Invictus Blog

Stepping it up with the Competition Team
Written by Tino Marini

Competing in the sport of CrossFit requires lots of work, endless amounts of determination, and huge sacrifice. That is certainly true of the Games level athletes, but it’s also true of those who are just getting into the sport and seeking to progress and challenge themselves in local competitions. I have had the privilege since I have been in San Diego of working with some of the Invictus competitors and helping them develop their skills and mental preparation for competition.

Having competed at numerous local and regional competitions last year, I know exactly what these guys and gals are going through. Even though the competitions are of a smaller nature, there is still a great level of training and commitment needed. CrossFit has grown rapidly, and so has the competition standard across the board. CrossFit creates athletes who become almost obsessed with being the best. They prioritize their training, nutrition, mobility, sleep, and even how they choose to relax. All of these things are essential components to maximizing an athlete’s potential.

The Invictus Competitors, who meet at 3:00 p.m. every day, are showing their eagerness to dial in all of these aspects to become the best they can be as CrossFit athletes. These training sessions last approximately 90 minutes, including mobility, warm-up, skills, strength, conditioning, cool down and de-brief. This is a huge time commitment, but their progress has been their reward.

I have been impressed by their work ethic, commitment and attitude over the past few weeks. They take in instructions well and apply them to training, they ask relevant questions and take notes on how to improve. They are always keen to learn more to become better making coaching them an absolute pleasure.

Being able to train as a team is greatly beneficial to athlete development as you always push a little bit harder. My job is to manage that and help these athletes improve their movement mechanics. The camaraderie between members is awesome to watch and helps team moral and progress. They are constantly learning from one another and beginning to cue each other on their lifts and any flaws that they see. As a coach it is my aim to educate my athletes so that they can train themselves and pass on what they learn. These guys are doing exactly that, and seem to be learning more and more about themselves and one another each training session.

The progress so far has been outstanding, and I am excited to see these athletes develop over the upcoming months. GREAT work ethic, and GREAT commitment from GREAT people. Keep it coming!

If you would like to see some of the Invictus Competitors in action, a few will be participating in the Left Coast Invitational this weekend. I know they would love to see a few green t-shirts in the crowd cheering them along.