Written by Chris Anderson:

As you lace up your shoes you look up.  You see them as they enter the triple-wide.  Your eyes meet and you exchange hellos.   Your tone is pleasant but your intent is clear: today your goal is to win. 

You relish the opportunity to compete against them.  They beat you in nearly every workout but you don’t mind.  For you it’s motivation.  Right now, they are where you want to be. They’re just out of reach… for now.

You take a look at the whiteboard and you continue your analysis of the day’s workout.  What is your strategy?  When will you rest?  How will you break up the reps?  Will you have the time?  What are your strengths in this workout?  What are theirs?  How can you be more efficient? 

You setup your bar right next to theirs.  You need them in your sight.  You need to track their progress, to compare reps, to compete.

“Go!” echoes throughout the room.  The music gets louder but strangely, you don’t hear it anymore.  Instead you are coaching yourself, latching on to the last cue you received before the clock was started. 

You were rep for rep but now they’re ahead.  You’ve let their workout strategy influence yours.  It’s time to revise your plan mid-WOD.  How can you pick up time?  What’s the best way to adjust?

Drops of sweat begin to mark your territory. Your breath is taxed but even.  A second wind enables you to hit the sets as you planned.  You glance at them and then the clock.  This is the home stretch.  There’s no time to rest.

As the coach yells “Time!” you fall to the floor.  Robbed of your breath, you need time to recover.  You turn your head and see that they’re in a similar state.  You close your eyes and recall what you can about the workout. What went right?  What could you have done better?

You’re a sweat-filled heap of callouses and fatigue but with time you muster up enough energy to stand.  After hobbling toward the whiteboard to report your score, you discreetly search for theirs.

They got you… again.

Crossfit is competition.  We are competing against our classmates, our WOD book, our PR, ourselves.  Competition within our community brings out the best in us and helps us achieve our ultimate goal: to (be)tter.