Schedule of CrossFit Athlete Journals:
Mondays – Ingrid Kantola
Wednesdays – Travis Holley
Sundays – Michael Winchester
Michael Winchester – Athlete Journal 5/20/12
(Read Michael’s Bio here)
The Top 10 Ways to be Successful in Your Training
1) Know What You Want
What are you training for? Why are you training? You need to be able to answer these questions with precision and accuracy. If you don’t know what you want out of your training, how will you know how much and what type of training to do?
2) Set Specific Goals
Now that you know what you want to train for, set goals for yourself. Your goals should be three things: specific, realistic, and they should have a deadline. You should set both long-term goals (5 year) and short-term (3-month or 6-month) goals. Always formulate your goals in the present tense, as if they are a fact. Ex: “ I squat 425 lbs. by December 1 of 2012.”
3) Get a Coach (A Good One)
When you get sick, do you treat yourself? When your TV breaks, do you fix it yourself? When you go out to a restaurant, do you cook your own food? So why would you try to coach yourself? Leave it to the EXPERTS!
Now that you know what you want and have set goals as road-markers to help you get there, you will need a coach (and a good one). Good coaches are not always cheap, but the results and knowledge they can bring to your training are priceless. If you are serious about your health and /or fitness, you will not mind investing in it.
4) Train Your A$$ Off
Show up. Train hard. No excuses.
5) Be Coachable
Now that you have a coach, let him/her coach. The best athletes in the world also tend to be the most coachable. They absorb information like a sponge and do what their coaches ask of them. If they win – it is their glory. If they lose – it’s coach’s fault. That’s the beauty in having a coach!
6) Be A Student
It is not enough to simply go through the motions. Do you know the history of your sport? Do you keep up with the latest innovations/techniques/theories/methodologies in the field? Spend some time on the computer researching, watching videos – IMMERSING yourself in the culture of what it is you are doing.
7) Optimize Your Fuel
Eat this, don’t eat that… It’s really not that hard: fresh fruits and vegetables. Lean meats. Healthy fats and oils. As Jack Lalanne said, “If man made it, don’t eat it.”
8) Sleep
You will be astounded how much sleeping will help you lose weight, increase performance and feel better. 8 hours no less.
9) Take the Brakes Off
How mobile are you? If you have to think about it, chances are you could use a visit to mobilitywod – take the advice from the mobility expert: Kelly Starrett. Optimal body position allows for greater expression of your speed, power, strength, and athletic ability (plus it sucks to be impinged). 10 minutes a day no less!
10) Stick With the Program
.Com – OPT – Outlaw – Wendler – Westside… The list goes on. Choose a program you will follow and STICK WITH IT. I can’t tell you how many people I know who change programs or programming before they give it a chance to do its work. You will generally not see results inside of four months (sometimes it takes much longer than that), so give it at least that long to see how your body and mind react. Remember that it’s all a process, and if ever you feel lost: refer back to Step 1!