This was written by Josh Baumgarten formerly of CrossFit High Road, who is a good friend of mine. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond his control High Road closed for business on January 27th. Only 4 years into his journey, I was certain he was going to make it. Seeing his farewell video put a tear in my eye and made me feel as if Precision had lost a dear friend. I know Josh will do well in his next endeavor. As you will see from this blog post. His impact on his members was astounding. This was originally shared in 2014 shortly after they had been open. It was incredible then and still is now! We all need to keep this mind with everything that we do.
On a separate note. I want to thank you all for your love and loyalty to Precision over the years. Seeing High Road close made me appreciate you all that much more. I love and cherish you all. -Mike
CrossFit is something that you do for fun. It does not define you. It is impossible to give more than 100% effort. It is impossible to do better than your best in that moment. Be willing to embrace the burn. Be willing to experience everything happening in each moment of each of these 5 work outs. Love every moment of it because, after all, it is your choice to “suffer” in that way so you might as well enjoy it. You are an amazing person and you help people in a positive way each and every day. You are fully capable of achieving your goals and working to your potential, you might surprise yourself, but I already know what you are capable of without you having even done it yet. Time to show the world your heart and how powerful it is.
THIS IS YOUR GOAL SPEAKING…….
I am your goal. I am the light at the end of the tunnel. I am the satisfaction of a job well done. I am the first breath you take after being under water. I am the turning of the page. I am the culmination of all of your efforts. I am a thousand sleepless nights. I am your first thought everyday. I am your last thought every night. I am the burning in your muscles. I am the constant reminder that there is more work to be done. I am discomfort. I am the greatest challenge you will ever face.
I will put obstacles in your path. You will have to lose sleep to get to me. You will have to sacrifice childish things. I will injure you at times. I will demoralize you at times. I will ask you if you can get up off the floor one more time. I will try to crush your soul to test your resolve. You won’t always enjoy what it takes to reach me, but I will let you know these things have to be done.
You’ll have to ask yourself why I am your goal. If you aren’t willing to do whatever it takes to reach me, am I really your goal to begin with? Or am I just something that you talk about? You can’t just talk about me. You will need to be about me. Why am I your goal? Will I help you get a better job? Am I a better job? Will I help you feel better about yourself or are you pursuing me to please others? These are the questions you have to ask yourself. If, at the end of this contemplative period, I am not truly what YOU want, then I am not your goal.
How far are you willing to go? If the answer isn’t “as far as it takes,” then I am not your goal. Are you willing to change who you are to become the person that it will take to get to me? Are you willing to experience the fear of the unknown, and fight through it? If I am your goal you must already know that you will have to do things that you have never done before, to reach me. You will have to feel things that you have never felt. You will have to think things that you have never thought. You will have to open your mind in situations when it used to be closed off. Because, after all, a goal has to be something that you have never done. How could you remain the same and still get to me?
I will take every ounce of focus that you have. I will take all of your energy. I will take all of your strength and power as a human being. I will tell you that you have to find out something new about yourself if you want to get to me. You will need to sacrifice who you were yesterday to become who you want to be. You can not remain stubborn. You have to do whatever it takes to realize your unlimited potential as a human being. To realize this potential you must live in each moment. I am the last piece of a puzzle constructed of every moment in your life that leads to me. You can not get to me unless you focus on each individual piece before me. Realizing that you control only one piece at a time will help you focus and ultimately you will reach me sooner. You will not be able to correctly place piece #3,454,345 without putting the other 3,454,344 pieces into place first, one at a time, one breath at a time, one move at a time.
What motivates you to chase me? Is it personal glory? Is it the quest for material things? Do you think those things will make you happy? What is it that you value most in this world? Am I a quest to help others achieve their goals? Do you believe that all goals tie into each other in some way shape or form? Would you rather be the best person that you can, in every moment of your life, or be perceived as the best at one thing for one moment of your life?
I will try to distract you from reaching me. I will tell you to party. I will tell you to sleep in. I will distract you with fake goals and fake people. I will place these diversions in your path to keep you away from me. Do you have the will power and intestinal fortitude to resist? If you stray from the road that leads to me do you have the wherewithal to find it again? When you get lost will you ask others for help so that you can find me?
I will demand that you humble yourself. You will not be able to do this alone. You have to check your ego. I am unattainable if you are unwilling to work with and learn from others. Will you swallow your pride enough to take a small step back in order to make two giant leaps forward? Will you be patient enough to learn from each moment? If the answer is “no,” to these questions, you will not find me. You will be the dog, and I will be the tail. No matter how fast you run or how hard you chase me, you will never catch me. You will get close, but I will slip away in the end.
I need you to believe in yourself as much as I believe in you. I need you to understand that you have the same potential as everyone else that has come into this world. They fought to get to me. I didn’t make it easy on them either. Some rose up to my challenges, many fell by the wayside. As unique as each of you humans are, you are all inherently the same. It doesn’t matter where you have come from. It doesn’t matter what you do for work or for fun. It doesn’t matter what you value the most. You all have goals, you all eat, you all sleep, you all breathe, you all must drink, and you all have ups and downs. You make it harder on each other to achieve your goals as individuals by separating yourselves in so many different ways. As long as you are good to each other, and good to yourselves, it will be much easier for each of you to get to me.
I am at the top of the mountain. It will not be an easy climb to get to me. You will stumble, you will fall, you will get back up if you have it in you. You will need the help of others to get to me. You can follow the paths that others have tread that lead to the top, or you can find your own way. The only wrong way is the one that leads you all the way to the bottom. Trust yourself, believe in yourself, and one day you will find me at the top of the mountain, waiting for you.
I AM YOUR GOAL. COME AND GET ME
-Josh Baumgarten
WARM UP:
50 Single Unders
10 Bumper Jacks 2″
10 Bumper Jacks 4″
2 Rounds
10 Pass Through
10 Good Mornings
10 Front Squats
10 Clean Extensions
10 Clean Pulls
Then:
Mobility
WIN
LIFT:
EMOM 9
MIN. 1-3: 3 Squat Cleans (135/95) (115/75)
MIN. 4-6: 3 Squat Cleans (185/125) (135/95)
MIN. 6-9: 3 Squat Cleans (225/155) (165/115)
*Goal is to Touch and Go. Work on cycling.
WOD:
“OXIDATIVE 18.13”
AMRAP 25
500 M. Row
15 T2B
10 Cleans (155/105) (135/95)
3 Rope Climbs
FIT
LIFT:
3 Rounds (At a Walking Pace)
5 Strict Pull Ups
10 BB Row
15 Ring Rows
*Add weight to movements as needed.
WOD:
AMRAP 25
500 M. Row
50 Double Unders
40 Push Ups
30 Mountain Climbers
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