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Fitness

Athlete Journal: Michael Winchester, Entry 12 – 5/20/12

As CrossFit Central prepares for the CrossFit Games, Michael shares his top 10 tips for being successful in your training.

Michael Winchester

Written by Michael Winchester Last updated on May 20, 2012

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!

Michael Winchester

About Michael Winchester

Michael Winchester was born and raised in Houston, Texas - though now he calls beautiful Austin, Texas home. He was recruited to Stetson University out of high school where he played four years of NCAA Division I soccer, majored in Spanish, and minored in Business Law. After a three-year stint in Spain as an English teacher, Michael returned to Texas, found CrossFit, and was immediately hooked.

Michael’s first CrossFit competition was the 2009 Fittest Games, held by CrossFit Central. He has competed in many competitions and challenges, has competed at the regional level for the past three years (2009, 2010, 2011), and was a member of the 2011 CrossFit Central Affiliate Team.

Michael has been a CrossFit coach for three years – learning from and working with the best coaches in the nation. He currently coaches at the RedBlack Gym, where he is the head coach of the RX program and also strength and conditioning coach for the University of Texas Rugby Team. Michael also directs and programs competitions for CrossFit Central under Event Director Ingrid Kantola.

Michael has only one goal for the 2012 CrossFit Season: to win the 2012 CrossFit Games as an athlete on Team CrossFit Central.

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