It’s hard to remember even the elite were once novices. While these days, athletes who take the floor at the CrossFit Games tend to make it look easy, we don’t always see what’s been going on behind the scenes for the last several years — the blood, sweat, tears, the misses, the failures. It happens to all of us. Even the best. Even Margaux Alvarez. She’s made it to the Games multiple times; but back in 2012, she was still working on getting a muscle-up. Alvarez recently posted this epic throwback video. Yes, it’s a bit blurry — but still totally relatable.

Some #mondaymotivation to share… this was 2012, working to get a muscle up, over and over and over. We all start somewhere, keep working towards your goals, push yourself to become better and always remember how you started. @crossfit @xfitalex1 @thevineyardcrossfit @crossfitgames @roguefitness @fnx_fit @athexapp #muscleup #2012 #workhard #keepgoing #crossfit #bepatient #justgaux #redefineyouself #ilive #longago #littlevictorieseveryday

A post shared by Margaux Alvarez (@321gaux) on Jan 22, 2018 at 6:10pm PST

Main image: Margaux Alvarez/Instagram