Friday, October 7, 2011

Do You Know How Capable You Are?

I've got a client, I will call him "Sam" to protect his identity. When Sam first came to see me, he just wanted to improve his blood pressure and decrease his risk of diabetes. He really didn't have a physical weight loss goal or anything like that. He simply wanted to improve his insides. 

One of the first tools I introduced Sam to was the Battling Ropes. I started Sam out with 30 seconds of velocity waves. After 30 seconds, Sam was whooped. He was exhausted, sweating, out of breath and a bit bewildered. If you've ever done velocity training, you know how Sam felt. Anyway, I told Sam "I know this is hard to believe but in a few weeks from now, it won't be anything for you to be able to last 10 minutes without stopping." For some reason, Sam liked the sound of that. I think it gave him a challenge that, in his mind, would be an amazing achievement. 

So, twice a week Sam showed up, and we worked for about 20 to 25 minutes with the ropes. In less than a week, Sam was at 1 minute intervals. Fast forward about 4 weeks and Sam was performing velocity for 10 straight minutes at about 90 waves per minute. If you know anything about velocity, that is amazing. But while it is amazing, it is also doable. It was doable because Sam believed he would eventually be able to do it. Sam had faith, and he set his actions to line up with his faith. There is a Bible verse in there somewhere...

Anyway, many of us will never know what we are capable of because we don't really believe in ourselves. Others of us never try to tap into our potential because we fear failure, or we're just too lazy to engage. Whatever the reason we fall short of our goals, or our dreams, we don't have to. 

Know this: You are CAPABLE of anything. When it comes to success, the only thing that stands in your way is you. The only thing that stands in my way is me. 

I know 10 minutes of performing velocity waves may not seem like a significant life changer, but let me tell you what it has done for Sam: Sam's blood pressure is now normal. His blood sugar levels are also normal. His blood cholesterol is now great. He is down 25 pounds. He is looking for 5k's to run, something he has never done before. Sam is confident, he has a new life. Sam also knows he is pretty much capable of anything as long as he engages; he has tasted victory. 10 minutes of velocity waves can be a life changer, a world changer even.

Do you have a health goal? It is yours for the taking if you engage in it. You are capable of achieving your goal. Just engage. Take charge. Engaging is simply the difference between watching your favorite sport and playing your favorite sport. Let's assume your sport is life; be a player. Don't sit on the sidelines and watch it go by. You are capable of anything. You decide if you are able.

Today's workout: I covered a lot of ground today...
Spider-man crawl: 80 yards x 2 trips
Farmers Walks with an X-vest and 2 -32k kettlebells (180 lbs): 80 yards x 4 trips
Suitcase Carry w/ an X-vest and a 32k kettlebell (110 lbs): 80 yards each arm
Sled Drag w/ 200 lbs: 80 yards x 2 trips
Sled Push w/ 200 lbs: 80 yards x 2 trips
Over Head Carry to Dbl Rack Carry w/ 2-24k kettlebells: 80 yards x 2 trips 

Yep, a lot of ground --> 1,120 yards 

Have a great weekend.

Tim

2 comments:

Greg said...

Tim,

Great post. What is an x-vest and what type of sled do you use?

Thanks,
Greg

Unknown said...

Thanks Greg.

An X-vest is a 40 pound weight vest I got from performbetter.com. It wraps around and fits very snug.

The sled I got was also from performbetter.com. It is a sled that has attachable bars so you can push it. It probably weighs about 60 to 80 pounds.

Let me know if you can't find them and I'll find the links for you.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Tim