My fitness persona for much of my life has involved a more, bigger, heavier approach.
If the training called for 4-6 sets I always did 6. If the reps were to be 12-15, always 15.
If the program was 4 days per week, I always added an “extra’s” day or two.
I have always had somewhat of an obsessive personality.
When I was 12 years old I started to play the guitar.
It wasn’t long before I was locking myself in my room for hours upon hours per day.
In a short time, I became very proficient and shocked my family & friends with my new abilities.
Concentrated singular focus can do wonders (I used to pretend to be sick so I could miss school and play guitar all day long.)
There is a notion that mastery of a particular skill involves around 10,000 hours of fixated effort.
This, while being a very general statement does probably hold some truth.
When it comes to this health & fitness lifestyle, achievement of desired outcome is a bit more of a winding road with some super-highways and even some rest-stops along the way.
The physical aspect of pushing, pulling, lifting etc. is mechanical, but remembering that we are the sum parts of a organism with a conscientious mind and tempered spirit, there are many factors at play to establish our end results.
As I have gotten older, I finally have wised-up and realized that quality is so much more important than quantity.
It is natural to assume that more is a good thing.
Save fifty dollars a week and that’s great, save one hundred per, better yet.
In obtaining mastery of health-based goals, we need to account for ancillary aspects like rest, sleep & general recovery that tend to be downplayed or that can even go by the wayside due to enthusiasm.
In other words you are better served to have three outstanding workouts per week, than five average ones.
Mastery also includes finding your own personal sweet-spot (based upon your goals) and training progressively with an eye towards the outcome you have chosen.
A good overall plan and patient, focused execution will build momentum for amazing results—–just don’t forsake those restoration days.
John
