Some individuals are motivated more by external factors or rewards, others driven internally. I tend to fall into the latter category. Though I really do enjoy the camaraderie and competition of our H.E.L. community(I run faster when someone's on my tail!), ultimately it is my own game, mental and physical, that I square off against each day in the gym or out in the hills. The only ranking which truly holds ground for me is the personal record(PR) and where I measure up against my own capacity. As such, our system of fitness ranking from Recruit(completion of Boot Camp), through Basic, Advanced, Elite and Mutant levels has historically held little interest for me. In fact, I had been resistant to the notion of testing. However, as I have often found when there is something in life I am resisting, there may be a lesson I need from it within. With this in mind I showed up to the Lab on a rainy Saturday morning recently to test my mettle against the board.
As Coach Kevin and I moved through the exercises, he stopped to give me useful input on lifts I knew - subtle inefficiencies in form or mechanics overlooked in the heat of the WOD or a larger group session. On other movements I felt more competent with, we talked about aggressive strategies for elevating performance even further. On one exercise test I even broke a PR with Kevin's encouragement. Now I was interested! But what I surprisingly found most helpful was the overall objective examination of my own abilities across the board: knowing which ones were hard for me, and which seemed easier, this gave me more insight into my own challenges and where to focus my attention in training. I'm still not really concerned with where my name lies on the board or amongst the rankings, but testing out offered me something of value to any athlete, regardless of their motivations: an accurate picture of truth in training.
And a note to senior HEL athletes: as a new crop of recruits graduate from Boot Camp and ABC their eyes are upon you , seeking an example. So if you are not moving forward, then perhaps you are holding back! Go on...GET SOME!!!