The Number One Thing I Need Personal Training Clients to Get on Board With
Here’s one thing I know about all fit people: they have learned to embrace discomfort. They don’t just tolerate discomfort, they actually seek it out and afterwards are proud of the time they spent in that growth zone. They sign up for a competition because they know it will inspire their best effort, they choose the cycling class with the instructor that pushes them the most, or maybe they track some kind of data like from a heart rate monitor so they can see that they’re getting stronger. When they are sore the next day, they are happy because they know that it means that they succeeded in pushing their body enough to get stronger.
Growth is not possible if we do not push ourselves, if we do not strive. Muscles do not grow if they are not pushed, and our cardiorespiratory system doesn’t improve if we don’t ever move beyond what is comfortable. Period.
At one point or another, I like to work out with my clients: you know go through hell at the same time they are. It’s a bonding experience. Plus, I want my clients to see what it looks like to work out at max effort, because most people don’t realize how much more they are capable of. (And yes of course the best effort of a 70-year old with a knee problem will look different than the best effort of a healthy 20-year-old, and it is my job as a trainer to know how to get each person to their best effort.) After our workout, my client often looks at me and says something like, “I just don’t have it in me to push myself that hard.” They aren’t talking about my output levels or anything objective; they are talking about how much it looks like I’m about to die at the end of the workout. What I need anyone who wants to be fitter to understand is that everyone in the world has the ability to learn how to push themselves that hard, in other words, to put forth their best effort. And the rewards are truly life-changing should you choose to accept the challenge of embracing discomfort. Everything that you want in your life becomes a possibility.
So why can’t I just tell an overweight client that all she has to do is go for a comfortable stroll every night? Because that is not how we make our bodies stronger and that is not how we make our minds stronger, and I need both things from my clients. A stronger body=a body that is capable of doing more things and burning more calories in the gym and out of the gym. A stronger mind=a person who will push themselves in the gym and out of the gym and get themselves back on the wagon when they fall off. The person that has learned to embrace discomfort will make it to the gym after a long day at work when all they want to do is sit on the couch with a pint of ice cream. Those people get the results they want to see.
The ability to embrace discomfort isn’t something anyone is born with. Babies cry when they’re tired, and plenty of adults do too. So first of all, you have to consciously and explicitly commit to the journey and know why you’re on it. And if you’re like me, you’ll probably have to remind yourself why you’re on it every day. Second of all, grit, or mental toughness, is a muscle that has to be developed just like any muscle in your body. You develop it by doing one more rep than you did yesterday whether that’s working a little longer, a little faster, or lifting a little heavier. You get there by eating a little better than yesterday, drinking one less beer than you did last Friday night, or embracing a new challenge.
Rinse and repeat. Use that growing muscle as much as you can stand in every arena in your life. Along the way, though, reflect on your progress and celebrate your results. Of course, recovery time back in that comfort zone is important, but that comfortable couch in the AC feels so much better after you’ve been away from it for most of the day.
If you need some help pushing yourself through some discomfort give me a call. I offer virtual coaching and personal training in Durham, NC. I know that each person comes to me with a unique threshold for discomfort, and for some people just making that call is incredibly uncomfortable. If that’s you, just head to contact page, give me your number, and I’ll send you a text to get the ball rolling.
Meeting you where you are to build you up,
Emily
