Showing Up is 80%…1/14/12

“Showing up is 80%….”  Woody Allen
A couple of weeks ago I added a block onto my work calendar that said “Lunchtime Workout”. I included some co-workers so it would show up in their calendars too, in case they wondered where I was but also to prompt them into thinking about getting away from the computer monitors and cubicles for an hour or so.  When I created the item, it included a reminder that would pop up 15 minutes before.  After a few weeks, I got tired of these reminders that I didn’t do anything with. My Microsoft Outlook was cluttered with appointment reminders to get to the gym.  So I decided to pull the block back off the calendar.  I figured, anyone who knows me knows that if they want to find me at lunch, they need to be looking at a lifting platform.  After I did that I got a note from one of the co-workers who received the initial notification saying, “why did you cancel this?”  I responded that I didn’t need a reminder to work out any more than I needed a reminder to eat.  It was just something that I knew to do.
The other day I was tired and unmotivated but proceeded to attempt to complete my WOD as Rx’d.  I got through it, but wasn’t happy with the results. It was one of those days when I couldn’t string together a few pullups and my 1RM attempt fell way short of what I expected, much less my goal.  But I completed it. I showed up.
What do these two vignettes have in common? Consistency.
A long time ago I saw an acronym for FIT. Frequency, Intensity, Time.  We talk a lot about intensity in CrossFit. Intensity is where the results are.  However, in that old acronym, frequency is listed first.  You have to show up.  Endurance runners get this.  They know that in the long term, their results are going to be driven by how consistent their training was, not how well they did on each training run.  The miles add up regardless. In order to progressively increase your intensity, you need to be consistent with your training.  Improving your fitness can’t be an afterthought: something you sporadically do, hit and miss throughout the week.  You need to show up even when you don’t feel like it, make it a habit.  To get the results you want, getting your work in needs to be something you don’t need to be reminded about.
But if I go every day, won’t that hurt my recovery? Yes.  Consistency doesn’t have to mean “daily”.  It means frequently.  Have a plan for the week/month.  Recovery is important, but you need something to recover from!  Your recovery has to be part of the plan, too.
Too many people never get the results they want.  They get discouraged and stop trying.  Look at the consistency they applied to their workouts and nutrition and you’ll see why.  Just show up. Even if you’re unmotivated and feel slow and weak.  Let the camaraderie of the box get you amped.  But even if that doesn’t work, well, at least you showed up.  And that’s 80% of the battle.

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A. Skill:
3-Position Snatch – 5×3 @ 80% 1RM
 
B. MWOD:
Drop Snatch Work w/ PVC
 
C. WOD:
3 RFT –
15 C2B Pull-Ups
12 Burpees Over The Bar
9 Deadlifts (275/185)