Admittedly, it wasn’t until my late 30’s when I began to go for a run almost every morning – mostly as training for endurance events. Now in my 60’s, instead of running, I walk (occasionally with a weighted backpack). It is part of my morning ritual. Fortunately, my dogs hold me accountable – they don’t care what the weather is or how I’m feeling that day. And, no matter how hard it is to get started, within 5 minutes, I’m feeling great and my mind is free from distractions. And, quite often, I catch amazing views like the one above.
(Sugarloaf Open Space, Walnut Creek, Feb 1, 2026)
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
— Jim Rohn
RITUAL VS PLAN VS GOAL
A goal is a destination. A plan is a route. A ritual is what actually gets you out the door. Most people spend a lot of time talking about fitness and health goals—lose weight, get stronger, feel better—and some even build a plan around them. But, I’ve found that plans are fragile. They depend upon motivation, time, and myriad other conditions. Rituals don’t. Rituals happen whether the day goes smoothly or not. They’re automatic, repeatable, and anchored to identity rather than outcome. Yvonne and I both have fitness rituals that we rarely break, even on vacation. It’s who we are.
At Diablo, progress rarely comes from grand plans or heroic bursts of motivation. It comes from rituals: the class you always attend, the habit of showing up five minutes early, the post-workout conversation that keeps you connected, the decision to book classes in advance. Rituals remove friction and eliminate debate. You don’t wake up asking if you’re training—you already know the answer. Over time, those small, boring, repeatable actions compound into strength, confidence, and results that no single “plan” could ever deliver.
Goals are useful. Plans help. But rituals are what carry you through the days when motivation is low and life is hectic. Build the ritual, and the results tend to take care of themselves.
#itsup2us
OPEN REGISTRATION JUST GOT REAL!
Back in December I set some very aggressive goals for 2026 Open Registrations: for the 1st Day of registration and for overall registrations. I admit that I had some ulterior motives for our plan to blow up registraions:
- Motivate affiliates WORLDWIDE to support the 2026 Open – for CrossFit, for affiliates and for our awesome communities. I really wanted to win DAY 1 (like winning the first movement in a long chipper), and we killed it with a Diablo (and USA) record 150 registrations (50 over our Day 1 goal!) but some random CrossFit gym in Portugal (CrossFit Black Edition) SMASHED the day with more than 240 registrations. Ok, they’re not so random – its an amazing facility with a HUGE community. Side note: CrossFit’s day one registrations more than doubled last years #s!!
- Create a MASSIVE lead over our rivals: CrossFit Roots and CrossFit Ft. Vancouver, hopefully demoralizing them and winning our annual competition by a large margin. My friends and owners, Nicole Christensen (Roots) and Adam Neiffer (CFFV) and Diablo have held an informal registration competition for the last couple years and Diablo has ended up in LAST place both times. Both Roots & Ft.Vancouver always make huge gains in the last week of registration – so we need a big lead to hold them off!
> Check out the sign (above) that Roots hung up in their bathrooms!
DIABLO REGISTRATION GOALS:
- 100 on January 14th – DONE (150)!!
- 200 by February 1st – DONE (206)!!
- 300 by March 2nd! LFG!!
Side note: if you want a good laugh, check out this amazing battle between CF Glasgow, CF Method & CF 179 in the UK.
WELCOME COACH TIM!
Welcome to our newest Diablo CrossFit Coach: Tim McGowan! Tim passed Diablo’s rigorous Observe & Assist program over 12 weeks and many hours in class.
He has been CrossFitting since 2015 and competed in several local & regional competitions. He is CrossFit Level 1 certified and carries several other certifications as well, including:
- CF Gymnastics
- CF Coaching Fundamentals
- Spot The Flaw
- CF Weightlifting
- CF Kids
- CF Aerobic Capacity.
Look for Tim to be coaching on Friday evenings and on the weekends.
- Premiere of “FITTEST ON EARTH 2025” – The CrossFit Games Documentary
Every year, CrossFit releases a Documentary on the CrossFit Games from the previous year. The documentary includes never-before seen footage from the Games, athlete stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to become the Fittest on Earth.
This is a “red carpet & lights” style premiere!! There will be CrossFit Games athletes and HQ Leadership on stage for a fun Q&A session led by a moderator and hanging out after to meet and greet, and
- DIablo CrossFit’s 20th Anniversary of CrossFit Affiliation Party!
We’ll be sharing stories, pictures and history with our CrossFit family – and then, watching the premiere of the Fittest On Earth 2025 Documentary.
- RSVP NOW for the FITTEST ON EARTH DOCUMENTARY on the Diablo App! (public invitations will go out later this week!)
PROGRAMMING **!! THIS WEEK !!**
PRsAllDay February Focus: OPEN PREP
> Primary: Various Squats; 2nd: Shoulder-to-OH Cycling; Skillz: Open Movements + Conditioning
>> Watch for: long metcons on Mondays & Saturdays. Open Repeats on Fridays. Lifts & Skills in the middle.
- Mon: Run-T2B-Run-PSn: Amrap 20m – 200m Run, 12 T2B, 200m Run, 8 Power Snatch (#75/115)
- Tue: Front Squat! Metcon: WB & BJs – 4RFT: 12 WB & 12 Box Jumps
- Wed: Clean & Jerk Complex. Metcon: Burpee-Row: Amrap 8m – 8 Burpees, 10/15c Row
- Thu: DUs Skills. Metcon: AirBike! 5RFT: 60s/60s, 40s/40s, 20s/20s Bike/Rest
- Fri: CrossFit Open 17.2 – 2rnds DB Lunges, T2B, DB Power Cleans, then.. 2Rnds: Lunges, BMU, PC
- Sat: 5RFT: 200m Run, 12 DB Bench Press, 250/300m Row, 12 WB
- Sun: SB Carry-Chin Ups-DL-BJO. E5MOMx4: Buy in: 200m SB Carry, then AMRAP 8 Chin Ups, 10DL, 12 BJOs (#155/225)
CRAIG’S LIST: Cool Stuff I Saw This Week..
- 16-YEAR-OLD RUNS 3:48 MILE!! He accomplished this incredible feat on an indoor track in Boston – shocking the Track & Field world and beating several top pros. Here’s the story on Runner’s World.
- AI Video Game Creation! – Google Launches Project Genie – just drop a picture or describe a character and you can create your OWN video game in an interactive world of your design. NO CODING NECESSARY. This is going to revolutionize computer gaming over night (most big gaming stocks already took a big hit).
- The Human Body Is Incredible – I’ve been blown away by the posts on this IG site: @physioosteogram. Their animated how the human body works posts are amazing in their detail, and will help you understand the value of proper nutrition and exercise. Give them a follow!
Make it an awesome week!
Craig
