Train with Integrity

Something I have seen posted at the entrance to some gyms:
"Leave your ego at the door"!

I completely agree with this statement.  If you truly want to improve your skills and abilities, you must not allow your ego to alter your training ... or your integrity.

At times a person may feel that someone else is doing better than them ... the other person is lifting more weight or completing more reps / rounds in a circuit.  Ego can sometimes come in to play and, in an effort to keep up, one may take shortcuts in their training.  They may not complete the full range of motion in a movement in order to complete more reps.  They may put too much weight on the bar and their technique suffers.  They may be frustrated with some movements that they struggle with and rush through them to get to something else they prefer.  They may simply get discouraged and give up.

Allowing your ego to alter your training in any way is a dis-service to yourself.  Incomplete reps cheat you out of strengthening the full range of motion in your movement.  Improper technique cheats you out of your potential for long term improvement and puts you at risk of injury.  Rushing through your "weaknesses" or giving up on them cheats you out of developing skills that will ultimately make you a better athlete.

Maintaining your integrity, and not allowing your ego to affect that integrity, will serve you in countless ways and allow you to make far more progress in the long run.  If you need to scale movements or reduce reps / rounds in a circuit, do so!  If you need to lower the weight to maintain proper technique, do so!  If you have a weakness, make it your mission to improve upon it so that it is no longer your weakness!  Do so with Integrity and feel good about it!