You know that electric feeling when you drop the barbell after a heavy lift, the whole gym seems to pause for a moment, and you realise—you’ve just hit a personal best? That kind of moment sticks with you. It’s powerful. It means the effort is paying off. And it’s one of the reasons so many of us fall in love with CrossFit in the first place.
I still remember one of my earliest PB's: a snatch I’d failed again and again. I kept coming back to it, week after week, frustrated but determined. When I finally hit it—caught it clean and stood it up—I felt unstoppable. That moment mattered. It wasn’t just about the number; it was about what it represented. Progress. Grit. Proof that I was moving forward.
And those moments are important. PBs are more than just stats—they’re snapshots of growth. Tangible evidence that the hours we’ve spent lifting, sweating, failing and learning are building towards something. Especially early on in CrossFit, hitting new milestones can feel like unlocking a new version of yourself. You’re getting stronger, more capable, more confident. That feeling can be addictive—and in a good way.
But here’s the part that takes time to understand: progress doesn’t always look like a heavier lift or a faster time. Eventually, the PB's stop coming every week. The leaps forward become smaller, more gradual. Some days, you might even feel like you’ve gone backwards. And that’s when it gets difficult. That’s when you realise that tying your identity or your self-worth to the numbers can take something joyful and turn it into something frustrating.
I’ve gone through that shift myself. There were months where I didn’t PB a single thing. I’d walk out of the gym feeling deflated because I hadn’t beaten my old Fran time, or because I had to scale a workout I’d previously done RX. I’d ignore how stressed I was, how little sleep I’d had, how much was going on outside the gym—and I’d still convince myself I wasn’t improving.
It took a while to realise that those periods—the plateaus, the quieter seasons—aren’t just normal, they’re necessary.
Because real progress often doesn’t show up on the whiteboard.
It’s found in how you move—cleaner, smoother, with better control. It’s how you recover between rounds, or how you pause mid-WOD to fix your form instead of pushing through carelessly. It’s in choosing to show up on the tough days, or in listening to your body and taking rest seriously. Sometimes, it’s even about lifting less weight—but doing it with more intention, more poise, more presence.
We don’t shout about those wins as loudly, but they’re every bit as real.
So yes—PB's matter. They’re motivating. They remind us of what we’re capable of. They deserve to be celebrated. But they don’t define you as an athlete. They’re just one part of a much bigger picture.
What truly defines you is your consistency. Your willingness to keep turning up. Your resilience when the progress slows. Your ability to be patient when your body needs a different kind of challenge than your ego does.
And if you’re in a season where the numbers are going up and the lifts are flying—amazing. Embrace it. Enjoy it. But if you’re in a stretch where things feel slower, more uncertain—don’t panic. Keep showing up. Keep doing the work. Because even when the numbers aren’t moving, you still are, and that’s what really counts.
See you in the Gym.
