Good Competition vs. Bad Competition

With the CrossFit Open in full swing something very good or something very bad can happen to you...

You can become motivated beyond what you ever thought possible.

--OR--

You can fall into the bermunda triangle of COMPARING yourself to others, their scores and  begin to
question your training, success you have had thus far and began to self sabotage yourself.

The CrossFit Open is a way to provide context to your training and gives you purpose behind everything you have been working for in the gym day in and day for the past year.

Good Competition

Competition can bring out the best in you. I fully believe that you can not recreate the enviornment, intensity and your highest level of performance during the heat of this great competition. Participating will put you in the game with  60,000 plus competitors and can result in raising the expectation for yourself. You will operate at a much higher level because everyone else is operating at a  much higher level. And by you pushing yourself you in turn will push others  around you. It is infectious!

Competition can you show you the light to your potential. You can be a part  of something much bigger then yourself. You can see how people really not that  much different than you can put up extroridinary numbers.

Competition shows you exactly where you are at today. The mantra of the open is "prove your fitness". Everything you have done up to this point will result  in exactly how you 'should' perform in the games. This can be very empowering  and motivating. All of the metcon's, strength work, running, mobility you have done over the last year will show up no matter what workout is announced 2/29/12  @5pm PST. So if you are not satisfied where you end up with your scores and  goals, consider this is your BIG WAKE UP CALL! The kind of wake up call that can  be a life changing and transform you into a more motivated, focused and dedicated athlete. Not to mention a all around better person:-)

Bad Competition

It is very easy to NOT check your ego at the door. With the highend focus and  atmosphere the Games
season provides do not let yourself fall into the trap of  COMPARING yourself to others performances. This kind of comparing is you  actually judging yourself against people that you know very little about.  You have no idea what type of work these people put into to produce their results.  You don't know what kind of athletic background they have. You can't compare  yourself to someone who is a former competitive gymnast, or has been  weightlifiting for 10 years, or played college sports, and you just started  CrossFitting 6 months ago?!?!

You are exactly where you are supposed to be. All of you efforts you have  done in the last year, all of your training prior to CrossFit, your entire  fitness/sports history has brought you exactly where you stand today. And the  same goes with the people you can't help but compare yourself too. Be proud of  yourself. Your progress. Your results. The potential you have. If you feel the need to compare yourself to others there are plenty of stories on the games  site. And plenty of success stories that have people with far less  physical advantages in life than you.

My hope is you use the 2012 CrossFit Games Open as a measuring stick for  yourself. I hope you use the positive energy of 60,000 plus people across the  globe to catapult your mental and emotional inspiration to a level you never thought possible for yourself.

Why the WHY???

'Why' do I YELL?? Bcuz I like too:-)

I read a stat the other day that said 88% of people that make New Year's Resolution's FAIL within 90 days of making it after the New Year.

Why do you think that is??? I will give you a hint, it's the "Why".

I've written about the importance of GOALS, the structure of how to set up your GOALS and even why your GOALS don't work.



Every time I meet with a client and I ask them about their GOALS and they give me the ole' "I want to get healthier", or "I want to get in better shape", all I hear is blah, blah, blah... Look, if you are not going to take your goals seriously then when things get HARD and life get TOUGH you just won't have it in you to finish what you started.

Here is an AWESOME story to help you understand why the 'WHY' in your goals are so important:

If I put a 10-inch wide, 30-foot-long plank on the ground and say, "If you walk the length of the plank, I'll give you $20," would you do it? Of course, it's an easy $20. But what if I took that same plank and made a rooftop "bridge" between two tall building? For the same $20, would you walk across that sky-high plank? Probably NOT!


However, what if your child (mother/father/brother/sister) was on the opposite building, and that building was on FIRE and the flames were licking at his/her neck. If you didn't go across he/she would certainly perish. Would you walk across that plank to save them? Likely, you answer would be, "Absolutely and immediately!"


Why is it that the first time I asked you to cross that sky-high plank, you said no way, yet, the second time you wouldn't hesitate? The risks and the dangers are the same. What changed? Your 'why' changed--your reason for wanting to do it. You see, when the reason is big enough, you will be willing to perform almost anything. 

It's not your willpower that stops you from accomplishing your goals, it's your 'Why Power'. Life will knock you down.

You get busy.
You don't have enough time.
Others are always going to need you.

It doesn't matter the circumstances. All that matters is you, your WHY, your plan, and your execution.

If your "Why Power" --- your desire --- isn't great enough and the fortitude of your commitment isn't powerful enough, then you'll end up like every other person who makes a New Year's resolution and gives up too quickly and reverts to living a life that they have always been used to living.

You can make your new self overpower your old self... Find your 'WHY' and the rest will take care of itself.

New rule: Every time you set a goal, make 3 reason's why you want that goal to happen.

P.T.S.

Inspired by Darren Hardy

Mental WOD 27: Find a Rabbit

Champs hang with Champions and get Championships

Several years ago, I did one of my first real road trips with one of my best friends from Fullerton, CA to Portland, OR. We had a blast. There is nothing like driving on the open road with a close friend, great conversations, not caring about being any where on time, and enjoying all the sight seeing California had to offer.

During the drive we starting playing a game, following a 'rabbit'. It was really a way for us to drive faster than the speed limit that would allow us to avoid getting a ticket. Just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, we followed someone who was driving much faster than the speed limit and we would follow them just a few mph slower so if there was a cop he would most likely pull them over and not us. I use this method any time I am doing a long road trip.

Following a 'rabbit' works wonders for any area of your life.

Have you ever noticed that when you are walking with a friend that is walking faster than you, you start walking faster (without noticing at first) to match his/her speed?

Or when you having dinner with your healthy friends, you order something 'healthier'? And the same goes for the opposite.

What about when you start working out with a partner (or class) that is motivated, positive and works out HARD? You will follow in their foot steps (literally:-)

Jim Rohn explains: “You will become the combined average of the five people you hang around the most. You will have the combined attitude, health and income of the five people you hang around the most.”

Rohn also discusses that it’s powerful to evaluate and organize your associations into three categories: dissociation's, limited associations (aka: COCK BLOCKERS!) and expanded associations (aka: Rabbits).

Two Week's ago we discussed if you LACK IT, YOU NEED TO GIVE IT. And I have written about the power of your associations before in, WHO IS YOUR POSSE? For this week's Mental WOD, you need to find a rabbit (expanded associations) for an area(s) of your life that you need to ramp up.

Whatever area of your life you want to see improvement in, find someone who represents the success you want—the parenting skills you want, the relationship you want, the lifestyle you want—and spend more time with those people. Join organizations, businesses and health clubs where these people are and make friends with them. Create a circle of excellence by purposefully selecting those with whom you will surround yourself. -Darren Hardy

Your Rabbit's will show you the way to be better. Help you move faster to achieve what you want. Give you support when you are down. Hold you accountable when you need it.

P.T.S!!!

How To Get IN THE ZONE...

Gettin' in the WOD Zone...

Being "In the Zone" has fascinated me since I was a young athlete growing up with dreams of playing professional basketball. I would watch, listen and study the very best athletes in their respective sports and hear them talk about getting, "In the Zone". I can remember a few vivid moments in my life that I was 'In the Zone' playing basketball. Here is a great way it can be described,





"In this state, they feel invincible, as if the game slowed down, the crowd noise fell silent and they achieved an incredible focus on their mission."


It feels like you can't miss if you tried. The basketball just sticks to your hand like glue. The hoop feels like it is double the size. Every pass, decision and direction I would take was a successful one. It is an incredible feeling, and a feeling that every athlete constantly searches and works for. 


I have also felt like I have been, "In the Zone" in other areas of my life. Sometimes when I coach a great class something just switches in me and I feel like ANOTHER PERSON and everything just clicks. Sometimes when I am contacting a potential member, I get in this Zone'like state and just say all the right things. 


Being, "In the Zone" is something I strive for continually because it elevates who you are and helps you reach a level of excellence that drastically improves every aspect of your life. 


So how the hell do I get "In the Zone"??? I have a few thoughts. 


Commit yourself to excellence: You MUST not only want to be the best, you MUST be the best. Being good enough is not going to cut it. People who want to get in the zone are thirsty for coaching and mentoring. They want more. They look for tougher competition. They understand there are no easy ways to the top. 


Practice HARDER than the Game: When I was in high school on the varsity basketball team. Winning was the only expectation. To ensure that we would perform at an ELITE level every time we stepped on the court we would live by this rule, "Practice HARDER than the Game". Our practices would be grueling, lasting 3/4/5 hours, of non-stop working. As we got more tired, we pushed harder! We pushed ourselves to a limit that when we were fatigued that is when we would play better. We understood that fatigue makes cowards of us all. It robs you of your skills. When you are tired, your problems seem BIGGER. It is the best conditioned athlete, not the most talented when generally wins. If you are not satisfied with your current results you are simply not doing what it takes. To better you must be willing to put in the time and energy and make the necessary sacrifices. 


Radiate Confidence: Confidence is a combination of mental and physical skills learned from practicing championship habits. Confidence is the key to unlock your FULL potential to perform to the best of your abilities. Confidence does not happen over night. It doesn't happen in a week, month...Building a Champion's Level of Confidence can take years to develop. The good news is confidence is a learned pattern. Everyone has the ability to achieve confidence. The harder it is to achieve the more powerful your confidence will become.


Concentration: If you have total concentration you will have total control of yourself. Great athletes maintain their poise and concentration when they're staring defeat in the face. Never lose your composure. Champions have their mind (their mental toughness) tell their body what to do. If you let your body control the situation then fatigue will creep in and you lose.  Mental training and preparation is more important than physical training. 

Don't Think...Just JUMP!

Love What You Do: When you have this feeling you will never work a day in your life. You will never get burned out. Enthusiasm and the love of what you are doing is mandatory to put in all the effort we've discussed. 


The Zone is a rite of passage. You have to put these concepts and practices into your life EVERYDAY. You can never expect to get "In the Zone" it can only happen by the constant pursuit of it. It doesn't matter how you feel, or what you day looks like. You have the power to accomplish anything you desire in this life of yours. Use it or lose it. 


By applying these principals to your life, you will have plenty of opportunities to enter the Zone and reap the benefits of a ELITE level of living. When you are in the zone you are unstoppable...Do it! It's worth it:-)


These concepts were inspired by Harvey MacKay

P.T.S!!!