We all have goals when it comes to our fitness.
Whether it be an aesthetic goal, performance goal, or simply a wish to live a healthy lifestyle, we can all sit down and think of some reason why we go to the gym.
It is easy to get overwhelmed by these goals at times. We can get into a habit of thinking we need to do everything every single day, and this can often lead us to get discouraged and sometimes abandon a goal altogether.
We don’t need to be overburdened with our goals, and they do not need to take over every aspect of our lives. Instead, we can chase our ambitions in manageable ways that still give us balance in life. I will share three things that have helped me in my own journey. While we all may have different goals, the steps we take to achieve them will be similar.
Training with Intensity and Purpose
I see it a lot (and have been guilty of this myself): athletes associate more with better. The more you do in the gym, the more you will improve. Like I said, I have had this mindset before, and the thing is, more is not always better.
We should prioritize intensity over everything else. When we approach our training and give it our full intensity (relative to how we feel that day), we will get fitter, and our bodies will better adapt. That is what CrossFit is all about: shorter workouts that yield greater results.
One hour of focused training is far more valuable than two to three hours of mindlessly going through exercises with no intent. Each thing we do should serve a purpose and should be treated accordingly.
This is another reason why we can benefit greatly from group fitness classes. Each class is pre-designed with a set stimulus, and if you scale the workout accordingly, you will get the desired effect from the class, and this focused work will yield far more results when chasing our goals.
Focusing on the Basics
Here we have yet another thing that I have been guilty of: avoiding the basics.
Especially in CrossFit, there are so many movements to learn – so many ‘cool’ things that we simply can not wait to master.
I remember trying for so long to get a muscle up, determined to get down one of these advanced skills.
However, I didn’t make progress with any until I took a step back and focused on the basics.
Do you want to get a muscle up? Do strict pullups – and do them often.
Want to get better at olympic lifting? Dial in your technique with lighter loads. Practice movement patterns with an empty barbell.
These simple movements can be added before or after a class workout, provided they are not overdone. Make a habit of getting 3-4 sets of 5-10 pullups after class twice a week, or spend five minutes drilling empty barbell snatches before a lifting day.
No matter what it is, we can benefit from focusing on the basics. This even applies to nutrition: instead of looking for that fancy diet, stick to the basics. Eat mostly unprocessed foods in reasonable rations for whatever goals you have.
The basics are never as exciting as the advanced movements like muscle ups. They don’t look as cool, and they are not as fun. However, if you make the effort to master them (and continually come back to them), you will make far greater progress than if you don’t.
Building Habits
Whatever our goals are, it is imperative to build habits that support them.
Once more, we do not have to overwhelm ourselves with a manifold of different habits we want to incorporate into our daily lives. Start small; choose one thing to build a habit with.
Going to bed earlier.
Waking up earlier.
Coming to CrossFit three days a week.
Eating unprocessed foods five days a week.
Accumulating a set number of strict pull-ups each week.
Whatever it is we chase, we can build habits that lend to that goal. Not every day or week will be perfect, but if we can slowly start to shift our lifestyle habits in the right direction, we will see results.
Article by Karisa Stapp
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