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CrossFit: The anti-New Year’s resolution

If you are waiting for the New Year to make a “new you,” then you have bigger problems, buddy. Members of the military don’t need a new year to start fresh. Every day you wake up and the world is still outside your window is a new beginning.

So this new year, get right in the head and make a real resolution: to not fall into the New Year’s resolution trap.

Resolutions are too easy to break and too quick to stress you out; start instead with today, and make a new resolution each time you wake up. That way, the only deal you’ll have to keep is the one you made that day.

Take it from someone who has witnessed everyday people accomplishing great things. As a trainer, the thing I’ve observed most is that people tend to focus on the task at hand. That means they live and think inside the moment, and don’t usually dwell on tomorrow or next month or next year.

A case against making New Year’s resolutions: I’ve had friends and brothers who have had their legs or arms amputated because of combat wounds — you may also know a few — and they’ve taught me something. When you look into their eyes, defeat and surrender are absent. What’s present is a sense of will and determination.

These are the type of people with whom you want to surround yourself.

Look them in the eye; they define resolve. They’ll inspire you to do what is difficult. All of a sudden, keeping your silly New Year’s resolution doesn’t seem so difficult, does it?

If you’re still unsure where to begin your quest for lifelong (or at least yearlong) fitness, start at your installation’s gym. Ask questions, seek help and observe.

If you can afford it, buy a few sessions with a personal trainer. If you can’t, find a buddy who seems to know what he’s talking about.

Whatever you do, don’t give up.

If you want to take your training to another level this year, give CrossFit some consideration.

Here are a series of workouts that take CrossFit’s basic principles and combine them into a three-day, weeklong regimen.

You’ll start with a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. As you advance, go to a two-days-on, one-day-off or a three-days-on, one-day-off cycle. The goal is to maintain intensity for all of the workouts.

The workout

Always start each new workout of the day with a warm-up. For notes on motions and movements for each of these exercises, log on to my blog, CrossFitBlackDiamond.com, or CrossFit.com.

The warm-up

Do 2 or 3 rounds of:

• Samson stretches (15 seconds)

• Air squats (10-15 reps)

• Push-ups (10-15 reps)

• Sit-ups (10-15 reps)

• Back extensions or “good mornings” (10-15 reps)

• Pull-ups (10-15 reps)

Monday

• Shoulder press: 1-1-1-1-1 reps

• Push press: 3-3-3-3-3 reps

• Push jerk: 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Wednesday

• 400-meter walking lunges. Take a big step forward; your front knee bends at 90 degrees and does not go past your toes. The back knee lightly kisses the ground and the back foot is used to push off the ground. Try not to put all of your weight into your front knee when standing. Step through to the next one and try not to pause.

Friday

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

• 15 double-unders (Double-unders are done with a jump rope. It’s just skipping rope, but instead of one pass under your feet, there are two while you are in the air. This one takes practice, but it can be done back to back. Most people anticipate the rope and jump too soon. If this portion eludes you — and it eludes the best of us from time to time — practice your single jump on the balls of your feet. Flick your wrists instead of big arm swings.)

• 15 Glute/ham developer sit-ups (or regular sit-ups)

• 15 back extensions

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Brian Thurmond is a former reconnaissance corpsman. A veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Thurmond maintains the blog http://www.CrossFitBlackDiamond.com. He also trains service members and civilian aw enforcement officers in the principles of CrossFit and offers free Saturday classes in Oceanside, Calif.