if you’re going to feel like this, you better have a good reason
seriously. we hear so often about “embracing the suck” but just because something is painful doesn’t mean its useful. training is about evolution, about change. yes, there is usefulness in grit – in the willingness to not quit, but that alone is not enough. i am not happy with simply not quitting – i want more. success is about moving goalposts, about doing better than you did last time. it is about new ideas and refined practices – not about gimmicks and pandering. the tool is only as useful as its effectiveness. kettlebells do not make you strong – using them a certain way can build strength, but that is not the same thing. tools are just that – they are simple machines. levers that allow us to add stress more easily. or more quickly. or more specifically.
if you have a goal outside the gym then you should have a clear understanding of how the time you spend training effects that. why this tool? why this way? work, rest, weight, heart rate… there are so many factors – this is a game of stress and response, of curating experiences over time in the hopes of shaping the physical and emotional abilities of ourselves or another human. let that sink in for a minute, understand the gravity of that. the sheer excitement and power that is at our fingertips if we are just willing to pay attention.
so tell me a story. write it not only in blood and sweat and tears but in personal growth – in experimentation and thoughtfulness. have an idea for fucks sake, even if its just to have fun – at least its a goal. it is honest. and if your goal is to change, then understand how and why you are going to do it. use the tool, manage stress and pressure, and above all – practice.
Practice: to be observant of the rules and the rituals, to actively pursue and engage, to apply an idea or method as opposed to simply the theory.
understand that this work is not done in a vacuum, there are layers and patterns and repercussions for actions. training is, at its base, deliberate exposure to stress towards a specific end.
so, once again…
tell me why.