I attended the Crossfit Goal Setting Course led by Greg Admundson this past weekend. I wanted share a few notes taken at the course. Hope you can find these notes helpful in some way.

Greg Admundson decided to start this course because of a statement Greg Glassman told him once, the statement went…
“The greatest adaptation to crossfit takes place between the ears”
Goal - a specifically desired end state, expressed in the positive tense, which provides motivation and direction on the path to achievement.
Four Points of Performance for Goal Setting
1. The goal must be specific and concise.
A member having a goal of wanting to do pull ups is vague. 
A member having a goal of wanting to do 10 kipping pull ups in a row is more concise. Make member set concise goals.
2. The goal must be expressed in a positive tense.
I WANT to do backward roll to support vs I don’t want to fall when trying this roll to support
3. The goal must include a time frame that is challenging yet realistic and achievable.
I want to perform________by___________.
4. THe goal MUST provide you with intense inspiration, motivation and direction.
_________
Do some PRP work (Personal Research Project)
In order to set and achieve a goal, we must have an accurate appreciation of our current ability.
_____________
What we focus attention on, will increase in our lives
Our thoughts and words WILL be the primary factor in focusing our attention.
____________
Most of us have a goal of being in the best physical shape of our live, why not desire to be in the best mental shape of our lives as well.
__________
Dealing with members…..
Be a leader
have the warrior spirit ( Talk to me if you don’t know what this is)
ALWAYS speak in the positive tense. (without falling vs While maintaining balance)
Set time frames ( a goal without a time frame is a dream)
Oppositions can set you back or be used to propel you forward. 
Intent makes no difference, it what you actually say. Ex. If I intend to motivate a member by saying “John, this workout is gonna suck, but you will grind through it” My intent is good but what im actually saying is not. BE POSITIVE!!!
__________________
Learn to focus on the direction you want to go in spite of the direction your currently going. EXample Race care drivers are taught to focus on the direction they want to go in spite of their car spinning out of control.
Goals need to fire you up. 
Most ppl seek motivation outside of themselves. Create from within the source of inspiration.
Eliminate limiting words
In closing, remember that your Thoughts and words will determine your actions which will create habits that develop your character which will ultimately determine your destiny.

This past weekend I took a visit to the Starck Center for Physical Culture. The exhibit happens to hold one of the largest archives in the field of physical culture. Any health or fitness enthusiast needs to pay a visit to the Stark Center. Huge thank you to Terry Todd and Jarrod Hulse for the informative tour.

**Physical Culture is a term used to describe the various activities people have employed over the centuries to strengthen their bodies, enhance their physiques, increase their endurance, enhance their health, fight against aging, and become better athletes.

Don’t be a 3,2,1 Coach

When coaching an athlete during a training session or competition, “coaches” need to extend themselves beyond being a 3,2,1 coach. Its common practice amongst “coaches” to have an isolated goal of getting their athlete to the finish line as quickly as possible. This type of coaching can be dangerous. A coach should have the upmost concern with keeping his/her athletes safe. To suggest that every person in the midst of a workout needs to be given an arbitrary countdown when they put down weight or stop performing a movement is ridiculous. Is it absurd to think an athlete needs more than 3 seconds of rest to perform to the best of their ability? It is if you have no understanding of exercise physiology. Again if your only goal is to get your athlete to that finish line as quickly as possible then you could give a rats ass as to whether or not your athlete has recovered enough for them to have the mental clarity, strength and capacity to keep them moving well. If you don’t have this understanding, you don’t deserve to be guiding someone through a workout without the supervision of someone that does. Give coaching the due diligence it deserves. 

Open Close

As the 2012 Reebok Crossfit Open comes to an end, I look back with a few things learned. First lets preface this with what my agenda was going in. A year ago during the 2nd Workout of the Crossfit Open I encountered the most serious injury I have ever had. I fully ruptured my achilles tendon while performing box jumps. With that being said, my performance goals this year with the Open were.. A. Safely complete all 5 workouts. B. Finish within the top 250 men in the South Central Region. 

Out of all 5 workouts, there was only 1 in which my previously sustained injury was a limiting factor. During the 3rd week of the open, the workout required box jumps. Although I’m able to perform a box jump, the speed and confidence are both lacking. Mainly because Ive learned of the danger associated with rebounding high rep box jumps. Nonetheless, I was able to complete the workout and all the rest without any injury or interference with the healing achilles. I was also able to accomplish my goal of finishing amongst the the top 250 men in the region, finishing the Open ranked 200th.

I have to admit, these past 5 weeks were not fun for me as an athlete. They were extremely fun for me as a Gym Owner and Coach. I enjoyed bringing our community together to get excited about the Open aswell as witnessing many athletes make enormous gains both physically and mentally. In order to make this fun for the athlete in me, I realize I need to move forward with the intention of “participating” in the Open and not “competing”. Live.Reflect.Learn.Apply.

It’s easy and exciting to get caught up in the competition side of CrossFit, especially now around the Open and the Games, and to want to test yourself every time you come in and work out. Training, however, is not about testing all the time. What’s the difference? When you train you are not maxing out. You are not in the ugly struggle. You are working hard, stretching yourself and maintaining focus and purpose beyond the clock. You’re working on something specific. Intensity is there, but your goal is not to fall apart. Testing is about looking for your absolute limit, you may put yourself at risk of not making it to the end in a test. - Andy Petranek cfla

The 2012 Reebok Crossfit Open has arrived.  One year ago during this same event, I ruptured my achilles during week 2 of the 5 week international challenge. The road during this 11 month recovery has been at times extremely arduous but nonetheless insightful. As it stands today, I consider myself fully recovered from the injury thus I’m participating in the 2012 Open. Although I’m fully healed, being sidelined for 5 months has had major impact on my fitness levels. With that being said, my goal for the Open is to finish in the top 250 men in the South Central Region. My goal of wanting to qualify for the Region has been pushed back a year (2013), but it still remains a goal. Happy season Crossfitters around the World! Git Sum! High-res

The 2012 Reebok Crossfit Open has arrived.  One year ago during this same event, I ruptured my achilles during week 2 of the 5 week international challenge. The road during this 11 month recovery has been at times extremely arduous but nonetheless insightful. As it stands today, I consider myself fully recovered from the injury thus I’m participating in the 2012 Open. Although I’m fully healed, being sidelined for 5 months has had major impact on my fitness levels. With that being said, my goal for the Open is to finish in the top 250 men in the South Central Region. My goal of wanting to qualify for the Region has been pushed back a year (2013), but it still remains a goal. Happy season Crossfitters around the World! Git Sum!