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Goals

Why Muscle Ups Matter For Every Single Athlete

April 5, 2019 By admin

By: Coach Leah

The Open is officially over and my Thursday & Friday nights are strangely quiet again. Well, as quiet as they can be with a 4 year old, a 1 year old, and a dog running around the house. But despite the (somewhat) quiet around me, my brain is anything but. So, I sit here on a Thursday night writing this article about muscle-ups (spoiler alert…..it’s much more than that). 

We saw a lot of firsts this year in the open. First Rx workouts, first handstand push ups, first bar muscle ups, first chest to bar pull ups, first Open in general; the list goes on and on. While these feats may seem insignificant to some, they left a lasting impression on me. I was moved by the realization of the metaphorical (and sometimes literal) importance the muscle up has for all of us in our pursuit of health and fitness.

While we all started and continue to do CrossFit for different reasons, all those reasons ladder up to the same generic purpose – to live a healthier life. On a superficial level, achieving a muscle up has absolutely nothing to do with that. In fact, many more people will live an incredibly healthy life without successfully completing a muscle up than those that do complete one. Certainly there is a positive correlation between degree of fitness and ability to do one, but by no means is one required to be fit.

So, why does it matter?  Why is a muscle up as important to the 25 year old young gun as it is to the 85 year old grandmother?

Simple – it’s the motivation of the pursuit and the satisfaction of the achievement.

For most I’m not talking about the muscle up literally, but instead I am referring to what it represents – a meaningful, tangible, physical goal.  For the 85 year old grandmother, that might be walking up 3 stairs without assistance.  For others it may be a 400 lb back squat. And for some, it’s moving without pain.

In essence, we all need that Moby Dick to chase. We all need that meaningful something to keep us coming back day in and day out.  As with the pursuit of Moby Dick, it will be a journey filled with ups and downs.  Calm and rough seas.  It will be a journey that requires devout (borderline obsessive) commitment.  And it may even be a journey that ends in failure.  BUT, it is in that pursuit and even in that failure that we progress, grow, and succeed in some way.

For 99% of us, we’ve stayed committed to CrossFit longer than any other fitness routine in our lives.  For many of us, we are fitter now than we were 1, 5, 10, and even 20 years ago.  For most of us, going to the gym has become something we want to do instead of something we have to do.

All of that is awesome, but we must acknowledge the facts.

Fact 1 – As humans we naturally seek newness and growth.  The first year or two of CrossFit is intoxicating.  You’ve never done half the movements and while scary, it’s also exhilarating.  You never knew how awful 5 minutes of working out could feel, but somehow it’s awesome.  You were never a group class person but all of a sudden you couldn’t imagine doing anything else.  Inevitably, all of that becomes the new normal.  It’s no longer new, it’s your routine. It’s still better than any other routine, but like anything else in life we do for years, it becomes routine indeed.

Fact 2 – Measurable success breeds motivation and it becomes a heck of a lot less frequent as the years pass.  In the first 2 years of CrossFit, you look at a barbell and you PR.  Not just PR but PR by HUGE jumps.  30 lbs on a snatch in 1 month.  50 lbs on your deadlift the next.  Then the gains slow.  Suddenly it’s 5 lbs on your clean in 6 months.  10 lbs on your squat in a year.  Let’s be clear, improving at a decreasing rate happens to everyone in any fitness program especially as their fitness and age increases.  BUT, it still sucks and can be demotivating!

Fact 3 – We can easily combat these issues by chasing our own version of Moby Dick! Our own muscle up so-to-speak.  When was the last time you set a goal for yourself in the gym? I’m not talking about the wishy washy, “I want to get a muscle-up in 19.4” type of goals; I mean a goal that you’re committed to and willing to work for? Do you have that time in mind? Great! Now,  during that process what did your attendance look like?  Probably pretty stellar, right?  Why? You had a goal.

Now once you hit that goal, how do you think you feel?  Amazing!  Are you motivated to find another one and continue to improve your fitness? Heck yes!

But guess what? Our goals require work in order to be achieved. That work may be as simple as telling someone your goal and asking for accountability. It may mean coming to the gym more consistently. It may even require specific skill/strength work in addition to regular group classes.

In other words my friends, find a meaningful, physical goal and go get it.  Maybe it’s a first pull-up or muscle up.  Perhaps it’s a 200 lb snatch.  I don’t know what it is for you but all I know is you need one.  It needs to matter.  You need to chase it.  And you need to celebrate it when you reach it.

In the next couple of weeks, I’m going to send out a 2 question survey.  Question 1 will ask you to write down your own version of your Moby Dick or Muscle Up.  Question 2 will ask you to write down the biggest obstacle in your way.

Take some time this week to think about those 2 questions. Take the 5 minutes next week to fill it out.  Those 5 minutes could fuel your next 5 months.

Filed Under: Articles & Announcements Tagged With: Goals, Muscle Ups, Open Wrap Up

Do You Have a “Goal” or a “Wish?”

December 27, 2016 By admin

Do You Have a “Goal” or a “Wish?”
The Importance of Setting Goals
– By Coach Chris

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Goal-setting is a very effective, yet underutilized, tool in the gym. Setting goals can keep you focused and motivated on those days when the last place you want to be is the gym.

The ability to set goals (and stick to them) can overflow into your life outside of the gym, as well.

Goal-setting in four steps:

1. Create a specific and realistic goal.
“I want to squat 400 pounds by 2018” is a better goal then “I want to squat more.” Also, remember to be realistic. Finding that balance of creating a challenging, yet realistic goal, can sometimes be tricky. If you want someone’s input, don’t be afraid to talk to your coaches!

2. Write it down.
It’s much harder to ignore a goal if it is recorded somewhere. For me, I need to actually write it down in my notebook. If putting your goal in your phone works better for you, go for it.

3. Create a roadmap.
You can’t squat 400 pounds before you can squat 300 pounds. After you create your goal, map out a timeline with marks you want to hit along the way. Setting micro-goals throughout the year will help keep you focused and motivated. It will also help you visualize your progress and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love smashing a PR every once in a while?!

4. Say your goal out loud.
The CrossFit community is made up of an amazing group of people who love to see each other reach goals. Share your goal with a coach or someone at the gym. And remember to cheer each other on!

There is no perfect way to reach your strength and fitness goals, but it’s much easier to reach your destination with a map. These are the tactics I use to help keep myself motivated and inspired.

Goals aren’t meant to be reached overnight. (And if they are, you might need to re-think your goals). Success is made up of a bunch of “little wins.” So don’t be so hard on yourself and get excited when you make progress (no matter how small).

Filed Under: Articles & Announcements Tagged With: Coach Chris, Goals

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