Such has been the revolution of the internet, Youtube and social media in the last 5-10 years that it is almost hard to remember what life is like without it. Where would we be without our daily dose of cat videos and people falling off stuff? Fortunately, along with all the pug-life, thug-life and crazy wife footage, it has opened up a world of media surrounding strength sports.

Crossfit HQ itself has championed the notion of having everything available, online, whenever and where ever, and that is a great resource for Crossfitters the world over. But there is so much more we can learn from the internet outside of CF, to broaden our knowledge of lifting, and apply that to how we train at the box. There are of course things to be aware of in doing so, so here is some do’s and don’ts on navigating your way through the gigabytes of barbells and biceps.

Slow motion footage of high level Olympic lifters

Pros – Olympic lifting is such a huge part of Crossfit, and we are very lucky to have such a heavy influence on good technique here at CFVIC, but thanks to pages like Hookgrip and All Things Gym, we can now see the highest level athletes performing in super slow motion. We can analyse and re-analyse their technique frame by frame, and really understand all those positions we keep hearing in the gym but can only ever see at full speed. We can learn all manner of accessory exercises and stretches. We get to see the difference between an American style lift and a Russian, a Bulgarian and a Chinese. It also allows us to learn the ‘rules’ of proper weightlifting, what you can and can’t do, and also see how athletes prepare for a max lift. Even though this doesn’t all apply to CF, knowing how someone prepares and executes a clean and jerk at 3 times their own body weight should have at least come carry over to yours.

Cons – The most common trap here is to ‘copy cat’ your favourite lifter, I myself have been guilty of it. A phrase like ‘well if it’s works for Klokov, it works for me’ springs to mind, but not necessarily. Every athlete is different, body type, training years, injury, coaching methodology. Seeing something that works for someone at an elite level, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. Learning and understanding WHY they do something in such a way is important, mimicking it in every detail in your own training is not.

Learn about strength sports you know nothing about

Pros – If caber tossing, club twirling, hussafel stone carrying, benching to two boards, and log pressing aren’t activities you are familiar, it’s time to commit an evening on the couch in front of the laptop to start learning. We talk about how Crossfit is constantly varied, do the same with your learning. Delve back into history and see where sports originated from (did you know the clean and jerk in the Olympics was originally a clean and PRESS?), discover weird and wonderful ways of lifting heavy things, learn about how the other main component sports work (power lifting, gymnastics, rowing, running). Learn the names of top level athletes and their achievements. Names like Om Yun Chol, Zyndrunas Savickas, Lydia Valentin, Ed Coan and Tatiana Kashirina should be as recognizable as Rich Froning and Tia Toomey.

Cons – The only down side to this is you might get so excited about something you see you might want to try it!

Valuable instruction/coaching

Pros- There are loads and loads of really handy instructional videos online. Everything from mobility techniques, finer points of dead lift position, nutrition, training frequency, to sleep and injury identification and prevention. Many professionals and top level athletes share their years of knowledge and experience online, so make the most of it!

Cons- Unfortunately, for every gem of knowledge online, there is 5 others that are, well, crap. It’s so easy to pick up a smart phone, shoot an instructional video and share it with the world, so easy you could do it yourself in the time it takes you to finish this article. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should, but many do. Knowing what is good advice and what is terrible can be tough, so try to use your best judgement. Consider whether the person posting it is qualified to be giving the advice. If the concept seems extreme to you, run it past someone you know might be able to share a valuable opinion on it, before trying it.

Broaden your knowledge, accept that there are many ways to do something well, but not all apply to you, and try not to get caught out by the bullshit.