One of the great things about my job is working with an amazing variety of individuals. Our members run the spectrum from 18-65, previous athletes and individuals who have never worked out before, driven competitors and many more who are just looking to get healthy and improve what they are capable of. In the years that I coached, whether it’s martial arts, crossfit, or olympic lifting, there are traits that I have seen that separate those who succeed, from those who struggle. Hard Work and practice. I see impatience all the time and as performance driven athletes it’s easy to understand the drive to quickly improve the numbers. We live in the world of the internet and instant gratification. Training to improve performance takes a bit more patience. There comes a point for every athlete where they key to the new PR is diligent hard work and practice. It doesn’t sound sexy, but it’s the truth and it’s the only way to succeed. Beginners and intermediate athletes especially, I look to see who is doing all the work and who is putting in the extra time to practice the basics. More often than not, the athletes making the big improvements are the ones putting in the extra work and practicing the unsexy basics. Their efforts pay off. Inconsistencies and lack of confidence in the movements is directly related to lack of practice. Another interesting observation of the athletes who work the hardest is that they ask great questions, then they take the information and put it to use. Accumulating hundreds of practice reps, one day at a time, week after week. I’ve said it for years, and the driven listen. This has made me come to a realization that others have made long before I have. There are those who will work hard for what they want, and those who expect others to give them what they want.