Maybe it was the food I ate over the weekend that slowed me down? Maybe because I didn’t have someone standing beside me counting my reps and pushing me through the WOD? Maybe it’s because I didn’t eat enough today? I revisited 13.1 today, a workout that I haven’t done since March of this year. 17 minutes, as many reps as possible of the following sequence:
17min AMRAP: 40 Burpees 30 Snatches (75#/45#) 30 Burpees 30 Snatches (135#/75#) 20 Burpees 30 Snatches (165#/100#) 10 Burpees Max Snatches (205#/120#)
This time, there wasn’t a target that you had to hit 6” above. Yet, I still didn’t do as well as I did the first time. Since I can’t pinpoint exactly why this is the case, I’m going to go ahead and assume that it was a combination of factors that hindered my performance.
Prior to this specific workout, I worked on getting a one-rep max on snatches. My current personal record (PR) is 95 pounds, and today I wanted to at least attempt this since I hadn’t done this movement in a few months. I nailed 85 pounds, nailed 90 and failed twice at 95 pounds. The third time, I asked the coach if he could watch my form and with a few cues, I nailed it with ease. Reason number 2,321 why everyone needs a coach.
Fast forward to the end of 13.1, when I realized I wasn’t going to match or beat my previous time, I began to question my performance. Thinking back to just 20 minutes prior, when I had someone watching my form, I nailed a movement.
So to answer my own questions, I perform much better when someone is at my side. Having someone to hold you accountable keeps you on track and could even push you to go beyond what you thought was possible.
Motivation and determination can only come from within, but performance and progress go hand in hand when you have someone (or a team) rooting you on.