As Many Reps as Possible

by Jason Khalipa

  At this point in my life, making money really fired me up. I could travel with Ashley and take her out for nice dinners. Our relationship continued to grow, and I was already saving for a ring. I gained more and more freedom, and I didn’t cause my parents any additional stress by asking for money. It was a good situation. However, and still to this day, I will not let money define me. Money is a means to an end. But money is also unforgiving and if you’re not careful, it will consume you.

  To this day, I keep in contact with Joe and Minh. Not much has changed for them. Joe still runs a thriving business in San Jose. And Minh, well…maybe a lot changed for Minh. Minh is no longer selling gym memberships. He’s actually not selling anything anymore, which is weird to think about! Minh retired young, and he is enjoying life.

  Your Why is Your Anchor

  Anything worth achieving is going to take some real effort. At times, you’ll be cruising and all will be well in the world. But other times, it will feel like the world is closing in on you, and you want to do anything but continue forward. Oh @#*!. A strong why for each of the focuses you choose is especially necessary in these dark times. Your why will help you bounce back from hard times, bad days, and defeat. It will jump-start you. And if it’s strong enough it may even start to make you enjoy the hard times for the potential growth they offer.

  In July 2009, I experienced another significant test of my resolve. At the time, I was the reigning CrossFit Games champ. It happened in the middle of the first event of the 2009 CrossFit Games, and I found myself faced with a choice.

  I was five miles into a seven-mile off-road run. I felt like I was dying. I had my headphones turned up as loud as they could go, desperate to drown out the sound of my own breathing. The run had actually become more like a crawl…I was on all fours, grasping at clumps of earth for a good part of the race. As a side note, I also managed to get poison oak from this same hill run, which made getting married soon after the Games interesting!

  Of course, I had run this distance before. I had done it in worse conditions too. But this time, the intensity blocked out any training I had done. With everything on the line, my body started to shut down. The intense stress, the loud music in my ears, and the desire to win (or die trying) all compounded. As I neared the last portion of the run, I collapsed. In an instant I was on the ground, passed out, and barely breathing.

  It so happens that this all went down right in front of my family, friends, and dozens of NorCal CrossFit members. I can’t imagine how Ashley felt at that moment. The guy she was going to marry had just fallen flat on his back. And he wasn’t moving.

  I remember slowly coming back to reality. Dave Castro, director of the CrossFit Games, hunched over me and asked, “Jason, do you want to continue? If not, your CrossFit Games are over.” It took me a minute to realize what was happening, but once the fog wore off, I managed to reply, “Absolutely, I will continue.” I slowly stood up and stumbled to the side, where I grabbed a random spectator’s water bottle. (Sorry, random fan! I know that must have been kind of gross, but it didn’t matter at the time.) For the next few hundred meters all I thought about was the next step. Each step was meaningful, each step a battle unto itself. There was no thinking, no feeling bad for myself…it simply was GO. I finished the event.

  Even though I managed to finish, I did so at the bottom of the pack. For the next few events, I had to claw and fight for every point, just like I had clawed and fought up that hill. When it was all said and done I had gone from nearly last to fifth place overall. That year, I was awarded the Spirit of the Games honors, an annual award given to the athlete that best exemplifies the work, camaraderie, and perseverance to which CrossFit aspires.

  I continued the event not because of the prize money or to get more followers on social media. My decision came from a deep, burning drive to follow through on the commitments I had made to myself. I was honoring my why. All of the sacrifices, all of the training, all of the sleepless nights had helped prepare me for that one moment. It was a test. I don’t think anyone would have judged me if I had chosen not to continue. But I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. I’ve replayed that moment over and over again, thousands of times in my head. I use Dave’s words often in my self-talk: Jason, do you want to continue?

  Absolutely, I will continue

  The Games were a cumulative test of my commitment to see what my body was truly capable of, to challenge myself against the best, and to ultimately trade high levels of discomfort for growth. My why in competition had become transcending my past results and pushing my body’s limits. I wanted to do more. Fitness has always been a top priority in my life. Ever since I was young, I have enjoyed training to improve the way I look and feel. In my early teens, I used to compete in BMX. To prepare for races I would ride my bike on rollers in my garage while listening to Blink 182’s Enema of the State on repeat. I realized early on that it was my responsibility to put in the work, and how I finished in the race reflected my level of commitment.

  My love for fitness reached new heights when I started competing in the CrossFit Games. Competing in the Games was an amazing adventure for nearly ten years of my life. I was privileged to compete as an individual seven times and once as part of a team. Each year, I would evaluate whether I was ready to make the commitment to compete again the following year. During my tenure stepping on to the floor, my answer was always absolutely. I was highly motivated to win, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could compete with the best.

  If you’re not powered by wanting something with all your heart and soul, it will be easy to give in when things get uncomfortable. Think of a few tough workouts you have had (or boardroom meetings). Did you power through the discomfort as best you could? Or did you slouch over, grip your shorts (or slacks), look around at the people nearby, take a sip of water, and only then get back to your work? I’ve been there. What I want to tell you is that the strong desire you need to employ in reaching your fitness goals is the same for business, relationships, and life. You can’t just stop when it gets hard.

  The only thing that can turn your motivation into meaningful progress is hard work. You may be committed to overcoming adverse conditions, and you may desire reaching a goal more than anything else in the world. In short, you might have a fierce and powerful and meaningful why. But desire is not enough. Motivation is not enough. Knowledge is not enough, and mentors are not enough.

  You need all these things, but the only way they can make change in your life is by gritting your teeth and putting in the work.

  I know I talk a lot about bicycles, but bear with me one more time. You might have the fanciest, fastest bike in the world. You might have a killer plan for how you are going to hit a thirty-mile target. You might have all the gear you need, you might have fine-tuned your diet and talked to the greatest coaches in the world. But none of those things, as awesome as they are, make the pedals turn. The only thing that can do that—is your hard work.

  How well you perform under adverse conditions is a good indicator of how in-tune you are with your purpose (and whether you’ve identified your true purpose in the first place). If things all of the sudden get hard and you lose interest in suffering through…you honestly don’t want it badly enough. You need to reassess. Whether or not you’re aligned with the right purpose is a good place to start when doing a postmortem analysis of a failure. If you’re consistently failing, you need to evaluate your why and what you are choosing to focus on. Sometimes, we need help in battling through discomfort—that’s okay. To take action in realizing your why, find a good mentor, coach, or group of friends to help you figure out the best path.

  Reader Exercise

  Mindfulness AMRAP – 15 Minutes:

  Set a clock for fifteen minutes and write down five or six hardworking people in your circle of influence that share similar desires for self-improvement and collaboration. Next, narrow the list down to two or three people that because of mindset, relationship, or proximity
might be interested in forming a small group centered on sharing experiences and new ideas. Draft an email gauging their interest in getting together this week or next to talk about living, working, or training to the fullest potential. Propose a date, time, and location. It may turn out to be a one-time occurrence but valuable nonetheless. However, if you foster healthy, inclusive, and positive conversation, it is more than likely you will find the group willing to meet again.

  Physical AMRAP – 12 Minutes:

  Grab a partner and set a clock for twelve minutes. While you are working, your partner will be holding a plank position. You will complete a full round, then switch with your partner, allowing them to complete a full round. Continue this rotation for all twelve minutes. Each round will consist of ten step-ups, twelve sit-ups, and fourteen jumping jacks.

  To perform the step-up, first find a sturdy object like a box, bench, or stoop. Stand squarely in front of the object and step up and step down with the same leg. Alternate legs each time you step up onto the object. Every time you step up, that is one repetition.

  To perform the sit-up, start seated on the ground with your legs in a comfortable position (straight, crossed, or knees bent). Sit back under control until your shoulders touch the ground, then immediately sit up so that your torso finishes perpendicular to the ground. Each time you sit up, that is one repetition.

  To perform the jumping jack, start standing with your feet and arms extended. Jump and bring your hands and feet together at the same time. Each time you clap, that is one repetition.

  Jason’s Pro-Tip: Partner workouts are a lot of fun! Don’t worry so much about the score on this one, but rather focus on communicating with your partner and having a good time. Make sure you play some really good tunes and end the workout with a few crisp high-fives!

  CHAPTER 5

  THE ART OF SHIFTING GEARS

  Part of the AMRAP Mentality that I spent extensive and deliberate time developing (and still do today) is the concept of switching focuses throughout the day. It was first sparked on the day I was walking with Ava and Ashley in 2011, and over the next few years it came into even sharper focus. It is no exaggeration to say that learning to shift gears is the real key to the Mentality, especially in my case. Hard work came naturally to me since I had so many great role models in my formative years. But staying focused on the right thing at the right time did not.

  For anyone who has important goals in different areas of life—education, career, family, finance, spirit—it can be difficult to prioritize and focus. It’s hard not getting overwhelmed by it all. It’s very common that when you start excelling in one area that other areas start to suffer. Like anyone else, I wrestled with this issue. As my family grew larger when Ava was born, our business started to grow globally, and the CrossFit Games became more challenging, it became more important than ever to segment my day.

  In 2010, the CrossFit Games were held for the first time at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. This was big time for the CrossFit community. Reebok and CrossFit had just signed a major deal that would make Reebok the title sponsor of the Games. The prizes quadrupled from the previous year, and we weren’t throwing down out at a ranch out in the middle of nowhere anymore—in every sense, we had arrived as professional athletes for a legit sport. So, there was much more on the line. Having placed first in 2008 and fifth in 2009, I felt like I was one of the favorites to win.

  I was confident that my preparation through 2009 and 2010 was dialed in. I thought I was in the best shape of my life. But when I got to Carson, something suddenly didn’t feel right. I remember being constantly anxious, completely unable to control my nerves. At the time I didn’t know it, but I think perceived versus earned confidence played a big role here.

  I sure thought I had trained hard, but had I really? Was I really as prepared as my peers? We would soon find out.

  I was in the last heat of the night. We found ourselves under the lights, with ESPN cameras following our every move. Right before the heat started, the national anthem played and jets flew over the stadium. The stadium erupted. I was fired up!

  Maybe a little too fired up. After leading the entire event and with only ten reps to finish, my body began to shut down. It felt like 2009 all over again. I’m not sure if it was the anxiety, the capacity crowd, going too hard and too fast, or a combination of all of that, but I ended up on the floor for an hour after the event. I could barely move. They finally carted me off when it was clear I wasn’t going anywhere on my own. A few hours later, I had to be lifted into the car. I vaguely remember going to a restaurant well after the event, still in a daze.

  What followed was a deep psychological setback. For all intents and purposes, I was out of it—mentally and physically. There was a lot more competition coming in the next couple of days, and I knew that I had to get my mind right. I made a commitment to step up and complete the Games with a promise that I would spend time afterwards evaluating what had happened, and why.

  I kept my promise, and though I finished my worst career Games by placement (sixteenth), I did finish. When I had recovered, I began to evaluate my performance. It didn’t take time to realize that something was off, and that I knew exactly what it was.

  I was married, with the clear intent to build a family. My business was thriving, and I had begun to pour even more energy into that career. The issue, I understood over time, was that I hadn’t compartmentalized my day well. I wasn’t putting in the training focus that was required to compete at the highest level. I was stretching myself too thin, and unintelligently. I remember taking business calls and trying to train right before or after, and it wasn’t working well.

  This, in conjunction with worrying about factors outside my control, were two immediate and major areas I could improve on. For the next four years, I would compete and perform very well, and I attribute most of this to recognizing the importance of switching gears and remaining focused on the task at hand.

  The Essence of the Shift

  I knew the area I wanted to focus on, but just knowing isn’t enough; you need to analyze, prioritize, and execute. It is challenging to work concurrently toward multiple desired end states without effectively shifting gears between them. Thinking about one when you are working on another is a recipe for disaster. Switching gears provides the mental and physical adjustment necessary to align your focus to the proper task.

  Let me take you through a typical morning. I start each day at 5 a.m.—first gear. At this hour, my wife and kids are still sleeping. This is my time to focus on fitness.

  A few years back, I converted my garage into a home gym. You might think a guy who runs an international fitness business might go all out for his personal gym, but that’s not the case. My space is very simple. Some iron, a few barbells, a pullup bar…that’s all I need for go time.

  I slowly rev up my body and start to get after it. During this time, I am thinking of nothing but the task in front of me. I don’t answer emails, take calls, or have the TV on. My focus is singular and clear: for thirty minutes to an hour, I work as hard as I can. I leave everything on the floor, every workout. I don’t have a “just cruise” pace. Despite all the other noise in my life, this is my time to free my mind and test my body. By the end of my workout, I am ready to take on the rest of my day.

  At around 6 a.m., I walk back in the house and turn on dad-mode—second gear. Going to the office and visiting our NCFIT gyms for a class will occur later in the day.

  Family time is sacred time. Once my wife and kids wake for the day, I am fully invested in them. I don’t think about my workout and what I could’ve done better, faster, or heavier—it’s irrelevant and out of my mind. Any worrying about fitness at this point would be a waste of my precious time with family. This is really the essence of shifting gears. When you’re in the moment…be in the moment. Being present is not only one of the greatest tools we have to ensure productivity and focus, but also one of life’s greatest rewards. You will find fulfillment
and meaning in even the smallest tasks. You will learn to appreciate life in the moment and slowly stop living in the future or past.

  A common characteristic of people who find themselves unhappy, unfulfilled, or unsuccessful is an inability to live in the moment. Often people will beat themselves up about the past (the good ol’ days or what they could’ve done) or incessantly think about the future (how good things will be only when…). Fatally flawed. What these people don’t realize is that this type of mindset precludes any chance of happiness. The next few words are bold but true. It will be challenging, if not impossible, to find true happiness if you can’t stop living in the past or worrying about the future. Having goals (which live in the future) and learning from your mistakes (which reside in the past) is completely different and undeniably beneficial. However, if you find yourself in the position where your thoughts are consumed by what was or what could be…you need to snap out of it, and fast.

  Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

  As I mentioned earlier in this book, my father had a version of leukemia when I was young. I was around fourteen years old at the time. He hid it from us very well, to keep from causing extra anxiety at home; he travelled a lot for work and would make it seem like he was travelling when in reality he was in the hospital. He eventually found out about an experimental drug and sought out treatment with it. It worked, and within a few years my father was cancer-free. I bring this up because of events that would take place many years later, at a time when I learned a tough lesson about perspective.