Sunday Story…Consistency

The single most important facet of your fitness journey is consistency. Consistency may be the most important facet in a lot of things. But in the fitness realm consistency reigns supreme.

We can talk about reps and sets and exercises, and tempo ad nauseum. But those things do not mean squat if you don’t show up regularly. The hardest day was your first day. After you walk through the door the first time, knowing little and unsure of what to expect, every day after that is easier.

You will have days when you don’t want to go to the gym, we all do. Yes, even Ellie and me. What do you do on those days? You go anyway. You show up and do work. Every day is not going to be your best day. But your worst day in the gym is better than the regret and recriminations you will experience when you don’t go because you just aren’t “feeling” it. Think back…have you ever felt worse after a workout that you completed than you did before you started even though you really didn’t want to do it? I think not.

This is why we have a calendar. Plan your trips to the box on your calendar. Next week I will be there (fill in the blanks!) And then, come hell or high water, you show up. If you are committed to show up 4 days a week then get here 4 days a week. Whatever your level of commitment you owe it to yourself to fulfill that commitment. Having integrity with yourself may be one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Consistency is king. Without consistency, your results will suffer. With consistency, your results will soar. Get in here.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…No more Open (this year!)

Three workouts over 3 weeks. Maybe you did all of them or just one or two. Maybe you didn’t register because being judges sounded too harsh. Maybe you didn’t think you were capable. No matter what happened if you showed up on those three Fridays you did some version of the workout.

Now what happens? Will you realize that you need to work on some of the skills that showed up the holes in your training? Double unders didn’t magically appear? Those chest-to-bar pullups that you said you would get after last year weren’t quite there this year (again)? One of the most important things about the open is the fact that the holes in your game become evident. It’s easy to grab a jump rope knock out some single jumps and tell yourself you’ll work on the dubs next time. But next time never comes. Besides the process of trying and failing really sucks. Until it doesn’t.

Here's the simple truth. If you want to have those skills, if you want to be better for next year the time to go to work on it is now. Every time you walk through the door you spend 5 minutes working on the skill. Grab one of the coaches and ask for one pointer you can do this week. When you do your tens, add in three chest-to-bar pull-ups. Ask for a spot on your bar muscle up so you can feel how to get over the bar.

There are lots of roads to get to your destination, but you must get your feet moving on the road. Remember the journey of a thousand miles…

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 Sunday Story…The Open

This is it…the last week of the open. Whether you registered or not if you have come to class, you have done the workouts. By now you know that they were doable. Keep that in mind next year!

Here is a realization that arises when we look at something like this…your fear of the unknown was far greater than the actual occurrence. Looking back, you begin to realize your fear was unreasonable and unfounded. You let an imagined problem spiral out of control until you let it decide for you.

The story you told yourself, all the whys you produced, and all the rationales you used to not do something caused you to miss an opportunity to do something that would move you forward in some way. Fear is often said to be False Evidence Appearing Real. This is one of those cases. All the reasons and evidence you thought were real turned out to be false.

I bet there are many times in your life when you allowed fear to stand between you and what you really wanted. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, and fear of derision can all present obstacles to getting what and going where you really want. But none of those fears are fatal. No one ever died of derision, rejection hurts but it’s not going to kill you.

Next time an opportunity arises, seize it. Don’t reluctantly agree and give it an insipid attempt. Give it a full-throated, full-body yes, and throw yourself into the charge.

Take no prisoners, burn the boats, and go for it.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com 

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

Sunday Story…Intentionality

 A little detour from the madness that is the CrossFit Open this week.

When we do any workout, we should be aware of what the intention is for the workout. What is the desired stimulus and response?

Often the answer is in the description of the work. “Work to a heavy double,” or “5 sets at a tempo with a slow negative (eccentric).” When we see instructions like that, we know the intention is to build strength. It is obvious, I think.

But often we see instructions that leave us guessing. We could select a weight that would slow us down and tire us out more than a lower weight. We can run or row fast before we get started on the rest of the work. This is where asking the coach would be helpful. But maybe there isn’t a coach there or maybe the coach tells you to choose.

This is where some self-knowledge comes in handy. What have you done already today? What have you done this week or this month? Have you been focused on lifting heavy all week or has it been more sprint-type work or maybe long and slow? You are the final arbiter of what work is best suited for you at this moment.

Only you know how you have recovered. What have you eaten today or yesterday? How much have you slept last night and this week? These are all factors that will determine what your intention is for the work you are about to do.

Intention is important. Without intention, we are just muddling along. Be intentional and then add some mindfulness in to really get the most out of your work!

 John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com     

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412   

 

 

 

Sunday Story…The Open

At the risk of beating a dead horse; here we go with more reasons for you to do the Open even if you are not a competitive athlete!

Primarily, it serves as a check on your fitness. 3 workouts over 3 weeks that are all repeatable. They are all scalable to your current level of fitness. You will get a score that you can look up years down the road. I can see every Open score I have ever posted.

Second, you will be held accountable for your standard of movement and range of motion. Is your squat not low enough? No rep! If you miss the target on your wallball? No Rep! A judge will count your reps. 9 isn’t good enough to be counted as 10. Hopefully, this accountability will motivate you for the rest of the year. You will want to work harder to get the full range of motion every time, every rep until it becomes second nature. Voila! No more no-reps!

Lastly, you get to celebrate with your community. There is the shared suffering part, the commiseration of how bad it was. Cheering on your classmates and watching them get the win when they finish. I had the pleasure of judging an adaptive athlete last Friday. It was an amazing experience that I have never had, and it was even more amazing to see the smile on that athlete’s face when she finished. It was truly inspirational.

So, what are you waiting for? Register now and reach out to us so we can get your 24.1 score in the bank!

Let’s do this!

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…It’s On!

I’ve heard all the excuses for not registering for the Open. And they are all valid…to the person providing them. But I am going to ask you to put all your excuses, rationales, reasons, and complaints aside. Let me bring it to the point for you.

Occasionally, (and in this case once a year) you need to stretch and assess yourself. This is true in every area of your life. It is important to stretch and grow. It is often said that if you aren’t growing you are dying. But the corollary question is how do you know? How do you know if you are growing or shrinking?

Too often we just assume we are getting better. Again, how do you know? The Open is your opportunity to assess your growth. This is a series of workouts specially designed to challenge you in ways you may not have thought of. There will be movements you may or may not be able to do. So what? There will be time domains that challenge you. There will be workouts that you will kill and some that will kill you (figuratively!)

As we age there are fewer opportunities for us to really stretch and go full tilt at something. This is that opportunity. Where you land on the leaderboard is irrelevant. What matters is you gave full effort…you didn’t hold back; you didn’t save anything in reserve. When it’s done the satisfaction lies in the effort not the result.

Register, stand up, and be counted. Join me and your Box-mates in evaluating our fitness!

See you on the Leaderboard and remember…Full Effort is Full victory!

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…I’m In!

The Open is coming, the Open is coming! This will be my 13^th open. I still remember 12.1…as many rounds and reps as possible of…Burpees!!! I can’t remember any of the others, but I will never forget that one!

It was a cold February day in Fernley Nevada. I had been running a belt promotion test for my martial arts students all morning into the early afternoon. The Open was still an “underground” thing. Although I had gotten my Level 1 CrossFit two years earlier this was only the second year of the Open. I would have to do a video submission as I didn’t have access to a box. So, I pulled out a portable mat to cover the ice-cold concrete, set up a target six inches beyond my outstretched reach, got a clock and one of my black belts to count and judge and 3,2,1 Go.

When I finished, I had 88 reps. That placed me at #87 for that workout. In 2012 there were less than five hundred participants in the entire division. To contrast there were over 1500 participants in the 65+ last year!

Your place doesn’t matter, first or 100,000^th. What matters is you showed up, got judged, met the standards, and put a score in. There is an accountability piece, some community involvement, and a way to track your progress over the years. I can look back at every workout over the last 13 years and see my progress (or not). Having benchmarks keeps me focused on the actual data and results, not some vague memory of what might have happened.

My point is this: The Open is important on many levels. We are going to do the workouts every Friday anyway. So go ahead and sign up. There are scaling options that work for anyone.

So, what are you waiting for? I’m in! Join me!

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412