As with most activities in life, CrossFit athletes go through very similar and familiar stages. You get started by “drinking the Kool-Aid”. It’s all you can think about. At 7:59pm, you hit refresh on your phone over and over until the WOD is updated. Friend’s with someone who does CrossFit too? Remember the last time you had a conversation that didn’t revolve around the gym? Probably not. All you want to do is get better at every movement (and you probably do!) and learn all of the lingo and how to use it appropriately. This is the focus of a CrossFit newbie; we’ve all been one at one point or another.
Eventually, the Kool-Aid starts to empty and your goals have changed. Maybe you want to compete in a local competition. You might be aiming for a certain weight in a certain lift. Seeing your name at the top of the leaderboard may be something that you strive for. Short-term goals are a great way to stay focused and keep your mind and body charging forward.
Being a part of CrossFit for almost 5 years, I have had many short-term goals. Most I’ve accomplished, some are still haunting my dreams. The one thing that has continued to keep CrossFit fresh for me is not the short-term goals but the ability to shift my focus.
Let’s take a minute and dissect that.
For me, a focus and a goal are two separate things. A goal you can write on paper. It is one particular movement or event that you are working towards. At the end, you have either accomplished your goal or not. On the other hand, a focus is the way you go about performing your workouts day in and day out for an extended period of time.
In the beginning, my focus was becoming efficient in the 3,456 different movements that come along with CrossFit. Once I felt comfortable there, my focus shifted to getting faster and stronger. After a while, I was tired of chasing the “top spot” and decided to shift my focus to become really good at an Rx level. No matter what the movement or workout, I stuck with the Rx weight (even if I felt I could go heavier). I pushed myself to become a really good Rx athlete. Currently, my focus has shifted again, not to get faster or stronger, but to try to maintain my speed and strength as I go through personal changes in my life.
I see a lot of people get burned out. I see a lot of people who have accomplished a goal just to turn the goal of a 100lb strict press into a 125lb strict press, constantly raising the ceiling. Certain mind frames can be daunting and cause people to give up. If this sounds like you, try finding your focus. Those short-term goals will most likely follow. Or not. And if they don’t, that’s okay because you have stuck to your focus. When life calls for a change, shift your focus to fit your needs. Not everyday is perfect. Some days are better than others. But find what works for YOU and stick to it!