Every time you move, do it with purpose!
I’m willing to bet that if you have participated in sport throughout your life that you have been injured. Maybe not anything real severe; but certainly a pulled muscle, tweaked joint or something similar.
Take a think back to an injury and the circumstances surrounding it. Were you in a deliberate, skill building exercise/position? Or was it during the regular “game time”? Where you moving methodically and learning a new position or skill? Or were you using a skill to it’s potential to achieve advantage or make a play?
My point is we are far more likely to be injured when not moving with purpose. In our sport of Crossfit, I am willing to bet (I haven’t done the research but...) that more people have been injured unloading plates from a barbell at the end of a workout than during the actual movement they were performing with it previously. Once we take away moving with purpose, we open ourselves up to poor positioning and move in ways we wouldn’t otherwise when we have purpose.
This is something I have been trying to stress in my classes lately. Think about each rep. Make sure it is performed correctly and with purpose. It may be “just a wall ball” or the load may be light for us but when we take it for granted and don’t move it with purpose, it will bite us. Yesterday was my first training after four off. Reason being? Last week I took it for granted and didn’t warm up before a wod. My plan was to use the two minutes on the assault bike that my workout was starting with as a warm up. I got off the bike after two minutes of moderate effort with a strained back. I did not move with purpose; or in this case warm up to move with purpose.
Every day you get to come in to the gym and train is a blessing. Do not take it for granted. Come in, move and be better. No matter how fit you think you are, take the time to do a proper warm up. Take the time and listen to your coach and the cues they are stressing on that day. Once it’s your turn to start moving, MOVE WITH PURPOSE!