Women, stop looking at your girlfriend’s … bar. I mean it. You know what I’m talking about — when you’re getting ready to WOD. You’re about to grab bumper plates and you glance over. “What’s she doing?” Seems innocent enough, right?
Not if you use it to limit yourself. And I know some of you do. “Oh, she’s going to do 65 for those thrusters. I should do 65.”
No, you shouldn’t! Maybe I’m doing 65 because I’m in my 40′s and have an infraspinatus that I’m rehabbing. Maybe I’m doing lighter weight because I decided (with my coach) that the price I will pay in pain tonight for going heavier overhead is just too high. Or maybe I’m just a slug today and I’m sandbagging! (Admit it — you’ve done it too. No one’s perfect!) Or maybe I’m just scared …
Don’t use others as a measuring stick to limit yourself. Sometimes, we do that as women. I guess some men look at each other’s bars (yeah, I went there) but I’m betting usually they look and say “My bar’s bigger. HA!” Or, they look and add weight — they usually don’t look and subtract.
I guess what I’m saying is that it’s smart to use competition to improve yourself, but stupid to use competition to limit yourself. Figure out what you should do. And do it.
(Image courtesy of Nicole Bedard Photography.)
