While the dust may have settled in Madison after another year of The CrossFit Games, we’re definitely still talking about what went on over the six-day competition. And the hottest topic? It’s got to be Roman Khrennikov.
… specifically the broken bone in his left foot.
Although it happened during the tenth test, the first the crowds knew of the Russian’s injury was when he took to the floor for the 11th test having to do so on one foot. Enter: single-leg double unders and standing ovations.
Since then, the CrossFit community’s had loads to say about Khrennikov’s incredible mental strength, his impressive physical capability, and unwavering dedication to the sport (not to mention his determination to get ahold of some sort of podium-paycheque after dominating the comp right up until he hurt himself). And his actions have unsurprisingly garnered him immense respect. But they also highlight a difference between CrossFit as a sport vs CrossFit as a lifestyle.
“Rest When You’re Dead”
Many of the reasons CrossFit comes under fire in the fitness space are due to ignorance or misinformation unfortunately, but one opinion that prevails is that we’re obsessed with our sport and train until we’re sick or hurt. Cheers, Khrennikov.
But consider this:
It’s one thing to gut it out if you’re a professional athlete, admirable even, but those fitness enthusiasts who profess to train for enjoyment and health, who ignore an injury and push through the pain, are showing a complete lack of understanding of what CrossFit is actually about.
The “rest when your dead” attitude is great only if you’re prepared to train around an injury. That means continuing to train hard, completely avoiding anything that hurts, while taking the time to recover properly, and rehab your injury effectively. Active recovery is still training, and it’s the smart thing to do whether you’re injured or not! Not only is this in line with common sense, but also the fundamental CrossFit principles that state athletes should modify training according to physical and psychological tolerances in all cases.
Our Needs Differ By Degree, Not Kind
So if you’re running in a knee brace during class, or performing RX Grace while your shoulder’s held together with KT Tape, don’t expect to be met with gasps of awe and admiration a la Khrennikov’s audience. Any CrossFit coach worth their salt who catches you is going to stop you, question you, and get to switching up your workout to protect you from your own ego and encourage safe, beneficial movement. You don’t need to stop coming to class altogether, but you do need to do something that doesn’t hurt.