It’s funny to watch something grow. I’ve been in the community for 10+ years now. I wasn’t around for the really early days, but I can imagine there was stuff we were doing in 2010 that they looked at and thought “wow, how did we get here?” When I first started doing CrossFit there was NO SUCH THING as “accessory work.” I still don’t think there is such a thing. It’s just a cool way of saying “I’m working on my weaknesses or stuff I like doing, because conditioning is hard”. When I first started doing CrossFit there was ONLY the one workout of the day. That was ALL anyone needed or wanted. Sure, there was a bias back then toward doing only conditioning and avoiding heavy days for most people. We all loved the 20 minute or longer triplets or chippers. The point is though that was all we did. If you couldn’t do a movement, gymnastics ones 95% of the time, you just spent more time doing those movements outside of class. I would routinely get to my session early and spend some time working on: butterfly pull-ups, ring muscle ups, handstand holds and walks. I remember when I could NOT do a kipping handstand push-up. It just didn’t come naturally to me. I had to work on it. Little did I know I should have been working on flexibility and better movement back then too. You don’t need more work outs. You need to workout better. Start with the most low hanging fruit. If you can’t hold an air squat for 5 minutes (that’s being generous), then you shouldn’t spend time doing any other “accessory work.” If you can’t do a split or a handstand against a wall, then you don’t need any other “accessory work.” Rome wasn’t built in a day. Complex movements take time to learn. Your central nervous system can only take so much day after day after day. Being able to hold these BASIC (and yes they are basic) positions should be priority number one.
