By Zak Nothling, CFET & Renegade Performance coach In Melbourne a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to pick the brains of 3 time CrossFit games athlete Mitch Sinnamon.
Over the weekend I was able to get inside this elite athletes head, and see what makes him tick - I swapped him burgers (a cheat meal) for a quick 5min interview.
Mitch has been to the CrossFit games 3 times (once in a team and twice as an individual). He has never won the CrossFit games, but he still has an unwavering desire to test himself against the fittest people in the world, in the most diverse test of fitness. Mitch lives and breathes CrossFit; he is a CrossFit coach and the majority of his friends are Crossfitters. When he’s not physically doing CrossFit, he is learning how to improve performance in any way possible: through studying nutrition, listening to podcasts and/or reading. His only downtime, from what I could see, was a bit of Xbox which he played in order to unwind at the end of the day.
In this interview, I asked Mitch 3 questions and in this written blog I have expanded on our interview and reflected with my thoughts:
- What is your definition of “success”?
(Mitch) For me, success wasn't qualifying for the CrossFit Games; it was actually performing to my ability and doing what I knew I was physically capable of doing on the competition floor.
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My Thoughts (Zak):
In CrossFit, and in life in general, we have so many things that are outside of our control. If our definition of success is purely the result on a leaderboard, then we will only experience very fleeting moments of happiness and accomplishment. This is a mindset that I have only learned about in the past 18 months; particularly after my second CrossFit games experience, where we finished one place higher than the year before, despite being the fittest and best prepared we had ever been.
Even though I have personally adopted this mindset, I haven't yet decided if I 100% agree with it. I find myself questioning if it is a cop-out for not winning, especially as in the past I have been asked the same question and my answer to the definition of success was "standing on top of the regionals podium", which we achieved. I felt truly successful, but then that was followed by setting an ambitious goal of finishing Top 10 at the Crossfit games and we had our souls crushed, but I still felt like we were successful as we had all performed to our potential and beyond what was expected of us. Our competitors were simply just stronger, fitter and faster. I left the 2016 CrossFit games feeling content, knowing that we did everything we could have in each given situation.
I will need to wait for another games season to pass before I can fully form my opinion on this one.
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2. What is the difference between the top of the table, and the bottom of the table, at the games and regionals? Or the difference between the top 30 and the 30-60th placers in the open?
(Mitch) Self-belief. Not just self-belief on competition days, but throughout the entire season. If you believe that the journey you’re on has purpose, you’re going to make far better decisions in the lead up than if your belief is wavering.
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My Thoughts (Zak):
Without self-belief, you could find yourself making decisions that will impact your performance in days to come; like poor nutrition choices, due to the fact that you don't know if the sacrifices you are making are worth it or not. But if you have that true belief that you're going to succeed, then you will be willing to sacrifice and make the right decision when the time comes.
This will translate to training ~ if you can truly visualise yourself on the regionals floor, or in the top heat of the CrossFit games, this is going to significantly increase your ability to push during workouts.
3. What advice do you have for athletes that are aspiring to qualify for regionals or the CrossFit Games?
(Mitch) Number 1 is consistency over time. There are going to be weeks where you are not hitting PRs, or even close to it for that matter, but hanging in there during those down times are going to be integral to your success. (This links back perfectly to his last point about self-belief).
On a final note, enjoy training! Have a good crew to train and throw down with on a regular, if not daily, basis. It’s all well and good chasing a time that someone on the other side of the world has set, but nothing beats going head to head with someone in a workout and having some laughs at the same time. If you're not enjoying the process, what is the point?
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