Walking into a new gym is scary. There’s people there who have been working out longer, who look stronger, who eat burpees for breakfast, it’s terrifying. You fear to try it because you feel like you will look like a dork, fart during the sit ups and potentially finish dead last. However, there is always going to be someone who finishes last (we’ll save the looking like a dork and the farting for another blog 🙂 ). Me, the coach, I finish last. Wanna know what will really tick a gal off? Getting beat by the people that you are coaching/training and you are the coach!! You have been training longer!! You are the one with the skills!!! Right? Wrong. So wrong. I got over that real quick because I was still getting stronger, faster and better every single day. My PR’s were getting bigger and bigger, my clothes were fitting differently, I was sleeping the best I had slept in a long time, I was more confident in myself and I was really enjoying this part of my life. Yet I was coming in last just as often as I was coming in first and second. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to come in last. The only person you are competing with is yourself. The only score you have to beat is your score from yesterday. This also means do not skip reps or purposely choose lighter weight because you fear you will come in last. That is the biggest setback you can do to yourself and your chances of improvement. Don’t hinder your chances of getting stronger, faster and better because you’re too worried about coming in last.  Most importantly, don’t fear that others are judging you because you are coming in last. Everybody will come in last at some point no matter how long they have been training. So when you are dead last, know that I am admiring you. As I am standing next to you cheering you on and watching you finish your final reps while your teammates are lying on the ground done, doing the bacon sizzle and making sweat angels, I am admiring you. I am admiring your ability to keep going, to not give up, to push yourself even though you wanted to quit minutes ago, for walking through this door and trying something outside of your comfort zone and sticking it out and for allowing yourself the opportunity to grow and improve. I am not thinking about what we all think others are thinking about because we are upset or disappointed with ourselves for finishing last. This goes back to that leaving your judgment in the parking lot thing. By judging yourself for being last you are assuming your teammates are judging you for being last which is not fair to them or yourself, so cut that shit out. Admire yourself for what you are doing and completing not what you didn’t do fast enough. We all started at different points with different strengths and weaknesses and we are all growing together. Maybe not all at the same pace but we are all in this together. Allow yourself to be OK with finishing last because there is a victory in everything you do even if it’s in last place. Honor your process and where you are in your fitness journey.

**Gym etiquette: when your teammate/teammates are still completing the workout and you are done, don’t start putting your equipment away and checking your phone. Stay and cheer on your teammate, cheer for them really loud, support them, help them keep going. We are a team here at Platform Strength Training and we all finish together! Yes, it is socially acceptable to cheer your teammate on while doing the bacon sizzle 🙂