Earning your Progress

Earning your Progress

By: Jeremy Warner

The title says it all, true and clear. As a goal oriented person, who desires to be healthy, live a long active life under the power of my own function, it is important that I keep these few words in the front of my mind at all times. First is to “EARN”. According to a quick search on the internet, the definition of “EARN” is to acquire through merit; to gain or get in return for one’s labor. This sounds like I will be working hard! Now we go to “Progress”. According to the same source “PROGRESS” is advancement in general; a movement towards a goal or higher stage; growth or development. So for me to see progress is for me to see change for the better in some way.

Bringing the 2 together and applying them to fitness seems like a clear cut idea. So what happens when we do not “Earn our progress”? Much like other things in life, if we are just bestowed great things we do not value those things. Now take a look at the last strength cycle we conducted. Did you show up everyday? Did you push your hardest to maintain the assigned work sets? Did you eat better? Sleep better? What about stretching and adding some range of motion? Did you work extra to fix any of your movement deficiencies? Probably not. Like most people, who have busy lives, you went on vacation and missed a week, then you got sore and missed a few sessions, Fridays you link up on the lake so you missed all of those, but you smashed it during our test out week anyway! The PR Bell was ringing non-stop as each new record was recorded. Fist bumps and high fives all around, but what happens next. Well you put in half effort and got results so screw it, lets keep the train rolling I mean you saw some progress right?

Now the next cycle comes up and you start the same process, you skip the work you do not like, you skip the struggle and sore muscles for some time in the comfort zone. Eventually all of that time in the comfort zone becomes your new home and progress stops. Now let’s talk about what it means to “Earn your Progress”. You come in everyday, even when your glutes hurt to sit on, your quads do not allow you to walk down stairs and your shoulders are so tight that you can barely scratch your head. You carry a cooler with your daily meals everywhere you go, and skip watching your favorite show or ball game to get a good nights rest. Each day you feel the grind, each day you push to failure and to a point where you question if you will ever feel strong again. Then one day, a few weeks in, the weights feel a little lighter, you feel a little faster, everything just moves right. On that day you can look back and even if you omit the PR numbers you hit, you know you have changed for the better. Fitness and health are things you earn each day, not something you can simply pay for. Put in the work, earn your progress, and the fruits of your labor will taste so much sweeter! See you in the box.