by: Tyler Quinn
When it comes to training objectives, it’s very common for athletes to have specific and time-boxed goals: “I’m getting married in two months”, “we have a family beach vacation this winter”, “I just want to lose ten lbs.” While answers like this do indicate focus and motivation (a good thing), they can also lead to frustrating letdowns once the goal is achieved.
So you go on your beach vacation and look great in your bathing suit…now what?
Specific goals are great, but they should always be a part of a larger fitness journey. Let specific goals be the trees, but, as they say – don’t miss the forest through the trees. A lifetime of feeling healthy, avoiding sickness and injury and living a fruitful, independent life has to be the overarching objective we all share as Alchemy athletes.
It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about Cardio, Circuit, or Strength classes, or running marathons, showing up to pull-up clinics, hiking mountains or winning Jiu Jitsu tournaments – this community knows how to kick ass and #PYL. But as you knock down one specific goal after another, you may be experiencing some fatigue. It might be more and more challenging to drive onward toward your next goal. But Alchemy is designed to be a tool that you can utilize for years and years, a tool that will constantly change your body and renew your mind. And to make this possible, here are three important ideas to consider.
1. Give yourself permission to have a light day
Ever walked into a class feeling beat? Ever gone for the first burpee and heard your shoulders and triceps and wrists and knees and earlobes scream out “ugh, maybe not today”? If you have and if you opted to push through for a hard workout then kudos to you for the effort. But I’m telling you that with longevity in mind you must listen to your body, work at 50% intensity, check the box, collect your participation points, and come back to fight another day. Sure, you may feel like you’re wimping out in the moment, but allowing yourself a light day ensures you’ll get back to full throttle sooner rather than later. This is fitness toward longevity.
2. Allow yourself to learn new skills in low-stress conditions
Repeat after me: your ego is not your amigo. Next time we introduce a new movement, or bring back classic challenges, slow down, focus on mechanics, decrease the intensity, learn the movement, and get better. Every day can’t be the hardest day. File away movements you’re good at in one part of your mind, and the ones you’re still working on in another. Approach workouts that have your favorites like you’re going on offense, and allow yourself to be a little bit more defensive on days you know will be more difficult. Set yourself up to walk out of the classroom feeling successful on those hard days, not deflated with a sense of failure. This will keep your mind fresh and your body capable of coming back for more.
3. Don’t be afraid to pick your own adventure
You’re you. Everybody else is not you. It’s true that when you enter a class, a workout is written that everybody is going to partake in. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re all going to do the same thing. The right way to scale a pull-up, ring dip, or snatch has to do with the individual. You should always avoid changing or cherry picking workouts, but you should pick your own adventure. If cutting reps on a set of pull-ups is right for you (because you’re working on your kip and can do a few already) then that’s what you should do. If scaling a pull-up means doing slow, controlled, ring-rows, then that’s fine too. We may offer one or two possible scaling options in class, but making sure you take control of your own Alchemy experience in a way that’s going to best promote your development is a critical part of being able to stick with your fitness routine.
Always set goals and go after them. Always have a “why” for all your effort. But follow these three guidelines, and don’t forget that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Set your sights for the horizon. A whole new lifelong fitness journey is about to begin.
Tyler Quinn is CEO, a founder, and coach at Alchemy. In his spare time he enjoys gardening, being outside with his golden retriever Fletcher, and jiu-jitsu.
