Patience in practice

It is said that patience is a virtue. But it is more than that: it is also a necessity when it comes to achieving your goals. I am not always the most patient person (in certain circumstances) but by training toward specific physical goals I am learning a lot about patience. Anything worth having is worth the time and effort it takes to get it.

We have all seen those ads selling gimmicks that promise quick results, like magazine ads claiming washboard abs in under 8 weeks. This stuff sells because it appeals to our need, especially in today’s society, for instant gratification. But anyone who has sufficient experience knows it is all a hoax.

People can be in such a rush for immediate results that they're even willing to sacrifice their health and longevity to achieve them. If you follow a program of incremental progression, not only will you achieve your goals, but you may even surpass them.

Patience is vital. Find a good program from a source you can trust to achieve your goal and follow it.

Some of the steps to achieving your physical goals might include:

• Mobility
• Flexibility
• Strengthening the muscles needed to accomplish the skill you are working on
• Maintain focus on the goal; follow steps in the proper order
• Don’t try to jump ahead to something more difficult (walk before you run)
• Work on progressions
• Practice good form
• Train consistently and regularly
• Guard against overtraining
• Active recovery
• Vary your training every 4-6 weeks, depending on your level of experience, to avoid getting stale. Once your body adapts to a workout, it will not progress further until you change it up.

Variety can be achieved by increasing intensity, load/weight, volume, and the type of exercise. If you put these steps in place and follow them, then add in a hefty dose of patience, you will be able to do tomorrow what you cannot do today.

My own goals are incredibly challenging for me and they seem so far off in the distance, these things I cannot do yet. Yet is the key word. Every day I remind myself to persist and have patience, remembering that everybody progresses in a predictable pattern. Growth is a universal, predictable process. That being said, each of us progresses through the predictable sequence in his or her own unique time. So be patient with yourself, and keep working at it! You will get there!