Just one more rep–a philosophy for life
If you’ve been following our blog, you’ll know that we’re not big advocates for the “one more rep” training mentality. This is where you try to go a little bit harder than last time, every time. This is a great strategy on paper, but often leaves people frustrated by the lack of perceived progress.
We have written a lot about the “how-to” in getting the progress you desire, and you’re more than welcome to look at some of the previous articles, like the ones linked below.
Do you have a floor and some shoes
In this article, we’ll take a look at the philosophy of just showing up.
The most important aspect of an active and healthy lifestyle is to be active and healthy most of the time. It’s not the clothes, the perfect training program, or the personal trainer. All of these things are nice to have, and can benefit you greatly, but they’re not a necessity for an active lifestyle that promotes longevity and performance.
Consistency and avoiding inactivity
These are the two most important variables you need to know—one will help you towards your destination, and the other will promote all the bad stuff you’re trying to avoid—like muscle atrophy, cardiovascular degeneration, diabetes, etc. The consequences of an inactive lifestyle are long, and we’ll cover them in greater detail in next week’s article.
For this article, we’ll look at “consistency” and how to promote this mindset. According to the statistics, a lot of people are falling off the “new year new me” promise, and the fitness centers are getting less crowded by the minute. We think that people often set the bar too high, and get disappointed with themselves because they can’t sustain their desired lifestyle and fall off entirely.
But this is where they’re missing the point. You need to figure out what kind of activity you like and show up. We’re not setting a qualitative bar here, only one based on frequency—you need to show up, and this is where the one more rep mentality is useful.
Show up and do the (some) work!
Instead of giving up because you can’t follow your ambitious plan—try instead to focus on showing up. You don’t need to do anything—just show up. Consistency is key and frequently showing up is the first step towards a consistent and active lifestyle.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, do that thing you want to do and do it often. If you’re an aspiring runner, then your goal should be to put on your shoes and go outside at least 3 to 4 times a week. You don’t need to run a meter—just put on your shoes and go outside—that’s all. Showing up is the hardest part, and we’re confident, that you’ll probably run/walk a couple of meters when you find yourself outside in your running outfit.
So, show up and show up often—that should be the second part of your New Year’s resolution.
Until next time
Scott and Lennart