You’ve been coming in regularly, and you’ve been putting in the hours. You go home, and you do your best to stick to a healthy eating plan. You drink the water, you do the WOD’s, and NOW you are wondering where/when the changes happen.
The big question is: What are you using to measure change? Is it the scale? If so, you most likely aren’t going to be that impressed. The scale can and will lie to you about your progress. "Skinny" is NOT a measurement of health. I want you to take the word "Skinny" and throw it away. Measuring change with things like how your clothes fit, less pain during the day, feeling stronger during workouts, increased energy during the day, reaching new PR's, a solid boost of confidence, etc. will give you a better reflection of your hard work.
Progress comes in many different shapes and forms. It’s not one size fits all. Your progress goals are going to look extremely different from Coach Hannah’s progress goals--AND THAT’S OK. First, let’s consider what it takes to keep progressing towards more gains.
Working Your Weakness:
You may have heard us say this little catch phrase around the gym, but do you know what it means? To "work your weakness" means you don’t cherry pick the days you workout based off of the things that you like or don’t like in the WOD. Don’t skip the running day because you “aren’t a runner”. Every able bodied person has the potential to be a runner. It takes time and consistency to gain the strength, skill, and stamina to run. Just ask Terri or Joe! They both came to us and didn’t think it would be possible for them to run 800m. Now, they can both finish the WOD no matter the distance of running on the board.
If you don’t like a specific movement, it’s most likely something that you need to do more of. Lean into those things that you struggle with. The more you work at them, the easier they will become. As you gain the strength there, you’ll find that it translates over to other areas in the gym that you are “good at” too.
Pushing Your Comfort Zone:
Once you become comfortable, make yourself uncomfortable. You know me . . . I love to make y’all feel weird and awkward. Embrace looking silly and making mistakes. Live constantly uncomfortable. If you never try something new, then you’ll never continue to grow.
Once you master the Kettlebell Swing with 13#s, then it’s time to start using the next weight up. You don’t have to use the heavier weight for the entire WOD. So what if you have to change the weights in the workout. Do the first set with the heavier weight, and drop down to the 13# again. If you’re killing the workouts with the 20” box, then guess what… add a plate. Make it a few inches higher at a time, until you’re able to flip the box to the 24” side. Use this principle on every movement that we do in the gym. If you don't know how to challenge yourself, then ask a coach. We are here to help give you adequate progressions to keep you safe while you get the gains.
Try It:
You’ll never know if you can do something unless you try it. You’ve never been upside down? Well, now is your time to try it. It’s the best time to try something new because you have trained coaches next to you to give you the appropriate scale. They will be there to show you the best way to try it to stay safe. So what if you fall. There’s no need to feel embarrassed because the person next to you is going to fall down at something else too. --And if they haven’t, then they aren’t doing it right.
**SPOILER ALERT** This is the entire premise of Strongman, and why we preach it.
Now that you know how to make progress happen, set your goals. Once you accept the hard work that is in front of you, decide what you want to work on. Come in 5 minutes early before the workout, and work on your goals.
There are no “get rich quick” schemes for progress. There are no words that a coach can say to make certain movements easier for you. Yes, we can help you tweak things here and there, but most of the time it’s steady dedication on your part. It’s hard - and it takes plenty of time to see the effects. The good news is that it’s SO much more rewarding that way. You’ll have an unbelievable feeling of proud achievement once those Double Under's FINALLY come together. You BEST believe that we will all celebrate with you!
Progress happens with challenges. It’s not easy, and it’s not always fun--but it WILL give you the effects you want. You’ll never see the changes physically or mentally in yourself if you keep doing the same things over and over again. That’s literally the definition of insanity. In all areas of life, constantly challenge yourself to do something new, to push yourself a little bit harder, and to stretch your comfort zone to become better.
Practically speaking: Try that new Mexican restaurant, push past the 3 taco barrier, and try new toppings. It’s all worth it.
<3 Coach Tracey