I saw this image online, and it immediately spoke to me! Working in the training world, people are always asking me “How Long?” How long to rehab an injury, change a movement pattern, build bigger muscles or lose weight. In a world dominated by super high-speed internet, 5-minute ab workouts and fad diets, I feel a lot of us have lost focus on the process and instead focus solely on results… and we want them RIGHT NOW! The sad thing is, when we get those immediate results, we’re often not satisfied for long. We want more, another PR, an even smaller waist, 6 connected muscle ups when we’ve just gotten our first one and herein lies a problem. We have lost our appreciation for the ‘grind’…the hard work that must be put in consistently, day after day in order to achieve our goals in a safe and efficient manner.

I often describe training as an investment; like saving up for a major trip, or a down payment on your first home. When saving for a major expense, sacrifices must be made: you might have to cut down on your clothing budget, your ‘weekend’ expenses, or even give up some of your free time in order to work overtime. I think we all recognize this…we know we cannot accrue a down payment over night. Training is very similar. In order to give our tissues time to build resilience, our nervous system time to learn movement patterns, and our muscles time to grow bigger and stronger, we must put in time and effort…as Dhani Oks of Academy of Lions would say, we must #dothework. Sacrifices must also be made in order to reach your training goals. Diet, PERIODIZED training, sleep, and stress management become extremely important, and might require you to give up Friday night take-out and evenings out with friends. You may have to change the way you eat, when you go to bed, and possibly even your circle of friends. Training is, and should be HARD…but I guarantee you, it is worth it.

With a periodized training and nutrition program, you’ll reach your goals in a manner that minimizes your risk of injury, ensures you have built a safe and efficient movement pattern, and most importantly in a way that allows you to appreciate the gains you’ve made. You’ll feel proud of your accomplishments, confident in your abilities, and ready to take on other challenges. You’ll also have a realistic idea of what types of goals you should be setting, as well as the time and effort its going to take to reach them. When we set goals for instant results, we’re often left feeling disappointed, inadequate or unsatisfied; in short, we set ourselves up for failure. By re-framing the way you think about training to include realistic training goals and timelines you’ll be in a much more positive state of mind and in better place physically and mentally to meet them. Focus on the process; all it takes is a little bit of patience, persistence and positivity. You will reach your goals; it will take time and effort, there will be ups and downs, but in the end, it’s worth it!

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