You’re in the middle of “test week.” You approach your barbell which is loaded with 5# more than you have ever lifted in your life. At this moment, doubt creeps in. You second guess if you should be attempting this lift. You think to yourself, “This is too heavy. I can’t possibly lift that.” Your friends are setting personal records left and right and here you are, just you and your bar. There is sweat on the ground from the class before and chalk dust in the air. You take a breath, attempt to clear your mind, and place your hands around the bar. You pull, and your PR clean attempt ends up looking like a deadlift high pull.
ITS OK. Test week is about putting all your hard work into the final week of the cycle, where day in and day out you get tested. Unfortunately, this day is just not your day. ITS OK. You didn’t get a great night of sleep and you ended up missing lunch because you had to make a deadline for work. ITS OK.
Where do you go from here? Easy. You pick yourself up, get your mind right, and you come back tomorrow with that same fire. Ready to attack.
Test week is NOT about setting personal records everyday. Test week is about putting your best effort into the tests that are presented. You’re not going to win every race, you’re not going to PR every lift, and you’re not always going to get perfect sleep, perfect nutrition, and have a perfect plan everyday. Thats life, and ITS OK.
BUT, this day is over, and tomorrow is a new day with a new challenge. Winning requires that you move forward, learn from your mistakes, and make the best of the situation. Ive said this before, and ill say it again. The most successful people in anything, have failed the most. Remember that.
-Pete