I stumbled upon this amazing article from the CrossFit Journal the other day and figured it was well worth the share!! It is so relatable because most of us are not elite level CrossFit athletes and we don’t get to press that Rx button every day, every workout, every time. In fact, those athletes make up about 1% of CrossFitters. And there are lots of other athletes who can press the Rx button the majority of the time, or even half the time. And then still, there is everyone else, who rarely presses the Rx button, but SHOWS UP, day in, day out, sweating, grinding, putting in the work, with a novel list of modifications in their notes in Wodify.
Some days, that is defeating. You don’t feel strong or fit or powerful. You wish the coach would write programming with at least one movement you can perform as prescribed or that you would magically get better overnight, because the thought of recording all your modifications again makes you want to vomit.
Well, on those tough days, remember this article! Remember these words…
“It was during one of those early pity-fests that I found myself reading the words below on the wall at Cross Fixx, and they can probably be found somewhere in your box, too:
Cardiovascular/Respiratory Endurance. Stamina. Strength. Flexibility. Power. Speed. Coordination. Agility. Balance. Accuracy.
I’d seen those words for weeks, and it finally dawned on me that the list didn’t include muscle-ups, pull-ups, double-unders and handstand push-ups. It didn’t say a thing about Fran, Cindy, Angie or Jackie. Those movements and workouts provide the constant variation that produces fitness and the benchmarks that test it, but mastering a movement or workout isn’t truly the end goal.
We want to live longer, avoid chronic disease and be able to thrive when faced with a challenge. In the gym, that challenge might be Fight Gone Bad. In real life, it might be racing to get help or pulling someone to safety. It could be as profoundly simple as setting an example that keeps your children from becoming obese or makes your aging parents rethink what a healthy meal looks like.”
There will be days you get to press the Rx button, I promise! But remember what it’s really about, “…you only need to compare yourself to the person in the mirror. No one else.” “Instead of focusing on all the things you can’t do today, start celebrating the ones you can. Start challenging yourself to add to that list every week until all the can’ts are in the rearview mirror.”
