Our Pre-Teens group is off and running for our summer program. In Day Two, we tackled a partner workout, focusing on teamwork, resting recovery and mental acuity.
Their workout for the day was a play on the adult WOD:
10 Rounds FT:
7 Cal Row
5 Hanging Knee Raises
7 Cal Row
5 Burpees
*Partners Alternate Full Rounds Only! So I do a full round, tag partner, they do full round. That’s 2. Then I go again etc…
But we added a twist so the kids can focus on something while they’re in their rest period: Each team has a heavy medicine ball. The ball can never touch the once the clock starts. If it “accidentally” hits the floor, they decided as a group to do 5 synchronized burpees before they can grab the ball and pick up where they off.
In order to progress to the next round, we set up out 9 markers to indicate the round they were working on, with a beaming pylon to race towards for the 10th round. Athletes had to move the mini sandbag after every round before their partner could begin their turn.
For some, CrossFit might be the only place they experience a “team” atmosphere but what better place to learn communication, patience, struggle and reward. The cool thing is, no matter their experience level, the creative ones always seem to find some way to make the best of the “rule” for the day, without actually breaking it. We embrace their creativity instead of squashing it.
Life hack: These skills transfer to adults. It’s not every day in our adult years that we get to experience the highs and lows of friendly competition. It doesn’t always have to be for you, but it could be for you.
Our pre-teens program meets every Tuesday & Thursday through the summer months from 4:15-5:00pm. Our current program facilitates ages 9-12, depending on ability to take instruction and general maturity. Email us at info@crossfitharpoon.com if you’d like to hear more or get your pre-teens started.