Training Is A Process...

CAUTION: Bumpy Road Ahead...
Proceed with Enthusiasm and Determination!

Over the past few days, I did 1-Rep Max tests for several lifts, capping the end of a many-weeks-long strength cycle. I made fantastic progress during this time; on nearly all of my lifts, I was doing my pre-cycle 1RMs for reps (my greatest progress was in the Back Squat, putting up 315 for 3x5, and getting a 1RM of 340 when I tested mid-cycle).

However, the last few weeks prior to these tests, there was a lot of training interference; time and energy spent trying to add to our household income, improving the training experience at QuantumFit, and, oh yeah, getting married. :-)  I'm not complaining about any of these things, mind you (especially that last bit). They're all positives. But, I didn't always get my full workout in, I (quite correctly) gave priority to other things, and so I wasn't exactly in mid-season form when I reached the end of this training cycle.

So, up come the tests, and all but the Olympic lifts and my Front Squat were abysmal. I was feeling pretty raw about this, me being a very type-A, competitive guy and not taking poor performance well (especially as Mark, my client and good friend who was with me in this strength cycle, blew away all his PRs... well done, man!), and then my friend Jamie reminded me: training is a process, not the result of one day's work.

I know this, of course... I've reminded myself and all of my athletes of this on many occasions. Everyone has a sucky day at the gym now and again. I let myself get caught up in this one because it was, as Mark put it, like being sick during the Super Bowl. It's the big finish, and you have to play anyway even though you're far from 100%. It can feel like the result of one day is what it's all about, and I suppose if you're actually competing in the Super Bowl, or a title fight, it's true. But, there's still much that we can't control, or might not have given the attention we should, and if we come up a little short in the Big Game there's nothing to be done dive back in, keep working hard, and await the next opportunity to shine. After all, it's not like all the work you've put into growing is suddenly undone.

So, having smacked myself upside the head, here's a little reminder for all of us... training gets frustrating. There will always be bad days, and there will always be that thing that's bugging the crap out of you because you've not mastered it. That thing will always be there, because as you develop as an athlete you'll master Muscle-Ups and then be annoyed that you can't yet do Hanstand Push-Ups, for example. These little annoyances are part of what drives our growth. Treasure them, even as they irritate and frustrate you.

As we move into the midway point of our Resolve 2011 Contest, I can see that some folks are experiencing a lot of training related frustrations; they're not performing how they'd like, they're having a hard time with the diet, or they get wound up every time they have to pick up a rope and go for Double Unders. And I get it, believe me... I've been there, and so has almost everyone who has ever mastered a physical skill or grown their fitness (except the few naturally gifted folks who pick stuff up on the first go.... and while that is impressive and I take nothing away from them, I have far more admiration for those who have to slog through the grueling process of getting their body to learn and grow).

And, most importantly, you're all making visible progress. In the last few weeks, we've had folks halving their Pull-Up assistance, getting their first Double Unders, breaking PRs in workouts, and more.  It's been an amazing time at the gym! If you're feeling particularly frustrated about something, let me know, and we'll find a fresh way to attack it.

So, as much for me as for all of you, remember... we never get to The End, and that's OK. There will be bumps and ruts (and sometimes, it feels like, collapsed bridges) along the road. But, to use a cliché, it isn't the destination but the journey which is important. There is no "end" to fitness; we can always grow and improve. It is the process which is vital, and which we must commit to and draw satisfaction from. Even when it totally sucks. :-)