Gym Rivalry Where Everyone Wins!
Have you ever had an unexpected great morning at CrossFit? You come to class yawning and moving slow but otherwise ready to work. You’re in good spirits, but you’ve certainly felt more prepared to conquer on other mornings. No matter. Time to turn off the complaining part of your brain and live in the moment. You do your best. Class ends. You enter your score and carry on with your day.
In the afternoon, you log-in to check on your friends stats only to find you did better than you thought – a lot better! There’s your picture, ranked high in the strength portion or the WOD, beaming with delight. All of a sudden you’re washed over by appreciation for your own athletic prowess.
You stand a bit taller, your shoulders pulled back, and perhaps more than usual you’re happy to tell people that…you do CrossFit. For this afternoon, you are the champion, and with every pickle jar opened, you bask in the herculean wonder that is you.
But wait, you forgot about the evening classes!
Your gym rival comes to the 6 pm class, and your score is now the one to beat. They might be looking at your stats right now…you can feel it. They are hungering for a chance to beat you; to be put in the ring and give everything they have to get one more rep, one more pound on their lift, or finish one second faster than you. You can hear them mutter into their phone:
“Enjoy your title while it lasts, for tonight is shall be mine.”
That evening you receive a WOD notification – your buddy has ‘liked’ your score. That’s not good…
The only time your opponent only gives support is after they’ve outdone you. With great trepedation you open the app to see their smiling profile picture directly above you. They’ve beat you by one. One! One rep or second and your king or queenship has been displaced. You’ve been dethroned for the day, and you swear revenge!
In this friendly competition, there really are no winners or losers. By setting a high bar, you’ve ensured your gym buddy got a better workout then they might have on their own. The next time a similar workout appears, you’ll have their score in mind and that becomes the new marker to beat. That goal will force you and your gym buddy into a new realm of potential as you try to outdo each other. One day you win, one day they win, but everyday you are both getting better, faster, and stronger as you tap into the very limits of your capability. So, everyday you both win!
Tag your gym rival and let’s get to work!
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