"Hey Pete, was that a PR?"

We were working through some squats in class recently, and after finishing my last set (a set of one rep that I was definitely working hard to make happen), the person next to me (hi, Dave!) came up and asked if my last effort had earned me a PR (personal best). I was initially pretty deflated when I told him that, even though I was putting almost everything I had into getting the lift to go, the weight was actually relatively far off from the most I’ve ever squatted.

What stuck with me after this interaction, though, wasn’t the feeling of let-down that could accompany not being in the place I once was; instead, surprisingly, I had a feeling of accomplishment. I walked away from class feeling pretty proud—especially considering the circumstances of my past 6 months of working out: I was out for a long while with a very slow-to-recover hamstring injury and was doing really minimal lifting while I was on the mend.

Fitness, like most endeavors, isn’t always a linear path. There are times when things go right and it feels like we’re on top of the world, but there are also times when external factors keep us from making even small gains. It’s these downtimes that we need to keep in mind that sometimes just putting in the work and doing what we can is accomplishment enough!

On this particular day, putting some “heavy”—a word that is always relative—weight on the bar, working through my reps, and challenging myself to begin building back up was exactly what I needed to do. While my ego might try to argue otherwise, in the grand scheme of things, the actual weight just doesn’t always matter.

Challenge looks different from time to time, and this situation is one that I hope serves as a reminder to me that the path is not always a straight line. The next time you perceive what is actually a win as a reason to beat yourself up over not hitting “perfect,” remember this instance, keep your chin up, and keep putting in the work!