How Does Training Actually Make Our Life Better?

TrainingMindset

20 Feb

When I started training, the aim was to put on size. I wanted to be bigger so people noticed me.

For the first 3 years I trained 4 to 6 times a week, I ate constantly and I bought and used all the supplements.

The reason for that goal, after some analysis, was that I felt I had no presence in a crowed room. Obviously, getting bigger would solve that problem.

And it did solve the problem, but it turns out that the size I got to, or how strong I became, had nothing to do with the problem.

I was using the right method to solve the problem, but the goal was wrong.

It turns out that what training did for my mindset was how the problem was solved.

Which has got me thinking, what is the point of training?

How does training actually make our life better?

Simple questions it seems. And simple answers pop up.

To look better, to get stronger, to be more athletic.

All correct answers. But for what?

For example, someone wants to get leaner, but how lean is lean? How much fat loss is healthy?

There are guidelines which point us in the right direction, but at some point the law of diminishing returns kicks in.

Say you're 30% body fat, and get to 15% body fat. Your way of life is so much better. Everything will feel easier for you. But then the effort to go from 15% to 10%, doesn't bring the same results. Sure you look leaner, but your way of life isn't noticeably different.

So does this mean that getting really lean or really strong isn't a good goal?

No, not at all.

That is how we measure progress, but the challenge is what keeps us going.

The benefits we get in our mindset, the discipline it creates, the consistency we develop.

I argue that this is the real, practical reason to train. This is how training makes our life better.

Once your leaner, getting leaner won't make a massive difference to your life overall. The same for strength, athletic ability, fitness, endurance, whatever physical pursuit you like. The caveat to this is if that extra ability is being pursued for your career/very high levels of performance; then less, getting more of either may lead to a large financial win fall.

The point I'm making here is not that it's not worth it to pursue any of those things, it's just that in the grand scheme of like, going from "lean" to "leaner" won't make much difference in of itself. But pursuing that, and the characteristics and mindset it does to reach it, even if you never do, is actually how training makes our life better.

This is why I coach people to be Strong for Life. The aim is to take those lessons from our training and applying it to our life. Not get lean because people said that's what you should do as an arbitrary goal that isn't applicable to much else in our life.

But instead, pursue getting lean, and understand how that makes all aspects of our life better.

If you’re ready to get Strong for Life, check out the free 12 Week Training program that will start you in the right direction.