The Importance Of Getting Wins

A win under the belt builds momentum, it builds confidence and showcases movement closer towards your end goal.

Something that has been playing on my mind a lot lately is: “What is not measured cannot be managed.”

 

 Without the measurement you cannot see wins, you also cannot see losses, you cannot see improvements and mentally you float around in the wind. 

 

 You fuck around without finding out.

 

Are the measurements tough to look at sometimes? Fuck yeah.

 

Sometimes the biggest challenge is just facing them, gulping down that hard to swallow pill and taking full accountability for where everything is at.

 

Not sure what I’m talking about?

 

Think about how well you manage your finances. That’s usually a pretty common one that people overlook. 

 

 When was the last time you knew where every dollar was going, or knew exactly what was coming vs going out this week?

 

 

I fucking don’t and that’s why I am writing this as a constant reminder.

 

In training it is no different.

 

Everyone knows they need to go to the gym, but where do they start? Or what do they do? Will people look at me? What if I do the movement wrong?

 

Orrrr the absolute classic of “I have to get fit before”…

 

Before I join the gym, before I join the run club, before I start Crossfit.

 

That’s what I’d call a mental loss.

 The over-complication, overthought, anxiety filled reason to not go out of fear. 

 

It’s my belief that because you didn’t go, you gained a mental loss. Which now sits in your brain right up the back, in the deep dark depths of it, popping it’s head up every now and then, reminding you that you need to go but you know you won’t, sparking the hard to break loop of anxiety.

 

Know how to clear that space?

 

Go.

 

Start.

 

Don’t know how to deadlift? (PT’s are going to hate me saying this) 

 

Fuck it, pick it up how you think it may work.

 

Start with the bar and do a few reps.

 

 Is it going to feel stupid, yep- That’s the pill of accountability.

 

 Are you going to improve… also yes.

 

(side note; most people that have been going to the gym for years, 1. Still don’t know what the fuck they are doing, and 2. Don’t know how to brace properly anyway, so who gives a fuck.)

 

 Will you get hurt, hmmm… there's a low possibility.

 

 But you’ll learn what not to do next time. And how much weight are you actually going to be lifting?

 

 

You’re brand new.

 

 I see and hear of the most injuries coming from the people who “used to” hit the gym. Have a few months or years off, go back and try and nail that 500 kg leg press or that 90% back squat they used to be able to lift.

 

Is that a win? Fuck no.

 

Why?

 

How soon after that session do you think that person is getting back into the gym?

 1 day? Nope

 1 week? Probably not

 1 month? Well the time is done now. Why would they want to?

 

They now have a branding scorched on their brain that says going to the gym results in me not being able to walk for 1 week, hurt to sit down for 2 weeks, and unable to grab a cup from the top shelf for 3 weeks.

 “Fuck going to the gym!”

 

 

Start small, get some wins under your belt. 

 

Build that confidence, and trust within yourself that you can.

 

Because you can.

 

Woke up today = WIN

Made my bed= WIN

Got to the gym= WIN

Didn’t finish a project that needed to get done= No Bueno

Drank my 4 litres of water= WIN

 

 4 out 5 ain't bad, got some improving to do. But we are on a good track.

 

Some people talk about eating the frog, or doing the hard thing first. 

 

 I tried it, and to be honest I didn’t like it. 

 

 There is definitely a dance with procrastination and doing the hard thing. 

 

 I have 1 hard thing to do… I would procrastinate.

 

 I have 25 things to do, 2 being hard, 23 being small wins.

 

 The tasks got done.

 

 

 I found building momentum got things moving a lot quicker.

 

Faster cadence makes you run faster, Shorter strokes get the erg moving quicker.

 Get a few wins then settle into the rhythm.

 

 

 The reason this philosophy came about was when chatting to a few guys at the run club this morning, they were saying how they don’t feel they are getting anywhere in the gym. 

 

 I asked if they were following any program?

 

“Nope“

 

I reflected on myself as I have swapped a lot of strength training out for triathlon training in the last few months. And with that has come a sense of overwhelm, confusion and not too many mental wins.

 

I felt fucking lost.

 

 

Spending sessions in the pool, on the bike, and running. I wasn’t able to see direct improvements each week. 

 

 Yes, lengths were improving, volume was increasing, speed was getting there.

 

 

 It’s a very different type of training. 

 

Going from seeing 2.5kg plates go up each week, to doing 2 more sets in the pool or running for 5 more minutes is an interesting mindset shift.

 

 

But now as I’ve dialled the training in. I’ve made some moves to incorporate the mental wins in it. 

 

Because, I believe when you feel good you perform your best.

 

When you are swimming downstream is when you have the most fun, and when you are in that state of winning it's so much easier to keep winning.

 

Hard shit is going to come your way at some point.

 

Take the wins, build yourself, push the limits of your mind and when the hard shit comes you’ll be more than ready for it.

 

Because you’ve navigated what was once hard, what was once crazy, to a new standard of things that you now do.

 

Once upon a time a 100kg deadlift was a big lift, now it’s your warm up. Once upon a time a 5km run was a big run, now you’re doing half marathons for fun.

 

What was once crazy becomes a new standard so fast when you just keep getting wins, keep seeing improvements and keep pushing. 

 

 So…

 

 Keep Pushing!

 

 Often the advice you give is the advice you need to hear the most.

Big Love KG

P.S. I hope this helps.