Competition is Healthy

I got a new training buddy today. She has been out for a year with an ACL injury, and she moved to Atlanta to spend time with family. But she moved back to Dallas to find work eventually, and trained with Eric before. For having an injury, she looks very good. She has muscle tone and flat abs. She carries herself well, and I was not surprised to watch her keep up with me.

I was worried when we moved to back squat, mostly because I was worried about her knee. She fell easily into the sets, and I moved swiftly as I do with a training buddy because I know, especially when it comes to cardiovascular endurance, I am slow. I panic and try to keep up with the others during conditioning sets, almost embarrassed knowing how slow I will be.

It was funny, because at the end, even though I had to run to the doctor, I asked for her instagram and her number, and we chatted a little and she said she was impressed with my stamina. But she also acknowledged that she could keep up. It was an amazing and humbling experience all in the same moment. That she was impressed with me felt great, but that she was confident in herself was amazing too.

It will be great to work out and have that environment where people strive for better and want to build. It has been different in the past with training buddies that only want to tone or look good in a bikini, but not win a show. The end goal is different, therefore the work ethic is different. When I felt her struggling, I felt myself feeling okay with relaxing. But then I caught myself and knew that she was watching and judging, even if she would never admit or agree. We all judge. That’s what makes us human. What we do with that information is how we are perceived by others.

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