Back Squat
1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

The Journey Through the Workout

I have stepped into the gym with many different intents.

I’ve walked in wanting to prove something to myself, prove something to others, PR a workout, PR a lift, or get out aggression, frustration, and even anger at my world around me.  I’ve looked to workouts for a pick me up, a shot of adrenaline, and an escape from my responsibilities elsewhere.  I’ve used workouts to drive desires to improve my health and wellness and to fuel my nutritional and body composition goals.  And I’ve trained with the purposes of helping a team qualify for regionals and of keeping a baby safe and healthy while it grows.

I’ve also come into the gym with the mindset of – I could care less, I have no desire to be here, and I would rather go home.

The more I do CrossFit the more I learn that it’s not what I gain on my best days, but what I gain on my worst days.

A few weeks ago I walked into the gym not wanting to be there.  I had no desire to workout and the only reason I showed up was that I had scheduled to meet a workout buddy at a specified time.

The workout was that deadlift, sprint, max rep burpee that many of you experienced.  What transpired in the 30 minutes for me was magical and reminded me why I show up to play each day.  I went through waves of “I can’t do this” and “I’m not tough enough” to “I got this”, “My workout partner is my best bud” and “I’m not that bad at fitness!”

I left the workout disheveled, exhausted, and completely inspired for the rest of my day.

A lot of times we put pressure on ourselves to be the best all the time.  To walk into the workout with the most extreme and focused of intentions.

We often forget that sometimes it’s the journey through the workout that helps us become who we want to be.  If you let your state of mind going into the workout determine your buy-in, you’ll miss out on a lot of lifelong fitness.