Why “Not Terrible” is a Great Goal

The Quote of the Week in our studio has become a mainstay. It started as a way to a) show off my Dad jokes, and b) illustrate that we try not to take ourselves too seriously.

But it’s also meant to be a source of anti-stereotypical quotes you’d see in a gym. The usual quotes like “Be Hungry,” “Pain is weakness leaving the body,” or “Exceed your expectations” are tired and uninspiring. They make me roll my eyes at best, and vomit in my mouth at worst.

Last week’s quote is from Jenny B. and I thought it was unintentionally terrific:

While it was said in jest, I think it highlights the most important ingredient to progress: consistency.

From a high view, progress is a mix of consistency and intensity. So while you do need intensity – and a high intensity session can feel great – the limiting factor for most people is just showing up. To take it a step further, I think 80% of your progress is determined by one’s ability to get through the door. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard some iteration of “I always think about canceling, but I feel so great when we’re done.” Often, I have nothing to say in response other than the truth: “showing up is the simplest – but hardest – action for us all.”

It’s easy to talk a big game about consistency and just showing up, but what do I know about it? As the legendary Katy Perry once said, “Shut up and put your money where your mouth is.”

To that I say, fair point.

From December 2012 to November 2018, I never missed a scheduled workout. Yes, you read that right. Almost 6 years of workouts, never missing a session. Did I ever get sick? You bet. Did I train anyway? Regrettably, yes. But this was pre-Covid, which was a different world.

(I’m also the same kid who never missed a full day of high school. So repeatedly banging your head against a wall is kind of my thing.)

Now, some clarifiers.

• Because I work inside of a gym, the barrier to getting “to the gym” is a lot easier. Fact.
• I also wasn’t training every day. It was 3-5 days/week depending on my goals, the program, etc. There were also no workouts during vacations, so that I could actually relax without worrying about when/where I would train.
• I didn’t have kids yet. And when I finally did miss a workout to break the streak, it was because of the birth of my son.

Call me a liar, but even though I hiked a mile in multiple Boston snowstorms to unlock the gym and train, I’m not a gym-going robot. There were plenty of days that I was tired, didn’t feel like training, or would rather binge the latest Netflix series. But as I like to say, I’m not strong enough to get by on strength alone. I need to do all the little things in my own workouts to see progress. And yes, that means showing up. It’s the only way I was able to become a Beast Tamer, win the Tactical Strength Challenge, and deadlift 3x my bodyweight.

The other thing I learned? Once you make showing up a habit, it does get easier.

In strength,

Alex