With a few weeks to go until the CrossFit Open, we’re gearing up for this pivotal moment in the fitness calendar with a look at what it really means to take part.

Whether you’re new to CrossFit or a seasoned athlete, a fundamental belief lies at the core of the sport: focus on the journey rather than the end result. It's about understanding that progress is a process, and true growth comes from consistency. The Open challenges participants both physically and mentally, and builds a mindset that values effort, resilience, and growth in the pursuit of excellence.

Our Adventurer of the Month for November is Aidan Pritchard. Aidan is an avid CrossFitter, channel swimmer and devoted father and husband and embodies what MLA look for in adventure and endurance challenges.

We share our personal experiences and insights on the transformative power of mindful travel: each trip we take and every new place we explore leaves us with a fresh outlook and a healthier state of mind.

It’s been a busy few months for our community and team on the comp floor! They have competed in the UK, in Europe and in Asia. We want to celebrate their achievements, and inspire more of you to join in on the fun and compete for MLA for the rest of the year.

Mike Cerbus, Weightlifting Coach at Power Monkey Fitness and former Team USA weightlifter, has been teaching in CrossFit gyms around the world for over 10 years. During our Weightlifting Weekend in Devon, we asked Mike what often holds people back, and why weightlifting holidays, whether you’re competing or just starting out, give us the space and time we need to progress in the sport.

How do we get consistent with our habits? How do we find a routine that enables the body clock to work with Swiss efficiency?

What could you achieve in a year with a daily movement practice?

Here at MLA we are so excited to be bringing you our very first Fitness and Mindset retreat this April, in partnership with coach Tamara Akcay and Mindset RxD.

After receiving questions from the MLA community asking exactly what it will involve, I thought I’d put together a short post to explain why I think training fitness and mindset together is so important.

If you only have about an hour to train and you want to move well and lift heavy things, it pays to prime your nervous system to do that in advance. Visualisation can help.

Are you about to start a new training programme with a new coach? Making the most of your time together can take your training and wellbeing to a whole new level. Below are a few ideas.

Since the quarantine started, a lot of us have lost our gym buddies, the people we would ordinarily ‘compete against’ or compare ourselves to in the gym. The silver lining is that this is an opportunity to find internal motivation and ways to push ourselves on your own.

A huge thank you to everyone who made it to our Winter Treats in October and January! Below is a selection of photos by Pablo Byrne. You can also find the notes from the last presentation here.

This article is reposted from the Revival Strength blog with the kind permission of Marcus Filly. We are reposting it here because it is relevant to everyone training in CrossFit.

The CrossFit Open is our favourite time of the year. Yes, on a par with Christmas! Here is our advice on how to approach it, if you are relatively new to it.