The other day I had a cancellation, and when I walked out of the gym for a coffee I found my previous client sitting in the lobby psyching herself up to go to work. I asked her to join me for coffee, and we went and had a chat. She said, "You must get bored watching the same exercises and counting reps all the time."
"That's why I have you do 5 reps and less," I said.
"Yeah but the same exercises?"
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| I work every day with adults who are not as strong as this infant |
But I love it. From the beginner with a "squat" which is in fact a half-squat on their toes with knees tracking in and hunched over, to the more experienced lifter who needs to just tilt their head down slightly to give themselves more hip drive, all are enjoyable to work with. From the natural athlete who watches one demonstration or hears one description and performs the movement very well on the first rep, to the clumsy nerd with a history of joint injuries who needs months of preparation just to be able to a below parallel bodyweight squat, these all fascinate me.
In the end, physical training is an absurdly simple thing. We pick a weight up and put it down, we put one foot in front of another as we run, and we do this thousands and thousands of times until we get it at least pretty much right. When we're doing it right, we reward ourselves by adding another plate to the bar, or running up a hill instead of the flat, or running a bit longer, and generally making things more difficult for ourselves.
But in this simplicity lies our chance to do things brilliantly, to gradually refine our technique, lift more weight or run or throw things further. A sense of achieving mastery is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. Many times I've seen someone's face the first time they did a full pushup or chinup or squatted 100kg or ran 5km without stopping, and it never gets old.
To achieve mastery, you have to stick with the basics and not get bored with them. If you are doing a useful programme based on training movements, not muscles, you should not get bored. If you get bored you're not working hard enough. Put another plate on the barbell or run 1km further. Adding weight or time or reducing rest between sets, you may feel fear or fatigue, but not boredom.
A good trainee will not get bored with the basics, because they're mastering the basics. A good coach or trainer won't get bored watching the basics, because they're helping the person master them. It feels good to get better at stuff, and to help others get better.
