In CrossFit, we often talk about how the hardest part of the gym is simply getting yourself to the gym. You will often hear the phrase, “Just get through our doors and we will take care of the rest.” And while that is entirely true because our coaches will guide you step-by-step through every aspect of the workout of the day, we want to take a minute to challenge you to take a different approach.
Some days just getting through the door is enough. You are tired or sore, the baby was up all night, you overcame whatever obstacles you needed to in order to get to the gym. But most days, we challenge you to show up with an attitude of intensity and excellence. Rather than going through the motions of the mobility and warm-up, try actually intentionally paying attention to your body. How are you feeling? What feels good? What needs more work? Instead of going through the warm-up squats while idly chatting to the friend next to you, try doing the best air squats of your life. Instead of automatically scaling to the weight that you always do, try adding five extra pounds.
This simple mindset shift of choosing excellence every time you step in the door will not only help you get in the best shape of your life, but will boost our Fireside community, challenge others to do the same, and echo outside of our doors and into every aspect of your life. Choosing excellence will get you better results and outcomes in more ways than one.
Choosing excellence also comes into play during the workout not only in making sure that you are counting every single rep correctly, but also in ensuring that your first air squat looks like your last one. Don’t let yourself off the hook when the workout gets difficult by lowering the movement standard, instead sacrifice the fastest time on the leaderboard for excellence. There’s no better feeling knowing that you put in your absolute best effort for every single rep. Your coaches notice and your fellow athletes notice when you show up with excellence.
Another challenge to add to excellence is to choose your intensity and be intentional about what workouts you choose to go all out. At Fireside we recommend choosing one workout a week to go all in on. We are talking going as hard as you can and pushing your limits, and ending up on the floor after the workout because you gave it your all. Next, choose 2-3 workouts to be in the yellow zone. These workouts are done at moderate intensity, but won’t leave you lying on the floor when you are finished. Then, choose one red light workout where you take it easy. Maybe you choose to go nice and light and just get some movement in. The red light workout is a great time to get in some skill work, add in some mobility, and just focus on movement. A red light workout is great at the end of the week when you are tired and sore.
It’s important to remember that intensity is not just for a metcon, but also for the strength work. When you see a 1-rep max, we challenge you to truly go to failure while keeping in your personal limits for safety. Make the decision to truly push yourself and see what you are capable of.
When you choose to enter the gym everyday with excellence and intensity the results will be immeasurable. You will have fun, get better, contribute to our community and become a better human overall.
In what ways will you choose excellence today inside and outside of the gym? Where will you shine above the rest and hold the standard?