In the Face of Friction
I've been thinking a lot ....
This week, during and after my workouts, I've been reflecting a ton about my training, my fitness, my goals.
For the record, I know that most women who exercise squeeze in a workout, a fitness class, a walk or whatever else they do as movement and then go about their day.
No afterthought.
No deep reflection.
In. Out.
Done and dusted.
But... I kinda take my fitness seriously.
I typically set a high bar for myself.
Goals that are sometimes lofty.
Requiring me to step into my potential.
Which ultimately demands a lot of discomfort.
And this week in particular, I felt that my training was really hard.
Like, harder than usual.
More challenging than I'm used to.
Must be my age, I thought.
Must be my program, I assumed.
And so I had a heart-to heart with my coach.
Before I get into it....
I usually don't talk about what I do in my workouts. I do share snippets on IG but the details of what I do often remain private. But I feel compelled to give you a glimpse of what I mean by "hard" so that you can hopefully relate on some level.
My current program is focusing on strength.
Pure strength.
And muscle-building and cardiovascular fitness as well.
There aren't a ton of exercises.
In fact, on 2 of my training days I have only 3 exercises.
That's right just 3.
The deadlift (225lbs)
The bench press (120lbs)
The pull-up (added with of 10lbs)
5 reps of each for 5 sets.
2-3 minutes of rest between each set.
The loads are effing heavy. Which is why I absolutely need ample rest between each working set.
ATP is needed.
5 reps literally means I CANNOT perform a 6th one.
(Side note... years ago 135lbs deadlift was super hard for me. Over the years I've gotten stronger for sure. But 225lbs for me has always been an elusive goal, always out of reach, until now)
Not sure you've even taken your body there.... I don't recommend it if you train solo.
But under a coach's guidance, it's a fantastic ( but no doubt hard!) way to build strength.
Also... it is not exactly "fun" or enjoyable,
And it's wrapped in a heavy uncomfortable blanket of friction.
This week, I literally thought "why the heck am I doing this?!"
It feels impossible.
It is stretching me beyond what I think I'm capable of.
It has me toe-dipping in a place I’ve never been before.
It is HARD.
When you've been in fitness for decades like me (and I know some of you have!) you're likely no longer at the same fitness level as when you started out.
Muscle adaptations are what true strength training is all about.
It's not doing the same thing, the same way and with the same weights for years!
Impossible.
Muscles adapt.
You are stronger than you were a year ago (if you've been fairly consistent)
I literally see the strength gains clients make in a short span of 6 weeks.
And it's beautiful.
Anyhow, my coach had to remind me... I am not where I used to be.
And levelling up... busting through plateaus... generating more strength, requires more than simply doing what I used to do or what I am used to doing.
In other words, what got me here, won't take me there.
So if I want to achieve a little more, I gotta dig a little deeper.
And that my friend means...
Facing friction head so I can go where I've never been.
How about you?
Facing any "fitness" friction these days?
No judgment if you're not.
I'll be the first to say, I most definitely prefer the path of least resistance!
I like smooth and seamless.
Not rough and rigid.
But one thing I know is that those difficult challenging moments in training are somehow building mental and muscle resilience.
And I also don't want you to think all training needs to be hard and arduous.
Not at all!
Some days can and should be light to moderate and yes, fun :)
Still though, it's the ones that move that intensity dial up a notch that ultimately make the biggest difference.
Remember... if you have a goal of any kind, what got you to where you are now won't take you where you wanna go next.
Levelling up means facing friction.
And yes, it is worth it.
Cuz you are!
Coach Lisa 💪❤
