Patience is a virtue isn’t it?
As men, we must learn that patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to training. Every day when I show up in the gym, I aim to be better than the last day with the goal of adding a rep or weight more than the last time regardless of how I feel. Like compounding interest, your weights and reps that were once small have grown and pay dividends towards your health and fitness goals. Your mind is patient if your train it to be. This is entirely possible for you, but it requires you to re-evaluate your bad habits. Your bad habits must become good habits.
Don’t compare yourself to others, compare yourself to your past self.
We love to compare. It’s our way to measure our reality and effectiveness of our actions. If someone is ahead of you, you interpret this as your actions are lacking efficiency and your competitor is doing something better than you. When you compare yourself to someone lesser than you, you view yourself as someone who has efficiently done better actions.
But what if you compared you to you?
When you compare yourself to others, there is a certain sense of anxiety that can either cripple you or make you better. Try comparing yourself to yourself and you get a different reality. If you’ve been making progress over time, then you’ll feel a sense of relief. For example, you hit a PR not possible a year prior, or you even lost extra fat around your love handles and your partner finds you more attractive. Whatever may be, compare yourself to where you were a year ago. Are you in the same place as you were before? Then it’s time to make some changes that you know very well you should have done years ago. Is the progress you’re making effective, or could you be doing better?
Deep inside you’ll know if you’re making progress. If you don’t, then look in the mirror. We’re all where we deserve to be in life. If you made poor choices in the past, then don’t be surprised when they catch up with you. Choose the right decision to move your life in the right direction and remember that patience is a virtue.
Write your progress
Writing your progress is a powerful tool that all elite lifters (such as Yours Wouldy) uses. I remember when I used to track my progress on the Bodybuilding.com app. My phone had to be on a full charge, I was on to the internet, IG Fit Chicks (They need loving too) were a distraction. Training didn’t get serious until I started tracking it on pen and paper. The pen is mightier than the sword for this very reason: You can track every specific detail you want on paper. Your options are endless, and you can get creative any way you want.
Not only that, but I can guarantee you that nobody wants to steal your logbook. Someone will steal the chalk in your bag before their steal your logbook. You want to make serious progress? Get yourself a cheap logbook from the Dollar Store and start tracking. All you must do is beat the logbook each time you step into the gym. If you’re not beating the logbook, then you’re just beating your meat. Patience is a virtue, even when we train.
Enjoy the journey as much as you can.
Your progress is far from linear. There are days you don’t feel your best and your lifts in the gym aren’t going as you planned. You might be thinking to yourself: “Is this really all worth it?” Yes, it is. You’ve had bad days, I’ve had bad days, and everyone else who has stepped into the gym has had bad days.
Your bad days don’t last forever. In fact, they are much shorter than you might think. You don’t notice the good days because you take them for granted. You must learn to live in the moment and enjoy the journey. You must realize that you can and will do better. There are no doubts about this. If you’re reading this, then I know you want to do better. I also know that you will do better. Stay energized. There is always more to learn. Patience is a virtue, even on bad days.
Surround yourself with good people.
Do you have an environment surrounded by people who love and care for you? If you don’t, then it’s time to reevaluate why that is. It’s one thing to go through life as a lone wolf; but it’s another to go through it with people who love and care for you. Some of the best friends you’ll make in life will be from the gym. It may start out as asking somebody for a spot, but it can develop into something more: A meaningful relationship where you push one another and keep each other accountable. This is only possible when you share each other’s achievements and failures.
For example, if you’re going for a 4-plate squat and you were struggling to complete the rep. Your friend would be there doing his best to encourage and spot you so that you can achieve your goal. But what if you didn’t complete it? Then he would equally be there for you. He would suggest tactics and slight variations to your methods so that you do complete it. You’ll be able to try again next week. There’s no doubt that your environment shapes the people in your life and your life shapes the people in your environment. No man is an island and we all need comradery and healthy relationships to keep us sane and healthy. Both physically and mentally.
Show up and be consistent.
It’s one thing to say you’ll go the gym, and it’s another thing to show up and put in the work. When you do show up make sure you are mentally present as well. I’ve had a couple bad clients myself that showed up for physically, but not mentally. They simply lacked the motivation and discipline to put in the work and see the results. You want the results now without applying any effort. There’s beauty in delaying gratification. When it comes to building muscle and shredding fat, delay gratification as much as you can.
Never be satisfied with your body. Always be pushing for more. If you become comfortable with your body, then you become lazy. Your discipline and motivation are gone, and it will take you longer to get rolling again. Momentum is how the most successful humans live. When they elites get successful, they don’t stop. They keep going with what they’ve learned to maximize their potential. Treat your training with the same attitude. You show up, stay consistent, always remembering that patience is a virtue and momentum will take care of the rest.
Conclusion
We can see how patience is layer in multiple sides of life. These aren’t mutually exclusive but have a deep connection to one another. One may appear stronger than the other depending on where you are in life, but eventually you will come to notice them all. When these sides make themselves known, then it’s time you listen. Pay attention and you will train your mind and body how to be patient. In time, everything you want will become yours.
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