Here’s the thing; regardless of who you are, if you are reading this, you want to be better physically. What that looks like differs for each person but we all want to more fit and healthier. We wouldn’t be interested in Crossfit or members of our amazing community if we didn’t want that. In order for us to move forward on that journey, we need to first acknowledge where we are at.
In the middle of the afternoon after our training, you can most often find Jay and I sitting upstairs eating lunch and sipping a latte. Throwing ideas off of each other. Talking about business, training, life, and other completely random dude things. Not very often, but sometimes after the appropriate amount of caffeine, a really good thought comes flying out. “Before we can move forward, we have to first acknowledge where we are at” was one of these ideas.
Going back a couple of blogs, I talked about “Why ‘Rx’ Exists”. We established that we need a standard to uphold in order to achieve the desired stimulus. “Recognizing where we are at” very much echos this idea. As coaches, a big part of our job is to scale athletes appropriately. First to keep them safe. From there, we want to make sure they achieve the desired stimulus in order to move them forward on their fitness journey. If we suggest a weight that is lower than Rx, or lower than what you “think” you can move for that workout, it is not because we are holding you back. It is not that we don’t think you can do that weight. It’s because we might recognize where you are at even better than you do yourself.
Some hard truth. You might not be where you once where. You might not be where you want to be. You might not be where you think you are. You know what? That’s perfectly ok. You are in the gym, you are training and you are working towards a goal. That is amazing and you deserve credit for it! Rushing through a workout because you can, is not going to be a recipe for success in the long term. Your coach recognizes where you are at and appreciates your hard work and desire. Your coach also wants to keep you safe and keep you in the gym training.
As coaches, we see thousands and thousands of reps. We see your reps! We see how you move and where your abilities are at. When we cue reps in warm up, we do so with intent and purpose. We slow you down and make you think about how you move. Once we give the “3, 2, 1, GO!”, we dont want those movements to change. You can move faster through those same motor patterns, but those motor patterns and movements should look the same as they did in warm up with called reps. Move well and the progress will take care of itself.
Acknowledging where we are at might not be the easiest thing to do. It is, however, the best thing to do. Trying to start ahead of where we presently are only sets us up for failure. Maybe not right now, but it will eventually come. We want to keep you injury free, moving with purpose and fitnessing with intensity. Within your means! That’s the way to keep progressing forward and getting to exactly where you want to be!
PS - Good luck to everyone competing at the 3 On 3 this weekend. You’ve put in the work, now it’s time to execute. Amat Victoria Curam; victory loves preparation.