I have two looming concerns going on in my life right now. (1) That I’m getting too caught up in theory and not enough action (2) I’m letting myself get into a comfortable routine. For these two reasons, I wanted to change up my weekly post format.
One of my most glaring weaknesses as a writer is my inability to summarize or write concisely. And let’s be clear, there are certainly moments when extensive details and lengthiness are appropriate. However, if we are being honest, writing with brevity and crispness is a necessity these days. And it’s on that note I will get on with it and officially introduce to you:
4 Rep Friday: Four mental workouts to push your limits 🧠🏋
The intention of these weekly posts will be rather simple. I want to not only provide you with bite-sized wisdom from influential thinkers and elite level performers but also give you practical and actionable ideas that you can implement immediately into your life as an athlete.
Quotes are great and all, but without taking the time to think about it and understand how it can apply to your unique struggles as an athlete, these wise concepts will simply pass you by. So don’t worry about the deciphering, I’ve got that covered. All you have to think about is taking action (which we all know is what athletes do best).
Oh and lastly, why is it called Four Rep Friday? Because reps don’t just come in the form of a shot, a pass, a catch, or in a lift — they are every choice you make and every idea you learn. As far as your brain is concerned, everything you do is a rep. So make the most of each one.
Enjoy!
Give Meaning to the Struggle | 4 Rep Friday
For this inaugural Four Rep Friday, I’d like to pull from one the of most powerful books that I have ever read:
Man’s Search For Meaning
🏋️ Rep #1 – Fixing what is fixable
“When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Action: Pull out a piece of paper and draw a line right down the middle. On the left side, list everything in your life you have control over. On the right, list all of the things you cannot control. Work towards focusing on and improving the left. Ignore the right.
–
🏋️ Rep #2 – Predicting our obstacles
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Action: Regardless of what you are about to face today while training, you always have a choice for how you are going to respond. Name a problem or obstacle you might encounter today. How will you respond to it, work through it, and overcome it?
–
🏋️ Rep #3 – Reliving yesterday
“So live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!”
Action: If you could relive yesterday over again, what would you do differently? What did you do poorly that you know you could be better at? Identify your faults and live that way today!
–
🏋️ Rep #4 – The space between
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Action: When you make an error today (the stimulus), take a very brief moment to consider your next actions (the response). Ask yourself, how is my next decision bettering me as an individual or the overall improvement of those around me?
. . .
Summary
🏋️ Rep #1 – Fixing what is fixable
Action: Sort out the solvable and unsolvable problems.
🏋️ Rep #2 – Predicting our obstacles
Action: Name your problems and plan your response.
🏋️ Rep #3 – Reliving yesterday
Action: What did you suck at yesterday? Be better today!
🏋️ Rep #4 – The space between
Action: Before you react, think.
Thanks for stopping by the Daily Athlete Gym.
See you next Friday!
If you find this post helpful, useful, insightful, or in any way practical, please like 👍 and share it wherever you found it. You’d be helping me out big time and it gives more people a chance to read it as well. Thanks.
– Derek
P.S. – How did you like this new post format? Was it helpful? Did you hate it? Do you want something else? Comment below! 👇
