Finding your limits

This has become a theme during the past week regarding my instagram posts. Finding your limits.

What's the meaning? Why should we do it? And what purpose does it serve?

What it means to find your limit. Your limit comes in two primary forms. A mental and a physical form. A mental limit is a blockage preventing you from maximizing your potential output due to mental fatigue, lack of drive, and or unwillingness to keep going.

Your physical limit is both your genetic potential and or the point in which you bio-mechanically fail under tension: Maximal speed, height, weight etc.

Why we should we reach our limits?

Reaching our limits gives us a ceiling. It allows us to determine that on any given day this is how far I can go, this is how much I can take, and or how much I can handle. It also provides us with a tangible limit in which we can exceed and build upon. If we know that our 5km limit is 23 mins, then we know we can incrementally build our aerobic base and extend that limit to 21 mins / 20 mins /18 mins ... Something to strive for.

Reaching our physical and mental limits provides fool proof data of our potential.

What's the purpose?

Well I sorta just answered that, but more along the lines of providing a checkpoint in our journey. It develops a better sense of our weaknesses/areas that need work, and further develops our personal understanding of our own bodies.

Taking it to the limit is always rewarding, when done in a controlled manor, and provides tremendous insight.

Tips:

- Don't push it to the limit often. Reserve it for race days, once or twice a month etc.

- Push yourself alone and push yourself with a friend, notice the differences.

- Use the data as proof and as a checkpoint for mini victories and continued success.

- Keep it fresh and fun

"Progression is built through consistency and tested by passion"

JB