Somebody asked me once; “how do you train a winner?”The immediate response would have to be, “you
have to be able to identify a winner.” Many
cosmic things have to go right in order for a trainer and a “winner” to run
into each other at the right time and place in a rare and harmonious manner. But beyond that, and so we don’t take an
elitist approach to this very democratic matter, sometimes as a trainer –you
have to make somebody a winner. You
have to understand that the pursuit of happiness starts with the pursuit of
fitness.
The most important aspect of training a winner is to train
their mind.But in a world where people
are constantly nourished with emotional cliches and their bodies are used to
the convenience/comfort of lazy living; it is very difficult.You might have already tuned out and popped a
pill of some sort.Being in shape is “another world.” Initially this world
seems unreachable…even with a space ship that takes off in our imaginations and
needs no fuel.Broadly speaking, I would say the biggest ingredient of this
mission is sweat.Honesty hides in
sweat.
Start off small, and reduce everything to this quality. In
this introduction, I like to learn about the student. The less they tell me and the more I infer
from their behaviors; the easier things become for me.I look for strengths and weakness and I
attack both with tough love.This is
tricky stuff.Looking at a boxer punch
with their arms and hands, it is hard to explain that what we are actually
seeing is power coming from their legs. One
way or another, I must make my students believe in me - so they can ultimately
believe in themselves…they are looking to me to learn something - not just
spend money or act like they are taking a class (those ones drop out quickly). Making someone believe in themselves, believe
that they are truly able to learn what I am truly able to teach, is sometimes difficult
because some of the things they are looking to “learn” are already in their DNA;
and so a student may not forgive the subtlety of progress - intentionally. Growth and bigger ordeals are soon to follow
and excuses come in handy.
Being unfit is essentially, and for the most part, a choice
- it is a person ignoring the health inside them. The only comfort we have in
that scenario is that obesity and unhealthy living are so widespread and so
omnipresent in our society - that somehow it makes it OK?Somehow we are all like greasy chips in a bag
instead of people in flesh?I’m not
sure.All I know is that students can
lie to me all day long, but I resent it when they lie to themselves.I punish them for this.Eventually, when they work through this
“adolescent” mind frame - I make them look into this invisible mirror constantly,
to the point of some “gym rat” narcissism; I try to get them to love their
image and ultimately the self, this new ego emerging as if a stranger, for
there is not much of a greater feeling.
Learning a martial art is a painful process to eradicate
this ignorance.Sometimes putting
ignorance in a lock till it taps out, or punching it in the face till it bleeds
- is necessary.Fitness is an
unforgiving honesty…one that requires a loyalty, dedication and fortitude that
is a basis for this complicated relationship. Try and get your boyfriend or
girlfriend to understand that! Not quite
a “voyeur,” but I love to watch the progress in this struggle.After a while, a student will often get to
the point where they “choose” whether or not to continue on the path that leads
to the next level of physical enlightenment.The irony is - and it took me years to figure out - that many quit,
right as they reach an easier threshold in this journey.Why?Maybe the answer lies somewhere in the details of why they came to the
gym to begin with, a type of confusion that might easily be like a tag on a key
chain being scanned for absolutely no reason at all.So in essence, a big part of my job is to try
and knock the quit out of them.It is in
this phase where “winners” and “losers” are discovered or promised like diamonds.
As they stick around
and put roots into the mat where they jump, kick, punch, grunt, scream, push,
lift, resist, fight, befriend, adapt, sweat and breath till they run out of
breath; I try to show them that being fit is a two tier system very dependent
on a balance and extremely more fragile than it seems – a true mind and body
convergence or experience; a type of ecosystem with living and nonliving
rewards.
But so you don’t think it’s all work and no play, I will
tell you that I feel it is important to LAUGH.I try to make my students feel
the pain of a good workout but also the joy of laughter in that process.I give them reasons to be happy and I make them
understand that things of this nature take time (this is where you sign up for
a 6 month membership).
Still don’t believe me?Did you know that laughing burns 1.3 calories/minute while working the
muscles of the abdomen, diaphragm, back and shoulders?That might not seem like much, till you
consider that laughing also burns 100 calories/minute of emotional stress.Always remember that emotional stress causes
weight gain (especially around the abdomen).Working out and becoming addicted to this process of health leads to a laughter
that ultimately relieves pain, brings greater happiness, and even increases
immunity.
If you enjoyed any, or this entire little essay on “training
a winner” please join us at XTC gym.Whether you like it or not, in reading this, we’ve already begun to
exercise your eyeballs.As a trainer, I’ve come to learn I need to instill all these
things to students and people willing to learn - or I feel out of shape.
Well, did you think it was “wax on, wax off” and have them
chase a live chicken?
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