Some goals are easy and quick to achieve. Others take time, patience, consistency, and a whole lot of faith.
In the fitness world, it is easy to look at someone doing something skill-related like double unders, pull-ups, toes-to-bar, or even a muscle-up and think, “I’ll never be able to do that.” But unless there is a true physical limitation due to strength, mobility, injury, or health, that is not always a fair assessment.
When you see someone doing something skilled and difficult, remind yourself that there was a first time they walked into a gym, too. There was a time when they looked around and thought, “I will never be able to do that.”
But they kept showing up. And then, one day, something shifted. They said, “I think I want to get a pull-up.” That is where it starts.
It starts with believing it might be possible. It starts with being willing to put in a little extra time. It starts with telling yourself, “This is something I want to work toward.”
And honestly, isn’t that one of the coolest things about CrossFit? It feels a little like growing up all over again. You look around and see someone doing something and think, “That looks cool. I want to try that.” And then you do.
Maybe not perfectly. Maybe not right away. But you try. You learn. You practice. You get a little better. You surprise yourself.
There are not many things in our adult lives that push us to keep learning, keep practicing, and keep getting better at something physical. But here we are, as adults, working on double unders, pull-ups, handstands, Olympic lifts, running, rowing, and all the little pieces in between.
That is pretty cool.
Not every goal takes years to achieve. Some goals, like double unders, may simply require a little extra time with a jump rope before or after class. If you are persistent enough, and you keep practicing, eventually it starts to click.
Other goals may take more time. They may require building strength, coordination, timing, confidence, or body awareness. But I have seen it happen over and over again in the gym.
I have experienced this myself.
Back in the day, I worked for five months to get ring muscle-ups. I did drills after class. I practiced during open gym. I repeated the same pieces over and over again. There were days when I was convinced all of that hard work was making me stronger, but I was never actually going to get the skill.
It did not feel close. It was hard work. Then one day, I came in during open gym, and of course I attempted one when no one was really in the room watching.
Boom! It happened.
That is the thing about goals. Sometimes the work is adding up long before you can actually see the result.
Now, I will say this: higher-skill movements like ring muscle-ups are a little like your golf swing. Once you get them, you still have to keep up with the work. Skill takes practice to build, but it also takes practice to maintain.
The person who really wants to learn a skill takes a few extra minutes a couple times a week to work on it. They ask questions. They practice. They get frustrated. They keep trying. And eventually, over time, it happens.
Somewhere along the way, as adults, we forget how many things we had to learn by simply working at them.
Riding a bike. Driving a car. Learning math. Learning a new job.
None of those things happened because we were instantly good at them. They happened because we kept trying until they became familiar.
Fitness skills are no different.
So do not sell yourself short.
There are mountains to climb and goals still worth chasing. Ask a coach what small things you can do consistently to make big changes over time.
You may be closer than you think.
