Spartan Goals for 2019

A goal is just a dream unless it is written down.

…or something to that effect. According to Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University in California, there is truth to this statement.

In fact, she found that you become 42% more likely to achieve your goals and dreams, simply by writing them down on a regular basis.

HuffPost

Why is this so? Apparently, it has to do with the way the physical act of writing activates the brain compared to simply thinking it. Thinking about it is akin to making a wish. Physically writing it down triggers a cascade reaction that mobilises the body into action. It’s the difference between “I would like this to happen” versus “I am going to make this happen”.

It is also supported by an earlier finding I used to follow regarding how journalling can improve overall performance.

The Goal

So what’s the goal? To sufficiently build my upper body strength so that I may complete any one of the upper body Spartan obstacles that I failed previously:

• Monkey bars
• Multi-rig
• Olympus
• Twister

The Timeline

To be ready by the time the Spartan race in July rolls around.

The Plan

I’ve always been more of a cardio person. The only strength training I’ve ever enjoyed was rock climbing. Since I don’t really know what to do to prepare my body for those obstacles, I’ll defer to the advice of more knowledgeable people.

The plan, therefore, is to continue my PT sessions with Fitness Achievers and the strength training at Cirque Fit.

Challenges

I’ve always known that my right arm was stronger than my left arm. This discrepancy in power makes itself felt with every monkey-bar-type obstacle I do. If I have to hang on my left arm for longer than a split second, I will fall off.

It wasn’t until I did the T-bar Row that I realised how weak my left arm was compared to my right. The weight I was pulling was 12.5kg. My right arm was sailing through while my left arm struggled to make it.

I’m not really sure what I’ll have to do to balance the difference, but I have noticed other Spartan warriors compensating for a weaker arm by leading with the stronger one. I don’t have to equalise the strength in both arms, I just need the left arm to be “strong enough” to hold my body until my right arm can come to the rescue.

Now I have a goal, a timeline and a plan of action. We shall see whether I am met with success or failure in July.