Choosing goals

[Elastigirl]

I always struggle to come up with goals. I have about a hundred things I want to work on and improve. How do you all narrow it down to what's most important?

I know somwone will ask what's your goal? And there in lies some of my problem I don't have a big fitness goal. I'm not interested in doing the crossfit games, or doing Parkour or playing a major sport. I just want to consitently work on building strength and balance because I feel better when I do. I want to be able to go geocaching, garden, and move stuff when I need to. I'm turning 47 soon (gasp) and I feel in the best shape of my life and just want to continue on that path.

Here's my list of challenge ideas. Any suggestions for narrowing it down?

Shovelglove-either to do 4 times a week or work up to 14 minutes (because I need to work on endurance)

be able to do the crow pose (cause I think its cool and one day i want to do a handstand)

be able to do chin ups (I'm working on these to hopefully help with pull ups)

increase my jum rope time (because one day I want to be able to do 5 minutes of jump rope and maybe even learn double unders)

increase walking time and walk up hills ( because I want to charge up all the hills when I go caching)

[161803398874989]

Either drop the jump rope time or the walking time. Do crow pose and chinups in one goal, those are more strengthy-type of goals. Then add in shovelglove, whatever that may be, working up to 14 minutes.

Make them measurable.

[LessJos]

Elasti, you are my lost twin ;-) I always have so many ideas but no real goals. I am interesting in so many things, never an expert in any. And I have no clue how to choose and pick the few big goals everybody seems to have!

What's shovelglove?

The crow pose, handstand & chin up could be one goal. Increasing shoulder and arm strength leads to all three of them (and some balance thrown in there). I am working on the same!

How about interval walking/running between jump rope exercises? Kind of like a supercharged C25k? I like plans like that because that makes me stick to it and I can see the progression (and it's measureable).

Phi, why drop jump rope or walking time? What do you mean? Isn't both endurance?

[Elastigirl]

LessJos; Yeah to be an expert in EVERYTHING! Shovelglove is with a sledgehammer www.shovelglove.com

I like the idea of combining chin ups and crow stand in one challenge and counting it as strength.

[Hermione Gainser]

I say DO ALL THE THINGS! If you do each of the 6 week challenges then pick a theme and have fun. Want to try shovelglove? go for it. Want to try kickboxing? Go for it. Want to throw yourself totally into yoga? go for it.

The beauty of not having The One Thing out there that you're working towards is that you can try anything. and everything.

It looks like you could group some of these things together. Like the others said: chin ups and crow; jump rope and hills. So, why not list all the things you'd like to try, group them (endurance, dexterity, upper body strength, etc), then see if you can't develop a progression and/or theme.

[161803398874989]

Phi, why drop jump rope or walking time? What do you mean? Isn't both endurance?

Because focus leads to much faster progress. Better to work on a few goals than on a lot.

[Waldo]

Because focus leads to much faster progress. Better to work on a few goals than on a lot.

You can however work a lot of things while only actually focusing on a small number of things.

It is defintiely best to only focus on a fairly small number of things. This doesn't mean that is all you do though.

[Elastigirl]

You can however work a lot of things while only actually focusing on a small number of things.

It is defintiely best to only focus on a fairly small number of things. This doesn't mean that is all you do though.

I will definitely work on other things. I'm sort of leaning toward making goals of the things I wouldn't do if I had the challenge. I will probably walk even if its not a challenge goal, just because I like to. But I could see me trying to do the crow pose for a week and then giving up, so I think having it as a goal would help me to perservere.

[161803398874989]

You can however work a lot of things while only actually focusing on a small number of things.

It is defintiely best to only focus on a fairly small number of things. This doesn't mean that is all you do though.

Aside from shoring up imbalances, your goals need as much work as possible and you'll be better off spending your energy on that.

[LessJos]

I was just thinking that walking is so natural and essential I wouldn't drop it.

I agree on having a few goals to focus on but I have the same problem as elasti: I get bored after a week with crows only. If I can find different exercises that will get me prepared for one goal then I rather do a mix than just practicing one. Also it can be very frustrating to work on something like the crow stand and not seeing the progress quickly enough. I get discouraged easily unfortunately.

[joeyb]

I was just thinking that walking is so natural and essential I wouldn't drop it.

I agree on having a few goals to focus on but I have the same problem as elasti: I get bored after a week with crows only. If I can find different exercises that will get me prepared for one goal then I rather do a mix than just practicing one. Also it can be very frustrating to work on something like the crow stand and not seeing the progress quickly enough. I get discouraged easily unfortunately.

So, make one of your goals to try a new exercise or two every week. You don't have to do all of the research now because you might find that you progress on one exercise enough to move on to a more difficult version of it the following week. You could also make it a goal to do a workout of the day (WOD) program every day or at least 3 days a week.

[Elastigirl]

LessJos: We truly are lost twins. I get discouraged easily if I don't see progress

Joeyb: that sounds like a fun idea to try a new excercise each week.

[LessJos]

LessJos: We truly are lost twins. I get discouraged easily if I don't see progress

Joeyb: that sounds like a fun idea to try a new excercise each week.

A structured progressive plan works best for me. Like C25k. It was something I can stick to and not mess around with. Built-in progression which was tough but doable. And only 2-3 workouts that were the same so I didn't get bored.

I started "you are your own gym" now because there is a 10 week program all ready to go. Different exercises almost every time and progressive. I do level 1 of 4. And there is an app for that :-) so my geeky gadget love is getting some too :-)

[Waldo]

Aside from shoring up imbalances, your goals need as much work as possible and you'll be better off spending your energy on that.

But you need to prevent other non-goals, things you've previously accomplished or worked on, from degrading. And there is a place for precursor work that you don't focus on.

For example I was not focused on handstands in the least bit this last challenge, but I at least did one in my warmup and occasionally including a few in my workout. I made very little progress, though I didn't go backwards either. I was instead focused on levers. Likewise with one arm pushups, which I did a few of here and there, but I put forth almost no effort to actually advance and add reps to. They did improve from my general strengthing, but that is about it. But the little work I did do on them surely did not impact my main goals.

By the time I did get around to actually working on planches, I already had months of practice with frog stands. They were never a focus of mine and I only did them as an accessory exercise, but over time I was able to build up to long hold times despite the lack of focus. And I knew in the future I would focus on plaches, so having the ability to hold a frog stand in my back pocket would be nice to have.

[Elastigirl]

But you need to prevent other non-goals, things you've previously accomplished or worked on, from degrading. And there is a place for precursor work that you don't focus on.

For example I was not focused on handstands in the least bit this last challenge, but I at least did one in my warmup and occasionally including a few in my workout. I made very little progress, though I didn't go backwards either. I was instead focused on levers. Likewise with one arm pushups, which I did a few of here and there, but I put forth almost no effort to actually advance and add reps to. They did improve from my general strengthing, but that is about it. But the little work I did do on them surely did not impact my main goals.

By the time I did get around to actually working on planches, I already had months of practice with frog stands. They were never a focus of mine and I only did them as an accessory exercise, but over time I was able to build up to long hold times despite the lack of focus. And I knew in the future I would focus on plaches, so having the ability to hold a frog stand in my back pocket would be nice to have.

Waldo, thanks for you advice. You're very good at clarifying what a good bodywieght routine should be like. I think that was part of my confusion. I have several things I'm working toward (pistol squats,pull ups, handstand, jump rope) and I was wondering how to balance them. But I see what your saying about the non goals not degrading and still needing to work on them. They may not progress much, but theywon't regress either. So, the question is not so much what will I do (because I'll work some on all these things) but what do I want put the majority of my focus on this time. And then maybe next challenge I'll choose to focus on other things.

[161803398874989]

But you need to prevent other non-goals, things you've previously accomplished or worked on, from degrading. And there is a place for precursor work that you don't focus on.

For example I was not focused on handstands in the least bit this last challenge, but I at least did one in my warmup and occasionally including a few in my workout. I made very little progress, though I didn't go backwards either. I was instead focused on levers. Likewise with one arm pushups, which I did a few of here and there, but I put forth almost no effort to actually advance and add reps to. They did improve from my general strengthing, but that is about it. But the little work I did do on them surely did not impact my main goals.

By the time I did get around to actually working on planches, I already had months of practice with frog stands. They were never a focus of mine and I only did them as an accessory exercise, but over time I was able to build up to long hold times despite the lack of focus. And I knew in the future I would focus on plaches, so having the ability to hold a frog stand in my back pocket would be nice to have.

I think maintenance sort-of falls under the 'shoring up imbalances', but I suppose it depends on your goals. Maintaining skills is tremendously low volume, though.

[Skirler]

Elastigirl - have you tried crow pose yet? If you have - how did you do?

If you haven't, I can almost guarantee that you are completely capable of it. I've read your work outs and challenge updates and you indeed, have that strength. Of all the arm balances, crow is the one you can "muscle" into, even if your balance needs work (like me LoL). It may not be graceful. It may not be elegant. But you'll be able to muscle into it and stay there for a few breaths ...

Do you ue a special kind of jump rope? I've been contemplating getting one and adding that to my weekly routines, but other than double dutch from when I was a kid (in the paleolithic area when we used vines) ... I'm clueless.

[Elastigirl]

Skirler: Thanks for the encouragement on the crow pose. I've messed around with it a little, don't yet have the balance.

I just bought my jump rope at the local drug store. It by Bali. My calves hurt when I first did it, so I also bought a matt from Walmart(it's interlocking and about 3 inches thick) to cushion my old joints and know I can do jump without pain. I hadn't done jump roping since I was a kid using vines in the Paleoithic era either, so there was a learning curve.

[Waldo]

Waldo, thanks for you advice. You're very good at clarifying what a good bodywieght routine should be like. I think that was part of my confusion. I have several things I'm working toward (pistol squats,pull ups, handstand, jump rope) and I was wondering how to balance them. But I see what your saying about the non goals not degrading and still needing to work on them. They may not progress much, but theywon't regress either. So, the question is not so much what will I do (because I'll work some on all these things) but what do I want put the majority of my focus on this time. And then maybe next challenge I'll choose to focus on other things.

Exactly.

At any given time I'm working on:

Sprinting

Running fast

Running long

Leg strength

Upper body dynamic horizontal push strength

Upper body dynamic vertical push strength

Upper body static push strength

Upper body dynamic horizontal pull strength

Upper body dynamic vertical pull strength

Upper body static pull strength

Core (front, back, sides) strength

Core (front, back, sides) endurance

Bridging

General anaerobic threshold endurance

Handbalancing

Flexibility

But I really only focus on 4-6 or so items, only working enough on everything else to hopefully avoid atrophy or doing precursor stuff that just takes a long time and a lot of practice.

This last challenge I focused on the 5K, front lever, back lever, planche, dragon flag, and anaerobic endurance, everything else was fit in along side those primary goals or designed to assist those primary goals.