“Typically the worlds best athletes are minimalists when it comes to their training. They work hard and fast with few exercises. They master the fundamentals and work with them for years. This is the secret that no one wants to hear.”- Greg Glassman, Founder of CrossFit
For many of us, 18.5 marks the end of our competitive season. Yes, there are local competitions. But the CrossFit Open gives us a signpost to see how our fitness has grown in the past year. For some, the transitioning to Rx from scaled was the big win, or maybe it was getting chest to bar pull-ups or even a ring muscle up. Whatever your “win” was, celebrate it. But know that there is more you can and will achieve in 2018.
When I reflect on my progress in the Open, I had an interesting year. Because of an injury, I initially wasn’t going to do the Open. However, I was cleared one week prior to 18.1, so I decided to do the Open in the scaled division. It was not easier; let me just put that out there. The movements were just as challenging. Hitting the standards for scaled workouts is still important. I would even suggest that all Rx athletes do the scaled workouts if for no other reason that to focus on virtuous form. It’s too easy to take a scaled workout for granted once you’ve done Rx. But it was refreshing for me to do all the workouts scaled because I could really just focus on moving well.
So what’s next? For most of us, we become spectators for the next phase, the CrossFit Regionals and/or Online Qualifiers. But I suggest that you don’t think of this as the end of your season. No doubt, the Open identified some holes in your game (I’m looking at you #handstandpushups). So why not take a few minutes and come up with some goals for the remainder of 2018. Did you get your first pull-up? How about setting a goal of getting 5 unbroken? Did you hit a clean PR during 18.2? What if you work on hitting a 5-10 pound increase by the end of the year? How about your nutrition? Could it be more dialed in to maximize your overall health and fitness without causing you mental anguish and food guilt? How about your sleep? Are you getting 8 hours per night? If not, what steps could you take to improve your sleep? Just using these questions as a guide, you can already see a list of goals growing.
So do yourself a favor and meet with a trusted coach who can help you create and refine your list and then help you develop some process goals to achieve the more outcome based goals. Once you come up with a plan, do periodic check-ins and honestly talk about any obstacles (including your own self-talk) that might be getting in the way of your reaching your goals.
As always, I am here to help and support you in any way possible.
Check out this Brute Shoot with Adrian Conway from Brute Strength.
