The only 'zone' training that works for me is comfort zone training. I'll preface this by saying this isn't scientific. It's not something that I read about. It comes solely from my experiences training over the years and the results for not only myself, but for all of my clients.
Let's start with me - because I know me best and when I've seen my greatest performance improvements. Anyone who knows me sees a confident girl. One who talks loudly, laughs even louder, meets people easily and will never hesitate to lift something heavy and maybe throw it around a bit. But only the people who REALLY know me, know that while I have a lot of confidence in some areas of life, in others I'm a trembling sit-in-the-corner kind of girl that is afraid of SO many things. The big one? Doing physically challenging things in front of other people. Weird for a trainer? Yeah. But that's me. I played team sports in high school and while I actually was a pretty good player, I never let my friends, parents or boyfriends come to the games. The thought of having people expect things of me and having their eyes on me was terrifying. Rather than have their support it felt like just added pressure and fear that I would disappoint them. I'm a little lone wolf I suppose. Go figure, that over the recent years I've turned into a solo sport kind of girl - the two physical activities I excel in are weightlifting and yoga. Solo all the way.
But here's the thing. I know the fears that I have (and yes, I realize that they are unfounded and ridiculous) are holding me back from experiencing amazing things. So as I'm getting older I'm taking major steps to conquer the fear of completing challenging physical feats in front of others. It sucks and I hate the process of doing it, but I know that the more often I push my own boundaries and limits the more I will excel and get to experience in life. I don't want my fears to hold me back any more.
Today was one of those examples. At the gym I go to (DCC in downtown TO) they hold competitions. With beginner, intermediate and advanced categories this is exactly the thing I try to avoid. Weight training is my 'safe place' - full confidence. Why would I wreck it by comparing my performance to anyone other than myself? What if I screw up majorly? My most confident arena will be shattered!
But I have Blaise my trainer. And he told me I should do it. That I'd do well. And I listen to people who look at me from the outside. They are often better judges of our abilities than we are - more objective than we are. See us for what we can truly do, instead of what we believe we can't do.
As much as I hate performing and competing, I have an even harder time turning down a challenge. So I found myself in a conundrum. The only thing worse than performing in front of other people, is looking afraid of something. So I signed up. Much to my dismay, Blaise signed me up for the advanced category. What a disaster this was going to be. Well at this point I decided, guess I'll even invite Brandon to come watch me, because really, why not totally throw me as far out of my comfort zone as possible and directly into 'sharktank-fear-zone'? Worst case scenario. It was going to happen. I just knew it.
So I went. Lots of really athletic girls were there. They were awesome. But you know what? So was I. My worst fears didn't come true. I didn't embarass myself. I didn't suck. I didn't quit. No one boo'ed me (because really....I imagined that). In fact...dare I say it?
I liked it. Having people there to not only race against but to cheer me on, actually pushed me harder. I performed way better than I ever would have on my own. Rest assured, I was nauseous all day. Sweaty-palmed anxiety building as the hours passed. BUT once I got there and had started, it was okay. Good, even. And now, the next time something like this comes up - or some other event where I have to put myself out there, vulnerable to 'sucking' in front of others - I have a good experience to remember. A time that I can draw confidence from. The more times I can do this, the larger my comfort zone will be - the further I will continue to be able to push myself.
That would never have happened if I hadn't thrown myself into a place where I felt totally out of my element and uncomfortable. That's why I got a trainer - to have someone see things in me that sometimes I can't see in myself.
This is what I do with my clients. I never aim to frighten them, but I always want them dangling over the edge of their 'comfort zone' and every so often - not every workout but many of them, I give them a swift (but gentle) kick outside of it. Each time, moving them further along - showing them that the only way to improve is to try new things, and to push harder than you thought you could. It won't feel good - at least at the time. But you will never regret it. So screw the heart rate zone on the cardio machine. Look instead at what scares you. Go after that. Use that as your gauge for if you're working hard enough. If you're comfortable. You're not. Push harder.
No comments:
Post a Comment