“It doesn’t get easier, you get better.” We tell this to new members all the time, it’s not that one day you wake up and snatch 200# with no problem while also running a 6 minute mile and can do 100 box jumps unbroken without breaking a sweat. You still feel the same level of exhaustion at the end of a workout, the difference is you did it in half the time it would have taken you a year ago.

And you know what happened over the past year (or 5 or 10 years)? Major progress, and quite a few steps backwards. No one wants to talk about the steps backwards, but they are absolutely there. The trick is to never quit, never regress all the way to zero, never stop trying. Each time you take a step back you’re not back to the starting point. You’re further ahead than the last step back, and you will keep moving further forwards.

Today might be a little worse than yesterday, but I guarantee it’s better than a year ago. Sure you struggled with bar muscle ups today, but remember when you started and couldn’t do a pull-up? Oh you couldn’t beat your deadlift PR this week? Remember when you thought lifting in the triple digits was impossible! 

Recently, after having 3 kids in 5 years, I had an evaluation with Tristen at Vitality. I told her I’m not trying to hit any PRs, I’m just trying to heal my core and make sure I didn’t lose ALL my fitness. If I could hit a 200# deadlift consistently I’d be happy. And while that is nowhere close to my all time max, it’s certainly more than I could do at 22 when I started CrossFit!

People will come back from a vacation or holiday and say they feel like they’re back at square one, but as quickly as it “goes away” it also comes back. Your body remembers what it’s doing, it just needs a little jump start. 

So yeah, yesterday might have been rough. Today you’re so sore you’re questioning whether you can walk let alone do the workout, but think where you were a year ago. Think where you were before you started, because that person would be IMPRESSED to see you today (even if you are barely able to lift your arms above your head). Don’t let the setbacks overshadow the progress, because the progress is better.