TRAINER GUIDANCE
Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit
Where Do I Go From Here, continued
Where Do I Go From Here? When an individual fully participates in the Level 1 Certificate Course and passes the Level 1 test, he or she earns the designation CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (CF-L1). This credential can be used in a resume or biography and is valid for five years from the date of course completion. To maintain the credential, trainers must retake the course every five years (or sooner) or pursue higher-level CrossFit credentials. The Level 1 Course is an effective, broad survey of CrossFit’s foundational methodology and movements, and earning the Level 1 Certificate should be considered the first step for training others. The purpose of this article is to provide guidance for additional professional development of new CrossFit trainers. The article is divided into three sections: 1) How to Be an Effective Trainer. 2) How to Develop as a Trainer. 3) How to Train Others While Gaining Experience. The term virtuosity—doing the common uncommonly well—can be used to describe the mastery of movement technique that CrossFit athletes seek to achieve. Chasing virtuosity can also describe the path to coaching mastery. Master coaches display an unmatched capacity to improve others’ fitness. True mastery demands a lifetime commitment to improvement of craft; those looking for mastery never consider their development complete. How to Be an Effective Trainer An effective trainer must have capacity in six different abilities: • Teaching. • Seeing. • Correcting. • Group and/or gym management. • Presence and attitude. • Demonstration. This list can be viewed as similar in principle to the list of 10 general physical skills for fitness outlined in “What Is Fitness? (Part 1).” Athletes with capacity in each of the 10 skills are considered fitter than athletes who demonstrate excessive capacity in any one skill to a detriment of capacity in the others. Similarly, effective trainers demonstrate capacity in each of the six abilities listed above, not just one or two. The more effective the trainer, the greater his or her capacity in each ability. These six areas are the focus of study and practical application at the Level 2 Certificate Course. 1.
Teaching–The ability to effectively articulate and teach the mechanics of each movement. This includes the ability to focus on major points of performance before more subtle or nuanced ones and the ability to change instruction based on the athlete’s needs and capacity. 142 of 247 Copyright 2017 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved
