The Only Time is Now

Training is hard, understanding how to stay motivated and never give in is one of the greatest challenges of the sporting world!

It is a war, and EVERY workout is a battle. If you win the battles, you’ll win the war.

But how do you stay motivated?

As in the Buddhist practice of Zen, “THE ONLY TIME IS NOW”. Read it until it’s ingrained in your mind.

During training your mind will play tricks on you. Don’t let it.

Most commonly you will find yourself thinking, “I’ll do this set then leave it there, the next set will kill me! I don’t feel up to it today”, or something similar.

STOP.

Remember that the only time is now. Do your set and focus on it with everything you have! Thinking of the future will not help you. You should find training more enjoyable and that extra set or exercise won’t seem as daunting because it won’t be hanging over your head the entire time you’re in the gym!

Here are a few ways to focus on “the now” in your training:

Focus on one rep at a time, perfect technique, perfect breathing. Even during a set of 50 reps. You can only lift one rep at a time, so only lift one rep at a time.
Write down all your training weights/reps in a workout only AFTER you have completed the exercise. Often you can do more. If you write out weights and reps before you’ve even warmed up, how do you know how you’re going to perform today?! Always train hard. NEVER set limits.
Set goals in the future, set a deadline, but focus on what you can do NOW to achieve it. Take action now!

Good luck in your training! Focus on the now and you’ll improve immediately.

Today I’ll leave you with some wise words from a great athlete…

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”

Bruce Lee

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Anthony Shaw

Raw Strength

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