Say “No!” To Limits: What I’ve Learned At CrossFit

My first day of CrossFit was some time in November of 2010. I had just moved to Atlanta the month before and was looking for a gym that could help me stay healthy. I walked into CrossFit AGX (at the time it was called CrossFit AF) ready to kick some serious ass. I have been an athlete my entire life, starting from soccer at the ripe age of 5. I had begun weightlifting in college and packed on a solid 25-30 of muscle from my high school days, and thought I was way above average in terms of my fitness.

Boy was I wrong.

The workout was simple: do four rounds of 25 Burpees and run 400 meters, as fast as possible. And it absolutely destroyed me.

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It’s been over two years since that first workout. CrossFit hasn’t gotten any easier. The difference is that my confidence and fitness level have skyrocketed. Doing 100 Burpees is still daunting, but it is something that I would almost look forward to as a workout.

Why hasn’t it gotten easier? It’s because CrossFit is structured in a way that depends on a community, but pushes the individual. And as an individual I have grown from what I’ve learned while at CrossFit. Here are some of the things CrossFit has taught me:

You don’t have limits, you just have barriers.

A limit is a finite amount of something. Your body tends to not have limits like you would think. I’ve been in workouts during the Atlanta summers where I have gotten tunnel vision and almost passed out. But I kept pushing because  I knew I would regret stopping. If you combine your mental and physical abilities into one force, limits are a thing of the past. There are barriers to overcome, of course, but you WILL break through them.

At times your body will say stop and you have to develop the will to keep pushing. CrossFit is as much about developing your mental stamina and strength to stay focused and keep your engine running even when it feels like you’re out of fuel. It’s a tough lesson to learn, but one you can harness in every area of life.

The best competitors make the best friends.

CrossFit is about community. While classes range from 7-15 on a typical night, a CrossFit class is really just a group of people working against themselves and the clock while surrounded by like-minded individuals. The true magic of CrossFit comes when you see people finish a workout before others, then go over and support their fellow athletes and push them until they are done. Trust me, at the end of every workout all you want to do is lay on the ground and not move for a while, but I’ll still find myself getting on my feet and walking over to others to provide encouragement and motivation.

The community is why I like CrossFit. There are athletes who are just beyond my level of ability and I will find myself competing against them, and they know it and are pushed by me. We all write out times and weights on a whiteboard after each workout. We can see the times of the classes before us and we have a goal of what we need to reach. This competition is fierce, but it’s not something that separates us. It brings us closer and makes us a tight group of friends. The people who push us make us stronger, and it’s a mutual relationship.

The tougher the test, you’ll show more of your best

Our daily workouts are posted the night before. This is very common at most CrossFit boxes (“gyms”). When I go online and see a workout that I know will be especially painful…I get excited. I’m excited because I know that I’m going to be miserable for a solid 25-35 minutes, and it’s totally worth it. After grueling workouts I can’t explain how good I feel. If I set a PR or hit a time that’s far below my goal, the sense of accomplishment feels amazing. Those tough workouts that make it a chore to walk down the five stairs outside the gym are my favorite. Why? Because I know I pushed myself as hard as I could go. There isn’t a better feeling than knowing that you tested yourself and brought out your best.

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I find the same lessons I’ve learned in the gym apply to my every day life. There aren’t any limits if you want to push yourself to a higher level in any part of life.

So just remember:

1. Don’t be anchored down by limits. They are simply barriers you are just about to break through.
2. Find colleagues and friends who will push you. Brownie points if you find someone better than you (whether that means more successful, more connected, higher up in your company, etc.). Learn from them and don’t be afraid to push them, emulate them, and offer your own advice and encouragement.
3. Take on all challenges, no matter how daunting. You WILL find a way to get them done, even if it means you have to ask for help. Put yourself out there and relish the chance to do something difficult. Once you come out the other side you will be stronger, more confident, and willing to take on further challenges.