Virtuosity, CFCC-style
Virtuosity, by definition, is the mastery of one’s tool or trade, performing tasks like a virtuoso. In CrossFit, we use this term to describe our work for proficiency, our desire to perform common movements uncommonly well. For us, it’s the art of striving for perfection. Not the perfection itself. We should never get there. We should always want to be better. The greatest Olympic lifters will tell you they have never got their movement 100% correct. There is always something we can fix.
At CrossFit California City, we’re a bunch of newbies. None of us have been CrossFitting more than 2 years, most of us less than 6 months. Virtuosity may seem like a lofty goal for such babies, but it is our target nonetheless. Being the only trainer, I find it difficult sometimes to keep an eye on everyone during the workouts. At least not as closely as I’d like to. In a perfect world, all of the workouts would be one-on-one with me, without losing the group atmosphere. Human cloning just got an upside!
Virtuosity, for a beginner, could be simply trying to achieve “legal” squat depth or full extension on the GHD. It doesn’t have to be CrossFit Games quality … yet. Work to be better every time you perform a movement and you WILL embody virtuosity. If your clean is horrible, no extension on the third pull, feet all over the place…work at it every time. Keep the weights at a reasonable level to be able to enforce good body position. Make every rep count. That is virtuosity.
I write this for one selfish reason. I want to inspire my athletes, and others, to strive for virtuosity in their training, even when I’m not eyeballing them. It’s my job to teach you how to do it, but I can’t do it for you. I think that’s something all trainers want their athletes to hear. We can coach, inspire, encourage and yell. But we can’t perform the rep for you.
So think about your next workout. If you’re not sure of the movement, or if I’ve done poorly making clear the movement, yell at me! Just because you did the movement right on Monday, you might be unsure on Tuesday. I’ll be glad to go over it again, and again and again.
The best teachers wants his/her students to out-shine them in the task. I’m no different.