Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Games People Play

David trying to teach Mike how to play Angry Birds while doing plank holds.

In the coming weeks and months we are all going to be hit with the tidal wave that is the CrossFit Games.  It begins next month with the CrossFit Games Open, which as its name would suggest is open to all.  To all... Yes that means you!  No you might take first place, but you will have a great time doing the WODs and you can revel in the anticipation of "have they posted this week's WOD?"  Then you can moan and complain about what type of demented idiot thought of that WOD as you peal yourself off the floor.  Really its was a great experience last year, the more people who do it the more fun it is for everyone.  So make plans now.  The first WOD goes up February 22nd.  

So now that you have decided to buckle down and go hard for the Open.  How do you set goals, like improving my diet, hitting 5 WODs a week, or getting 9 hours of sleep?  The same way you set any kind of goal.  I lifted this from Mark and Angel Hack Life, though it's not original to them:

S.M.A.R.T. goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Let’s briefly review each:

Specific – A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a related specific goal would be, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week for the next 52 weeks.” A specific goal has a far greater chance of being accomplished because it has defined parameters and constraints.
Measurable – There must be a logical system for measuring the progress of a goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask yourself questions like: How much time? How many total? How will I know when the goal is accomplished? etc. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued efforts required to reach your goal.
Attainable – To be attainable, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. In other words, the goal must be realistic. The big question here is: How can the goal be accomplished?
Relevant – Relevance stresses the importance of choosing goals that matter. For example, an internet entrepreneur’s goal to “Make 75 tuna sandwiches by 2:00PM.” may be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Timely, but lacks Relevance to an entrepreneurs overarching objective of building a profitable online business.
Timely – A goal must be grounded within a time frame, giving the goal a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps you focus your efforts on the completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by daily distractions.
When you identify S.M.A.R.T. goals that are truly important to you, you become motivated to figure out ways to attain them. You develop the necessary attitude, abilities, and skills. You can achieve almost any goal you set if you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that once seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.

You can find the original in their excellent blog post entitled "12 Things Successful People Do Differently."

Today's WOD

4 Rounds of

3-4 Weighted Pull-ups @ 21x1

Rest 30 seconds

15 Heavy Kettlebell Swings

Rest 60 seconds

Then...

12 Minute A.M.R.A.P. of

10 Pull-ups

20 Box Jumps (24/18)

200m Run

Optional Finisher

45-60 Seconds Front Plank

45-60 Seconds Side Plank

45-60 Seconds Other Side Plank

No rest in between.