At the end of each class throughout the day at the gym we record our scores on the whiteboard. This is done for a couple of reasons. One of them is most certainly not to compare members within the community. Another thing that is definitely is not intended for is breed competition. It is done so that you can track your results and see progress. It is done so others coming in to the gym have an idea of what they’re getting in to. It also helps coaches be able to start thinking about the individualized scaling we provide ahead of time by referencing previous members. It is also meant to bring pride to the person who’s name it wrote beside. Be proud of the effort you put in that day. Your score does not matter in the least “compared” to anyone else. It is yours.
While we write those scores down, the most important part of what happens in the gym is movement. Movement is what brings us our fitness. It’s what makes us healthy. It’s what keeps us functional. It’s what helps us excel. While putting a monster score might bring a moment of pride (frankly, those scores are erased at the end of the day as quick as they are wrote up), how we achieved that score should be where we find true pride. If you are in the class, you know what the movement standards are. They’re gone over. The rest is up to you. A coach is not going to “no rep” you in class. We will absolutely cue you to fix movements patterns. Our first goal is to keep you safe. If you are doing a deadlift with the spine of a wet noodle, we’ll stop and correct that. If you are doing a push up with the spine of a wet noodle, well....
One, single quality rep will yield far more results in the long-term than ten poorly executed reps to post a big score today.
I’ve wrote a couple blogs over the years about moving with purpose. taking pride in our movement follows those same lines. Quality movement done with purpose and intent is most definitely something to be proud of. It ultimately keeps us safe and allows us to continue coming to the gym. While it might mean that today we don’t write the highest score on the whiteboard, taking pride in our movement quality will make sure those movements will develop and produce maximum results. If we throw up a set of forty unbroken wall ball but as we go through the reps the squat gets more shallow and more shallow and/or the ball starts going lower and lower on the wall, have we really done forty reps?
As a coach, it is a point of pride for me to see athletes in my classes moving well. I honestly can’t tell you one single time I remember writing a score on the board beside someone’s name beyond the end of the day. I can tell you quite a few very specific examples when I have took note of athlete’s movements in my class and got a little $#&%-eating grin on my face. “They listened!” That is what matters. Those quality movement patterns that will continue to produce results long after the whiteboard has been erased!
Take pride in your movement. Not your score. I assure you that if you make that your goal each time you are in the gym, the scores will take care of themselves.