One of the worst things that you can do in the gym is to give up when things aren’t going your way.
Many lifters will easily quit working out if they are not making the progress they think they should be making. But the worst part about it is that they quit without even acknowledging their role in not reaching their goals. Trust me, a deep inspection into their workout and eating habits would reveal the truth. And only the truth can set us free and on the path to getting healthier and stronger.
I had moments early in his career where I quit, and I am still haunted by some of those experiences today. Not haunted by fear but haunted by the possibilities I let walk out the door like a thief in the night.
The 1st Reason Why You Shouldn’t Give Up
The first reason why you should not quit is because option A offers more benefits than option B.
Choosing option A is hard because it requires you to fight and endure. Choosing option B is easy because it only requires you to quit. If you have been a bit inconsistent in the gym and after a few months you don’t look or feel any different, it’s not time to quit. We have all been at this point but consider your options.
Whereas Option A is a hard path that will require accountability, it pays off with a better quality of physical/mental well-being. By quitting and choosing Option B, you are setting yourself up for significant health issues and a lower quality of life.
The 2nd Reason Why You Shouldn’t Give Up
No plan is perfect.
Let’s say you think you have found the perfect training and nutrition plan. You think you are going to build the perfect body except for the fact that you forgot that there is no such thing as perfect. But regardless of what program you choose to use, you will suffer a setback at some point. I’ve been there.
You will fall a rep short. Your nutrition plan will become mundane after a while, and you will not see the same rate of progress in the mirror. But this does not mean that it is time to give up. This means it is time to reevaluate what you are doing and make the necessary changes to continue making progress.
The 3rd Reason Why You Shouldn’t Give Up
Whether you move forward one inch or one mile, you are making progress.
A beginner lifter who just started lifting can see supreme gains with relative ease. Because a beginner is new to training, they will experience faster adaptations to training than a veteran trainee. I have had some men who walk in off the street who can deadlift 315lbs within 3 months and this is after struggling with 135lbs on day 1. The progress is so fast because the lifter is so new, and their body is not used to training. Therefore, beginners typically make fast gains.
Meanwhile, a veteran lifter will not be adding over 100lbs of weight on to his or her lifts in just mere months. The reason for this is that the longer you lift, the harder it is to make progress. The veteran lifter knows that if they average a 20lb increase on a lift each year that it would be a 100lb increase over 5 years. That will lead to more muscle and strength.
Conclusion
Progress comes in baby steps, but those baby steps add up over time.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer,
Fitman
