Direction is one of the most difficult things to find in life, just ask any 23 year old college graduate. For the last 16 years someone else has been setting their goals. It starts with colors, shapes, and letters and ends with some pretty complex arrangements of colors, shapes, and letters. But now you're a graduate. No more teachers and institutions directing your path. So what will you do now? It's up to you. For a few motivated grads, this means that the world is their oyster, full of opportunity. For many, it's a paralyzing task to try to determine the direction for the next 50 years of life.
I find the gym to be a pretty decent analog to life. One of the most difficult things for many trainees is deciding on a direction to take their training. Sure, there are a few who seem to effortlessly glide into an intelligent program and solid goals, but for the most part that is not the case. In my case, I trained for nearly 10 years before really understanding what I was doing and why I was doing it.
At its worst a lack of direction can lead to rampant program hopping, over-education, and a discouraging lack of progress. At best it leads to mediocre training that is too diluted to bring any real results. Couple this with poor habits outside of the gym and you have a recipe for landing back on the couch in 2 months or less. While we all secretly wish we could just lay on the couch instead of going to the gym from time to time, we all know that it will not end well.
Your direction in the gym should be determined by your long term goals. If the direction of your training is not relevant to what you are trying to accomplish, it just doesn't make any sense. You might need to hire a coach to help you think through and plan the action steps to move you towards that goal. Setting the direction of your training is a lot like investing, most people don't do that without good advice from a qualified professional. While what happens with your money is pretty important, I'd argue that keeping your body healthy and ready for any necessary task is probably a little more important. So don't skip working with a qualified coach to keep an eye on your overall program and to help keep your training moving in the right direction.
Once you've set your course, it's time to put your head down and grind it out. Stop reading all the fitness magazines offering you 3 weeks to huge guns and a tight butt. Stay the course and continuously move in the direction you have chosen. Don't be in a hurry to see results. Instead, focus on the process of getting a little bit better every single day. Direction is a long term process. It will guide the next 20 years of your training. That means there might be small tweaks and course corrections, but huge shifts should be fairly rare.
In summary, setting the direction of your training is hugely important. Start with your goals, talk with a coach, put your hand to the plow, and get to work. Don't constantly watch the scale or become preoccupied with numbers on the bar. Do be preoccupied with doing the next right thing, every single day, for the rest of your life. If you miss here and there, it's not going to be a problem because the overall direction of your training is going to keep you moving. It's when you lose your direction that you find yourself back on the couch.
At its worst a lack of direction can lead to rampant program hopping, over-education, and a discouraging lack of progress. At best it leads to mediocre training that is too diluted to bring any real results. Couple this with poor habits outside of the gym and you have a recipe for landing back on the couch in 2 months or less. While we all secretly wish we could just lay on the couch instead of going to the gym from time to time, we all know that it will not end well.
Your direction in the gym should be determined by your long term goals. If the direction of your training is not relevant to what you are trying to accomplish, it just doesn't make any sense. You might need to hire a coach to help you think through and plan the action steps to move you towards that goal. Setting the direction of your training is a lot like investing, most people don't do that without good advice from a qualified professional. While what happens with your money is pretty important, I'd argue that keeping your body healthy and ready for any necessary task is probably a little more important. So don't skip working with a qualified coach to keep an eye on your overall program and to help keep your training moving in the right direction.
Once you've set your course, it's time to put your head down and grind it out. Stop reading all the fitness magazines offering you 3 weeks to huge guns and a tight butt. Stay the course and continuously move in the direction you have chosen. Don't be in a hurry to see results. Instead, focus on the process of getting a little bit better every single day. Direction is a long term process. It will guide the next 20 years of your training. That means there might be small tweaks and course corrections, but huge shifts should be fairly rare.
In summary, setting the direction of your training is hugely important. Start with your goals, talk with a coach, put your hand to the plow, and get to work. Don't constantly watch the scale or become preoccupied with numbers on the bar. Do be preoccupied with doing the next right thing, every single day, for the rest of your life. If you miss here and there, it's not going to be a problem because the overall direction of your training is going to keep you moving. It's when you lose your direction that you find yourself back on the couch.
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