Pain IS Your Friend!

Hey, I apologize for not posting much in the past couple weeks. I had a crazy last few weeks with finals at school! I have time to breathe now though. But enough with that.. This morning I was having a conversation with one of my private training clients about how the training sessions he is going through are NOT easy, but they ARE going to get him the results he is after.

Why, you might say? What makes them so special? It’s very simple..

I simply told him that breaking away from your comfort zone and doing things you absolutely HATE doing- in other words, exercises and training sessions that are downright painful (painful in a way that does NOT bring about injury, though- big difference) are probably why most people are spinning their wheels in the quest to lose fat and build strong, lean muscle.

The exercises I choose aren’t fancy- we weren’t balancing on bosu balls, lifting 5 lb dumbells, and performing endless sit-ups and 1/4 squats that are big huge time-wasters… The average gym goer may see the stuff we were doing and be in shock..

Heavy deadlifts…

1-arm dumbbell lifts..

Dragging car tires with weight thrown into the tire at 6:30 in the morning in the street..

Going through circuits that would humble most that think they’re fit; including myself!

I always tell people that ask me “What should I do in the gym?” that they need to embrace pain, pick the exercises that aren’t the “sexiest” or flashy- so no more squats on the bosu ball while pressing the shiny 10 lb dumbbells and reading the newspaper- I tell them learn how to squat, deadlift, press, clean; I tell them to get comfortable with mastering their own bodyweight FIRST (like I discussed in the Ultimate Guide to Bodyweight Training Part I and Part II). There are certain bodyweight standards people should meet before they think about stepping under a bar, but that’s for another day…

OK, so what’s the point of all this? I was reminded of a powerful, yet simple lesson today. And that is to make PAIN your new best friend when you set out to achieve a goal. I told my client this morning that more importantly these sessions are going to make you TOUGH- mentally stronger, mentally tougher, more confident; the benefits of going through these hard sessions, pushing through pain, blocking out your body telling you to QUIT, and finishing- that will make any person STRONG.

Try this session on for size today if you’d like! This is the exact training session I used this morning.

**WARM UP FOR A GOOD 10 MINUTES WITH MOBILITY DRILLS, JUMP ROPE, CALISTHENICS, DYNAMIC STRETCHES, ETC**

1A.) Deadlift 4-5 x 6 reps (increase weight each set)

2A.) DB 1-Arm Clean and Press x 8

2B.) Goblet Squat x 12

2C.) Bent Over Row x 15

2D.) Band Resisted Push-Up x 12

2E.) DB Hammer Curl x 10

-NO rest between exercises, rest 1 minute after each round. Perform the deadlifts first, then perfrom 2A-2E in circuit fashion. Repeat the circuit 3-4x.

**This is not for the out of shape, or mentally weak to try. This is NOT for everyone. Be smart about this, work to your current fitness level. You’ll know how fit you are after finishing a round or two of the above circuit. And this does NOT mean to go through the motions with extremely light weights either- PUSH YOUR SELF!

We finished with some light sled dragging for 10 minutes. In and out.

Now, my question for you is:

WHAT DRIVES YOU TO TRAIN? WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO KEEP GOING AND BREAK AWAY FROM YOUR COMFORT ZONE?

Leave me a comment below and let me know!!

Have a great Monday,

John Cortese

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