Rich Froning- “You Can learn a lot about a person from working out with them”.
You can learn their name, where they are from, what they like to eat, yes, but is that it?
3 Years ago my, brother- in-law came over to the house, (this was before he dated my sister, and yes, they are married now); I asked him to come, “workout”, with me.
Honestly, I admit, I was trying to break him. But with every interval on the airdyne, he (reluctantly) dug deep, held on and rose to his feet for another, after another, after another, grueling all out sprint, in a game of, “last man standing”, you-go, I-go, style of workout. If you have ever done an airdyne sprint you will easily relate to his pain. He passed the test nonetheless.
But what test? Did he quit when the going got tough?
It’s a stupid little game I like to play to inflict suffering on those, “interested”, in my baby sisters.
OBVIOUSLY it is NOT a complete picture of a person. There are many more important things to consider. Nor is it dependent on their performance. What counts is how they respond to the hardship associated with the task.
(Note: Just as being a good person does not make you a good athlete, so, being a good athlete does not necessarily make you a good person- that is not what I am talking about here).
Does the way you respond to adversity display your character?
Absolutely it does. How one responds to adversity often shows the real character of the individual.
Are we subjected to adversity in the gym? You bet!! Every dang day we are. To attempt a snatch PR, to jump on a box when you haven’t done it before, to hit that open workout for the first time. How do we respond in these situations?
Regardless of the outcomes:
Did you try your hardest? Did you whine and complain? Did you quit before you even started? Were there excuses given before, during or after? Did you tear others down? Are you the first one to take the easy road?
OR
Did you go into it knowing that you would give it your best regardless of the outcome? Did you suffer in silence? Did you pick others up? Did you own up to your efforts? Did you rise to the challenge? The gym is a practice arena for the way we live our lives, why not gain more than just physical strength? Gain strength of character as well!
“More burpees? Bring it on”
Have mental fortitude, even when it hurts and failure could be a
possibility. Try your best and forget the rest. Yes, I learned a lot about my brother-in-law from that workout, but I wonder what he learned about me?
Brandon Crump
CF-L1
2016 CrossFit Games Athlete
Cristini Athletics Coach