“I Don’t Have Time To Train”
Do you have time to improve? Yes.
"I don't have time to train" - says the hard-working person with a ton on their plate.
This statement may 100% be true. But it doesn't have to be. We can change our definition of training.
The way the fitness and gym industry conventionally operates can lead to people assuming that they need to allocate a 60-minute block of time to exercise. But why?
Training and exercise are simply a means of self-improvement. There are plenty of ways you can improve yourself. You can read a book to learn something. You can meditate to calm your mind. You can create the habit of drinking more water. The list is endless.
Self-improvement does not need to have a minimum requirement.
Can't read for more than 5 minutes? Don't bother.
Can't meditate without distractions. Don't bother.
Can't drink a glass of water at every meal. Don't bother.
Can't exercise for a full 60 minutes. Don't bother.
That would all be bullshit.
Start wherever you are at.
Some truly have the craziest schedules.
Here is an idea I gave to a client who is struggling to fit training into their current day:
Set reminders for yourself at whatever time interval you want: 1 hour, 3 hours, whatever.
Move your body for whatever time period you have. That could be 1 minute, 5 minutes, whatever.
What you do really isn't that important. You could do some squats, some pushups, some stretches, or if you are feeling wild, some burpees.
What matters is that you are making the time for yourself. That is progress.
Motivation Won’t Always Be There. That’s OK.
What is more powerful than motivation? Purpose.
A common reason that people start to work with a coach or a trainer is to help them stay motivated.
I get it. You want someone to help you with something you are struggling with; the motivation to do things to help you improve.
Here's the thing: they can't. Not long-term.
Sure someone can be encouraging, supportive and energetic. Maybe you respond well to that. It gets you motivated. But for how long?
I don't believe motivation is the issue.
It's purpose.
You need a driving force for your actions.
Something to fall back on when motivation is not there.
I can't define your purpose. I can't make you do the thing.
Only you can do that.
But I'm here to help. To guide you there.
The Purpose Project: a self-directed guide where you get the opportunity to ask yourself some challenging questions. Dive into your goals. Find a driving force for your actions. The purpose for the things you want. Because your motivation won't always be there. But your purpose will be.
Subscribe to the newsletter to get this sent to your inbox!
“I Want To Be Toned”
What is toned?
"I want to be toned. What exercises should I do?"
Any of them. Like literally any exercise. Jumping Jacks, rolling around in the snow, squats, pushups, running. Anything.
There isn't a movement out there that is proven to get you more toned.
What even is toned?
The definition of toned is having firm and well-defined muscles.
But here's the follow-up: What is well-defined? What's the cutoff? What is toned enough?
I find it ironic how vague and poorly defined the concept of toned is...
It's the same thought process behind "I want to be strong", "I want to be in shape", "I want to be fit".
Do you want those things or do you want how those things would make you feel?
I also hope you want those things for yourself, and not because some magazine told you it was important.
Fitness, training, and active lifestyles don't need to be solely based on appearance. They can also be about improving how you feel.
The Magic Pills
Are you waiting for magic?
In fitness, there are no cures. No magic pills. No silver bullets.
It's the unfortunate truth.
If you hear someone in the fitness industry say they have the cure for XYZ, RUN!
There are no cures for back pain.
There are no cures for weight loss.
There are no cures for ageing.
But there can be solutions.
Solutions that are unique to the situation and the individual. Those solutions require information and investigation. Time and effort. Commitment to a process.
Your time and energy should be devoted to those willing to learn about you instead of offering a cure that does not exist.
Judging Choices
Who are we to judge?
We have no business judging people's choices.
As we continue to deal with the pandemic and more gym closures, the comment of "Why are gyms closed but fast food restaurants are still open" continues to be spread by the fitness industry.
It's a bullshit comparison that needs to stop.
Gyms are not more essential than people's access to food. The quality of the food at those places is irrelevant.
I want gyms to be open. They allow people to improve their health. But we all need access to food. It's a basic human need.
And the narrative is full of judgement and assumption.
It assumes you are going there to make "bad" choices.
Those same "bad" choices could be made at a grocery store. Yet no one is complaining that those are open.
Is getting that Happy Meal for your kids after a challenging day of online learning "bad"?
Is getting that $1 coffee "bad"?
Is a homeless person getting their first meal in days "bad"?
People judge those places because they assume the food is unhealthy.
You know what else is unhealthy? Not having any food.
People judge the people who go there because they assume the people who go there are unhealthy.
You know what is also unhealthy? Judging and shaming people.
We have no business judging peoples choices. We don't know their story. We don't know why they made that choice.
We can help people improve without judgement. It requires compassion and understanding.
It Runs In The Family
Is pain a problem in your family?
“My back always hurts, it runs in the family”
Just because grandma Sally had back pain, doesn’t mean that you are destined to as well.
Unless you believe that you are.
If you believe that pain is inevitable due to age, genetics, etc, you will increase your likelihood of experiencing pain.
Pain doesn’t need to occur after a particular incident. It would be great if it was that simple.
Your beliefs influence your pain.
You are not grandma Sally.
You have the ability to change your beliefs.
You have the ability to change your pain.
Your Resolution Can Be About More Than 2022
What is your New Year’s resolution about?
Your New Year’s resolution could change the rest of your life.
2022 is a small portion of your life. But it could have a lot of impacts.
You do not need to set New Year’s resolutions.
But if you do, let’s make it impactful.
Maybe it’s making physical activity a part of your life.
Maybe it’s addressing that pain you have had for years.
Maybe it’s improving the way you fuel your body.
Those things, if implemented over the long term could change your life.
They could lead to the best version of you.
They won’t happen immediately. They will take time. They will be challenging.
And they will be worth it.
Need help with executing your goals? Let’s chat.
And subscribe to my newsletter for more New Year’s Resolution tips. Link in bio.
It’s Not About Fitness
Are your goals about fitness, or something bigger?
I realize that if you want to lose 20 pounds, it’s not just about the weight.
It’s about how you think you’ll feel when you’ve lost 20 pounds.
If you want to get your first pull-up, it’s not about the pull-up. It’s about feeling strong and confident.
If you want help getting rid of aches and pains, it’s not about the aches and pains. It’s about being able to do whatever the pain is keeping you from doing.
People come to me looking to get fitter. I realize the results they really want are to feel the way that they think a fit person feels.
Your goals aren’t silly.
It’s not about fitness.
It’s about how fitness will help you feel.
It’s about what you can do and who you become through fitness.
Let’s work on becoming that person, together.
Look Ahead
Keep your eyes on the road ahead.
When we make decisions in training are we looking at the road ahead?
Or are we looking at the ground in front of us, seeking immediate gratification?
Sure it can be nice to go for that PR. Or to try something new.
But that immediate gratification, that boost to your ego, does it serve you well? Does it get you where you want to be?
Look at the road ahead, make decisions that get you where you want to be. Have a coach or someone to keep you accountable.
Keep looking at the ground in front of you, eventually you will hit a wall.
Never Stop Learning
Find people who are committed to learning.
I recently asked a coach what the intended outcome was of something they were telling someone to do to address elbow pain.
This was the response:
“Why should I know that? If it helps, why do I need to know the why behind it? I’ve helped hundreds of people reduce and completely cure their pain. I don’t know the science behind it. Do you see a problem with that?”
Yes. Absolutely. 1000000%.
If someone doesn’t understand what they are telling you to do, how can that information be trusted?
At best it's a shot in the dark that could provide some benefit.
At worst, it is misinformation that could be harmful. It could be sending you down the wrong path. It could make the issue worse.
It’s the responsibility of a coach to learn. To say I don’t know, but I will find out.
We will never know everything. But we can also never stop learning.
When we don’t know the answer or solution it’s our responsibility to send clients and members to the people who are best equipped to help.
Does your coach say they have all the answers? That they have the cures?
If so, RUN!
Trust The Process. If There Is One.
What process are you trusting?
It’s hard to trust something that doesn’t exist.
This idea comes from a recent @aocoaching podcast episode about cliché fitness advice.
Trust the process is a big one.
You tell your coach that you aren’t seeing any progress. Trust the process.
You tell your coach that your knee hurts. Trust the process.
You tell your coach that you ate some really bad Taco Bell before the workout. Trust the process.
Trust the process would be great advice if a process actually exists.
If there is no process there is nothing to trust.
Saying to trust the process would be a way to escape accountability.
When there is a process, trust is very important. Results don’t happen overnight. The process takes time.
As a coach, it is my job to develop a plan and a process to get you to where you want to be. And to communicate it well so that you can trust that it will work for you.
If It Sounds Cheap It Probably Is…
You don’t deserve cheap solutions.
You’ve been experiencing pain for years.
Maybe it’s the pain of not seeing the progress you want.
Maybe it’s physical pain.
You’ve tried so many things.
You’ve bought the gadgets.
You’ve read every article you can find.
Then someone comes along and says they have the solution for you!
And it’s cheap!
It sounds too good to be true!
And it probably is.
This isn’t to say that solutions can’t be affordable. They most definitely can.
But no one can say that they have the solution for you unless they can accurately understand your problem.
Pain is a broad subject with an incredibly broad array of factors that could lead to a solution.
Find yourself someone who is willing to listen to you first, before offering up a plan to solve the problem.
No Pain No Gain
Do you need to go through pain to get results?
No pain, no gain.
This sentence is on the All Star team for dumbest sayings about exercise. It's up for MVP.
It implies that to see progress you need to feel pain. That it’s inevitable.
It started in 1982 with Jane Fonda. She would say things like “no pain, no pain” and “feel the burn”. It’s led to some people thinking that we need to push past muscle fatigue and that delayed onset muscle soreness is the sign of an effective workout.
It’s been frequently mentioned in high level sports and athletics.
And it’s seeped into everyday life and gym culture.
And it’s false.
To see progress in your training in the gym, pain is not needed. Sure you want to challenge yourself. That is important. But there is a big difference between challenging and painful.
All the Solutions
No one has all the solutions.
Someone has told you they have all the solutions to your problems. How is this possible?
I don’t believe it is.
I believe there's more power and trust in saying “I don’t know” than there is in saying “I have all the solutions”.
Sure someone may have some solutions. But do they have every solution?
That can’t be possible. Eventually, there will be a problem that they cannot solve.
Chronic Intensity
Are you experiencing too much intensity?
If everything you do is at high intensity, where is your variety?
I used to coach group classes where consistently everyone would be so exhausted that they would drop to the floor, unable to form a complete sentence. I will no longer do that.
If every workout you do leaves you rolling around on the floor, is that variety? Or is it just different versions of the same thing?
Sure maybe there is variety in the movements that you do. But where is the variety in intensity?
You probably don’t need as much intensity as you think. Absolutely not every training session.
High level athletic teams don’t even constantly practice or train at high intensity. They have optional days. They have walk-throughs. They have film sessions. They have deload weeks. They even have rest days.
To make improvements in training we need to recover. If you aren’t feeling recovered from the previous day's training, you would probably benefit from reduced intensity. Especially your training is affecting other aspects of your life, like your mood, energy and sleep. And absolutely if your training is leaving you in pain.
What Comes First? Pain Or Posture?
Is posture the source of your pain? Or is your posture the result of pain?
This is a chicken or egg scenario.
Did you get injured because of your posture?
Or is your posture because of an injury?
This concept comes from @greglehman. He originally mentioned the thought process from leg injuries.
Basic idea is that people start to limp due to a lower limb injury. They don’t get a lower leg injury from limping.
So why do you have the posture that you have?
Maybe it’s because you’ve adapted to a specific way of moving.
Or maybe it’s because of a response to an event, and your body has now adopted a new position (or posture) in response to it.
The Monitor Says You Burned “X” Calories…
Are calories burned accurate? Or important?
The monitor on the exercise machine says you burned 30 calories, is that true?
Probably not.
Unless you and the conditions of training fit a formula.
A common question people have when using exercise machines that display a number of calories is if that equates to calories burned.
Concept2 (popular rowing erg manufacturer) states that their formula for calculating calories on a monitor is based on a 175lb individual.
Are you exactly 175lbs?
Probably not. And that's ok!
It’s also ok to not think of calories when doing a workout. I would encourage that.
Because why do calories need to be a metric of effort? When programming for clients I have largely stopped using them. There are other metrics like distance, time, watts, perceived effort etc. Calories are just another option for a unit of measurement. Sure there can be some different performance outcomes when training using different units of measurements but that's a different discussion.
You do not need to look at “burned” calories to feel successful in your training. This idea can lead to the feeling that you need to “burn” calories to earn the calories you consume. Which is an unfortunate mindset. Because calories aren’t inherently bad.
Miss Monday
Will the world end if you miss Monday’s workout?
Never miss a Monday is a bullshit “rule”.
Miss it.
It’s one day of the week. 1/7. 14%.
You have 86% of the week left.
I don’t know where this never miss a Monday “rule” for fitness came from. But it’s dumb. Probably from some “fitness” magazine that says you can lose 15lbs in 5 days. All you have to do is eat air.
You just had a really stressful Monday. You haven’t eaten much. Are you going to ruin your progress by missing Monday?
Nope.
I would argue you can even improve your progress by missing it and reframing the situation.
You aren’t missing Monday. You are preparing for Tuesday.
You use the time you would normally use to exercise to prioritize other aspects of your health.
Maybe you take a nap. Maybe you take care of some tasks that have been stressing you out. Maybe you cook yourself a nice meal. Or go out for dinner. Treat yo self.
You are ready for Tuesday.
And then you crush it.
Maybe over time you realize Monday just isn’t a good day for you to start your training week.
If the day ends in a Y, it’s a good day for you to start your training week.
What Is Your Perfect World?
What is your perfect world scenario?
If you could snap your fingers and make anything happen, what would your perfect world look like?
This was a question I asked a client recently as we discussed goals.
Sometimes people have very specific goals with their training. Maybe it’s to do 10 pushups, squat their bodyweight, or to not experience pain when they deadlift.
But if you wanted to make anything happen in your training would that be it?
Or is there more to it? What is the reason for those specific goals?
I have found that people can sometimes set really small goals out of fear or uncertainty of what a bigger goal would entail.
Maybe they are afraid that a bigger goal would cost them more time, money or energy.
Or maybe they lack confidence in their ability to execute on a plan for a big goal.
Maybe with a snap of a finger those people actually want to be as strong as their mom. Or to be able to say yes to activities with their kids without the fear of pain. That’s their perfect world.
Those may be big goals. They require a plan.
A knowledgeable coach can help you plan that process for you, while addressing any uncertainties that you may have.
Could Vs. Should
Should you lift that weight?
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
The day's workout has some strength movements in it. The workout instructions call for you to build toward a heavy set of 3. Maybe it's back squats. Maybe it’s bench press. Maybe it’s an olympic lift like a clean and jerk or a snatch.
When you are feeling great you would feel confident about lifting 100lbs.
But last night you didn’t sleep well.
You are sore from the previous day's workout.
You had a stressful day at work.
You can lift 100lbs. But should you?
What’s the risk and what’s the reward?
Are you a competitive athlete who will be rewarded with trophies, medals and money?
If so, there would be many situations (not all) that I would say yes, go for it.
But that’s 0.0001% of the population.
Here’s a guideline you can follow:
Is it Instagram worthy? Would you be proud to send it to a coach?
Some days that weight will be 100lbs. Other days maybe 90lbs, maybe more, maybe less.
And that's ok.
The weight you should lift is the weight that you can be proud of for your effort that day. It’s not the weight that matters. It’s the effort and quality you put into it.