Snow way!
As you are probably all aware, we are predicted to get hammered with snow today. The gym will be operating normal hours through 1pm today. Tonight there will be classes at 3,4,5,and 6pm. The intro class, classes in orange, and the 7pm classes are canceled, sorry for the inconvenience. Tomorrow morning we are planning on doing a late opening if the forecast pans out throughout the day today. Stay tuned.
The parties are over, the ball dropped, and 2014 is here! With a new year, we often feel like we get a fresh slate and an opportunity to start fresh. Resolutions and goals for the new year are everywhere these days – in particular, clogging up my Newsfeed on Facebook. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy reading about my friends’ goals, but knowing that only about 8% of people actually keep these resolutions, I can be a little skeptical.
Then again, my skepticism and failed attempts at keeping resolutions does not stop me from making my own each year. And it shouldn’t stop you, either! In CrossFit specifically, setting goals helps us keep our training on track. It can motivate us to train harder, more consistently, and more efficiently. Moreover, it gives our time in the gym purpose.
Have you ever had a bad day, or maybe even a bad week at the gym where you ask yourself, “Why do I do this to myself? What’s the point?” Working toward a goal can quiet these frustrations and keep you moving in the right direction.
So, how do we avoid becoming part of the 98% of people who abandon their goals before the end of January? There are many approaches out there that you can take, but here are my top 3 tips for effective goal setting as you look ahead to 2014:
Be specific. General statements are hard to work toward, and even harder to measure. You may say your 2014 goal is to “get stronger” – but what does that really mean to you? Do you want to get stronger so you can do 20 unbroken strict pull ups? Or do you want to deadlift 600 pounds? Set a measurable goal, like “300# squat by 7/4” and come up with a game plan for how to get there. When you’re following a specific plan to get to a measurable goal, you’re more likely to stay on track. Check out this old blog post from Goose on making smart, specific goals.
Keep it simple. One of the greatest parts of CrossFit is that it is constantly varied. There are tons of different movements, lifts, and workouts that we can measure – but that doesn’t mean we need a
laundry list of goals for each movement. Pick a few of the most important, and focus on those. Once they are checked off of your list, you can set new goals!
Make it unavoidable. A friend of mine has a piece of paper hanging on his bathroom mirror with 3 goals written on them. Every morning when he wakes up and goes to brush his teeth, his goals are staring him in the face. He can’t avoid them; each day he is forced to consider what he’s done (or hasn’t done) to reach these goals. I love this idea. Write your goals down. Tell other people about them. The more accountable you feel – either to others or to your own guilty conscience- the less likely you are to give up.
We want to see you all succeed and crush your goals in 2014. If you have questions on how to measure a goal you have, or are unsure about which of your goals to focus on, talk to any of your coaches; we’re all more than happy to help. As far as making your goal unavoidable goes, we’re going to make that very easy for you. We’ve set up a new goal board in Southie Green, right by the water fountain. Get your name and goal up there as soon as you can so that you see it each time you’re in the gym, and so that your WOD buddies see it, too. Ask one another about progress, and hold one other accountable. We’re all in this together… here’s to a PR-filled 2014!
Strength
Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes
2 Squat Cleans
WOD
12-10-8-6-4-2
Clean and Jerks (135,95)
50 Double Unders between each round
Level 2- (115,75)
Level 1- (95,65)