I’m scrolling through my news feed on Christmas Day, reading all these comments about how hardcore people are for getting up super early to train, and I think that’s awesome. Nothing gets me more fired up than to see someone who’s passionate about something (anything, really) and is willing to make sacrifices for it. That said, I want to be really clear about this: no matter how passionate you are about training, you need balance. I love that you’re making sacrifices to improve, but giving up too much of your life is counterproductive. I’m not talking about being unhealthy. Let’s be real: trying to compete at a high level in anything isn’t really healthy. I’m talking about having the mental strength to be able to relax and step away from your routine.
New Year’s resolution to do exactly that.
It very much is a strength. As much as guys like to talk about how hardcore they are to have the willpower to get out of bed at 5 AM to go train, if you’re really passionate about something, it’s much, much more difficult to allow yourself the space to not get up at 5 AM to go train. And chances are, if you’re the type of guy who’s going to get up at 5 to go train, then you probably push yourself so much on a regular basis that you’re better off giving your body some extra rest anyway. There are exceptions, of course. If you’re in meet or contest prep, you have to get your work in, no matter what. And I certainly don’t mean for this article to be an excuse for all the lazy lifters who push themselves hard maybe one a month or so (although I’m sure many of them will take it that way). But if you never take your foot off the gas, maybe you should make it your
New Year’s resolution to do exactly that.
