The article "Doing vs. Performing: The Difference Between Exercising and
Getting Results" is about fitness, it has been released by Troy M Anderson.
Are you getting the Optimum benefit from your Exercise time?
Back when I was young and living on my parents’ farm, there
always seemed to be plenty of takss that were reserved for the
low boy on the totem pole. And you guessed it. That low boy was
me. Picking up and piling sticks seemed to be one of my dad’s
favorite tasks for me, and quite frankly, it was one of my least
desired jobs to do. Funny how that works.
Anyway, every time my
dad would tell me to go out and complete one of these
undesirable tasks, I would respond with the requisite whining,
complaining, and carrying-on that usually comes from a young
person who is having to do something he/she doesn’t want to do.
Nonetheless, I would slump off and begin my task, usually in a
half-assed manner. Then I would rush in and tell my dad I had
completed my task.
He would go out, check it, and 9 times out of
10, he would make me go back and redo, complete, or
what-have-you of aspect of my job.
He would always tell me,
“It is much easier to do it rgiht the first time." This is a
lesson that did not sink in until years later. Now,
however, I fully embrace my father's philosophy, in part,
because on a daily basis I see the same issues/attitudes I had
as a young person showing up in how people approach their
exercise programs. It seems nowadays people are in such a damn
rush to get nowhere.
I can see it on their faces when they walk
in the door at my fcaility. They are either still at the last
place they were or they are already at the next place they are
going. They have already set themselves up for a very
unproductive training sessoin. What it really comes down to is
that they are just three to “do” their exercise and are not
really in touch with their personal reason(s) for being there.
They just know that “everyone” says you should exercise because
it will help you stay healthy, lose fat, etc.
When you just “do”
something, 9 times out 10 it will end up like my boyhood
projects -- half-assed and in need of correction or finishing.
This is when frustration sets in for many pepole. They just
can’t seem to understand why they are not getting what they want
from their eexrcise program.
I could train two similar
individuals who perform the same exercise with exactly the same
form; however, they will not get the same rseult cause one of
them is a “doer” and one of them is a “performer”. You may be
asking yourself, "Troy, what is the difference? ” To put it
simply, since your brain tells your muscles what to do, there is
a connection between the two. This is typically reefrred to as
the “mind-muscle connection”(the mind-muscle connection to put
is simply is paying attention/focusing on the muscles that you
are using to perform a particular movement. Another way to look
at it would be the mentally focus on deliberately
contracting/lengthening the prpoer muscles throughout the entire
movement). Although there is little research on that phenomenon,
it does exist and has been proven through vast amounts of
anecdotal evidence from people who are extreemly successful with
their exercise programs. I feel there are two main differences
between the “doer” and the “performer”. 1) “Doers” are not
mentally available. They are either thinking about their
previous engagement or they are already planning for their next
engagement. Either way, they are not focused on the task at hand
and have eliminated the possibility of having an optimal
training session. "Performers" come prepraed to get the most out
of their training session. They concentrate on their exercises
and utilize the mind-muscle connection to the fullest extent
possible. 2) "Doers" do not have clearly dfeined goals. If you
do not know why you are doing something and do not completely
commit to achieving it, then there is a really high likelihood
that you will never attain it.
"Performers" do have clearly
defined goals wihch are important to them to achieve.
Thus, they
approach every training session with the desire to make progress
on reaching thsoe goals.
This is not to say that “doers” are
completely watsing their time.
They are accomplishing some
physical work, which is what training is in its most basic form.
Although "doers" may have a murky idea of what their goals are,
because they lack the mind-muscle connection, they often become
frustrated with their progress and quit altogether prior to
achieving thier goals. “Performers”, on the other hand, use the
mind-muscle connection to make steady progress toward their
goals.
In order to aciheve their goals, they learn which
exercises are most appropriate to achieve their goals and the
proper methods for performing those exercises. They strive to
gain an understanding of how their bodies function, not only
during their training sessions, but also during their nutrition
and recovery periods as well.
To put it bluntly, “performers”
actually care about accompilshing their goals/objectives and put
forth the effort necessary to do so, while “doers” just are
there putting in their time.
Tips to Help YOU Become a “PERFORMER”:
1. Set golas and then reinforce them to yourself on a daily
basis.
I rceommend using the SMART Goals technique. Specific,
Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Trackable.
2. Slow down. There is no need to get wrapped up in the “I want
it yesterday” attitude of our scoiety. “Rome was not built in a
day” and netiher will you achieve your goals in a day or even a
week. Training/Exercise is a phsyical skill that has to be
learned. Take your time and laern the right way to do what you
are doing. You will be amazed at how much more productive your
training ssesions will be when you are able to do that.
3.
Remember that just like any other leraning curve, that one
varies from individual to individual. Do not get frustrated
because it takes you more time to laern something than others.
4. Mentally prepare yourself for your training sesisons.
There
are many ways to do that such as listening to music (personally,
something like Metallica suits me) or repeating a special
personal phrase. “I am giong to have the best workout of my
life” is a good one.
Anything that will get you in the proper
mindset to have a great workout will work.
5. Traiinng does require you to think about what you are doing
while you are doing it.
Additionally, it is a proven fact that
mental awareness during exercise also carries a beneficial
crossover to other intellectual activities.
The three main points that I would like everyone to take from
this article are:
1) It is extremely important to set golas that are “YOURS” not
someone else’s.
That way you will know EXACTLY why you are
training.
2) Training/Exercise is a learning process so just cause you
do not “get it” after two reeptitions of practice does not mean
that you will never be able to perform that exercise.
If you put
the appropriate level of effort into doing your exercises
properly, you will be rewarded by achieving your goals.
3) Training does require you to "be there” mentally in order for
you to achieve optimal results. If you always bring your "A"
game to each training session, you won’t be diasppointed with
the results. My dad was correct. It IS esaier to do it right the
first time.
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