#59 Strategies for Improvement

Processing

I used to do a poor job in this category.  I’d be so fucking focused and run until the wheels fell off.  On the other hand, there is a level of consistency and push required to separate yourself. 

So, how do I process this?  Physically, this week I took two days off lunging.  I really felt like I needed the rest.  I needed to make sure that my jump performance was there.  If I was getting ready for a bodybuilding show, there’s no way I would miss those.

Stillness

One of my favorite books is Stillness Is the Key.  Think about when you have water.  Water that's wavy, right?  There's a lot going on.  Then you have water that’s completely still.  Water where you can take that motherfucking jet ski.

When the waters are choppy, things have to be handled, and the mentality has to be right.  Much of the information I'm consuming is based around problem solving and strategy.  To get the stillness because the stillness is the key.  Stillness allows you to think clearly and make better decisions.

Mental & Physical Fatigue

Sometimes you have to work through it.  You have to have the mindset of shaking hands with the bar every day.  Whether you’re sore or not, you have to get through it.  It’s real.  Some of my best lunge and squat days came on unexpected days.  It’s just a part of the process.

Don’t give in easy.  Sometimes the bad days turn into the best days.  Take when my back locked up, for example.  I came back a few days later and had one of my best jumping performances in 20 years, with no pain.  You just never know.

Is overtraining real?  Could you overtrain to such a degree that you're sick and breaking down muscle?  Yeah, you could do that.  Does anyone ever reach that? Not often.  It's some David Goggins shit.  To get to that level, you have to be fucking insane.  

Obstacles

You’re going to run into several roadblocks along the way.  It’s important to have strategies in place for when they come up.  I’ve hit all types of roadblocks throughout my career.  I’ve succeeded and failed.  Strategy is the key.

Assess the situation.  Follow the process.  If I feel fatigued, I fucking take a step back and say, "Turn the motherfucking iPhone off, spend some time with my family, or listen to some books.”  So what's your strategy?