Better or Worse?

It's going to be one or the other.  There is no middle ground.  There is no such thing as stagnation.  Every time you train, you absolutely must move forward or you will slide back.

This doesn't mean you need to hit a PR every session.  You could make more snatches with the same weight than last session.  You could make the same amount of lifts but make them feel better.  You could even just learn something that you could do better.

You can squat more weight or more reps or with more speed.

You can test a new exercise or drill to expand your toolbox.

But you cannot just stay the same.  It's impossible

You walk out of the gym having accomplished something, or having accomplished nothing, and to accomplish nothing is to fall backwards.

And this doesn't just apply to competitive athletes.  This applies to everyone.  You can't just "maintain."  Your body needs constant challenge to reach optimal health.  Humans are hard wired for hard work.

Always, always, always be better than yesterday.  Just a tiny bit, every single day, leads to greatness.

The video below is not of competitive athletes putting up huge weights.  It's five normal people in our 9AM class at CrossFit Monterey, working hard to be stronger, faster, fitter, and better than yesterday.