There’s a lot to be learned from this quote:
“A remarkable, glorious achievement is just what a long series of unremarkable, un-glorious tasks looks like from far away. No one ‘builds a house.’ They lay one brick again and again and again and the end result is a house.” – Tim Urban, waitbutwhy.com
What’s your CrossFit Plan?
How many times have you found yourself looking at someone else’s success and thought,
“Wow, I wish I could be like that too!”
How many times have you caught yourself watching another athlete at the gym and said to yourself,
“Man that’s so cool… but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do that.”
It’s pretty easy to just declare that you want success – to admire from afar longingly – but there’s a reason why so many people never actually break through to that higher level of achievement.
A lot of us are unwilling to lay one brick at a time. They’re unwilling to follow a plan.
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Forgetting to follow the plan…
In today’s society that’s packed full of social media posts and “look how cool my life is!”, it is super easy to get caught up in envying another person’s success. To be honest, every time I scroll through my Instagram or Facebook feed, I am completely bombarded with trophies, podiums, and lifetime CrossFit PRs.
It’s like watching highlight reel after highlight reel, and if I’m not careful I can easily get swept up into thinking that I’m a total failure for not winning at everything, all the time.
I think Mark Manson explains it well:
“All day, every day, we are flooded with the truly extraordinary. The best of the best. The worst of the worst. The greatest physical feats. The funniest jokes. The most upsetting news. The scariest threats… This flood of extreme information has conditioned us to believe that exceptionalism is the new normal.”
This is a problem.
Keeping Perspective
While we are so obsessed over being at the finish line within the walls of the gym, we tend to forget what’s really important: our next step in our plan.
We forget that the only way to link our current path to the finish – or final goal – is to the connect the dots with what can seem like a bunch of really small, boring steps. Yet those dots are what make up our CrossFit plan that will get us where we want to be.
But listen up: those small, boring steps are exactly where success comes from. It’s those little bricks that you lay that can build an incredible house; just like each of those small steps are what essentially get you closer to that finish line – no matter how long the race may be.
Referencing directly to CrossFit, it’s each one of those drills that you take the time to do after class, each step of your CrossFit programming that you check off, every time you practice that movement that is causing you so much irritation.
CrossFit Plans: The Moral of the Story
So why am I writing about bricks, and baby steps?
Well to start, I hope this helps to encourage you and give you some perspective. Now is a better time than ever to do some goal setting and look forward to what you want to achieve for the rest of the year. Whether it’s getting your first pull-up, or walking on your hands for the first time… remind yourself: there are people just like you who’ve seen success. They started right where you are today. Just because you’re not close right now doesn’t mean you can’t get there.
You may be at brick #1 of your CrossFit plan, but if you keep plugging away and slowly but surely lay down those bricks, the progress will come – and the finish line will start to make its way into view.
And don’t forget, WODprep is here to help you get those fitness goals kicked off. Start by pinpointing what your goal is – write it down.
Then, layout a plan. Map out a system that over time that will help you continue to make baby steps towards your ultimate goal.
Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Making Progress?
You do not need more random workouts.
You need a plan that helps you train with purpose, improve the right skills, and show up more confident when it matters.
That is exactly why we built WODprep Academy.
Inside WODprep Academy All Access, you get training built for real athletes who want to improve without wasting time on things that do not move the needle.
You will get:
- Courses that build real strength, engine, and skill
- Clear progressions for movements that have been holding you back
- Daily programming that matches your level and your lifestyle
- A way to actually put your new skills into practice inside real training
- Coaching and structure so you know what to do next
- A smarter system that helps you stay consistent and keep improving
This is not about doing more work.
It is about doing the right work, consistently, so your fitness actually improves.
Join WODprep Academy All Access and start training with a real plan.
Want to learn more about CrossFit®? Check out the articles below:
- Top 5 Advanced Gymnastic Tips of the Year (for CrossFit®)
- Ring Dips For CrossFit: 3 Drills To Build Strength
- Gymnastics for CrossFit: How To Get Better (5 Tips!)
- Train With Purpose: Why Periodization Matters in CrossFit®
- Diving into the World of CrossFit® Online Coaching: A Personalized Journey
- Not Making Progress in CrossFit? Here’s Why!
- Bored of CrossFit? How to Feel Confident In Your Programming Again
- The 6 Key Attributes of a GREAT CrossFit Coach
What is a brick goal in CrossFit® training?
A brick goal is one foundational target that everything else builds from. It’s the specific objective — first muscle-up, sub-4-minute Fran, qualifying for Quarterfinals — that gives your programming direction. Without a brick goal you’re training generally, which is fine for health but slow for performance.
How do I set a realistic CrossFit® goal?
Start with an honest assessment of where you are now. Pick something specific and measurable with a clear timeline — 8 to 16 weeks is the right window for most skills-based goals. ‘Get fitter’ is not a goal. ‘Get my first toes-to-bar by April 1st’ is.
How many goals should I be working toward at once?
One primary goal, maybe two supporting ones. More than that and nothing gets enough focused attention. Pick the one thing that would most impact your performance and build your extra work around that. Chase everything and you’ll improve nothing fast.
How often should I reassess my CrossFit® goals?
Every 8–12 weeks. That’s enough time to see meaningful change but not so long that you drift off course without realising it. At each checkpoint, look at what the data shows — not what you hoped — and adjust your next goal accordingly.
What happens if I miss my goal deadline?
Evaluate why, not just whether you missed it. Was the goal unrealistic? Did life get in the way? Were you consistent with the process? A missed deadline with honest reflection is still useful data. Reset, adjust the timeline or the target, and go again — don’t just abandon the goal.