NOTE: the term “Porcelain Post” was invented by Brian Patrick Murphy and Pete Dupuis. Without getting into the specifics, it describes a post that can be read in the same time it takes you to go #2.
Huh, I guess that was more specific than I thought.
Enjoy.
Results is a Battle of Repetition
You didn’t think I was going to use the word “battle” in a blog post and not figure out someway to finagle a lightsaber reference in there did you?
It’s me we’re talking about here.
So I was listening to THIS interview with Adam Bornstein on The Fitcast the other day and something Adam said resonated with me:
Training is a battle of repetition. The ones who reap the most benefit (and get results) put in the reps, and stay consistent. #notsexy
— Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore1) July 19, 2016
Part II of his commentary was him explaining how his most successful clients (both in person and distance based) – the ones whom he’d use as a walking advertisement for his services – were the ones who stuck with him for a minimum of 1-3 years.
This is not to suggest that those people who only decided to stick around for a month or two (or nine) didn’t receive any benefit or reach their goals in working with Adam. I’m sure many did, because he’s a rock-star coach.
Rather, his message was to demonstrate a hard truth for many to swallow.
It’s the long-game, and consistency with doing the same shit over, and over, and over, and over again that will usually pan out in your favor.
Those people (or clients) who stick to their guns, hold themselves accountable, and make the time to prioritize their health/fitness over the course of many, many weeks/months/better yet, years, are the ones who do very well.
And, honestly, as much as I feel exercise variety is overrated, it’s not even about always doing the monotonous stuff consistently. I do feel learning the basics are important, and taking the time to master them is never a bad thing. The basics should, more often than not, serve as the foundation of any program.
Having said that: I also understand there comes a point and time when some people would rather swallow live bees than perform another Goblet squat.
However, and this is a big however, the more cogent word to focus on in this particular discussion is “stuff.”
Doing “stuff” consistently – whether it’s CrossFit, powerlifting, taking group exercise classes, or pantless Zumba pillow-fighting (<— make it happen Equinox) – and doing it for a very long time, is almost always going to result in some pretty phenomenal things happening.
The key, though, is to START. Stop making excuses, stop reading articles, stop sending emails to fitness pros asking what you should do. Just start. And then, don’t stop. You’ll win the battle.
