Trying Hard
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”
– William B. Sprague
Deep Squats (Thoughts)
Congratulations to Natalie on her Snatch Personal Record. Congrats, also, to Jonathan on his 500th class. Natalie tracks her weights and Jonathan has kept track of his class count in their respective notebooks. Diligence and persistence are rewarded like the redundancy of doing things over and over again.
It’s a joy for the coach and the class when people hit new levels of achievement. Or even REGAIN a level of achievement after a long time and various detours that life has led them through. These moments of confirmation, encouragement and inspiration are more valuable than many realize.
Jordan Peterson said, “The things you do and the things you don’t do are more important than you think.” I think of this very often and especially when it comes to what we do in the gym. You are valuable and everything you do, or don’t, is valuable, too. Not just for you. But, for others.
That got deep real quick. Here’s why. There’s an influencer in the CrossFit world that states, “Effort over everything.” This idea bothers me. Trying hard is important, but it’s not enough. Many have probably heard me say that “We row like rowers, not like CrossFitters.” That’s because we don’t have to be the strongest to go the fastest on a rower if we have good technique. A great many people have pulled REALLY hard at 30+ strokes per minute only to be beaten by a smaller person at less than 25 strokes per minute.
The “We Try Harder” slogan is a famous advertising campaign created in 1962 for the car rental company Avis. I’m amazed that it is said to have been a successful campaign. When I rent a car, I want it to be clean and ready to drive. I don’t care how hard/easy it was to have it ready and waiting for me. How many of us accept trying hard? From our kids? From our spouse? From our employees? Bosses? We want results, don’t we? Initially, one has to begin by trying. That’s a given. But, that cannot be enough. The underlying assumption was that if you worked hard enough for long enough, you would succeed. However, this advice misses one big point: Most people fail not because of a lack of effort but because their effort was misdirected or misaligned with their interests. And, as a friend once told me, “You can’t make a racehorse out of a donkey.” Meaning, you may still lose no matter how hard you try.
We’re getting into the 4th quarter of the year. Maybe this is the first of many things you’ll see asking you to take account of what you’ve been doing. Is it producing what you want? Remember, feelings aren’t results. Just because we may be “trying hard” doesn’t mean that we will get what we want. By no means should this be construed to think I’m saying to not try. What I’m really saying is that it HAS to be more than that.
I’m going to borrow a quick 1, 2, 3 process from a lacrosse camp Luke recently went to. A coach challenged the boys to do this after each practice, game, week, season and now I’ll challenge you.
- What’s one thing you did/are doing well?
- What’s one you can do better?
- What’s one thing you can add or subtract?
Overlay some self-feedback into your routine. I bet the effort will start to have some meaning and lead to some real results. The bonus level comes when you’re able to be vulnerable with someone you respect and ask them to answer these questions in regards to you.
See you in class.
Tim
What’s Going On?
Annual Thanksgiving Week Closure
No formal classes during the week of Thanksgiving.
CFPA Holiday Party
at the gym
Saturday, December 13, 2025
5pm
(White Elephant Gift Exchange)
Fall-In for Fitness Teen Class
Who: Boys and Girls aged 12-17
Dates: September 30th – November 20th
When: Tuesdays/Thursdays at 4pm
*Email [email protected] to sign up*
Individualized Training
Coach Rebecca has new availability for Nutrition Coaching with 4 and 8 week options, including weekly check-ins and InBody body composition testing.
Contact her at [email protected]
Overheard in Class:
“Even monkeys fall from trees.”
Timfluencing
The Gift of Fear by: Gavin De Becker
True fear is a gift.
Unwarranted fear is a curse.
Learn how to tell the difference.
A date won’t take “no” for an answer. The new nanny gives a mother an uneasy feeling. A stranger in a deserted parking lot offers unsolicited help. The threat of violence surrounds us every day. But we can protect ourselves, by learning to trust—and act on—our gut instincts.
In this empowering book, Gavin de Becker, the man Oprah Winfrey calls the nation’s leading expert on violent behavior, shows you how to spot even subtle signs of danger—before it’s too late. Shattering the myth that most violent acts are unpredictable, de Becker, whose clients include top Hollywood stars and government agencies, offers specific ways to protect yourself and those you love, including how to act when approached by a stranger, when you should fear someone close to you, what to do if you are being stalked, how to uncover the source of anonymous threats or phone calls, the biggest mistake you can make with a threatening person, and more. Learn to spot the danger signals others miss. It might just save your life.
Tim’s Takeaway: I like to coach CrossFit and movement with the idea that we know how to do this stuff. We are just going to teach you how to do it on purpose. That thought and the ideas about fear, intuition and what to do about it resonated with me throughout this book. I was reminded of Gavin and this book from a podcast he did with Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs fame. Check that out here.
Thank you for your support.
I look forward to what we will do together.
