Lesson 2:
Get your ego out of it.
I don’t care if you think you should be able to do 100 pull ups. You can only do as many as you can. For instance, I, right now, can do zero. And I hang on that bar and I struggle and I sweat. I put my feet on the floor for support and try to just hold 10% of my bodyweight with my arms, or 20%, or (at the beginning of the workout when I feel good) 100%, but, lord help me, I cannot do a single pull up right now. Right now.
But with steady, consistent work, with accepting where I am instead of trying to pretend I’m somewhere I’m not, the change can come. In time. Slowly. But as soon the ego gets involved, it thinks “why can’t you do a single pull up? You're not good enough! Don't you realize you need to prove how strong you are?” And there goes form. There goes strength. There go my gains, and in comes injury.
Why would anyone listen to that voice? Would you listen to a friend who said that to you (not ironically, of course)? Why would you listen to the crazy voice in your head? I'm not saying there aren't sane ones. But why listen to the crazies?
People want to look good, look strong, look like the people doing 100 pushups or weighted pull ups or whatever, but be honest with yourself: can you actually do it? No? Then why are you trying to look like you can? And why are you trying to convince yourself you can? It’s not that you won’t ever be able to, but right now, you can’t.
It's healthy to recognize and accept what you're dealing with right now. Call them limitations, call them whatever you want, but when you argue with reality, you lose. You are where you are. That's not to say there's anything wrong with working toward a goal, but you have to know where you are to know where you’re going.
I’m not working out for anybody else. I’m not working out to prove anything. I’m working out because it’s healthy for me. I’m working out to work out. It’s a lot more fun that way.
One more on the way...
Get your ego out of it.
I don’t care if you think you should be able to do 100 pull ups. You can only do as many as you can. For instance, I, right now, can do zero. And I hang on that bar and I struggle and I sweat. I put my feet on the floor for support and try to just hold 10% of my bodyweight with my arms, or 20%, or (at the beginning of the workout when I feel good) 100%, but, lord help me, I cannot do a single pull up right now. Right now.
But with steady, consistent work, with accepting where I am instead of trying to pretend I’m somewhere I’m not, the change can come. In time. Slowly. But as soon the ego gets involved, it thinks “why can’t you do a single pull up? You're not good enough! Don't you realize you need to prove how strong you are?” And there goes form. There goes strength. There go my gains, and in comes injury.
Why would anyone listen to that voice? Would you listen to a friend who said that to you (not ironically, of course)? Why would you listen to the crazy voice in your head? I'm not saying there aren't sane ones. But why listen to the crazies?
People want to look good, look strong, look like the people doing 100 pushups or weighted pull ups or whatever, but be honest with yourself: can you actually do it? No? Then why are you trying to look like you can? And why are you trying to convince yourself you can? It’s not that you won’t ever be able to, but right now, you can’t.
It's healthy to recognize and accept what you're dealing with right now. Call them limitations, call them whatever you want, but when you argue with reality, you lose. You are where you are. That's not to say there's anything wrong with working toward a goal, but you have to know where you are to know where you’re going.
I’m not working out for anybody else. I’m not working out to prove anything. I’m working out because it’s healthy for me. I’m working out to work out. It’s a lot more fun that way.
One more on the way...