Three Things We Tell Every Member
We’ve been running CrossFit Harpoon for 13 years now, and here’s something we’ve learned over and over and over again: Most people don't fail at fitness because they're lazy. They fail because they're not being honest with themselves about what it actually takes — and what they're actually willing to do to get it.
To solve the problem, most people want to jump straight to the what — the strategies, the programs, the solutions. But that’s not quite right. What most need to do instead is start with the how.
So here are three things to focus on, whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been here for years. They may not seem revolutionary, but we’ve seen them work with hundreds and hundreds of active humans.
Be honest.
You can't do everything. And every yes is a bunch of nos in disguise.
The people who make health a consistent priority aren't magical. They haven't found some secret that the rest of us missed. They've just decided — really decided — that health is worth saying no to other things for.
The late nights, the skipped workouts, the "I'll start Monday" mindset — those don’t happen because you lack discipline. They’re just the natural result of not having a strong enough reason to do otherwise.
If you're struggling to make health stick, no amount of willpower or inspiration will get you there on its own. The real unlock is understanding why it matters to you — not at the surface level, but deep down.
As they say, someone with a strong enough why can handle almost any how.
Be realistic.
You only have so many hours in a day, and it helps to do the math.
Between work, commuting, getting the kids fed and off to practice, and actually sleeping, the window for fitness is probably smaller than you'd like. That's not an excuse. It's just useful information.
Our 3-1-1 protocol was built with that reality in mind: three workouts at the gym each week, one at home, and once a week, get outside and out of breath. Five sessions total. That's not a small ask. But it's a doable one.
It's also designed to force you to choose. Five sessions a week means you have to decide what you're going to give up in order to show up.
When done consistently, the fitness starts to crowd out the other stuff — the less important, the less urgent, the less useful.
What starts as a sacrifice becomes the goal.
Be consistent.
The member who comes in three days a week for a year will out-progress the one who sometimes shows up six days and sometimes one — every time. We’ve lost track of how many times this has proven true.
And yet most people spend enormous amounts of energy worrying about optimization — the right program, the right supplements, the right recovery protocol — when the real question is much simpler: did you show up?
Consistency isn't the same as intensity. You don't have to crush yourself every session. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to come back, and keep coming back.
Show up. Work hard. Have a good attitude. Repeat.
That's not oversimplifying it. That's actually what it looks like.
Want help putting these three mindsets into practice? Consider jumping into the Active Human Project — a three-month coaching program designed to help you make Harpoon’s 3-1-1 Protocol a reality. Learn more here →
