Co- Written by: Matt Booth and Keelie
We all talk the talk of training harder. But when in the gym day after day, do we focus on making sure our reps count? Are we maintaining the integrity of the movements? Or are we just trying to go as fast as possible to beat the guy or girl next to us or have the best score in the gym that day? Would those reps count in competition? What if they wouldn’t? Are you really training that hard or are you just focusing on “being the best” when in reality that would not be true? Don’t be afraid to no rep yourself. Actually, I would encourage you to no rep yourself if you know something you did was questionable. You should always be the strictest judge of the work you put out at the gym. If those reps don’t count, do yourself and your training a favor and redo those reps. Why? When in competition, you will already have the training and experience to do those few extra reps. It won’t be detrimental to you, you won’t be worn out, you will know that you do have the power and ability to do those few extra reps. “What if I don’t care about competition? I come to the gym just to stay fit, lose weight, get wash-board abs, etc.?” The same still applies to you, friend. The quickest way to achieving any fitness goal is putting in the work on the white board with honesty, intensity, and integrity. Put in good, quality work. CrossFit founder and CEO Greg Glassman has always stressed the importance of pursuing virtuosity, which he defines as “performing the common uncommonly well”. I would challenge all of us to fiercely pursue virtuosity in our daily training and worry less about times and scores. I have a hunch that if this becomes our goal, scores and times will undoubtedly improve as well.
Let’s not only pursue virtuosity, but let’s pursue integrity in our training. Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. This goes hand-in-hand with “performing the common uncommonly well”. It’s not about what others see, it’s about being the best you, a virtuous and integritous person. Instead of going for the “best score/time/number of reps” by letting our form suffer, shaving reps, or not holding to the standards of the movement (whether it be simple or not), let’s have integrity. Because when competition comes around, you will come out ahead. Even if you aren’t competing, having integrity will help you achieve your fitness goals (and I would argue your non-fitness related goals as well) significantly faster by adhering to this philosophy when training. Having integrity and no-repping yourself is training harder, pushing yourself to do your best, and being honest to yourself and those around you in the gym when it comes to your score/number of reps/etc. If you aren’t sure about your range of motion or if your reps count, ask a coach. I promise they will be honest with you. Basically just put in good, quality work. So, let’s add integrity and virtuosity to the top of our priority list when it comes to training. I guarantee it will make you a better athlete, improve your fitness, and will likely have a positive carryover to other areas of your life as well. Always hold yourself to the highest of standards and never be afraid to no rep yourself.
