Hard Work

One of the phrases that is often thrown around in the weightlifting and athletics world is, “nothing works like work.” Hard work is a mindset that must be instituted on the foundational level in the mindset of any athlete who desires to be elite at his or her sport. What’s more, in team sports, hard work becomes a culture. A team that is bent on hard work and never being outworked by their opponent will often outperform an abundance of talent on the other side of the competition line. Hard work outperforms talent, as the quote goes, when talent refuses to work hard.
In the sport of weightlifting and CrossFit there’s no replacement for consistent, regular hard work. Many lifters and CrossFitters call this the grind. Day in and day out busting your butt regardless of how you feel or your mental desire to work at that moment or other pieces and parts of your life tugging at your time. Hard work has to be consistent and it has to be drilled on a regular basis in order for it to be effective. Working hard once a week and then compromising that effort the remainder of the week will set you back leaps and bounds as an athlete. There is no replacement for it.
On a team sport level true leaders are always those that work the hardest. An aversion to hard work at the highest level of leadership on the team can often mean creating a culture of compromise and quitting. This type of culture on a team sport level always ends with more L’s than W’s. Hard work will outperform talent, in most team sports, when talent refuses to work hard.
Hard work is often inspired on the leadership level. Those leading the team or leading the program have to demonstrate an affection and friendliness with hard work. Teams and training partners will follow suit behind those who refuse to quit and those who refuse to give anything but their absolute best.
One of my favorite concepts out there comes from Will Smith of all people. He notes that he is often outperformed in 9 of 10 different areas in his field. However, he says that in one field he will never lose and that is hard work. He is often quoted and cited stating that if you get on a treadmill next to him you will either get off the treadmill first or he will die trying to make that happen.
This is the kind of mentality that creates success and creates victory. Hard work is irreplaceable and it’s a principle that must be built into the foundation and culture of any successful program. Otherwise when the rubber meets the road people quit, refuse to sacrifice for those around them, and are always looking out for their best interest rather than the interest of others.