Pushups: Portals to Diamonds

So there is this issue with humans and pushups. We talk about this often, so no need to beat a dead horse. Although it was in one of these movement melees that a true diamond in the rough had shone through. There are so many days when the attendance of quality pushups pales in comparison to the showing of lackluster types.  On one of these days, I was attempting to help the situation, when a student calls out, “If you see me not doing the full rep, tell me, I want to know.”

What?!

While the normal response seems to be ignore-the-cues-and-keep-moving-the-same, here is a gleaming example of the desire to do better. I thought about this for a couple days. There seems to be this constant pressure to move faster and get a better score. I absolutely get that and appreciate that desire to win.

There is a time to compete, and a time to train. The times to train are much more abundant that the times to compete. Training demands attention to detail, and a bit of an ego check. When we train, we are probably doing things that don’t come very easy, and we are there only to get better. We are not judging performances and giving 9.5s for times on a Wednesday. Simply, do things well before doing things fast and heavy.

There are also times to compete, and show up and see what is in the tank. On these days let’s get after it. The Crossfit Open is one of these times. Enjoy this time for what it is, a fantastic chance for you to really make an evaluation of where you are. Reach for the stars on these days.

So next time you come in to the gym, think about what the day demands. Living in the shoes of the student always wanting to learn is an incredible place to be. Be a diamond in the rough, and enjoy the pushups.

Danny Lesslie

@dannylesslie