The best thing about getting better at weight training – the improvements in your physique, cardiovascular capacity, cognitive functions, digestion, confidence, stress management and bone density notwithstanding – is that it takes absolutely no talent whatsoever.
I said what I said.
The only way to fail at weight training is to stop or to quit. That’s it. You can’t fail at it by being new at it, you can’t fail at it by being lazy at it and you can’t even fail by being inconsistent at it.
The only way to fail is to stop. It doesn’t take any level of skill. Even the fabled genetic freaks of the fitness world – the ones that are so ripped you cannot even believe it – don’t have any special skill. The genetic lottery helps, but the fact of the matter is that your body will function better if weight training – which can include calisthenics, as bodyweight is definitely a challenge to move – is a part of your life.
Fact. No matter who you are.
That’s why I love it so much. There is nothing in the world that helps me manage my world-class anxiety like weight training. I make it a daily ritual with the notion that I must be mindful of overtraining, so I am.
At least a little.
I have often said in this space, however, that I believe movement is medicine, and I believe in challenging my body on a daily basis. For reasons related to my torn quadriceps, I can no longer play Oldtimers hockey, so it’s weight training for me.
I’m hoping to play flag football in the summertime in an adult league, but I’m only about half optimistic that I can make it possible. Changing directions is extremely hard to do on my bad leg, so we’ll see.
That being said, I’m going to give myself the best shot at it by adapting some – actually, a lot – of what I do in the gym is now geared toward this particular goal of mine.
Now, maybe I’ll hit it and maybe I won’t, but I’m going to give myself the best shot at it by having a training plan and executing it no matter how unpleasant it may be. And I’m going to do it one workout at a time and I won’t waver in my commitment.
No matter what happens, I’ll have my journey. And in life, it’s all about the journey and not the destination.
Movement remains medicine, no matter how many times I say it. And for me, that medicine means finding time to go to the gym and get my sweat on daily.
And that’s how I remain at my best – by finding time to make sure that I am consistent and that way, I cannot fail. I may fail in hitting my goal, but it will not be because my preparation has suffered.
In that respect, I cannot fail, as long as I continue to prepare. Results will come, because I have embraced the process. After all, ‘process’ and ‘success’ both end the same way, right?
Originally published in Iori:wase (Ioriwase.com) March 9, 2023
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