In this segment of Ask Smashby, I answer a question from my friend Travis in Florida about how he should choose a CrossFit gym.
I then address a question I received from a local athlete about how to deal with scheduling conflicts in life that interfere with your ability to train at your gym.
DISCLAIMER!! – I want to make it very clear that, at one point in this video, in no way was I bad-mouthing another CrossFit gym. I want to assure all of you that I am only passing on input I have received from other athletes who specifically trained there. I would not say something bad about another local gym. My goal is to help in any way possible, and in this case I provided the only input I have ever heard from athletes’ first-hand experiences.
Ok. Enjoy.
Smashby's Training Blog 
Smashby, my brother, three months of CrossFit have changed the trajectory of my weight, my health, my outlook, my eating habits… I’m pretty much hooked.
As I get past the initial period of learning the exercises for the first time, I am eager to challenge myself more and more. I feel like I’ve come a long way already, and as my fitness improves, I’m working toward lifting more weight for the strength/power portions of our workouts.
The issue I would like guidance on is how to challenge oneself safely, without injury. I know technique on the lifts is paramount and I’m trying my best to concentrate on form even as I increase weight.
Sometimes, however, both my mind and body tell me that I have a looong way to go before my form is decent (read: sound, minimizing injury), and that I need to get better at this aspect of my training. That being said, how can you slow down (e.g., throttle down the weight) without sacrificing the intensity of the workout and subsequent gains?
If you don’t mind, as you consider this question, please also consider the question of avoiding long-term, cumulative injuries. What I mean by that is an injury that develops over time, as opposed to an acute injury during one workout.
Thanks for your thoughts.