What’s your plan? Do you have one when you start the workout? Or do you just go along and make it up as you go?
What’s your break pattern going to be? How long? Do you measure it in breaths? Seconds? Minutes?
Where’s your head before the workout, during the workout, after the workout? Do you analyze the workout, think about your strengths and weaknesses, and realistically assess yourself? Can you reassess during the workout and adjust your plan if it isn’t working? Do you log your workout afterward — and make note of what went wrong and what you could do better — what you will do better — next time?
No one is saying you have to have a plan. Just like no one is saying you have to CrossFit. Or that you have to go to work, or go to school, or pay your bills, or walk the dog that’s whining by the front door.
But you know what? People who plan do better. At CrossFit and in life. Just a simple fact. And people who plan — and who know when to throw out the plan and fly by the seat of their pants — well, they do best and they have the most fun. But that’s a skill — you have to practice it. Live it, study it, learn from it. Know when to keep your hands on the wheel and when to let go.
But life belongs to those who act, not just react. So plan and act.
Make up your mind who you want to be in the gym, in the workplace, in your home, in life overall. Make a plan. And then go get it. Pay the price to be who you want to be.
May 13th, 2010 at 10:24 am
BAM! I’m back!
May 13th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Now that I got the first post, I do plan. I look at the board and try to work out how best to attack the work out. When I started, the plan was just to make it through. Now, though, for some work outs I am able to strategize. For Jeremy yesterday, it was OHS til fail, take 3 breaths and get back on the bar and no break in burpees until more than 1/2 completed, then I can mentally yell at myself that there are a few to go. I don’t think I’m at the level where I analyze my strenghths and weaknesses relative to the workout. I think that is like fine motor skill development and I am still trying to get my gross motor skills working.
I have committed to cleaning up my diet and getting better rest. I have to get back to logging my workouts. More importantly, I am excited that I am in town and able to WOD with CFW this week.
What I think will help me is to set some shorter term goals and get a race of some sort on the calendar for Fall to work towards. If anyone knows of a tough mudder like event in the Fall please let me know.
May 13th, 2010 at 10:52 am
I’m a fly by the seat of my pants in almost everything except the gym. I plan months ahead, where I am, where I want to be and how in the hell I’m going to get there. I moved to CT in summer of 2008, weak, frail, 185# and wicked good at chipper-type metcon’s. The long term goal was always to be a national level strength athlete (as a reformed swimmer, I was sick of being skinny). So I developed a plan. Eat, eat and eat. I calculated to the penny what it would cost me to eat 6 eggs every morning and about 1lb of meat at lunch and another at dinner (with some veggies, you know, for the poo). I created short term goals (by January I want to weigh x amount of pounds and have a squat this heavy). What stretching do I have to do, what assistance work is neccesary. It’s worked for me. Not everybody likes to detail these things out to the finest minutia like I do, but as long as progress is being made it doesn’t quite matter.
As I sit here, bored to death at work, I am 220#’s (only 5-10 more pounds to go) with a 395x5x3 squat, 495×5 DL, and competition o-lift total of 225kg (exactly 60kg’s to go).
I’ve got my June-July planned gearing up for the CT Open on 8/1 (Sue and Pam, sign up!!!) to a T. I know exactly what I’m doing 3 weeks from now. Then again, I’m an anal retentive.
May 13th, 2010 at 11:14 am
Eric, Believe me, if I could cut out those 5 or 10 pounds and transfer them to you, I would.
May 13th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Eric, I must confess, I actually found that account fascinating. Good for you!
David — because I’m usually only at the nighttime classes, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages! I hope you’re well!
May 13th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Oh — and anybody want to guess whose hands are on the rings in the photo?
May 13th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Is it Pameroid?
May 13th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I plan too much at work and not enough in the gym. unfortunately when i walk in I just look at the board and usually shut my brain off.
And I too am stuck at work…bored, waiting for someone to release a document that is holding up all of the helicopters.
May 13th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Thanks beery. i appreciate the offer.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Most of the time I don’t plan.
I use passion, drive and desire to be stronger and faster to get through the WOD. Numbers won’t work for me. For the most part I see nothing, just blackness. I try really hard to understand where and what my body is doing. I like enjoying the suck feeling the pain and power. How far can I push myself? This kinda thought works for me.
I’m in my own space during my WODs.
If I have any plan at the stat of the WOD it’s questions…What can my body handle? What’s good for me today? Don’t get hurt get strong and give 100% of what I have right now. 3-2-1 own it…it’s yours!
May 13th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Matt, you need a new job.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
It’s not Spamela.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
As of right now, the only plan I make for each WOD is to actually get through it! I just repeat in my head, “bikini, bikini, bikini!” as vain as that sounds, it’s the truth. Pushing my body far beyond its comfort zone is my main goal… And judging by the nausea after each workout, I’d say it’s working.
May 13th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Those look like my mom’s hands.
May 13th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Nope, not your mom.
May 13th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
I think I’m more like Eric in that I don’t plan, or at least not until I see the board. When ever I try to make plans beyond a day or two my work schedule/travel gets in the way. BUT that doesn’t alter “the plan” (CF Games 2011) only the path I will need to travel to get there. Raise the area under the curve!!!
May 13th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Mikey’s hands
May 13th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Not Mikey.
May 13th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Hey, does anybody want to jump in on my pre-order of the CrossFit Ireland “Institute of Awesomeness” t-shirt?
Let me know today or tomorrow!
May 13th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
So I just got back from a work seminar a few weeks ago that talks about generational gaps in the workplace. I think a lot of what they talked about applies to the gym when it comes to planning.
What I learned at the seminar is that there are four generations working together for the first time in history. The Matures – born prior to 1946; the Baby Boomers – born between 1946 through 1964; Generation X – born between 1965 through 1980, and the Millennials – born 1981 through 1994. All these different generations have a different outlook when it comes to planning.
There are exceptions to the rule but I found it very interesting. The Matures are a dedicated group that will work (workout) at a miserable job for ever as long as they put food on the table. The Baby boomers live to work (workout), Generation X work (workout) to live, and the Millennials live in the moment (workout).
What I am actually talking about is the different personalities I see at Crossfit. This is a great environment and it is a joy to see so many different types of people come to a place for one common goal. I see this when I am skydiving every weekend. People from all generations and backgrounds come to a place to get their own personal joy out of doing something together. There is no judgment and everyone is motivated to see people improve.
My suggestion is look around at what other people are doing. Find out what works for them and try it. If it works for you than steel their idea and exploit it like it is yours. Wait a minute I am talking about work again.
See you guys and gals soon!
Brian
May 13th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Interesting stuff, Brian! Thanks for posting that. I would totally agree that everybody needs to figure out what works for them. My favorite comment yesterday came from someone (Ray? Derek? Matt?) who said, “I had a plan. Then it sh** the bed and I just did whatever I could.”
As Coach Glassman says, “Experiment with it. F*** it up. See what happens.”
But I think the key is to at least try to figure out what works for you — and what you need to adopt or discard?
In other news, although I am technically Gen X, I believe my work mindset is Baby Boomer.
Anybody care to write tomorrow’s blogpost entitled “Plan, Schman. Just Do It”????
May 13th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
And another thought — I wonder if the work mindset (alternatively known as Just Work/Live to Work/Work to Live/Live Now) is affected by your sense of fulfillment at your job? That is to say that if you are tremendously fulfilled by your work, that you feel greater purpose to it? Which, in turn, might catapult you from a WTL to a LTW?
Then again, what portion of the population is that fulfilled by their work? Many factors to consider.
May 13th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
I like t-shirts, so i’ll take one of those Lis!
May 13th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
My motto is to work hard and play harder. I agree with Lady Gaga and I will sleep when I am dead too.
I also have a tattoo on my back that says “Shut up and Jump”. That might come into tomorrows blog.
Enough personal stuff.
Back to my shell
B
May 13th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Take your shirt off and show me your tat!
May 13th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
What if your work is play?
Although I would not want to consider my play as work. That would suck.
See, I could do this all afternoon. That’s why I wasn’t a philosophy major — I would never have left my room. So many things to debate, so little time.
Hey, who wants to play the non sequitur game?
May 13th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
@ Brian, I thought Mikey called it a tramp stamp.
@ Jenny, me too: Bikini, bikini, bikini.
@ Lis, hanging in there, finally ready to break the plateau with new commitments.
Anyone up for the Tough Mudder Nov 20th or 21st in New Jersey? http://toughmudder.com/events/tri-state/
12 miles and I think 17 fun diversions
May 13th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Are those Sue’s hands on the rings?
@David – you should def do it, I would already be signed up if I was going to be here.
@Lis – can you put me down for medium CF Ireland shirt…please, thank you
re: planning – I’ve come to realization that everything about my job / career is planning and I don’t do a very good job of transfering that over to the other aspects of me life, for good or bad
May 13th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
You know I cant pass on some CrossFit Ireland gear. I’ll take one of those T-shirts also. Thank you Lis. I’m guessing Medium.
May 13th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Not Sue.
May 13th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
rachael’s hands?
May 13th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
Hold the press…are they Lis’s hands?
May 14th, 2010 at 7:00 am
They are Lis’s hands…comon’ you guys are slow!
May 14th, 2010 at 7:24 am
Nope. Not my hands at all. Pay attention, Jen!
May 14th, 2010 at 7:35 am
Jenny’s hands?
May 14th, 2010 at 8:18 am
Nope. Not Jenny.
Here’s a clue: 6pmer.
May 14th, 2010 at 8:44 am
Anita’s hands?
May 14th, 2010 at 9:02 am
anita?
May 14th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Not Anita.
But someone else who can make you smile a lot.
May 15th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Okay — guessing game over. Those hands belong to Karen.