Variety is the Spice of Life || Coach Walker Palecek

The end of competition season (at least, for most of us) can sometimes leave us feeling a bit…lost. While it’s not everyone’s intent to compete in CrossFit (now, or ever), so much of our focus has been on the Open; when it’s all over we can be left with a case of Now what?
First things first, it’s time to get back in touch with those goals; it might even be time to set new ones. Goals give us a purpose for training. They are often the reason we get up on a rainy day to fight traffic to get to class, they are the reason we fight through one more rep.
Something I have always used as inspiration when looking at my goals is
Greg Glassman’s “What is CrossFit in 100 Words or Less.” Within it you will find:
1- “Routine is the enemy” and, 
2- “Regularly learn and play new sports”
The longer you’ve been doing CrossFit the more important I think these words are. About once a year I focus on Glassman’s words and brainstorm, What can I do to mix it up?
1- Just recently I decided to change from afternoon workouts back to AM workouts. Switching class times (or days!) can be a whole different ball game. Never been to a Saturday workout? There are many lessons to be learned from a partner or team workout. Some time ago I decided to focus more on a Strength program and gave that a go – going to open gym instead of classes took an elevated level of discipline! The year before that I focused solely on Olympic weightlifting for several months…Each of these diversions benefited me personally and carried over positively to my CrossFit training.
2- Have you ever considered a goal that had nothing to do with CrossFit? From inception, I don’t believe CrossFit was originally designed to be a sport of its own. Rather, it was meant to enhance “real life,” e.g., having more energy to play flag football with your children or the strength to lift a suitcase into the overhead cabin. Or, it could be used as a training method to complement your abilities in other sports. Now I believe it works both ways. In my own experience, with each new sport I tried – whether it be Zumba class, softball, or tackling a 10K – I have enhanced my CrossFit training, and my CrossFit training gave me advantages (or a different perspective at least) in that sport. For example I was previously plagued with injury and weakness so running was never fun for me, but CrossFit allowed me to train for distance running. On the other hand, training for a run gave me more endurance at the gym.
As we prepare to support our CrossFit community at Regionals this weekend, take a minute to focus inward. Examine your goals and ask, what you could do to spice it up?
“Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.” – William Cowper
-Coach Walker