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I’ve been noticing myself doing this thing lately, and I think you can relate. Here’s the scenario:
I finish a workout, and I know pushed as hard as I could. But some of my classmates— people with whom I always work out, and whom I sometimes beat— finished faster than I did. I feel frustrated that I was “so far behind,” and I start to say things to myself like:
“Why do I suck so much?”
“Why did I finish so poorly?”
“Why couldn’t I go faster?”
“Why am I bad at ____ ? (insert specific movement here-- let’s say it’s a push press)”
I shake my head and I say to my friends incredulously, “man, I just don’t understand why I’m so bad at push press.” (I’m acting like I’m some sort of special, unsolvable mystery. . . like no one has ever experienced a problem with their push press before. Like every coach in the world is going to just say “Yup, you’re un-helpable. There is no possible way to explain why you are so bad at push press.”)
On the drive home, I feel defensive and annoyed. I tell myself all of the reasons I just don’t understand why I’m bad at that movement.
“But I have a strong upper body!”
“But my other lifts are pretty good!”
“But I’ve been doing this for years, I should be better by now”
And on and on until I eventually come back to
“ I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY I’M SO BAD AT PUSH PRESS.”
I know I’m not the only one who does this; I hear this on a weekly basis at the gym. This whole, “I need to figure out the hidden and complex REASON why I’m bad at this THING because then I’d magically know how to fix it.”
Guys, I’m going to solve this issue for all of us.
We stop talking and we start DOING.
We fix the thing by DOING THAT THING.
You stop worrying about the “WHY DO I SUCK AT THIS” and you start planning the “HOW AM I GOING TO IMPROVE THIS.” You come in on Thursday for open gym to talk to a coach and make sure you’re practicing with very good form. You look up online or ask a coach about some drills to help you improve. You make a plan and write it down. The plan should consist of conscious mindful practice on a daily or multiple-times-weekly basis. You should check in with a coach on your progress after a few weeks, get some updated drills, and tweaks on your form. You should just practice. A lot.
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We all have strengths and weaknesses, and we all become proficient at movements at different speeds. There are movements that came naturally to you that others will have to bust their ass to learn, and vice versa. So the next time you find yourself "not understanding" why you're not getting something. . . stop and be honest with yourself. You do understand. You just need more practice.
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