After doing Crossfit for almost a decade it’s sometimes easy to forget why I do this form of fitness. Why do we put ourselves through these intense, breath-gasping, sore-leaving workouts day in and day out? Is it because we want to get a good workout in so we can be fit for life outside the gym? Or is it because we want the best score or time for the day? If you asked me this question 10 years ago I would answer the latter. Here is my story and my WHY behind CrossFit.

I first started CrossFit out of college around 23 years old. I was always an athlete and being competitive has always been in me. In my first several years in CrossFit, my mentality was always the same. Give 100% to every session, workout every day with no rest days, and beat everyone’s score/time. If this meant sacrificing my form to get a few extra reps or seconds off my time, then that’s how it had to go. I rarely ever listened to my coaches, never did any mobility work, and tried to skip the small steps/progressions in all workouts. I would feel guilty if I scaled a workout. But then something happened…

I hit a wall. I was burnt out, fatigued, and felt lost as to why I started CrossFit in the first place. I wanted to quit altogether. I soon realized I needed a new why. I no longer cared so much about beating the young student-athlete next to me, because the fact of the matter was this: there will always be someone faster, stronger, or more coordinated than you. Comparing myself to others during a class left me unhealthy in my thought process as to why I CrossFit. There will be a time in my life where I simply won’t have the time to train several hours a day and my priorities will lie elsewhere. I came to terms with being happy with the simple fact of just showing up. I came back to classes with a renewed sense of energy and fun.

Remember this: the person who trains 3-4 days a week for 1 hour for 20 years and gets progressively better will be more fit than the person who trains 7 days a week for 2-3 hours for a few years. Everyone’s fitness story is different but I’m sure we can all relate to losing our why at some point during our journey. For me, I continue to CrossFit day in and day out because it’s fun, challenging both mentally and physically, and it builds strong relationships inside and outside of the gym.

You have to find your why behind coming to the gym every day. Competition is great and can be healthy, but trust me, it will only take you so far. Let’s hear it; what is your why?

-Coach Zach