May: Step Up Your Game

Welcome to May!

This month we’re focused on stepping up your game.

What does this mean? It becomes 100% individual and it starts with awareness.

Take a look at what you’re currently doing and what your mindset is like.

When you come into your workouts, are you setting a focus or goal for yourself?

This isn’t going to happen every time, we get that. Some days it’s just about getting there. But always start with awareness. Check in with your body and your mental state.

From there we want to build in some challenges each time you come into the gym. Don’t just blast into the gym with 2 minutes to spare and then go through the motions. Get there early, roll and stretch your problem areas, take some deep breaths and think about 1-2 things you want to work on that day.

This awareness and adjustment of your mindset is a practice. Some days you might focus on using a heavier weight just once throughout the workout. You may want to focus on executing perfect form. Minimize (or become aware) of the self talk. Cheer someone on. Smile. Get out your comfort zone.

This whole practice is simply about breaking out of some of our typical and learned habits. Do you always roll the same muscles in your pre-warm up routine? Try one of the tougher ones that we introduce into the group warm up if they are challenging for you.

After this awareness, we want to create these challenges in a more structured way. Each week you’ll have a focus point throughout the month.

Our physical test challenge is the 400 meter run. During the week of May 6th you’ll have the opportunity to do this run and record your time.

During the week of May 27th you will re-test and record that new time to see your improvement.

Week 1 Challenge- Awareness of your Effort

Pay attention to things like:

  • Are you getting there early?
  • Do you gravitate toward the same weight for certain movements?
  • Do you stop the work a few seconds early?
  • Do you listen to your mental chatter when your brain says “I can’t?”

This week it’s simply about paying attention to things like this. Most of the time these are just old habits or thoughts that we haven’t been questioning. Now is the time to question them and bust through.

Week 2 Challenge- Try an Advanced Option

Each workout will feature a level 1 and level 2 option for at least one movement. This is something we incorporate anyway, but this will give you more structure and allow you to have 1-2 things that you challenge yourself to step up on by trying the second and tougher level.

Week 3 Challenge- Pick a Heavier Weight

As I mentioned above, we all have a few movements that we like to gravitate toward a set weight. That’s fine and often it really depends on the rep ranges that we’re doing so you’re not ALWAYS going up.

But on the other side of the coin, there are a lot of times that we may just feel nervous or unsure to go up.

This week is the time to try it. If you know that you might typically grab a 20kg KB for your Swings, try a 22 or 24 and just get used to the movement. Don’t worry about being perfect, just practice it and work on controlling the weight with perfect form.

Week 4 Challenge- Re-Test Your 400 Meter Run

Push a little faster and harder than on week 1.

Let’s kick ass this month and each week build on your awareness, confidence and remember that each day is a progression of the previous one. Just keep showing up!