i dont know where this is going... sometimes stupid stuff just pisses me off... actually, not stupid stuff, but stupid lazy people...
you know the guy...
sets up camp inside the squat rack (MY squat rack, by the way)... he's got a bosu, a swiss ball, a collection of dumb-bells, a jump rope, some plates, and a 25lb. kettlebell... bar removed and laying on the floor outside the rack...
no problem... whatever dude... you can do your circus tricks...
i did my warming up and moved to another rack.
and then, dude got done... packed up his bag (which i now refer to as his "douche bag")... and left... all sweaty and obviously quite proud of himself...
and he left all of his crap inside the rack. puddle of sweat in the middle of the floor, swiss ball sitting there, bosu (upside down, of course), 6 dumb bells, various plates scattered, jump rope hanging on the hooks, kettlebell... all just there for someone else to clean up.
and i thought of what a friend of mine would say, "What an asshat..."
and then i thought, "What is this dude like in the rest of his life?" There are some truths... at least things i believe are "universal" behavioral truths...
one of these "truths" is - As we behave in one relationship, we typically behave in all our relationships.
in other words, this dude was selfish, messy, childish, entitled, arrogant in the way he treated the gym and the rest of us there... he's probably this way in his relationship to his co-workers, his job, etc. - when someone isnt watching, this dude is just a selfish and entitled ass... does his "Momma" know he's like this? (actually, i bet she does, he's was probably allowed to act like this as a kid)...
i'm probably making too much about it because he was IN MY SQUAT RACK at MY NORMAL TIME... and set aside for a second that his "workout" was some b.s. made up silliness... rude, disrespectful, and above all feeling "entitled" to behave this way... we all know these types of folks, we all know these people, we see them in our work and in other places... watch folks in the gym... not just how they lift or how they work out, but when they are done, how they treat the bar, the weights, the space they use, the water fountain - are they spitting their snot it in?, do they share? do they treat you and others and the facility itself with respect and pride?
do you?
Showing posts with label behavior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label behavior. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
Fear and Lifting
So, i got under the bar... ready to squat. This week is my heaviest week in this training month. Next week i will de-load... so this week was heavy. I woke up this morning... well go farther back... this weekend, when i was planning the lifts, i started to get nervous... a little sweaty... thinking about how heavy that weight would feel... that nervous / excited / scared / even angry feeling that the thought of putting some big weight on my back engenders...
see, it's been a while
ok... back a little farther still...
not quite 8 months ago, i had both of my hips replaced... arthritis... injury... not paying attention... blah blah blah... the "why" of it... the "HOW did this happen" of it is less important than the forward movement... i had pain, a LOT of it, all the time... i limped, all the time, i couldnt get into a car without some serious gymnastics.
and now, i dont have pain at all... It is awesome. my goal now is to get back to lifting heavy weights.
so there i was... thinking about this all weekend. and the voices in my head were all about the NOISE from fears... fear of injury, fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of going backwards in my recovery... those voices were just relentless.
fast forward... back to the gym
and i got under the bar. heart racing. focus on proper form, footwork, bar position ... and lift it off ... small steps back ... DEEP breath ... drop slowly into the hole... good depth ... DRIVE UP ... and... it felt good, solid, strong ... so another rep... dig deep for the third ... cold sweat on the fourth... rack the bar.
the weight felt like weight... but i felt strong and solid.
i've said it before, and probably more often than i should, and i probably make if fit where it doesnt... whatever.
but, i think the bar is often a metaphor for life... those voices of fear or doubt that hit us in relationships, in our work, with our kids, in taking a chance... this is where we are tested! it is the test of our desire and our ability to do what we have committed to do despite the fears and the voices (real or in our heads). the fears are always there, talking... making the obstacles seem HUGE... heavier than we THINK we can move... and the bar is our test... it is MY test. to overcome MY fears.
even if i had fallen, had re-injured, had to "bail" at the bottom ... that matters LESS... moving the weight IS important, but getting under the bar and committing, full on is MORE important.
i feel that simply by getting under that bar, that i ... that when WE do that ... that WE are proving to ourselves that we can overcome what confronts us, that we can quiet those voices that tell us we cant, the voices that tell us we will fail, or caution us that we will be mocked... when we hear those voices, and we STILL get under the bar and willingly put all we have against that obstacle... THAT is the success... THAT is why we are here... to constantly confront our fears and to push against them either to success or to failure - and to do it again - over and over - that is the purpose... the goal... and THAT is the BAR.
dont let fear control you ... get under the bar... silence the voices ... then ... do it again ... it wont get easier, but the voices matter less.
see, it's been a while
ok... back a little farther still...
not quite 8 months ago, i had both of my hips replaced... arthritis... injury... not paying attention... blah blah blah... the "why" of it... the "HOW did this happen" of it is less important than the forward movement... i had pain, a LOT of it, all the time... i limped, all the time, i couldnt get into a car without some serious gymnastics.
and now, i dont have pain at all... It is awesome. my goal now is to get back to lifting heavy weights.
so there i was... thinking about this all weekend. and the voices in my head were all about the NOISE from fears... fear of injury, fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of going backwards in my recovery... those voices were just relentless.
fast forward... back to the gym
and i got under the bar. heart racing. focus on proper form, footwork, bar position ... and lift it off ... small steps back ... DEEP breath ... drop slowly into the hole... good depth ... DRIVE UP ... and... it felt good, solid, strong ... so another rep... dig deep for the third ... cold sweat on the fourth... rack the bar.
the weight felt like weight... but i felt strong and solid.
i've said it before, and probably more often than i should, and i probably make if fit where it doesnt... whatever.
but, i think the bar is often a metaphor for life... those voices of fear or doubt that hit us in relationships, in our work, with our kids, in taking a chance... this is where we are tested! it is the test of our desire and our ability to do what we have committed to do despite the fears and the voices (real or in our heads). the fears are always there, talking... making the obstacles seem HUGE... heavier than we THINK we can move... and the bar is our test... it is MY test. to overcome MY fears.
even if i had fallen, had re-injured, had to "bail" at the bottom ... that matters LESS... moving the weight IS important, but getting under the bar and committing, full on is MORE important.
i feel that simply by getting under that bar, that i ... that when WE do that ... that WE are proving to ourselves that we can overcome what confronts us, that we can quiet those voices that tell us we cant, the voices that tell us we will fail, or caution us that we will be mocked... when we hear those voices, and we STILL get under the bar and willingly put all we have against that obstacle... THAT is the success... THAT is why we are here... to constantly confront our fears and to push against them either to success or to failure - and to do it again - over and over - that is the purpose... the goal... and THAT is the BAR.
dont let fear control you ... get under the bar... silence the voices ... then ... do it again ... it wont get easier, but the voices matter less.
Monday, August 12, 2013
More Rhythms
More on Rhythms…
I've been writing about rhythms, patterns and habits quite a bit, lately… we all have them and most of us will "fall into" rhythms… they can be taught, created, programmed… and they can even be used to manipulate us by governments and corporations… mostly, though, it is about desire, understanding, and discipline. The desire to use what is really a part of our nature and to take control of it; an understanding and learning of HOW we can make patterns and rhythms consciously and to make them work for us; and finally, the discipline to do the work so that they become "auto-pilot" behaviors leading toward our objectives.
It starts with one day… one commitment… one pattern you want to create. It will take willpower, but only until you create a pattern / a habit… then the autonomic nervous system takes over.
Document it… before and after… set the expectation of a time and a place in writing… then come back to it.
Food journals… weight lifting journals… etc. - these all exist because they work… if you want to build a pattern and make it automatic, then you need to first use your will power to make it conscious and to make it happen… writing reinforces that behavior… the goal is to move from consciously making yourself execute the desired behavior to letting that become a part of your natural patterns.
I've been writing about rhythms, patterns and habits quite a bit, lately… we all have them and most of us will "fall into" rhythms… they can be taught, created, programmed… and they can even be used to manipulate us by governments and corporations… mostly, though, it is about desire, understanding, and discipline. The desire to use what is really a part of our nature and to take control of it; an understanding and learning of HOW we can make patterns and rhythms consciously and to make them work for us; and finally, the discipline to do the work so that they become "auto-pilot" behaviors leading toward our objectives.
It starts with one day… one commitment… one pattern you want to create. It will take willpower, but only until you create a pattern / a habit… then the autonomic nervous system takes over.
Document it… before and after… set the expectation of a time and a place in writing… then come back to it.
Food journals… weight lifting journals… etc. - these all exist because they work… if you want to build a pattern and make it automatic, then you need to first use your will power to make it conscious and to make it happen… writing reinforces that behavior… the goal is to move from consciously making yourself execute the desired behavior to letting that become a part of your natural patterns.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Rhythms...
Rhythms… patterns… habits… whatever you want to call them, we all have them.
Some are genetic… built into our DNA (think our link to a circadian lifestyle)… some are socio-cultural (types of meat we eat for breakfast or the length of our work day)… some are familial (my dad left for work at 6am and got home no later than 630pm… every day)… some are individual (I hit the gym no later than 530a every day… I write in my journal every morning before I hit the gym)…
It doesn’t matter - patterns and rhythms fill our days… by having these in our lives, our brains "move" these behaviors to the sub-conscious level to free our brains up for other activities. Have you ever been driving and then realized you started driving home on "auto-pilot"? That is your sub-conscious being triggered by something (common scenery, etc.), conscious mind being distracted (great song, phone call, kids in the back, thinking, whatever…) and you find yourself halfway home and going in the wrong direction from where you needed to go… happens to me all the time.
The thing is, I think the benefits outweigh the negatives… and, what is cooler, is that we can control, plan, and create these patterns. Unfortunately, and what is also a curiosity to me is that most people won't make the choice to actively choose and build these patterns In fact, that is what marketers and brands count on… they study our behaviors and our patterns… then spend billions of dollars to create products, ads, and techniques to pull us in, unconsciously, so that we can be "driven" on "auto-pilot". There have been tons of studies on this type of "manipulation" paid for and conducted by corporations and governments. That's fine… I don’t have anything against that, I think it is great to understand our wiring… knowing this, though, fuels my need to try to control it… HOW can I better understand my wiring and systems to "create" and control what I want to have happen vs. some corporation or government?
This is at the heart of change... creating the change that you are looking for in your life... your fitness... your business... at the heart of that change is knowing HOW you or your business is "wired" and the habits and patterns that exist...
Socrates instructed us to "Know Thyself"… it is important that you do… because someone will do it for you if you don’t pay attention.
Some are genetic… built into our DNA (think our link to a circadian lifestyle)… some are socio-cultural (types of meat we eat for breakfast or the length of our work day)… some are familial (my dad left for work at 6am and got home no later than 630pm… every day)… some are individual (I hit the gym no later than 530a every day… I write in my journal every morning before I hit the gym)…
It doesn’t matter - patterns and rhythms fill our days… by having these in our lives, our brains "move" these behaviors to the sub-conscious level to free our brains up for other activities. Have you ever been driving and then realized you started driving home on "auto-pilot"? That is your sub-conscious being triggered by something (common scenery, etc.), conscious mind being distracted (great song, phone call, kids in the back, thinking, whatever…) and you find yourself halfway home and going in the wrong direction from where you needed to go… happens to me all the time.
The thing is, I think the benefits outweigh the negatives… and, what is cooler, is that we can control, plan, and create these patterns. Unfortunately, and what is also a curiosity to me is that most people won't make the choice to actively choose and build these patterns In fact, that is what marketers and brands count on… they study our behaviors and our patterns… then spend billions of dollars to create products, ads, and techniques to pull us in, unconsciously, so that we can be "driven" on "auto-pilot". There have been tons of studies on this type of "manipulation" paid for and conducted by corporations and governments. That's fine… I don’t have anything against that, I think it is great to understand our wiring… knowing this, though, fuels my need to try to control it… HOW can I better understand my wiring and systems to "create" and control what I want to have happen vs. some corporation or government?
This is at the heart of change... creating the change that you are looking for in your life... your fitness... your business... at the heart of that change is knowing HOW you or your business is "wired" and the habits and patterns that exist...
Socrates instructed us to "Know Thyself"… it is important that you do… because someone will do it for you if you don’t pay attention.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Habits & Rituals
I love Elliot Hulse's stuff!
Watch this!
My wife is always losing her keys… and, well, pretty much most of her stuff (cell phones, books, DVDs, etc.)… on the other hand… I don’t… I know where my stuff is…
And it drives her crazy!
See, in our marriage, she is the "organized" one… the planner… the process person - if you have to move or have a yard sale or do a fundraiser… she is THE person you want. In fact, her career was process development, change management, and continuous process improvement systems. She consulted for years in both "white collar" and "blue collar" environments. She is pretty much amazing at her job.
And yet… "Madame Organization" can't find her keys… (I love it!)
And what really frustrates her is my stuff never gets lost (UNLESS SHE BORROWS them… but I wont go there)… because I have created a ritual around where my "stuff" goes and if I don’t put things in their spot I just know that something is not right… by creating a ritual I have removed clogging my conscious brain with lots of meaningless info…
So, all of this stuff - these rituals play into my work and my workouts. And now, instead of my "opinion" there is some science to it… Form a Habit!
Make it a habit. Create a ritual! Take it out of the "conscious" space and put it in the "sub"conscious or "un"conscious and take "will power" OUT of the equation. I'm reading a great book about food and nutrition called "The Foodist" - by Darya Pino Rose - you should buy it here… she is a neuro-scientist who happens to love food and has done some interesting work on why we eat what we eat… the choices we make… our "will power". It is fascinating and very helpful in the world of nutrition and food… but the same principles can be applied to creating a habit out of anything.
I don’t care what anyone says… workouts and working out regularly is not easy or simple… you don’t just have the gene to enjoy it or not… it takes discipline to get to the gym, I don’t care who you are… but as it is now a habit for me, NOT going puts me just out of sorts and I have to go! In fact, the willpower has to kick-in when I need to make my body take a break to recover…
Learn to make HABITS and RITUALS of the things you say you WANT - your life will change…
Awesome Article here, too!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Passionate Discipline
"Passion Trumps Everything" - Dave Tate
Sure… yes… it gets you going… Discipline gets you where you want to go.
I have been writing about plateaus and reaching sticking points or working through challenges that require change. It is all well and good… but the single thing that helps me get through these times… the one thing that I have seen that is consistent in all top performers - be they lifters or successful business people - is DISCIPLINE.
You thought I was going to say "passion", I'm sure… but here is why discipline…
Passion gets you started, it initiates the drive to do a thing, start a thing, stop doing a thing… it is the fire that starts you off… and it can fuel you when you are down, bring you back from the brink of depression… etc.
But, it is discipline gets you to stay on the path to your goal when things get hard… and it will get hard. And then it will get harder… and boring… and EXHAUSTING… so, when it hurts to even get out of bed… when that bar by itself is too daunting… when you have to empty the office garbage cans yourself… passion is not going to make that happen - discipline will. Self-discipline in the face of drudgery, tedium, exhaustion, anger, debt, doubt, fear, whatever is the distraction from doing the thing YOU KNOW YOU MUST DO to achieve your goals… to get stronger… to help your business or organization be healthier…
Discipline gets you through the pain… through the boredom… through any plateau… Discipline requires maturity… it requires action… it gets you out of bed early… it helps you stay awake when it is late…. And even when you are unable to move - discipline moves you.
When I'm interviewing folks for jobs, I try to dig in to this area. I believe that as we behave in one relationship we typically will behave that way in others. If you give up or are quick to make excuses in your workouts or diet… then you probably will on the job when stuff gets difficult. Passion will help you get started, skill will help you execute, innate ability will help you even more, but all of these are useless unless you actually DO something… consistently… Discipline will make you a star.
The most successful sales people are the ones who consistently and aggressively do the behaviors that are necessary to achieve their objectives. It may be an ugly cold call, but DOING the call with poor skill is still better than NEVER PICKING UP THE PHONE… Skill will come…
This is true in your work outs, this is true in raising your kids, this is true in having and keeping healthy relationships, and it is absolutely true in your business and work.
Sure… yes… it gets you going… Discipline gets you where you want to go.
I have been writing about plateaus and reaching sticking points or working through challenges that require change. It is all well and good… but the single thing that helps me get through these times… the one thing that I have seen that is consistent in all top performers - be they lifters or successful business people - is DISCIPLINE.
You thought I was going to say "passion", I'm sure… but here is why discipline…
Passion gets you started, it initiates the drive to do a thing, start a thing, stop doing a thing… it is the fire that starts you off… and it can fuel you when you are down, bring you back from the brink of depression… etc.
But, it is discipline gets you to stay on the path to your goal when things get hard… and it will get hard. And then it will get harder… and boring… and EXHAUSTING… so, when it hurts to even get out of bed… when that bar by itself is too daunting… when you have to empty the office garbage cans yourself… passion is not going to make that happen - discipline will. Self-discipline in the face of drudgery, tedium, exhaustion, anger, debt, doubt, fear, whatever is the distraction from doing the thing YOU KNOW YOU MUST DO to achieve your goals… to get stronger… to help your business or organization be healthier…
Discipline gets you through the pain… through the boredom… through any plateau… Discipline requires maturity… it requires action… it gets you out of bed early… it helps you stay awake when it is late…. And even when you are unable to move - discipline moves you.
When I'm interviewing folks for jobs, I try to dig in to this area. I believe that as we behave in one relationship we typically will behave that way in others. If you give up or are quick to make excuses in your workouts or diet… then you probably will on the job when stuff gets difficult. Passion will help you get started, skill will help you execute, innate ability will help you even more, but all of these are useless unless you actually DO something… consistently… Discipline will make you a star.
The most successful sales people are the ones who consistently and aggressively do the behaviors that are necessary to achieve their objectives. It may be an ugly cold call, but DOING the call with poor skill is still better than NEVER PICKING UP THE PHONE… Skill will come…
This is true in your work outs, this is true in raising your kids, this is true in having and keeping healthy relationships, and it is absolutely true in your business and work.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Pursuing Adaptation / Change is Inevitable:
Change Happens
It is a truism... it is something we all know and understand. We want balance, we strive for equilibrium... consistency... stuff we can count on... and change just messes us all up! We resist it... normally, most folks dont like it or respond well to it... that is the beauty of really challenging your body: putting it into situations where it needs to discover something NEW about itself... personally, i love a little discomfort... change... the chaos associated with the unexpected and the unanticipated... and then we chase BALANCE again... that is why i love starting businesses or working with start-ups or trying new things that put me well outside my comfort zone...
the comfort zone - a lot has been written about it and discussed... we all have our comfort zone and our goal is to stay there - psychologically, mentally, spiritually, and physically we FIGHT to stay there... and yet at the same time we all know that Change is going to happen - we are going to be confronted with change! Preparing ourselves psychologically, mentally, spiritually, and physically to anticipate this inevitability will improve our fitness and our confidence and our ability to respond to further change.
IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN!
In the gym, to get around it all, when we hit a plateau... it's time to change things UP... get a new coach, try a class youve never tried, push your self outside what you've been doing - mix up reps or "time under tension" - go lighter... or go heavier... move from barbells to dumb-bells... grab kettlebells for a while...
This also translates in to the work environment - the business world. The world is changing faster and more aggressively than ever before - think of all the new platforms that have developed... what has happened to the "record" industry? what is happening to the film industry? bookstores? record shops? and this is changing faster... it is imperative that businesses become skilled and prepared for the change(s) that are inevitably going to happen... and this means that the people need to understand how to deal with and be prepared to address change - People who can adapt and embrace change as a fundamental part of their character and personality should be valued - MORESO than the technology or other systems.
These are skills that can be hired... these are abilities that can be trained and nurtured... these are perspectives that can be understood and prepared for... these are the experiences that can be anticipated, trained for, and managed.
Successful organizations are able to understand, embrace, and develop Change as a part of their structure.
It is a truism... it is something we all know and understand. We want balance, we strive for equilibrium... consistency... stuff we can count on... and change just messes us all up! We resist it... normally, most folks dont like it or respond well to it... that is the beauty of really challenging your body: putting it into situations where it needs to discover something NEW about itself... personally, i love a little discomfort... change... the chaos associated with the unexpected and the unanticipated... and then we chase BALANCE again... that is why i love starting businesses or working with start-ups or trying new things that put me well outside my comfort zone...
the comfort zone - a lot has been written about it and discussed... we all have our comfort zone and our goal is to stay there - psychologically, mentally, spiritually, and physically we FIGHT to stay there... and yet at the same time we all know that Change is going to happen - we are going to be confronted with change! Preparing ourselves psychologically, mentally, spiritually, and physically to anticipate this inevitability will improve our fitness and our confidence and our ability to respond to further change.
IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN!
In the gym, to get around it all, when we hit a plateau... it's time to change things UP... get a new coach, try a class youve never tried, push your self outside what you've been doing - mix up reps or "time under tension" - go lighter... or go heavier... move from barbells to dumb-bells... grab kettlebells for a while...
This also translates in to the work environment - the business world. The world is changing faster and more aggressively than ever before - think of all the new platforms that have developed... what has happened to the "record" industry? what is happening to the film industry? bookstores? record shops? and this is changing faster... it is imperative that businesses become skilled and prepared for the change(s) that are inevitably going to happen... and this means that the people need to understand how to deal with and be prepared to address change - People who can adapt and embrace change as a fundamental part of their character and personality should be valued - MORESO than the technology or other systems.
These are skills that can be hired... these are abilities that can be trained and nurtured... these are perspectives that can be understood and prepared for... these are the experiences that can be anticipated, trained for, and managed.
Successful organizations are able to understand, embrace, and develop Change as a part of their structure.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Adaptation… and Plateau… and Change
The goal of any natural “system” is equilibrium… that’s an incredibly broad statement and of course there are tons of various goals… but a system strives for equilibrium or a sense of balance. An ecosystem… or the body is no different. Your body strives for “balance”. If it’s too hot… it sweats or tells you to turn the air conditioner on… too cold and the heater comes on or, as my father used to say, “Put a damn sweater on!”
The same is true when the body is stressed, whether by extreme environmental conditions or by a challenging work out. If you have never run before, just getting up and running a mile is going to feel very different the first day vs. 2 weeks later when you have been doing it every morning. This happens because your body changes to meet this stress… or, said differently, it adapts to the new environment.
Your body begins to “get used to” this change of experience by adapting to this new norm. That space between “thiscompletelyhurtsandsucksandiwillnevergetusedtoit” and “this is so simple” is the body adapting. It is seeking balance.
This is true of any physical stress you put on your body. Your body begins to actually change as the stresses come and are sustained. At the hormonal level your body secretes different chemicals to anticipate activity and to achieve a faster recovery from that activity. Heck, the body knows this is good for you so it even will release a little “pleasure” in the form of endorphins. This happens at the nutritional level, too, as your “cravings” will begin to change so the body will get the fuel it knows you need. The way that fuel is burned changes. Muscles begin to change, bones and joints change… how your brain functions changes (and maybe even at the genetic level, but the jury is still out on that).
And you get better at that activity.
And then… you feel like you have plateaued. Most of the time, however, this first plateau is typically just not pushing yourself hard enough. FIND A COACH. Find someone who will look at what you are doing and they will be able to help you get a more than you ever thought possible out of yourself.
However, if you have been exercising hard for at least a year and had coaching… you will also at some time hit a plateau. You get in a rut… the level of improvement slows… why is that? Because your body has adapted… it has found balance… equilibrium… it has adapted. If you want to improve and continue to get stronger / faster / have more endurance / whatever … something’s got to change.
One of my favorite lifters, Donny Shankle writes about adaptation for the weight lifter here
In the past, when I was young and I would hit this place of slowed / minimal / feels like NO improvement, I would do what any young ego-centered male would do – continue to do the same things only HARDER and LOUDER … and … still … have little to no improvement.
See, our bodies are just so amazing that they can compensate and cope and adapt to pretty much anything we can throw at them. The body is really an amazing machine.
To get past these plateaus, things need to change. The stresses and challenges we put on the body need to change. Changing the type of squatting or deadlifting I was doing for several weeks or months actually helped me pass my previous plateau easily. By changing the exercise, the stress, shocking the body out of equilibrium has actually made me stronger and quicker when I returned to the previous lifts.
And, these changes have made me fitter overall. Change and variation will help you pass plateaus and will make you more fit and stronger overall.
Say what you will about Crossfit… I believe they have done a great job in defining fitness (constantly varied….. blah blah blah) and the way in which each workout is structured to create that challenge is a great approach. Of course, it may not be perfect for everyone… but it is a great way to look at things.
Seek change… keep the body adapting… it will amaze you.
The same is true when the body is stressed, whether by extreme environmental conditions or by a challenging work out. If you have never run before, just getting up and running a mile is going to feel very different the first day vs. 2 weeks later when you have been doing it every morning. This happens because your body changes to meet this stress… or, said differently, it adapts to the new environment.
Your body begins to “get used to” this change of experience by adapting to this new norm. That space between “thiscompletelyhurtsandsucksandiwillnevergetusedtoit” and “this is so simple” is the body adapting. It is seeking balance.
This is true of any physical stress you put on your body. Your body begins to actually change as the stresses come and are sustained. At the hormonal level your body secretes different chemicals to anticipate activity and to achieve a faster recovery from that activity. Heck, the body knows this is good for you so it even will release a little “pleasure” in the form of endorphins. This happens at the nutritional level, too, as your “cravings” will begin to change so the body will get the fuel it knows you need. The way that fuel is burned changes. Muscles begin to change, bones and joints change… how your brain functions changes (and maybe even at the genetic level, but the jury is still out on that).
And you get better at that activity.
And then… you feel like you have plateaued. Most of the time, however, this first plateau is typically just not pushing yourself hard enough. FIND A COACH. Find someone who will look at what you are doing and they will be able to help you get a more than you ever thought possible out of yourself.
However, if you have been exercising hard for at least a year and had coaching… you will also at some time hit a plateau. You get in a rut… the level of improvement slows… why is that? Because your body has adapted… it has found balance… equilibrium… it has adapted. If you want to improve and continue to get stronger / faster / have more endurance / whatever … something’s got to change.
One of my favorite lifters, Donny Shankle writes about adaptation for the weight lifter here
In the past, when I was young and I would hit this place of slowed / minimal / feels like NO improvement, I would do what any young ego-centered male would do – continue to do the same things only HARDER and LOUDER … and … still … have little to no improvement.
See, our bodies are just so amazing that they can compensate and cope and adapt to pretty much anything we can throw at them. The body is really an amazing machine.
To get past these plateaus, things need to change. The stresses and challenges we put on the body need to change. Changing the type of squatting or deadlifting I was doing for several weeks or months actually helped me pass my previous plateau easily. By changing the exercise, the stress, shocking the body out of equilibrium has actually made me stronger and quicker when I returned to the previous lifts.
And, these changes have made me fitter overall. Change and variation will help you pass plateaus and will make you more fit and stronger overall.
Say what you will about Crossfit… I believe they have done a great job in defining fitness (constantly varied….. blah blah blah) and the way in which each workout is structured to create that challenge is a great approach. Of course, it may not be perfect for everyone… but it is a great way to look at things.
Seek change… keep the body adapting… it will amaze you.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Being an Apprentice
So I wrote about some of the characteristics I was looking for in finding a good mentor / coach and I was going to start writing about how to be “coachable” or to be in a state of mind where you can receive guidance, feedback, direction, learning etc. as we work to improve and to master something – in my case, it is my current process of working on the deadlift… and a whole lot of other things i'm working on....
Well, there are 2 new books out that cover this far better than I could…
These are by two of my favorite modern authors: Robert Greene (http://powerseductionandwar.com/blog/) and Tim Ferriss (http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/)
Robert Greene looks at the historical perspective of becoming a master of something in his book “Mastery”. When you think about folks who become great, it doesn’t just “happen”… they spend years learning under others…
In “The Four Hour Chef”, Ferriss looks at how to become a life-long “learner”…
In his blog, Ferriss actually takes some pieces from Greene’s book, which is just pretty cool:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2012/11/12/the-magic-of-apprenticeship-a-how-to-guide/
So, here is the teaser for Greene’s book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bNiAADUh0FY
and the teaser for Ferriss’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z-fkHUkCPs
I highly recommend either… but like my wife’s grandpa “Boppy” used to say, “I like either, but I’ll take both.”
Well, there are 2 new books out that cover this far better than I could…
These are by two of my favorite modern authors: Robert Greene (http://powerseductionandwar.com/blog/) and Tim Ferriss (http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/)
Robert Greene looks at the historical perspective of becoming a master of something in his book “Mastery”. When you think about folks who become great, it doesn’t just “happen”… they spend years learning under others…
In “The Four Hour Chef”, Ferriss looks at how to become a life-long “learner”…
In his blog, Ferriss actually takes some pieces from Greene’s book, which is just pretty cool:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2012/11/12/the-magic-of-apprenticeship-a-how-to-guide/
So, here is the teaser for Greene’s book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bNiAADUh0FY
and the teaser for Ferriss’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z-fkHUkCPs
I highly recommend either… but like my wife’s grandpa “Boppy” used to say, “I like either, but I’ll take both.”
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Get a Coach (Mentor): Part 3
What to look for in a Coach / Mentor?
This is not a comprehensive list of characteristics, but these are the things that helped me make that choice.
Experience:
* Practical: this is really “table stakes” – someone who has real personal experience under the bar – they know what it feels like to have weight on their back…
* Certifications – external verification that they know something – are good but I really look for practical experience.
* Has “been there” so knows.
* More Experience: someone whose breadth of experience is greater than my own in order to call upon other resources outside of the primary focus.
Results:
* Performance relative to what you want to achieve. They have solid results.
* They hold you and themselves accountable for achieving the objectives.
Communication:
* Trust & Honesty
* Fact based
* Asks good, relevant questions
Problem Solver:
* Able to break things down into component parts to “rebuild”.
* Knows what the “end” should look like / feel like.
Focus:
* Focused on the problem at hand – not distracted by other activities, they are not employed in the business or at the gym to do something else. They are there to fill a role as a coach. Not another job… not their own workout… not doing something else.
Compensation:
* Trade? Money? Something – this is valuable… the quickest way to take something for granted is to not put a value on it or pay for it…
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Get a Coach (Mentor): Part 2
I wrote about the importance of getting a coach or a mentor and I can’t emphasize that enough.
This doesn’t have to be a “forever” thing… people come into and out of your life at various times for a variety of reasons… It doesn’t have to be expensive and a good one will more than cover their cost.
But, find someone… try them out (I like to say, “Date before you get married.”)…. But find someone… ask around… hit up your network… find someone…
While you are looking for someone, you have to know what you are looking for, so make sure that you have a clear / specific objective:
o What, specifically, are you looking for in a mentor?
o What are you hoping to achieve?
o What are you asking them to help you with?
With TJ, my initial objective was simple: I was looking for someone who had the experience, time, and ability to watch me as I do these lifts to assure proper form and technique. My hope was that I would reduce injury, find my sticking points and then develop a program to target those weaknesses in order to improve my overall strength.
It has evolved over time to be more, but this is where we started.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Get a Coach (Mentor):
“All coaching is, is taking a player where he can't take himself.” - Bill McCartney
I mentioned previously that I have a friend who’s been coaching me / watching me when I’m lifting (powerlifts or Olympic lifts)… the last 10 months, TJ has been working with me the entire time. He’s with me several times a week and helps me with improving my range of motion, my technique, my form, etc. He doesn’t write a program, he doesn’t do nutritional stuff or that kind of thing – he is an extra set of eyes and a completely unbiased feedback system.
NOT easy for me – I don’t like to ask for help… ever… I have been lifting for more than 30 years – longer than TJ has even been alive! What does HE know? I know that even the best athletes have coaches – usually more than one, actually… I know it… but I have this ego-delusional perspective that I’m that unique character that can watch YouTube, read books, and do research so I don’t need a coach…
And I ended up injured, not getting stronger, and not able to think about how best to move forward. I “knew” these things… but I denied them… However, I’m pretty anal about writing down my numbers (weights, times, etc.) and as I was reviewing them I started talking to myself like one of my clients – stagnation, even going backwards, etc.
And so like talking to one of my clients, I told myself to get some external perspective…
So, I reached out to TJ and we started working together…
It started simply enough… I was dealing with a very specific issue – my range of motion in my hips (dislocated hip, torn labrum, etc. all led to some severe impingement)… and I needed someone else to make sure I was improving and doing the exercises correctly… however, this has evolved into a more holistic feedback mechanism.
And throughout this process, everything has improved and TJ has proven himself to be invaluable. If you want to get better at what you are doing – lifting weights, running a business, or whatever – then find yourself a coach… you are not so “special” that you don’t need this… no one is…
I mentioned previously that I have a friend who’s been coaching me / watching me when I’m lifting (powerlifts or Olympic lifts)… the last 10 months, TJ has been working with me the entire time. He’s with me several times a week and helps me with improving my range of motion, my technique, my form, etc. He doesn’t write a program, he doesn’t do nutritional stuff or that kind of thing – he is an extra set of eyes and a completely unbiased feedback system.
NOT easy for me – I don’t like to ask for help… ever… I have been lifting for more than 30 years – longer than TJ has even been alive! What does HE know? I know that even the best athletes have coaches – usually more than one, actually… I know it… but I have this ego-delusional perspective that I’m that unique character that can watch YouTube, read books, and do research so I don’t need a coach…
And I ended up injured, not getting stronger, and not able to think about how best to move forward. I “knew” these things… but I denied them… However, I’m pretty anal about writing down my numbers (weights, times, etc.) and as I was reviewing them I started talking to myself like one of my clients – stagnation, even going backwards, etc.
And so like talking to one of my clients, I told myself to get some external perspective…
So, I reached out to TJ and we started working together…
It started simply enough… I was dealing with a very specific issue – my range of motion in my hips (dislocated hip, torn labrum, etc. all led to some severe impingement)… and I needed someone else to make sure I was improving and doing the exercises correctly… however, this has evolved into a more holistic feedback mechanism.
And throughout this process, everything has improved and TJ has proven himself to be invaluable. If you want to get better at what you are doing – lifting weights, running a business, or whatever – then find yourself a coach… you are not so “special” that you don’t need this… no one is…
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Getting Stronger
i had one of "THOSE" days today... you know the one... you get to the gym slightly off your normal time... someone is at the rack you want to use (dont they KNOW THAT IT IS MY RACK AND MY TIME!!!)... i had that day... the bar felt really heavy...the pulls felt way too hard on way too light weight... my feet wouldn't set "right"... i just couldnt hold good solid position... my back muscles just seemed to not want to fire... it was like i was moving through molasses - nothing moved quickly..
You know those days... nothing feels right and you just dont feel strong... so you just want to pack up the gear and head back home...
But you don't...
from experience you know that the NEXT time will be much better and that the times before have been "right"... so you trust in the process and move forward - slowly, ugly, forward (that's how it felt today)... so you keep moving forward...
and, strangely, THAT makes you stronger - the self-discipline that makes you keep at it, that drives you to finish the workout - to suck SOMETHING out of what feels like a waste... the decision you made to get to the gym becomes a commitment to yourself that you will not break... and that makes you stronger - KNOWING that even when it just sucks, you can still finish...
that builds your strength... your Will... i believe that the weight leaves the ground through force of will as much as through the muscles...
it's the same thing in business - there are days where things just suck - paperwork, bureaucracy, clients, employees, the competition, new federal rules, not getting paid... there are any number of things that happen that make you wish you could get back to bed... you question why you chose this in the first place... you wonder what you did wrong to deserve this... you just want to get off the wheel today...
But you don't... and you get stronger... better... more determined... just keep moving forward...
You know those days... nothing feels right and you just dont feel strong... so you just want to pack up the gear and head back home...
But you don't...
from experience you know that the NEXT time will be much better and that the times before have been "right"... so you trust in the process and move forward - slowly, ugly, forward (that's how it felt today)... so you keep moving forward...
and, strangely, THAT makes you stronger - the self-discipline that makes you keep at it, that drives you to finish the workout - to suck SOMETHING out of what feels like a waste... the decision you made to get to the gym becomes a commitment to yourself that you will not break... and that makes you stronger - KNOWING that even when it just sucks, you can still finish...
that builds your strength... your Will... i believe that the weight leaves the ground through force of will as much as through the muscles...
it's the same thing in business - there are days where things just suck - paperwork, bureaucracy, clients, employees, the competition, new federal rules, not getting paid... there are any number of things that happen that make you wish you could get back to bed... you question why you chose this in the first place... you wonder what you did wrong to deserve this... you just want to get off the wheel today...
But you don't... and you get stronger... better... more determined... just keep moving forward...
Monday, November 5, 2012
Parts is Parts
One of the coolest things about weightlifting – well, for me – that keeps me coming back and never really being bored, is that there is always room for improvement… when you first start lifting weights the goal is to push or pull more and more weight… and then you realize that the pursuit of greater strength and pursuing the strongest your body can be is not merely in the amount of weight that is moved but it is in proper body position (foot position, knees, hips, shoulders, spine, neck, head position, etc. etc.), muscular engagement (core, back, chest, blah blah) and in the consistency of movement.
In fact, ignoring position, muscle engagement, and movement will often lead to injury and will always prevent the body from achieving its potential. This is where we get “stuck”. When we are young, we just want to see how much we can move... FORM BE DAMNED! I’ve just continued to do that – whatever means necessary to pull weight… and I have been stuck.
In January of this year, I was doing a deadlift and saw myself in the mirrors… back curved, shoulders wrapping forwards, “turtle” head poking up and out, butt tucked under… no wonder even light weight was getting harder to move. Even at 49, I was acting like all I had to do was just pull harder!! Force of WILL to make that bar move!! What I’ve learned since is that, If we want to do more… push beyond our current plateaus, then returning to refining and improving our position, movement, muscle engagement by breaking down the lift into smaller stages and identifying “problems” …
So, the last 9 or 10 months have been really hard for me.
I have been breaking down my lifts into the component parts… making sure i can see myself from the side and in front… I’ve been watching my lift and feeling what good form is, taking note of where I’m strong and really understanding where I’m weakest. I’ve been doing little sets of things like straight legged deadlifts, snatch grip deadlifts, “Dimmel” deadlifts, front squats, good mornings, etc. etc. focusing on great form and body position, going through the dialogue of engaging my muscles (hey, it helps me to “talk” to my core and my traps, etc.). I don’t do a lot of weight on these, just enough to work that “space” directly. I even dropped the weight on my heavier days to a place I could lift it without compromising the form… so I had to reduce my “max” for a period of time.
That was hard… was I getting “weaker”… at my age, losing strength is a hard thing to “make up”… the conversation internally around the paranoia of falling backwards is consuming… the ongoing challenge to part of how I have defined myself – I lift heavy weight – even though I KNOW no one but me really cares…
This was a big step for me - taking the time to work on the body’s position and allowing the proper movement to become the focus… and giving myself permission to let the weight itself become secondary. In that time, I’ve gotten stronger, hurt “less” and felt overall better… and in the last few weeks I’ve returned to my previous max… and I still struggle daily with letting it go.
When I work with start-ups or businesses where the owner and the founder have reached a “plateau” or are stuck or if the business is starting to fail or fall backwards, I go through a very similar process… we take apart all the steps and stages of the business or of key processes (usually, we end up looking at all the processes) and start to review where there are potentially some deviations from “best practices” often it is the result of a “short-term” work around that has become “how we do things”. I become the mirror and as they go through their “world” I reflect back where there may be room for improvement.
Often, like in lifting, this means focusing on smaller steps inside of a process in order to get stronger (better, faster, or eliminating… whatever) at the weakest places. I work directly with the folks responsible for those aspects of the business. Sometimes it is a lack of training, sometimes just a bad habit, sometimes laziness… Often it is because the boss has only focused on “get me that number” rather than “what do we need to get better”. It is hard to take a step back… it is difficult to set aside the “end result” to work in the steps (even if that end result is getting smaller or is stuck while the competition is growing).
When we start out, it is easy to just “muscle through” to push no matter how “ugly” to the end result… I will work on doing this right later, I need to get this out… but usually that “later” never gets attention… or worse, it becomes “it has always worked in the past” or “we’ve always done it this way”. These become mental barriers to which we become emotionally attached. It is hard to break these down.
It is difficult to set aside how we have defined ourselves for so long… but to progress, for things to improve, for business to survive, it requires an ongoing focus on defining and then pursuing perfection in movement, in position, and in the proper engagement of all resources.
In fact, ignoring position, muscle engagement, and movement will often lead to injury and will always prevent the body from achieving its potential. This is where we get “stuck”. When we are young, we just want to see how much we can move... FORM BE DAMNED! I’ve just continued to do that – whatever means necessary to pull weight… and I have been stuck.
In January of this year, I was doing a deadlift and saw myself in the mirrors… back curved, shoulders wrapping forwards, “turtle” head poking up and out, butt tucked under… no wonder even light weight was getting harder to move. Even at 49, I was acting like all I had to do was just pull harder!! Force of WILL to make that bar move!! What I’ve learned since is that, If we want to do more… push beyond our current plateaus, then returning to refining and improving our position, movement, muscle engagement by breaking down the lift into smaller stages and identifying “problems” …
So, the last 9 or 10 months have been really hard for me.
I have been breaking down my lifts into the component parts… making sure i can see myself from the side and in front… I’ve been watching my lift and feeling what good form is, taking note of where I’m strong and really understanding where I’m weakest. I’ve been doing little sets of things like straight legged deadlifts, snatch grip deadlifts, “Dimmel” deadlifts, front squats, good mornings, etc. etc. focusing on great form and body position, going through the dialogue of engaging my muscles (hey, it helps me to “talk” to my core and my traps, etc.). I don’t do a lot of weight on these, just enough to work that “space” directly. I even dropped the weight on my heavier days to a place I could lift it without compromising the form… so I had to reduce my “max” for a period of time.
That was hard… was I getting “weaker”… at my age, losing strength is a hard thing to “make up”… the conversation internally around the paranoia of falling backwards is consuming… the ongoing challenge to part of how I have defined myself – I lift heavy weight – even though I KNOW no one but me really cares…
This was a big step for me - taking the time to work on the body’s position and allowing the proper movement to become the focus… and giving myself permission to let the weight itself become secondary. In that time, I’ve gotten stronger, hurt “less” and felt overall better… and in the last few weeks I’ve returned to my previous max… and I still struggle daily with letting it go.
When I work with start-ups or businesses where the owner and the founder have reached a “plateau” or are stuck or if the business is starting to fail or fall backwards, I go through a very similar process… we take apart all the steps and stages of the business or of key processes (usually, we end up looking at all the processes) and start to review where there are potentially some deviations from “best practices” often it is the result of a “short-term” work around that has become “how we do things”. I become the mirror and as they go through their “world” I reflect back where there may be room for improvement.
Often, like in lifting, this means focusing on smaller steps inside of a process in order to get stronger (better, faster, or eliminating… whatever) at the weakest places. I work directly with the folks responsible for those aspects of the business. Sometimes it is a lack of training, sometimes just a bad habit, sometimes laziness… Often it is because the boss has only focused on “get me that number” rather than “what do we need to get better”. It is hard to take a step back… it is difficult to set aside the “end result” to work in the steps (even if that end result is getting smaller or is stuck while the competition is growing).
When we start out, it is easy to just “muscle through” to push no matter how “ugly” to the end result… I will work on doing this right later, I need to get this out… but usually that “later” never gets attention… or worse, it becomes “it has always worked in the past” or “we’ve always done it this way”. These become mental barriers to which we become emotionally attached. It is hard to break these down.
It is difficult to set aside how we have defined ourselves for so long… but to progress, for things to improve, for business to survive, it requires an ongoing focus on defining and then pursuing perfection in movement, in position, and in the proper engagement of all resources.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Wake Up!
It has been quite a while...
the thing that has been sitting in front of me, around me... has been the notion of "brand" and "branding" - not so much from the corporate perspective - though that may actually not be true - but more from the personal / self / resume / cv perspective...
"Personal Brand" has been something that a number of folks have been writing about for many years...
i have learned recently that it has played behind the scenes for me for some time and i'm only now really becoming conscious of it...
Our “brand” is what people see or feel or think they know about us before they meet us… and it is either changed or reinforced when they meet us and get closer to us.
I like to think of my “brand” as my “wake”… see, we all leave a “wake” … a disturbance in the water as we pass through… an impact on those around us… our environment… and that “wake” is often the real first impression folks get of us. We all know we can act a certain way in front of certain people… and so our “1st impression” is rarely when we physically meet someone for the first time but more often it happens with our “wake”.
So, I’ve been thinking about the “wake” I’ve been leaving… and how it has made me conscious of my actions towards others, my work, or whatever… it’s changing me… in a good way, I hope.
the thing that has been sitting in front of me, around me... has been the notion of "brand" and "branding" - not so much from the corporate perspective - though that may actually not be true - but more from the personal / self / resume / cv perspective...
"Personal Brand" has been something that a number of folks have been writing about for many years...
i have learned recently that it has played behind the scenes for me for some time and i'm only now really becoming conscious of it...
Our “brand” is what people see or feel or think they know about us before they meet us… and it is either changed or reinforced when they meet us and get closer to us.
I like to think of my “brand” as my “wake”… see, we all leave a “wake” … a disturbance in the water as we pass through… an impact on those around us… our environment… and that “wake” is often the real first impression folks get of us. We all know we can act a certain way in front of certain people… and so our “1st impression” is rarely when we physically meet someone for the first time but more often it happens with our “wake”.
So, I’ve been thinking about the “wake” I’ve been leaving… and how it has made me conscious of my actions towards others, my work, or whatever… it’s changing me… in a good way, I hope.
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