Terry Todd, a powerlifting legend and one of my mentors, passed away recently. Terry was a very special person in my life, not least of all because he took an interest in my training long before I had achieved anything noteworthy. And I often reflect on one of the little wisdoms he shared with me early on in our relationship: “don’t let perfect become the enemy of good.”
That was great advice for me, because — like many lifters — I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. That’s not surprising when you consider the mechanical nature of the sport and the importance of consistency. It becomes very tempting to think that you can write the perfect program, execute every rep perfectly, and achieve the perfect results… but that’s just not reality.
The Realities of Hard Training
The truth is, if you’re training hard, you’re going to run into some bumps along the way. Whether it’s something minor, like getting wrapped up in a heavy set and overreaching in one particular training session or missing a lift; or even something major, like a serious injury, the fact is that if you’re pushing your limits, sometimes the limits are going to push back. Recognizing that, and being able to respond appropriately, is key to both long- and short-term success.
A good training plan will account for those realities. Maybe that means some form of auto-regulation, like in RPE-based programs or in the maximal effort method. Or maybe it means building a support system prior to planning a meet. Maybe it’s something as simple as starting a regular meditation practice to maintain a steady mindset through the ups and downs of a training cycle. The bottom line is this: if you’re not planning for setbacks from the start, then you’re setting yourself up for disappointment, and maybe even failure.
Embrace the Challenge
Bad sessions are not a bad thing. Understanding that is the key to accepting the realities of hard training. I’ve written about this countless of times before, in my articles about the dark side of motivation and how it’s important to never f*cking quit — and I harp on it so much because I know what happens when you let setbacks get to your head. The “perfect” plan goes out the window, and pretty soon, what might have been as simple as a missed lift turns into a total derailment.
But instead, if you recognize that the good and bad go hand in hand when it comes to productive training, you can more easily decide to stick to the plan as best you’re able despite the inevitable setbacks. And, most of the time, you’ll end up far exceeding your expectations for having done so.