A favorite book of mine is “The Obstacle is the Way”. It’s about the title, the obstacle is the way. The way to what?
The way forward.
In life, we are faced with obstacles, things that challenge us in our journeys. Many times, especially the things that just “pop up”, we really wish our problems didn’t happen.
But they did. And they continue to do so.
Some people run from them.
You get some folks trying to go around them.
Some pretend the problem isn’t there.
Others just bow to defeat.
But the only good way is forward. Through that which is the challenge. The obstacle is the way forward. Through embracing the difficult and hard things in life, you can move forward to accomplish more.
Those of you seasoned with life through age, through rough childhoods, hardships in your most treasured activities (like sports) understand this clearly. Hopefully. If you’ve ever worked hard for something, you get it.
Injured. You must attack the injury (medical intervention, PT, gym, back to training).
Defeated in a championship. You must go through the pain of accepting the loss and then endure the journey of making yourself top of the podium material.
Training is hard. I work to make it an enjoyable environment for those I coach. But it’s hard regardless. Not every single time, but overall. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally.
You know what’s also hard about training, especially right now at GHP:
- Eccentric Reps
- Barbell Front Squats
- Interval Sprints
These are things most athletes don’t like. They are hard & uncomfortable.
Eccentrics take a long time to do, doing squats for an entire minute, only to have done 10.
Front squats are uncomfortable on your wrists and/or shoulders.
Interval sprints can be hard no matter what type of shape you are in. Your heart feels like it’s beating out of your chest. Your legs feel just so heavy.
But they are the way to progress. As your coaches program them for you, they are the things you must do. They all serve their roles in your training.
Avoiding the obstacles you face in your life and training only teaches you to run, dodge, and bow.
Slay your dragons and prove your strength!
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Much of our July training includes all 3 of these hard things, and well, you have to get through it to get better.
Happy Training