Conflicting Goals

This year has been a study in conflicting goals. A critical element in achieving success in fitness or any other part of life is selecting appropriate, measurable, achievable goals. Second, it is necessary to formulate and execute a plan to achieve the selected goals. Without goals, a plan, and the deliberate execution of that plan, the possibility of success will be uncertain at best. Measurement is a necessary component, otherwise you cannot determine whether a goal has been achieved or whether the plan is working.

Clearly, it is possible to select goals that are in conflict since they lead to contradictory results. It is also possible to design a plan that doesn't support achieving the selected goal and it is possible to become misdirected while working toward a goal. Testing and measurement help to stay on the right path.

At the beginning of the year I planned to re-certify in the Tai Chi for Arthritis program and that was achieved. My Tai Chi has been solid this year and the quality of work has been good but more emphasis will be needed in the coming  year to advance practice to a greater sense of softness and root. More sessions per week will be necessary.

As for rowing here's where the conflicts arose. The goal was to improve 2K time by about 20 seconds over the year. This large improvement was only possible because my beginning 2010 time, while much improved over 2009, was still pretty slow when judged against elite, age group rowers. Concurrent, and generally compatible was to achieve 1.6 million meters during the rowing year (1 April - 30 May). This goal is well in hand and next year the aim will be to increase the annual total again.

What has missed is the improvement in 2K time. I believe this goes back to becoming side tracked by a secondary goal, which may be helpful in the long run, but conflicted with the core goal. I had concluded that adding some muscle mass was going to be needed to improve rowing performance in the long term. Adding mass basically comes down to eating more and lifting heavy. I used several waves of Dave Wendler's 5-3-1. Alternated about every 8 weeks with about eight weeks of EDT work. The results have been very satisfactory from a size and strength perspective. I gained 15 pounds while maintaining a constant body fat percentage and improved squat, dead lift, bench press, and overhead press numbers significantly (for me). Great - at 60, I am bigger and stronger than at any previous point in my life. However, on a 2K erg test, I am now a lot slower.

Fundamentally, getting bigger and stronger in itself, contributes little to success in power endurance sports. Thus I have to modify my program to emphasize aerobic endurance and power instead of size and raw strength. I also have to test the 2K erg more often to verify the weight lifting plan is contributing to improved speed which is the essential goal.

Back to the drawing boards in the new year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!