by Clark Hibbs
I took a screenshot of my friend Kenny’s Instagram story because, well, it makes so much sense not to share it.
“Stop taking training so seriously.”
Don’t get me wrong, we DO want people to be serious about many, MANY aspects of training.
- Technique
- Appropriate loads
- Appropriate intensities
- Range of motion
- Consistency in training schedule (can’t get healthier if you aren’t here!)
And I could go on with the things we do want you to be serious about, but what many of us suffer from is taking the performance aspect of training far too seriously.
- Trying to RX everyday no matter what, which can lead to breakdowns in technique, overloading our central nervous system, and lack of intensity in workouts
- Trying to get to the top of the leaderboard
- Getting upset if we don’t hit a PR
- Getting upset if we don’t beat an old score/time
- Getting upset about, well, anything with training
Because at the end of the day, we’re here because we’re trying to train for a healthier life, not to go to the CrossFit Games.
It’s super fun to push yourself with some awesome people (like this great community here at Yellow Rose), but it’s nothing to get too worked up over. Give yourself some grace, especially on the tough days. Celebrate the hell out of yourself for showing up and doing a workout!
The funny thing is, we find time and time again that the less seriously you take training, the better results you can get. If we get too into our numbers, too into hitting X workout at X weight, or yada-yada, we can get beatdown and discouraged. That leads to a path of skipping the gym, and overall being less happy.
Not good if we’re trying to live a healthier life, right? Happiness is essential!
As long as you’re showing up, you’re already well on your way to a healthier life. Focus on the fun part of this and it makes showing up all the easier.
See you at the gym,
-Clark
