Programming for CrossFit can be a daunting task. There are a surprising number of movements available to the programmer, a quick mental count comes up with at least 26 basic ones. And that’s before you start adding small variations of them, hang snatch or squat clean thruster. Beyond that there are all sorts of movements with gymnastics, kettlebells, strongman, and med balls that could easily stretch the list out towards 100.
In my opinion, one the biggest mistakes people make when they start programming for CrossFit (either for themselves or others) is that they try and cram all of the possible movements into the schedule, sometimes into every workout. You quickly end up with long grueling workouts with 5, 6, 7 or even more movements that last 25-45+ minutes.
Sure a nice chipper with a bunch of movements to work through is OK every once in awhile. The bulk of your workouts should not be like that though. If you have to teach people more than 1 movement before you start the WOD, you are probably doing it wrong. You are going to overwhelm people and create opportunities for form to break down and injuries to occur. People need to learn the basic movements (hopefully in a some sort of foundational class) and then they need to work on those movements until they get as close to perfect as their bodies allow. They need to be masters of the basics. Virtuosity is the goal.
One of the beautiful things about CrossFit is the simplicity. You don’t need complicated machines and heart rate monitors. You need some basic equipment, a good plan, and a lot of heart. The magic is in the movement as they say. Make sure you know how to execute the basic movements flawlessly, and not just when you are fresh. You need to be able to squat and deadlift when your breath is coming in ragged gasps, sweat is pouring off your body in rivers, and your muscles are screaming at you in a deafening roar. If you can still nail a perfect air squat under those conditions, you might be ready to work on your double burpee back flip hang squat snatch. On second thought don’t ever work on that last one. It was just a joke.