I began training back at the ripe age of 15yrs old. I used to spend a bunch of time at the gym with a few high school buddies of mine. We frequently bumped into another guy who was always at the gym when we were there. He was obviously a body builder and looked the part. He would give us tips and pointers on how to workout and what kind of lifting to do on what days. It became a non-formal appointment that we'd meet him 3 days a week after school. There, under the watchful eye of this man who's name I cannot remember, we began our quest for strength and physical growth. After a few years I was well on my way with the basic knowledge I'd gained as well as other tings i'd learned from other male influences. I began training regularly because I wanted to be the best I could be at any sport I decided chose. Like any other dedicated person, I began seeing results and advancing in size strength and most importantly training age. At first it was the basics of what sets and reps were. Then it was the basics of what exercises did what. I moved on to even learning about heavier weights and less reps for strength and lighter weights and more reps for size. Then how to plan mini, meso & macro cycles. This all, believe it or not, took place over the course of a few years and the more I learned the more I understood what I was doing.
Fast forward to today, I pondered exactly what I was doing differently today as opposed to the over 15 years ago when I began training. That got me to thinking and watching. I learned that while exercise and fitness had grown leaps and bounds, the training age of many people certainly has not. If you've been training for years you should have a basic understanding of your training age. If you do not, ponder these simple questions:
- How have I progressed since I began? Am I...
- #1 - Smarter & more knowledgeable? As you progress in your training its important to grow in knowledge. 2 of the best things anyone can do in ANY walk of life is READ & APPLY. I can almost guarantee you that no matter what it is you are doing in life, if you read information pertaining to it and begin to apply that information you will GROW. Bottom line. If you are not reading and applying, you really have no basis for growth. Age, size and strength do NOT constitute all growth are is not synonymous with training age. I've known tons of guys who look huge, have tons of muscle and still train like this is the stone age. They may have been on the cutting edge at some point but haven't progressed and their programs are tired, boring and their training variety stinks. But, they look awesome in a tank top. They are not 15 years old in training but rather 1 years old 15 times. If you want true growth you are going to have to read and apply. In addition, growth forces you to put down your pride. Many people dont read anything because all the new stuff sheds light on their own weaknesses. So instead of addressing them and progressing, they shrink back and ban anything that doesn't line up with what they already do. Sad. Growth will force change and change will help you grow in training age.
*Advice - Begin to read more books on training and how to increase your individual performance. Then begin to apply that information. When selecting books DO NOT only select book that you agree with. True growth is learning what all angles are and deciphering all the information to come up with your own personal template.
- #2 - Have I made tons of mistakes? - This one is HUGE. Anyone who's grown in life has made mistakes. No one can grow without them, NO ONE. If you aren't making mistakes you aren't growing, point blank. Mistakes are here to help us. Yes, said it. They are here to help. No one is perfect. If you were, you'd be God, and you aren't, so you're not (smile). Mistakes in your training help to shape and mold you for progress in the future. They come in all sizes and shapes. I'll just list some of my mistakes:
- training too heavy too often
- using too much volume, too many reps
- not having a "plan". Just doing whatever whenever.
- using advanced methods I saw "so and so" use.
- using bands and chains too early
- not warming up properly
- taking too long to workout (2-3hours)
- changing exercises too frequently
- doing too much steady state cardio
- not doing enough steady state cardio
- etc...
Get the point?? This is a short list of mistakes. But s a result, I have learned and grown tremendously. So, I don't regret making these mistakes. In fact I embrace them. They have shaped me into the person I am today.
LETS KEEP MAKING MISTAKES IN PERSPECTIVE
TAKING STEROIDS AND CHEATING ARE NOT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
*Advice - Don't make any of the mistakes I made! Seriously. But.....make your own. Try and fail. They try again and succeed. Success is much sweeter when you've learned something along the way. So don't be a "fraidy cat"...get out there and give it you're best. Learn from your mistakes and grow.
- #3 - Am I more fit today than when I first began? Seriously you may laugh but this is a real question. Are you more fit than when you began? I bet in 90% of most cases the answer is NO. Why? Because you're older. When most of us began training we were in high school and had the best bodies of our lives. We also were not finished growing. So we had super fast metabolism and lightening quick recovery. We could do and eat whatever the heck we wanted any day and still look great. At worst, it took us all of 2 weeks to get back in great shape. Well fast forward to today. We're more health conscious and much more knowledgeable. We have many years under our belts and have made tons of mistakes right? Well why aren't we in better shape than we were in high school? Well its a good chance we have families and or demanding jobs or both. Our metabolism certainly isn't as fast as it was and we definitely can recover like we used to. The key to the golden days is we have to understand the cycle of life. There is a good chance we will never get back to the way we used to look. BUT, we can look and feel and operate at our absolute BEST for the stage of life we're in right now! Thats the true goal. Are you at your best for today or are you striving for what used to be?? Instead of spinning your head in circles, try taking what you know and applying it to the max today. That way you can begin to see what you should see and feel what you should feel. I like old cars, but i'd never expect the same performance from an older car today that I would have expected when it first came out. Why? Times have changed. And while you and I may share older models, you dont have to live older. You can certainly get the most out of who you are today. So let that be the goal. For some, high school and today share the same characteristics. But for many, we must take what we are and make it our best for this time in this season of life.
*Advice - stop looking at old pics and talking about what you used to do. Lets get on top of things today and make now your best season of life. Get as fit as possible and go from there.
I BET THIS GUY UNDERSTANDS HE'LL NEVER LOOK LIKE HE DID IN HIGH SCHOOL.
BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP HIM FROM LOOKING GREAT TODAY!
- #4 - Am I influencing others by what I've learned? - People who grow....teach! There is no reason for growth if its not going to be used to affect you and those around you. We are all in this thing together. For this reason I have studied many people, some of which I agree with and some I do not. I have read material from all different sides of the fitness spectrum with hopes of gaining as much information as I can. This all with the goal of learning so that I can apply and teach. This works in every area of life. I have a passion for training, I have a passion for sports, certain kinds of music and many other things. So I make it my business to learn those things and increase my knowledge for my ability to teach someone else. I love people who have a passion for history. People who can pull things from our human history for the purpose of understanding our lives today. Then I sit and listen and get a sometimes free education from them. I hope to do that for others (exclude the free part hee hee). In all honesty, our clients are better after they've trained with us because they have taken home not just a good workout, but education as to why its a good workout. After all, that's how i came into this game. That "old-head" guy from the gym I used to attend was simply sharing with my buddies and I his passion, knowledge and information. He was doing what all of us who've grown should do. We are hear to learn so that we can teach. Teach our kids, our circle of influence and our community.
With all this in mind I pose a question. Whats your training age? What have you learned through the years? How many mistakes have you made? Are you still fit or even more fit than you were when you began? Are you teaching and affecting others?? Are you doing things differently than you did 10 years ago? Are you applying everything you know?
There is no formula for determining age. You simply have to honestly answer the questions above. Be honest with yourself and make the changes you know you need to make.
* Advice - begin to learn so that you can teach. Study what your passions are so you can grow. More importantly, if your passion is training, learn all there is to know and give yourself the best chance to grow as possible.
I'm 32 and can say I have been training for 18years now. In all honesty I have room for growth. I'd give myself an honest grade of 16years old. There are some areas I could improve on. I've missed it in some areas, so I've began to grow in them. Whats your training age? Have you been training for say, 10 years? Are you 10 years old, or are you 2 years old 5 times? Think about it. Improve your training age today and make it a better tomorrow.
Until next time.....
Get Strong Be Explosive!
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