sta·tion

verb
1.
Put in or assign to a specified place for a particular purpose

this is not an accident.

all things have their order. there are stages of progression, requirements for advancement… too often though, people put the cart before the horse. we want so badly that we forget what we have. where we are. our hearts and heads tweak tiny knobs as if we have earned the right, like adjusting the star on a tree we never bothered to put up…

i am not being clear…

this is the time of year for plans. for quick tips and ten easy ways. we make promises. we plot and we scheme… we spend so much time looking for the advantage, the secret, the shortcut. we want to feel special. we want a program…

the truth is, if you suck at something you don’t need a program, you just need to do it. seriously… if there is something that you are terrible at, something you want to learn how to do, you probably do not need lessons or a coach – you just need to show up and do the thing. sure, it helps to ask questions, to watch someone who is truly proficient, but chances are you are not even good enough to make use of formal training. this is not an insult – all things have their order. their cost. there are big, simple lessons that are only really learned in the doing.  people call me because they want to do a triathlon  – not win one, not place better, but simply finish one. they do not need a gym; they need a bike, a pair of running shoes, and a place to swim. they just need to learn not to quit. over and over, not to quit. make it a habit, not to quit. they would do well to have a friend to work with them, but that’s it. it is startling how proficient you can become when you stop looking for shortcuts and start spending that time and energy on doing the fucking work.

the fitness industry, the diet industry, so much is built on selling plans to people who will never execute them. on cashing in on someones hopes instead of telling them the truth, telling them to step back and build a bit of a foundation. dont get me wrong, plans often help – but in this age of cell phones and youtube, i dont believe anyone who claims that they cant do something because of lack of information. we over think things. we paralyze ourselves with data points and search for the newest trick, for something to give us an edge – forgetting that we are trying to sharpen a tool that we don’t even possess. to put it simply, when you truly suck at something it doesn’t matter what you do, it matters that you do it. if you want to get better at writing – write. if you want to be a better runner – run. dont talk about it. dont post about it on the fucking internet. just do the thing. do it a lot. do it for a couple months, silently, diligently, consistently. some days will be hard. you will have questions. try and work through it, try and solve your own fucking problems. do your fucking homework and then ask someone for help.  having that base will allow you to make use of information instead of simply consuming it. you may also be surprised by how many charlatans there are, so called experts are selling advice on shit they know nothing about. being able to ask good questions will help you spot the bullshitters, and it will get you noticed by people who can actually help. willingness to work will open doors. will make the right people take you seriously. because the people who know what they are doing are busy. their time has value. they know it, and nothing is more offensive to a busy person than wasting their time.

supposedly, Einstein suggested we “make things as simple as possible, and no simpler” things are just as easy and as difficult as that.

warmup:

2×5 wall squats
2×5 RDL
2×10 squats

workout:

6 way BB complex – 3 rds

2:00 AD 15/15 – over/unders3:00 rest
3 rds

100x KB swings

the man of steel mass gain program starts week 3 tomorrow. it has been interesting, a new stressor – going to failure, the food, the sleep… it wears differently, i am not used to dealing with this specific type of discomfort. if for no other reason, i am glad to have taken this path…

workout:

1 hour on the airdyne bike, easy pace.

the gym is important to me. wildly important. it is important because i see it as a transformative process. to truly transform, to grow with direction, one must control the environment in which the process unfolds. typically, as this project has grown, etiquette has been a “soft lesson”. water seeks its own level. inviting one person to join an established group has been an effective way to uphold certain behaviors and discourage others. i find this to be the ideal situation, learning by coming to your own conclusions, by understanding as opposed to being told….

there has been growth lately. alarming growth. and there is danger in growing too fast – the risk of diluting the pool, of loosing what made you successful in the first place…

since i first saw it, i have appreciated the video 10 bullets. the idea of working to code. it may become required watching, but in the mean time this is an attempt to outline the code in place at the station.

sacred space.

show up on time to your scheduled sessions and to no others without express permission. the space exists solely for those individuals working. if you arrive early the space does not belong to you yet. minimize your presence. do not interfere. no one wants to hear you laugh or talk about your day when they are fighting through their work. respect the space. do not wander aimlessly. if you need to use the restroom, stick to the perimeter. move quickly and quietly. do not try and read the board or figure out your workout. reading it will not make it any easier, but i reserve the right to make it harder if you are willing to interrupt someone elses work in order to try and ease your own curiosity.

respect the signal.

each workout is designed to send a signal. sometimes multiple signals. this is about physical fitness. this is about behavior modification. simply put – always remember why you are doing this. we occasionally use weights and percentages in an attempt to send a specific signal – we use those numbers as a guess because most of us lack the self knowledge to understand the appropriate weight intuitively. when we are working on certain attributes – power, strength, endurance, or any combination – we are trying to send a signal. be willing to use an appropriate stressor. check your ego at the door.

struggle well.

we get it, the work is hard… the gym is about stress response, and not just physical. this is all training, it is about building habits – and not just physical. we are training ourselves to respond to stress – how do you want to respond? do you want to complain? do you want to throw a tantrum? do you want to yell and scream and be dramatic? do you want to train yourself to add stress to a stressful situation or do you want to respond with confidence and grace? do not focus on other peoples workouts to try and escape your own. recognize your delay tactics, and fucking stop it. do not drop weights unless it is necessary. do not lie down after an effort unless absolutely necessary. to quote a friend and mentor “show up, ask questions, don’t quit. ”

struggle well.

the station.