From Again Faster:
"I watch people compare themselves every day in the gym. I watch them stare at another person’s barbell while they load their own..........
But what is that accomplishing? How are we improving ourselves
if the only thing we are doing   is steering off our own course
and trying to follow the path of another?"

This post really spoke to me. Just last Thursday we were working on our "goats", movements we are not very good at. I chose front squats and dips. Dips because I am not strong enough yet to be able to do these without assistance and Front squats because, since my knee replacement, I have had a hard time doing any movements that require squatting. Flexibility is an issue because my knee doesn't really work as well as my original knee did and strength is an issue because of the atrophy which has occurred due to the surgery and the ensuing months of rehabilitation. Bottom line, I'm not as strong as I was before the surgery and squatting movements are difficult.

While doing the "goat" WOD, front squats with a light weight, it hit me. I was squatting to the correct depth and it wasn't hurting my knee. In other words, I was doing the movement correctly and with proper form.  SO, what was different for me this day?
I wasn't staring at my neighbor's barbell and worrying if I should put more weight on the bar. I wasn't worried that my weight made me weaker than the rest. I "wasn't trying to follow the path of another." I just wanted to do it right.

Why on this day, did it finally sink in, why did I realize that in hurrying to get back to pre-surgery form I was only hurting myself and not accomplishing what is our ultimate Crossfit goal:  training with Functional Movements (lifting relatively large loads, large distances, quickly), at High Intensity (more work in less time) and with Constant Variety." The goal isn't: Training with a heavier weight than your friend as fast as you can disregarding proper technique so you don't finish last!.

Bottom line is do what YOU can correctly and with the best form possible with the same intensity as the best of the best. I am not going to work any less intensely, I am going to work smarter.

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