I started CrossFit back in 2009 and have been training relatively consistent ever since. Now I’ve made quite a few gains in this time. Hitting many milestones that I once thought were a long shot. I’ve also gone through a lot of struggles and dry spells, too. While training and coaching over the past few years I have noticed that training comes in waves. One week I am PRing everything I touch while the next I can’t even hit 85% of those numbers. It isn’t planned or accounted for in our programming but it happens with everyone. It can be tough to get past mentally and your confidence will take a hit.
It sucks… Knowing that you’ve put in the work over an entire cycle to then test and fail what you thought was a sure thing. You walk up to the bar and your hopes come crashing down. What now? Do you wallow in despair? No. You, get your ass up and get back to the drawing board. Why did you miss the lift? Where you consistent with training leading up to it? Is it a mobility issue? A muscle imbalance? Is your positioning off? Do you need more skill work or is it just a mental issue? There are lots of variables to consider but now you’ll know what to focus on for next time.
Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I see this in the gym with people who load the bar up with that PR weight without really fixing anything between testing days. In order to get to PR city you have to go through Struggleville. This means doing the stuff you don’t want to do. Breaking it all back down and starting with the basics. No one wants to sit there after class and work on front rack or squat mobility. No one wants to post pictures of themselves doing overhead stability work to Instagram. It isn’t sexy at all, but it is necessary.
Tests are very common in our society. But are tests always an accurate portrayal of one’s ability in a certain area? Not for a lot of people. Certainly not for me. You have to be experienced with the test itself. Going through testing days at the gym and putting on the PR mindset is a skill in and of itself, especially after you have a few years of training under your belt. So take that failed lift and examine it. Find out what’s missing and apply a different technique. Sometimes that missed attempt can diversify your athletic toolbox that much more, making you a more well rounded athlete.
Instead of putting too much emphasis on that one lift or action, enjoy the little victories you go through at the gym every day. Something as simple as just making it to class even though your day was crazy and you didn’t get that much sleep, or becoming more comfortable with the hook grip, or learning how to cycle your power cleans a little smoother than last time. Remember, the path to success is not a linear progression. There are plateaus, steep drop offs, valleys, big cliffs, and many failures along the way. In the CrossFit world, failure is often made into something negative. The truth is that failure should be a commonality. Something that will build us up and make us more resilient for those future obstacles. Failure isn’t final, often times it’s a much needed stepping stone in the right direction.
“It’s failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.” – Ellen DeGeneres