Here’s a somewhat embellished yet somewhat true example of a day’s worth of workouts at the gym.
Timtom (not his real name) has been at the gym since before CrossFit was cool. He’s an amazing athlete and has amazing times on the leaderboard. He helps out with classes when he has time and the members respond well to him. He’s not rude or egotistical in the least, always willing to help out.
Jimbob (not his real name) comes in to the early morning class consistently. He isn’t new to the gym, but he’s not an OG if you will. He came in around 9 months agoish and has pretty much devoted his daily routine to the improvement of his health and daily life. His times are average in the broader spectrum of the word, but he’s beyond pleased with how his progress is coming along.
Today Timtom and Jimbob came to the same class and exchange hellos. They’re good friends both in and outside of the common denominator. They talk about the day ahead and how the wod will unfold. They reminisce about wods that have torn their hands or wrecked their hamstrings or blah blah blah. They get their weights set up, a very obvious difference in load between the two but neither seem to care or notice. A couple of practice reps and a nervous bladder later the countdown begins.
3-2-1-GO!!!
Jimbob gives everything he has to the workout. He hits just about every rep with reckless abandon and still manages good technique. After all is said and done, he’s a heap of flesh and sweat on the floor. This was his first dance with this wod, and he has momentarily lost control of his musculo-skeletal system.
Timtom puts in just enough to get through. He’s done this wod before, he’s never liked it. He’s finished before a good number of the class and hit a PR today. After he finished he contemplated his PR as he stood there sipping his post-workout drink.
Granted these are extreme examples, but many people come in and say “That was it?” or “What next?” I don’t care if you have a sub 3 minute Fran, if you half-ass a workout, you’re doing it wrong. Someone doing jumping pull-ups and thrusters with a PVC kicked your ass because they gave everything they had just short of a stroke.
Times and weights matter, but they fail in comparison to effort. Keep pushing yourself to your most extreme limits. I don’t care if you have a 500 lbs or 50 lbs deadlift as long as you put forth the effort and don’t sandbag.
Results will always come from intensity, both absolute as well as relative. Relative to what, though? Relative to one’s physical and psychological tolerance. This is to say that you control the most important aspect of the workout! You control how hard you try. You have the ability to change and to see what you want to see. All you have to do is put out the effort.
A Couple Announcements
We have canceled the 1pm class on Saturday's! We are trying to rework the schedule and this class and its attendance didn't make the cut.
On Wednesday the 19th the powers that be (building management) will be holding an event on the patio just outside the gym. As a result, our main entrance will be locked from 6pm on. All those coming to the gym that night will enter through the building's main doors and then through the gate by the restrooms.
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