience".  The truth is that "so and so" was great at their sport and is great at crossfittting for the same reason.  They have the will that all winners have.  The will to do those things that most other athletes don't have the will to do…work harder, sacrifice, prioritize, be inconvenienced in order to improve, get out of bed earlier, go to bed earlier, not do the things that will interfere with their goals.

For those not interested in competition we can learn from the top-tier athletes anyway.  Nothing wrong with going through life using the habits of the successful, the winners.

Good luck!

Now get to work!!