As Many Reps as Possible

by Jason Khalipa

  Fast forward to a few weeks after Ava’s diagnosis. At this point, it had really kicked in what we were up against. Ava had her first bone marrow sample taken, and it was sent away for analysis for two days. When it came back, Ashley and I went through one of the more traumatizing moments of our time in the hospital.

  After bone marrow analysis, cancer treatment centers put together a sort of profile for patients and their families, charting out treatment plans and schedules, things to be expected, and what could go wrong. When the time came, Ashley, my father, and I were called into a room, where we were presented with a thick, three-ring binder that contained Ava’s profile. The atmosphere was so heavy…the seriousness was palpable.

  The doctor began taking us through the profile. For these things, you are really presented with all the worst-case scenarios. Ava would lose all her hair. She wouldn't be able to go to school. She would have to wear a mask at all times to protect her weakened immune system. And on and on and on. The thought of what our little girl might have to go through was overwhelming, and I found myself hardening from the inside out. I steeled myself against what might happen in the future, because it was only at my strongest that I would be able to beat this thing with Ava.

  Now, my dad is a level-headed and smart guy, and he had been through this exact experience when he had battled cancer. At one point in the meeting, he turned to me and said, “Jason, trust me; it won’t be as bad as they just said.”

  This was not what I needed to hear at that point. I didn’t want hope, or coddling, or the promise of an easier time. I responded, “Dad, with all due respect, I hope you are right, but right now, I need to expect the worst. This is the information they have given me, and this is the information I have to work with.”

  Of course, my dad was right. It didn’t end up as bad as the doctor had said, even though some things did happen. She did have to wear a mask for a long time, and she was put under general anesthesia twenty-seven times.

  By giving us the worst-case scenario, they were just trying to get across to us the reality of what we were up against. Ashley and I needed to understand the severity of the situation in order to do what needed to be done, and any slack on our part would have been a liability if it had ended up being much worse.

  When it comes to the AMRAP Mentality, it can be beneficial to expect the worst, and anticipate the ways things might go wrong. Why wouldn’t you prepare for unplanned events, if you could? Of course, there is a fine line between expecting the worst with the proper attitude, and expecting the worst and getting bogged down by anxiety and fear. In this sea, your guiding star will always be your why; keep it in sight, and you will be able to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

  Shifting to the Right Perspective

  Staying present and shifting gears also allows you to maintain proper perspective. I relied on this heavily when Ava got sick. The long stints in the hospital were physically and emotionally draining. Ava counted on us to be upbeat and positive, and everything about the situation was fighting against my ability to be so. I knew I had to employ the gear shift to keep me as energized as possible during my time by Ava’s side.

  A critical element of this, for me, is working out. Fitness brings me life, energy, and vigor. If I had those things, I knew I could bring positive energy to her hospital room. In order to keep my activities segmented, I worked out extremely early, extremely late, or during times when Ava would sleep or had to undergo a long procedure (and then, only if we couldn’t be by her side the entire time). I worked out anywhere I could find space—the parking lot, quiet room, up and down the hospital stairs. Once my workout was complete, I immediately switched gears to return to my family or check in on my daughter.

  The switch is sharp and immediate. When I was first refining this technique, I would often remind myself, firmly and out loud, that a shift has occurred. Jason, stay focused! This simple exclamation would shock me back into the moment (I’m sure it also shocked anyone in earshot!). I continue this practice to this day. Now that Ava is on the road to recovery, my days are hectic in a much different way. Most days, my calendar is packed, front to back, with updates, meetings, and calls. I'm usually in business-mode—third gear. If I’m not careful, I can get distracted or thrown off by thinking about what just went down or what’s coming next.

  What’s worked for me is generally keeping appointments on my calendar to one hour or less. When the task or meeting finishes, I take a quick inventory of the past hour, then immediately shift forward. Generally, I like to review on an hour-by-hour basis, as many times as possible throughout the day. Even just for a deep breath to organize my thoughts. If you were walking around our office or one of our gyms, there’s still a good chance you might hear me remind myself—Jason, stay focused!

  The Gotta Go Plan

  If you and I were throwing down together in a workout, you might hear me say, “GOTTA GO!” In fact, when training for the CrossFit Games, I would say this so often that my training partners started talking about the Gotta Go Plan. Essentially, “gotta go” meant we had to hustle harder, whether between movements in a workout or between workouts in a series. To get the most out of our training, or to get the fastest time on the workout, we needed to hustle. If we were slow in our transitions, time would hemorrhage off the clock and we would be behind the eight ball. Not because we weren’t fit enough…just because we were being lazy. Similarly, if we wasted too much time messing around in the gym when we should have been working out, we lost precious time later in the day. Much of my success in fitness can be attributed to two simple things—first, I trained as hard as I wanted to win; second, I hustled through parts of workouts or transitions where other people might take as a rest. The AMRAP Mentality and the Gotta Go Plan complement one another beautifully.

  Fitness, Family, Business,

  and the Art of the Shift

  Just like having focus without hard work is a recipe for failure, working hard without switching gears is, too. A large piece of switching gears is keeping your mind and body focused and present. By shifting between different focuses, you can stay fresh and perform to the best of your ability. It is critical to maintain the work ethic mentioned above through each focus.

  A shift in gears could be as simple as a rural farmer taking off early to get something done on the property, returning home to enjoy a meal together with his family, and repeating the process the next day. The farmer in this scenario might not shift gears too many times each day, but just this simple back and forth between responsibilities is a clear example of shifting gears. Or this could be as complex as a single parent with a leadership job having to prioritize and reprioritize meetings, appointments, and deadlines with the always shifting demands of making sure his or her kids get to and from day care, to doctor’s appointments, to say nothing of quality time at home! In this scenario, there might be many more gears needed and shifting will happen multiple times a day.

  Regardless of the situation, we all need to segment our day to accommodate our goals. My understanding of this principle took time to develop. There was a time when I couldn’t sit down to dinner with my family without my thoughts being swept off to business matters or training problems. I was doing a poor job of switching gears and staying focused in the moment. I now challenge myself daily to chop up my day into different gears, prioritize what those gears need to be for the day, and stay focused on each one while I am in it.

  The AMRAP Mentality borrows so much from fitness. In fact, the best way I’ve found to practice the AMRAP Mentality outside of the gym is by perfecting the AMRAP Mentality inside the gym. During AMRAP-style training, you have a set amount of time to get as much work done as possible. If the goal of the workout is to be as productive as possible, you will need a keen understanding of your capacity, goals (short term in the workout, and long term in all your training), previous performances, current training state, current conditions, ideal pace for besting your goal, areas in the workout you can push harder, and ar
eas in the workout you need to show restraint. In life, the only thing that’s different is the task at hand. Literally everything else is the same…so why would you approach the rest of your life any differently than a properly-tackled workout?

  Think of this parallel. You find yourself five minutes into a thirty-minute workout, and the world is closing in on you. You came out too hot, misjudged your abilities, made a mistake in movement, reps, or loading…for whatever reason, you’re sinking fast. You have the ability to change the outcome. Simply swallow your pride and make whatever adjustments need to be made and use what you have learned from the mentality to stabilize.

  On the flip side of the same scenario, five minutes into a thirty-minute workout, you are absolutely crushing it! You’re on your pace, feeling like a million bucks, and clearly seeing your goal come to life. Brilliant! In this case, the AMRAP Mentality can help you keep riding that high and stay on pace to meet your goal. Look at the clock, understand the time elapsed / remaining, and try to hold a similar pace for the time remaining.

  All the while, evaluate. This real-time feedback will help you perform your best during your workouts. Now, taken into the real world for pursuits in life or business, this practice is a great way to ensure success. Often, it’s only after a workout (or life event) that we reflect on how we did. Certainly, post-mortem analysis is undeniably valuable and necessary; however, if you were able to change a tactic, technique, or tempo in the moment in a way that would help ensure a successful outcome…why wouldn’t you? This isn’t always easy, and sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees when you’re in the thick of it. This gets easier with time and training. The more you practice and the more you put yourself in the moment, the better you will be at achieving your desired results in the amount of time you set.

  Life outside the gym offers endless opportunities to employ the gear shift. When properly applied, you can get a lot done in a finite amount of time, all the while staying present and invested. A simple way to bring this to life right now is by using the timer on your watch or phone. Next time you’re washing the dishes, doing yard work, or reviewing work documents, set your watch for a certain amount of time and go. See how you perform with this tiny hint of pressure to get a maximum amount of quality work done in a set amount of time. (Just make sure you don’t break any dishes because you are going too fast!)

  Does the timing aspect make it more fun, or to use the term in fashion these days, gamify it for you? Do you start to sweat or get anxious even knowing there’s a clock on you? Do you get way more done than you expected, or did you spend most of the time scrolling through Instagram? The answers to these questions are all valuable feedback. Once the time is up, quickly evaluate your work, and switch gears to the next task. By using the techniques of the AMRAP Mentality, you’ll be keeping your mind in check. Your thoughts won’t drift so easily, and you won’t get distracted from the work you need—and want—to get done. My biggest fear is that I will wake up ten years from now only to regret the decisions I made, or long for the time I wasted. Staying present, evaluating my performance in real time, and shifting gears is my hedge against this potential outcome.

  Reader Exercise

  Mindfulness AMRAP – 10 Minutes:

  Set a clock for ten minutes and plan your upcoming day on a blank piece of paper. Be prepared to plan the time you wake, until the time you turn in.

  This will involve some forward thinking about your assignments, meals, family time, and training. Keep blocks of time to within thirty minutes to two hours unless it is absolutely necessary to book longer. Even if you need to block eight hours for work, add five-to ten-minute breaks to keep you fresh.

  During each block, your goal is to give 100% of your time and attention to the current endeavor. Try to hold yourself accountable to the plan. Before the end of the day, review your schedule in comparison to your execution. If you notice room for improvement in time management or focus, write it down and make short notes about what happened.

  Physical AMRAP – 10 Minutes:

  Set a clock for ten minutes and perform as many rounds as possible of 200m run, followed by thirty seconds of walking rest. No matter where you are in the workout (running or rest) at the top of each minute, perform five burpees. At the start of the workout, perform five burpees then immediately start your run. Once one minute elapses, stop and perform five more burpees. Continue until you reach ten minutes.

  Jason’s Pro-Tip: You will need to have a watch handy for this one, so make sure you plan ahead. Minding the clock is an essential part of the AMRAP Mentality. Know where you are in your workout, your work, your day at all times. Make sure you don’t miss any of those burpees!

  CHAPTER 6

  MOMENTS OF RE-EVALUATION

  The final stage of the AMRAP Mentality, re-evaluation, is a high-level review of yourself, designed to ensure you stay oriented towards true north. As time passes, life changes, and goals are either realized or not. Your core motivations and true north, your why, may shift, change, or adjust. This is normal as life progresses and situations change. Timely re-evaluations keep you focused on what really matters and cut away the things that don’t.

  These sweeping re-evaluations do not need to occur daily or weekly; instead, they should be performed when life changes dramatically or when you do or don’t achieve a long-term goal. I like to call these major instances moments. These are moments in time when it seems like the universe is conspiring to tell you something. Whether that something is to keep charging ahead, change directions, subtly adjust, or stop in your tracks will depend on the time, place, and circumstance of your life. These are things that we can’t really plan for; many of them can strike at any time. In a way, the final stage is a sort of openness to the possibility that things may change.

  Getting offered a new job; losing your job, achieving a major goal, falling short of one; discovering a loved one is sick and dying; beginning or ending a long-term relationship—these are all examples of the moments I am talking about. Each of these moments offer you the opportunity to reassess what is important—and more importantly, why. At the heart of re-evaluation is the idea that none of us are the people we were five years ago. In five more years, you be even more different still. Life has a flow of its own, and we need to flow with it.

  For me, being stuck in the same place isn’t any sort of goal. New opportunities and challenges arise every day, but every now and then the world shifts. The tectonic plates of the world move under our feet and we need to use the tools and training we have acquired over the years to adjust and make changes wherever they are needed. When these shifts occur, that is when you want to re-evaluate.

  The Future is Yours—Own It

  Let’s fast forward a little and take a look at a different version of you. You’ve employed the basics of the AMRAP Mentality to smash some short terms goals. You’ve also used the AMRAP Mentality to develop a deeper understanding of yourself, your motivations, and your passion—in essence, you’ve found your why. Your why is strong and compelling, and you’ve honored it with action, sharpening it daily by focusing on the things you can control. You’ve worked hard…damn hard and consistently over weeks, months, and years. Over time, you’ve come to realize your long-term goals. You’ve achieved some success. One-by-one you systematically check accomplishments off your list all the while developing a deeper appreciation for the present. Life becomes richer through newly found meaning, perspective, and success. You’ve successfully unlocked a set of tools to make every second count.

  Not bad, right? But certainly not easy. This type of transformation can take years to realize. And the journey toward this kind of long-term enlightenment, despite being undeniably fruitful, can often be a tumultuous mix of success then setback, confidence then doubt, and clarity then confusion. The formula is simple, but the application (or better maybe, the consistent application) can be very challenging; however, you must stay the course. Over time, the AMRAP Mentality will become second nat
ure…trust the process.

  I’ve often found that certain key people in my life play a pivotal role in “timing” my re-evaluations. And none are more important and meaningful than Ashley. I’ve learned so many things from her. In addition to being an incredible wife, she is an incredible mentor, wise counsel, and loyal companion. I attribute much of my success in the sport of fitness and the business of fitness to her. Through highs and lows, Ashley consistently reminds me to remain focused, avoid distraction, and re-evaluate at key moments.

  This trend was even evident in our fledgling romance. I first met Ashley in high school, during math class. At the time, we were fourteen, and she was way out of my league (still is!). After getting to know each other for a few weeks, we decided to “hang out.” I remember going home and telling my mom that I had met the woman I was going to marry. (I’ve always been steadfast in my convictions.) Funny thing, though…after we dated for two weeks, she dumped me. It was a crushing setback for me at that age, but I would not be deterred. She wanted more out of me, and she wanted to know I was serious about her. I know this sounds silly, but at fourteen Ashley taught me how to not just talk about it but be about it. I listened, and we have been together ever since.

  Large scale, sweeping re-evaluations don’t occur often. But that doesn’t mean we can dispense with personal re-evaluation entirely. I invest time evaluating how well I’m doing on a daily basis, as well. I look at the big re-evaluation as a sort of sum of all my daily check-ins.

  In many ways, it’s like your fitness. One workout will not make or break you; however, the sum of your workouts over time will determine your overall fitness, and the path you take. Aside from Ava’s illness, only one thing keeps me up at night…this nagging question—could I be better?