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It's the new year, resolutions are sure to abound. I don't do resolutions, but I am always for re-committing to do better at the beginning of a year, or month, or training cycle. Our training cycle happens to adjust around the new year, so it's a perfect time to do it.
We have a lot of athletes of various skill levels at The Compound. Genetics can be a great thing, but it can also be annoying. Some people gain mass and muscle better, some lose it better. Some are naturally faster or stronger, others have to work their butts off to stay competitive. Some can play college sports, then try CrossFit for 6 months and are already competing at The CrossFit Games! Then there's the rest of us.
But the beauty of CrossFit, I believe, is it can help you reach your potential better and faster than other workout programs. Especially if you are working out properly, eating right and getting enough rest.
I look at our gym members compared to other gyms members, at competitions, Oly Classes, etc. I am much more excited to be able to point out better, more efficient movements from our members than many from the other gyms. I even use your good movements to help teach and point out proper movements. That makes me much more happy than seeing you getting PR's day after day (which I know makes you happy - but dang genetics just sometimes gets in the way).
But seeing someone come in and always improving or outperforming you can get frustrating to say the least. We have been re-doing the big boards with the top 5 men and women on certain workouts and lifts. Only the top 5. The purpose is to use each other's amazing performances to lift everyone's fitness. The numbers on that board should serve to motivate you're own training. If you get closer to those top 5 scores AND those top 5 scores move up, hasn't the entire fitness level of the gym also gone up?
Using others as motivation is how CrossFit works. I worked out alone in my garage, lonely, for several years and made many improvements. When I started working out with people at The Compound I saw my numbers go up faster and pushed myself to try things I hadn't done before.
On CrossFit's Facebook page, they give "Cues of the Day". Yesterday's was:
- Create a positive virus with your training partners. Always focus on the good side of things prior and during a WOD. If one of you slips away, bring them back on board as quickly as possible with something like, "Don't worry about that rep, jump more on the next one."
- Coach: Matthieu Dubreucq, CrossFit Level 1 Seminar Staff
Another motivation could be to find someone with similar abilities and challenge them:
Ryan and I started playing a game last week where we choose 2 or 3 workouts a week and compete with each other. Ryan and I are pretty similar in our Conditioning Workouts. And CrossFit workouts are fair. Bodyweight movements often are easier for the smaller athlete. Heavy weight movements for the bigger athletes. Put them together in one workout and it makes for a pretty even game.
And it helps keep us motivated when we otherwise might just go through the motions of the workouts.
Whatever you do, use this change in the new year to motivate yourself to improve some aspect of your own fitness and motivate your training partners around so they can achieve progress as well.
If I don't see you guys before, Happy New Year!
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