Taking One Step Back, To Move Two Steps Forward...

"What do we want?" ... Everything! "When do we want it?"...Now!!!

This quite simply is the mentality that drives our current social climate. And it transcends through all aspects of life from buying shoes online to gaining muscle in the gym. The hardest part is realizing that in order to make leaps and bounds forward, you must first check your ego at the door and take a few steps backwards.

This comes from my recent, let's call it a 'need', to build strength. Quite simply, in order to compete at my best and be competitive amongst other athletes I need to be stronger. And with this strength will come a carry over to other aspects of my sport, things i'm already good at, things i'm ok at, and things i struggle with. Short story long, in order to become a more well rounded athlete I need to pour my focus into getting stronger. Strength however doesn't only come from lifting heavy @$$ things. Though one must lift progressively heavier objects over time to improve strength, there are many factors that goes into building strength. Let me know if these sounds familiar: 8-10hrs of high quality sleep, full hydration, intense trainings, food - food - food (caloric surplus), and a well designed program. Let's not forget progressive overload, food, and good recovery ...oh and food.

But what's equally important is commitment to the process. Checking yourself and committing to the idea that progress takes time, and it takes discipline to work out the fine things before moving on to the larger things. These fine things in the context of strength are; positional strength, reinforcing tendon and ligament strength, improving movement patterns, strengthening in the eccentric/isometric/concentric positions/movements. For the most part people opt for clanging and banging until they get stronger, but often fall short of their goals as a result of over-training, lack of specificity and intention, lack of fuel, and or lack of recovery. Ultimately failing to understand that the finite things like drilling movements, taking care of general health, and moderating intensity, frequency, and volume are what make you stronger, not just lifting heavy things.

This realization comes from taking a step back, understanding the end goal, visualizing and dissecting the process, and executing with full commitment the plan you or your coach has set into place. It takes time, it won't be easy, it may very well not be fun, but it is the right means to an end, when that end goal is building strength.

Have no mistake, this applies to all aspects of life. The idea of self realization, understanding the goal and how to reach it, goes with everything from finishing your physics paper to handing in a job application or running a marathon.

The steps to success are steep, slippery, and half of them are missing, if it weren't the case, everyone would be standing at the top.

Sometimes the easiest way forward, is back.

"Progression is built through consistency and tested by passion"

JB