After over a year of attending the typical CrossFit Classes. I needed to do more to work on skills I did not have back then like, muscle ups and handstand walk. Typical CrossFit classes gave me an idea of where to start, but were not enough for me to gain these skills. Few months later, I got my CF-L1, and planned to start coaching. The 2016 CrossFit Open was around the corner, and I still did not have muscle-ups, they will certainly appear in the CF Open. It did not feel good to be a trainee coach lacking a skill like muscle-ups, I thought how would I gain my athletes' trust when I am myself lacking some skills.
Flashback to my first year of CrossFit; Due to years of Circassian Folklore Dancing, I had great body awareness; it only took me few attempts to get a new skill; they showed me toes to bar, I just jumped and did them right on my first attempt. A fellow athlete showed me kipping and strict handstand pushups and I did them instantly, not so long until I got double-unders and kipping pullups. However, when it came to MUSCLE UPS, I struggled! I kept trying randomly every now and then with no success until I decide to give up thinking I will never get them, specially that I always struggled with strict pullups. I never touched the rings again for few months, thinking this skill is not for me, until the 2016 CF Open Competition was about to start.
For about a month and a half before the CF Open, I decided to program for myself loads of gymnastics to improve my upper body strength hoping to get the skill right on time before the open. I had no idea what I was programming back then, it was all about putting in gymnastic volume, I had no approach, it was not progressive or well thought; just random! However, it was my first time programming. Not shockingly, it worked! I got my muscles-ups.
Bar muscle ups appeared in the third week of the CF Open 2016. I had my first ring muscle up just a week before that; happily managed to do the Open WOD 16.3 as Prescribed “RX”. The workout was an AMRAP 7 of 10 power snatches at 75lbs for men and 3 bar muscle-ups. I got 4 rounds + 12 reps!
Fast forward few years later, I found myself again in the need of a program. The 1-hour class a day was not enough for what I wanted. I started shopping for programs and I tried several of them and made amazing progress.
During that time, I was also coaching athletes and classes. I saw some people going through the same thing; they were not making progress anymore with the typical 1-hour class and certainly feeling helpless. I decided to help them so they can get results as I did. I started programming for them. Some friends and some athletes, most of it for free just so I can experiment and teach myself and help others at the same time. I would send the program for some athletes on WhatsApp, others on a shared excel sheet. It was fun, watching them progressing and getting PRs, It felt as if I had the PRed myself. It certainly boosted my confidence that what I was doing was in the right direction.
My programming had no clear platform for about a year and a half, until COVID-19 pandemic happened! We went into a full lockdown! Weeks of not even leaving the house. That suddenly gave me loads of free time. I cannot sit still doing nothing, so I decided to take that time to develop my programming platform and founded “Functional Fitness Lab”. Not only that, but also, many athletes needed help and accountability to keep moving during lockdown. So suddenly, I had more time and bigger market.
I shifted all my work from random excel sheets to more professional platforms. Designed my logo, published my first website and business social media platforms…etc. and here we are today, I am still learning and progressing my programming and coaching skills, through studying, reading, experimenting on others and myself.