Some rules you have to keep in mind when walking into the weightlifing room:
1. When you hit a WOD you compete against yourself, not against other people!
When the clock starts running, it’s only you and the bar. It doesn’t matter who stands besides you. It doesn’t matter who is watching. It doesn’t matter what other people’s time will be. Doesn’t matter if you are gonna finish first or last. All that matters is are you giving your best? All that matters is the clock, not other competitors. You are trying to beat your past times, not other people’s times! Focus on you, yourself, and your performance! If you focus on other people, you might skip some important steps in your growth as an athlete. If you are constantly looking what others are doing, you are incapable of seeing what you are doing and what you are missing. So watch your own plate!
2. When you hit a WOD don’t be too proud to scale!
I know that you want to prove yourself to everybody staring at you! But did you forget- leave your ego at the front door. It won’t do anything good for you. If the WOD is not according to your abilities, scale it down! You can’t climb the ladder to the top if you miss a couple steps! What is more likely to happen, is you will fall down! It is the same in the gym. If you overvalue your abilities you are risking an injury that will probably bench you out of the gym for a long time. So SCALE!
3. With every passing workout, things won’t get easier – but you will become stronger!
The squat is always gonna be a squat, no matter who is getting ready to crush the weights! Never look down to a movement just because you are improving. The squat is just the same exercise that was giving you a hard time when you walked in the gym, the only difference is you are stronger now! But take caution! Make sure you do not neglect the right technique!
4. What you are eating is always gonna be more important than what you are lifting!
Never forget that food is your fuel! If you fail to eat right in the kitchen, you will fail to lift right in the gym! What you put in your body is what you get out of it, when you need it to function! Make sure, you give your body what you expect it to give you back!
5. Don’t underestimate the value of recovery!
You are not a GOD! You are a person! I don’t care how good, tough, strong or what a bad ass you consider yourself to be! You are gonna get tired at some point! You are gonna miss a movement. You are not gonna get a PR everyday. Don’t rush it! If you need it-take a break! It will only shoot you to the top! If you look down on the recovery part, soon it will come back to you and crush you! If you do not plan your recovery, you will be forced to take unplanned recoveries! If you get what I mean?
6. Last but not least-HAVE FUN!
In first place,never forget why you are doing it! It is not like your life depends on it! It is not like somebody pointed a gun in your head, and forced you to go lifting! It is your choice! You do it, because you like it! Because it makes you happy! Because it is fun! If it ever feels like work, just take some time off! Let yourself rest! And then come back and crash it!
