Start by Narrowing Your Focus
Written by TJ O’Brien
I remember in my 10th grade English class when we had to write a research paper…Ms. McGrath was illustrating a point about narrowing our thesis statements. She held up a book and asked, “Who can write a paper about this book?”
Everyone raised their hand…
“What about this page in the book?”
Some hands dropped…
“What about this comma on this page, 42?”
Befuddled looks abound…
Her point of course, was that by narrowing our focus, we would be forced to drop the detritus, trim the fat, and boil things down to their essence.
And don’t just let me tell you this, many great writers, thinkers, artists, and YES, fitness professionals will agree. See Picasso’s version of less-is-more sometime.
And look, when I first came to Invictus, I had been doing my previous gym’s programming, which was fun and super CrossFit-driven – a heavy lift and a metcon almost every day.
But I quickly realized some major holes in my game – being around the best coaches in your industry will do that to ya…
– I couldn’t squat without my right foot turning out (a problem I’ve only just started to make some real progress on)
– My shoulder would hurt after muscle-ups
– And overhead whaaa? Position? Banana…
These days, I train to work on just TWO movements, the one-arm-chin-up (OAC), and the freestanding handstand push-up (FHSPU). Clunky names for things that require great awareness, strength, mobility, and body control. In addition, I have dreams of front and middle splits, as well as press-to-handstand.
My training doesn’t take forever – I’m in and out of the gym in an hour or so. And I only do four days of programming each week.
Because I’ve freed up a lot of training time by simplifying my approach, the other three days I can jump into an Engine class or do something fun. I also spend that extra time working a ton on my deficits, some of which I mentioned earlier.
I love my training because I can do it from anywhere with a pair of rings and some space. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”… yes, I WILL hit you with DaVinci and Picasso in the same email.
So what point am I making here? Be like me? No, be you, but start by narrowing your focus.
Have a goal in mind. Remember that comma on page 42? Specific goals lead to specific actions, which leads to specific outcomes.
If you’re new to the gym and figured you would just show up and work out, well, that’s great and it’s an awesome start. If you want sustainable change and to enjoy your training, as well as to feel like you’re going somewhere, then tell me what you really want to work on. Like, upon what avatar do you put your face when you envision your idealized self?
So hey, I’m not upset if you want to put in extra work, quite the contrary. I’m writing to let you know that I am the guy that can get you on a track that makes you feel like you’re making progress week to week. Specific work towards these goals will keep momentum rolling right over the inevitable speed bumps of life.
Drop us a line with answers to these questions…What is the focus of your training? What problem are you trying to solve by working out? Then download our FREE Goal Setting Workbook to get started answering some questions!
Also Check Out…
Mini-Milestones in Goal Setting
The Importance of a Social Support Network in Achieving Your Goals
What is Effective Goal-Setting?
