Most people start working out because of one big reason; aesthetics. How we look is important to human kind. Because we feel good about ourselves, get attention from others, become desirable, the list is never ending.

With the influence of bodybuilders and physique competitors, looking good has never seemed so important. But sometimes having one sole purpose to workout can become a little monotonous. We find ourselves doing the same things in the gym trying to build muscles in a particular area. Weighing in at the gym hoping the scale goes up, or down, and having that hit of dopamine when the scale shows us what we want to see.

Many of us follow the aesthetic crowd, wanting to compete to prove to ourselves and to others that we look amazing. And while looking amazing and competing to look amazing seems like an accomplishment, it’s very 1 dimensional.  

Within my own experience I too started working out to put on muscle and look good, and years before becoming a personal trainer I wanted to compete in physique. But there was a dynamic shift in my goals after being introduced to functional training within my profession. I started to teach high intensity interval classes and had to learn a new vocabulary of exercises. And then something else happened. I watched a documentary on CrossFit, and all of a sudden a fire ignited inside of me. I knew that traditional and conventional reasons to workout became very different and much more meaningful. All of a sudden my goals weren’t just about aesthetics but they were about performance.

CrossFit has opened me up and made me realize that I was not as fit as I thought I was. Today my workouts are complex, dynamic, fun and more challenging than ever. I don’t just do lateral raises and chest flys like I used to in the past. Now I can snatch, clean and jerk, climb ropes, walk on my hands, all while being fit, ripped and muscular. So to all of those people who are bored with the traditional and 1 dimensional style of training, allow yourself to open up to something new. It doesn’t have to be CrossFit but it can be something that take you’re fitness and performance to a whole new level.