170810 -Throwback Thursday - The Importance of the Leaderboard

This awesome post from Coach Michael was all about "The Whiteboard" so it has been updated to make more sense with our Zen Planner system! ----->

Zen Planner is easily accessible from our gym ipad, your smartphone, or a computer so using it to put in your scores each day shouldn't be too much trouble yet we have folks that go days without inputting a score.  I'll go ahead and assume that it's because of lack of information so I'll take this opportunity to bring everyone up to speed!
I only write three things on the board: Warm-up, Workout (to include strength and/or skill) and pertinent short-term information such as schedule changes or special events. 
The whiteboard is your mission set for the day. It tells you what, when, how, how many and often has a drawing or two to help you along. 
The rest is yours. 
First of all, the Zen Planner is a public accounting of your work here. It doesn't matter if you have the best time or largest number of reps, it matters that you keep yourself and your workout buddies accountable. 
Think of it as a virtual training partner: 6am folks set the tone and pace of the day and as you come in you can look at their results and make goals for yourself. When you come in later in the week you can see what was accomplished during the WODs and see where you line up. You can even use it to tell folks in other classes "Good Job!" or "I'm Coming For You!" via the comments section in the Leaderboard portion of the app!

There is no shame in being the slowest or having the least number of reps. Everyone has been there. What matters is where you go from there. Are you content with being the least proficient at movement? Are you okay with coming in the minimum amount to justify your membership? Or are you ready to get your name at the top of the list? Is there a skill like double-unders you can master over the intermediate term with a little extra attention that can improve your scores? 

If you're always at the top, how can you get better? Fast doesn't always equal best or right. Ask me to videotape your movement, or better yet, set up your own smartphone to do it. See where those movement problems are and make it a priority to fix them. Mechanics > Consistency > Intensity
When you compare yourself unfavorably to others on the Leaderboard, be honest with yourself. When X person beats you consistently in WODs, is it because they're coming in 5-6 days per week and you're barely making it 3? Is it because you're prioritizing Sons of Anarchy instead of sleep? Is it because they're eating 80% clean and you're eating 80% crap? How about effort? Are you sipping water every 30 seconds or are you moving smoothly through the work?
Like I said, it's a plethora of information, a way to motivate yourself and others as well as a way of staying accountable. Use it. And if you still aren't sure how to use Zen Planner for WOD Tracking, please grab a coach and we will walk you through it!

WOD
Death by squats
With a running clock, do one squat at the first minute, two in the second minute etc. until you cannot make the minute.