It’s gymnastics competition time of the year, so my life becomes exponentially more busy when we are ramping up for actual competitions. We have a mock meet tonight and then our first competition of the year this weekend. This time of year reminds me just how much competitive sports have contributed to my successes as an athlete away from the gym. Learning how to handle competition is as much about learning to contain your self as it is beating other athletes. The ability to perform under pressure, to get things right each and every time and to rely on your ability to adapt to failures are all skills that my kids are learning and that I myself still use on a daily basis. Some of them hate to compete, they hate being put on show, they hate the pressure to perform and they hate the stress that accompanies the pressure to win. Others, however, take time to appreciate the opportunity to show what they have learned, the chance to be rewarded for their year long efforts and the now unfashionable opportunity to beat other kids. I was one of those kids. I wanted to perform, I wanted to keep pushing, to compete against others and to prove myself. To this day, and occasionally to my detriment I have that mentality, always trying to push harder, to improve and outperform where I already stand. Oddly enough, this is a skill like any other, I have found over the years that you can change an athlete’s approach enough that they can learn to appreciate (maybe not like) competition as an opportunity rather than a punishment. It’s an important skill too because even during training, far from competition season it’s important for them to have pride in their accomplishment and to continue to drive forward. Once they quit whatever competitive sport they have and are unleashed into the world to look after themselves their own sense of competitiveness and drive is the only thing that is going to keep them going. Not everyone can afford to go to a Crossfit box to get camaraderie, some people like me just can’t take that uber happy idiocy while I work out but it’s OK, I have a fire inside me that keeps me going. That is the thing I try to instil in my kids because I would say that even in this day and age of fitness awareness and healthy living almost all of my girls who I have coached have dropped out of activities once they quite gym. It’s actually really sad, because of course once they drop out they usually continue to eat like they are training 9 hours a week which ends quite badly. then they go off to university with little to no self discipline which is the very cornerstone of a successful first year. University is a success for those who have learned self reliance before they get there.
Take it from me. Listen when I tell you.
Focus on yourself not anyone else. All unhappiness comes from comparisons.
Develop blinders to what you are doing and don’t let anything distract you.
Expect that you will improve over time, but don’t expect every time to be perfect.
Have faith that you will reach your next goal because you have worked for it.
Celebrate the successes of you and your fellow athletes, however small, however large.
Constantly evaluate where you are and what you can do to move ahead.
Be fearless in your execution, knowing that your coach is there and that you have been appropriately led to that skill.
Be grateful for the opportunity to show your amazing talent.
In my personal life we have had some family issues both good and bad with health related problems and baby showers and for myself a back injury and a few weeks of nervous discomfort. It all seems to be in the past now, but I won’t be deadlifting again any time soon. That brings me to my adapted rotation for the coming weeks, based on the rotation from the Beast part of Body Beast:
It’s 26 days, probably 3 times through.
Bulk: Legs
Build: Back/Bis
Beast: Cardio/Abs
Rest
Bulk: Arms
Build: Shoulders
Bulk: Chest
Build: Legs
Beast: Cardio/Abs
Rest
Bulk: Back
Bulk: Arms/Abs
Beast: Cardio
Build: Chest/Tris
Bulk: Legs
Beast: Cardio/Abs
Rest
Build: Back/Bis
Bulk: Shoulders
Beast: Cardio/Abs
Build: Shoulders
Build: Legs
Build: Chest/Tris
Build: Back/Bis
Beast: Cardio
Rest