A long time ago when I was still training at CrossFit LA, the WOD was a 1RM bench press. I hadn’t bench pressed in 20 years and I approached the workout with trepidation.
But after a vein-popping, trembling exertion, I surprised myself by benching 205 pounds. Well almost.
After I locked the bar out, John Burch no-repped me. “The bar was two inches off your chest, Teddy! Do it right!”
I went from elation to deflation in an instant. I had worked so hard, I couldn’t imagine duplicating that lift with an additional two inches of range.
But it’s the funniest thing: when someone holds you to a standard, you generally find you can meet it.
A few minutes later, I tried again and managed a legit lift at the same weight with a dead stop on my chest.
I think about this episode all the time. If John hadn’t called me out, I would still probably be giving myself credit for something I hadn’t earned. I didn’t know any better. But his goading punctured the false confidence of half-measures. Even though it was irritating at the time, it made me a better CrossFitter, and therefore a better person.
That’s the thing with standards; they’re incredibly annoying, especially when you’re trying to meet them. But if someone holds you to a standard it says that they believe in you and that they care about you.
Letting things slide is what you do when you don’t really care about somebody.
3 Comments
John, you probably don't even remember this incident.
Watching the CrossFit Games, it always tickles me when a judge no-reps one of the Titans of CrossFit. And it tickles me even further when they don’t complain about it. Standards.
This is absolutely true of my relationship with my family and friends, which includes my CrossFit community: "If someone holds you to a standard it says that they believe in you and that they care about you."