Personal trainers and fitness coaches are a special breed of people. They are “people people,” observant, good listeners, effective planners and capable of adjusting the plan on the fly, but most of all a good trainer is good at creating and maintaining motivation in his or her clients.
An excellent trainer is all that and more. Like good trainers, the best trainers are good with people, skillful motivators and creative in their work, but they are also expert at managing pressure.
Progress in fitness is generally made by a combination of two things: (1) consistency and (2) pushing slightly beyond present capacity, when the timing is right. Under-exertion is just as dangerous to the process as over-exertion. As in all things, there is a sweet spot in the middle.
I’ve spoken with a number of top-notch personal trainers over the years and every one of them has noted that they generally see two types of clients. The first type is likely to push through barriers, always doing the extra repetition, walking the extra step and going the extra minute, while the second type of person is likely to retreat, collapse, hesitate or quit when met with obstacles. Do these sound familiar?
Growth invariably involves pushing slightly beyond present limitations. It is not always the most comfortable thing, but for some reason you always feel better when you push yourself at the right time. While we’re on the topic of comfort, it is worth mentioning that the worship of comfort is a top cause of stagnation and dissipation. Comfort in and of itself is wonderful, useful and desirable, but the worship of comfort often lurks at the root of stagnant or disintegrative patterns.
The next time you meet an obstacle in yourself, push a little farther than you typically would. There is no need to force the process, but there is the need to bring just enough extra pressure to bear that you don’t collapse at the foot of the barrier over and over again.
I’ve often found in my own experience that the barriers I’ve met were less difficult to overcome than I had made them out to be. So another way to approach this matter is to avoid making a big deal out of challenges that lie ahead before you take your first stab at it. Approaching obstacles in the spirit of victory rather than in temerity, anxiety or frustration creates useful momentum in any challenge.
Confidence peppered with hubris is unattractive at best. Confidence tempered with humility, on the other hand, is always useful.
Have fun with this today and this week. I know I will!
Gregory Hake 
It is a beautiful thing when you hit that sweet spot of pushing hard enough without overtraining. The progress you can see there is incredible. This is applicable for physical progress and other kinds of progress as well. If I had to err, however, I would rather err on the side of going too far. It is always easier to step back than it is to regain forward momentum, and I’ve often found that what I thought was overtraining was me just setting a new and higher bar. Here’s to always hitting the sweet spot, and never getting complacent!
LikeLike
I know in my experience I’ve been guilty of both causing an obstacle by my own fear, and reacting to obstacles with fear which only compounds the obstacle. It occurs to me reading from your perspective that if I approached from the standpoint that in any perceived obstacle there lies an unrecognized opportunity, I might find myself less stuck, and I might just open the way for others to see their way through as well. Useful points for consideration.
LikeLike
Seeming recipe for success – “Approaching obstacles in the spirit of victory” and “Confidence tempered with humility”. Note to self: traits to master!
LikeLike
This post hit the sweet spot for me this morning as I am trying to figure out how to lose all the “cruise” weight I put on recently. I should probably break a sweat rather than my usual stroll. Hmmmmm Thanks!
LikeLike
Feeling slightly vulnerable while reading and responding to those words Gregg. My life – both personal and professional – seems to resonate within those paragraphs.
Nothing much left to worship in the comfort arena – only a new world to create for myself and the ones I love. Acknowledging what I considered to be barriers; a bit excited with the prospect of pushing though them. Eye on the prize (although the prize tends to be a shape shifter. It’s more a state of mind than anything tangible) Goals set. Plan of action in place. Continually raising my bar. Excited – scared to death – unstoppable.
Soft smile – sipping my coffee – thank you on this Tuesday morning.
LikeLike
Having just started a new fitness routine for Spring, there is no better time than the present to pay attention to which direction I might have the tendency to go with my workout – embracing the extra push or dropping out at the minimum, or making an excuse to quit even before that – and then pay attention to where I might be applying the same habit elsewhere in my life. The notion of an obstacle just had the obstacle taken out of it!
LikeLike
I’ve heard it said if you want a path with no obstacles it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. I also subscribe to, if it was that easy, everyone would be successful. Being challenged, having to think, requiring effort and learning to find that balance point are some of the ingredients of a “perfectly good life”.
LikeLike
I’ve never thought of it as ‘worship’ of comfort before. That certainly is not what I want as the center of my worship, ever. Thank you for bringing it my attention!
LikeLike