mastery
“Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I’ll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things.” – Lawrence D. Bell

Everyone would like to be able to do a muscle up.  Or deadlift 400+ pounds.  Not everyone is willing to put in the work.

Can you do a set of 15 pull ups and 15 ring dips?  Can you deadlift 350lbs with proper form?  Details matter.

When you do a set of 20 consecutive push ups how many are proper, complete push ups?  How many were close?

My first Diane

21-15-9
Deadlift @225#
HSPU

It was 20 minutes in and I was on my last HSPU.  Most of the class was done so the coach was standing there counting my reps: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8.  Only not in a row like that.  It was one or two reps at a time with plenty of failed reps in between but now I was down to one final rep.  I got my head down to the floor and pressed up, got my arms past the sticking point and in the effort, lost my balance.  My heels came off the wall as my arms reached full extension.

“Good enough,” the coach said.

“Good enough?”

“Was it a rep?” I asked.

“Well, we’ll call it a rep,” he told me, offering me mercy.

Not good enough.  I shook my head in refusal and turned myself back to the wall.  It would take me a few more minutes and some failed attempts but I wouldn’t be finished until I locked out that last rep.

There are no short cuts to fitness.  And I don’t think there are any short cuts in life either.  I am not willing to accept an almost rep.

Neither should you.  Your goal should be to make every rep count.  It’s a discipline and if you practice it in the gym I believe you can apply it to your life outside the gym.  No sloppy, almost reps.  No short cuts.

Learn to be excellent at the little things and you will accomplish big things.  In fitness and in life!