When Trying Harder Gets You Worse Results

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, I couldn’t go to the gym anymore. I had been doing CrossFit for almost 10 years at that point, and staying at home, and doom-scrolling for months was a pretty big disruption to my fitness level. (How do you know someone does CrossFit? Don’t worry, they’ll let you know). When it became apparent that I would be spending an extended period at home, and when I started to gain some weight for the first time in my life, I decided that I had to figure out a new fitness routine. So, I cleared out my garage and created a little workout space for myself. Despite having a barbell, dumbbells, a pull-up bar, and plenty of other equipment, and averaging three workouts a week for over a year, I didn’t get measurably stronger. In fact, for a lot of exercises, I actually got weaker. To make matters worse, I also injured my back no fewer than three times during this period. Nothing humbles a person more than struggling to put on their socks, no matter how fit they a…