Wednesday, 02/01/13

01 Jan Wednesday, 02/01/13

Welcome back to the box for another year of pursuing your health and fitness goals. Many of you have been with us for six months or more so you can expect to see some workouts that you have done previously come up again soon. This gives you an opportunity to gauge your progress and to set some goals. For those of you less experienced, you’ll still be hitting the majority of the workouts for the first time. Be patient and consistent and the results will come.
Goal setting is a vital part of approaching your training with a purpose, assisting with motivation to train and focusing your efforts in a positive, productive direction. This post doesn’t have the scope to cover this process thoroughly but the following guide to goal setting is a well known approach and can help to get you started. It is important to also realise that it is a dynamic process, subject to change as you adjust your expectations and develop as an athlete.
Success is a habit.
The S.M.A.R.T method:
Specific – Part of the beauty of CrossFit training is that it lends itself perfectly to setting very specific goals. Choose a few Benchmark workouts and strength elements that cover a range of movements, reps and time frames and use these to drive your training. Prioritise performance-based goals, the other benefits you desire from your training will naturally follow if you do what it takes to improve performance – Nutrition, Training, Rest and Recovery.
Measurable – At the heart of the CrossFit philosophy is the belief that your results should be measurable and repeatable: Evidence based fitness. The truth of your progress lies in your actual results, not in physiological tests (eg. VO2 max, respiratory volumes etc.) that are correlates of fitness, not fitness itself.
Achievable –  Nothing succeeds like success. Be realistic – despite what many motivational quotes and speakers have to say, there are limits to your capability. These limits may be far beyond what you perceive them to be, however, set goals that you are capable of achieving. Break a major goal down into intermediate and short term goals so that you experience the success of meeting the smaller goals, important in maintaining a positive mindset. This can be difficult if you are inexperienced. Sometimes it will become clear that you have set the bar too high while other goals may not challenge you enough to require any significant development in your physical capacities. This is why it is a dynamic process, review your goals regularly, reflect on your progress and adjust as necessary. Keeping a diary is a critical part of getting this right. If you haven’t already start one NOW!  I’m sure you’ve heard it many times, writing your goals down and charting your progress is vital.
Rewarding –  What is in this for you? Why is this goal important? You must have a good reason to remain consistent and motivated. Extrinsic rewards (eg. praise from a workout buddy, dinner at a fancy restaurant – with or without your workout buddy) can be useful but are ultimately a very distant second when it comes to remaining motivated. Intrinsic rewards (sense of personal achievement, overcoming perceived barriers) are far more powerful, meaningful and lasting, and again this requires reflection on your progress, not just going down to the shops and handing over the cash for a material object that will have transient satisfaction value. (Except new shoes, that’s a rewarding gift that gives back.)
Time-Framed – Set a time limit to achieve your goals. This requires that you commit to your training to get it done.
WOD
“Fight Gone Bad”
3 rounds for total reps:
Wall Ball (9/6kg)
SDHP (35/25kg)
Box Jumps (20″)
Push Press (35/25kg)
Row (Calories)
One minute per station for max reps.
No rest between stations.
One minute rest between each round.