I believe Dan John said that, and even if he paraphrased it, it doesn’t matter, I attach it to him.
Dan was recently also #1 on the top 40 list of most relevant trainers. I never met the guy, which is kinda funny considering I’ve attended most workshops offered by Pavel Tsatsouline, who lives near me and with whom I had coffee recently to catch up. Together they authored “Easy Strength” and I am even following a program of Dan’s, a 5 days a week program revolving around 5 chosen exercises (in my case, the barbell Bench Press, the barbell Deadlift, the kettlebell Clean & Jerk, the kettlebell Snatch and the double kettlebell Front Squat).
The expressing titling this blog post extends beyond that of a fitness goal, or how to stay on track with a workout plan with discipline, motivation, commitment and vision. It actually applies to the release of the second installment of The Natural Method trilogy of books based on Georges Hébert’s Practical Guide to Physical Education. My goal is the release of the book in Amazon’s Kindle store, which as of now is 5 days behind schedule. Its release remains the goal nevertheless.
In fitness much like in life, we experience setbacks, roadblocks, challenges as well as favorable currents. An injury, like an ankle sprain or tennis elbow or shoulder pain can set back our training. Then, we can, with the help of a qualified physical therapist or a personal trainer, get back on track. The goal remains the goal, which is to achieve it, to see the task to completion.
The content of the book is done: the upper body exercises with the arm movements and arm positions; the lower body exercises with leg flexion, extension, single leg balance; the trunk stability and mobility (which lack thereof are too common issues people experience and need to be addressed in injury prevention) and of course the break down of proper breathing patterns and breathing exercises. It doesn’t matter where you train, whether you’re a personal trainer in Los Angeles or in Minneapolis (well, I guess it matters when building up resistance to cold, my money is on the trainers in Minnesota vs the trainers in Southern California!)
The cover, the html formatting for the Kindle, the option to download some training lesson plans on the Action-fitness.com web site and the logistics associated with that are the slight delays, as well as my webmaster’s recent bout with the flu and the business of New Year’s resolutions (yes, many people make resolutions not just in fitness, but also in business and he got swamped). And just like in fitness, where a personal trainer can choose to establish a business around injury prevention and proper movement patterns, with a well designed workout plan, there is still the element for the unknown, the accumulation of circumstances (like the cumulative injury cycle) that lead to a delay.
But if you have a plan, a solid plan, get back to it, adapt or adjust where necessary and your vision is focused on that clear goal, following the plan will get you to that goal.