This week I’ve had the idea of training and practicing circle in front of me from a variety of directions. From my girlfriend taking tennis lessons to watching these NFL rookies take part in team camps on ESPN, to the new account manager for our company I’ve had the privilege to train. These different glimpses helped me to look at the idea of training from a different perspective. In each instance, there’s this eagerness and excitement about the opportunity, about learning something new and soaking in knowledge and exposure. I began to wonder if sometimes when we get into a routine, or into a habit, or we become consistent in a career, we begin to overlook and underestimate the value of training.
You hear people all the time say “be a lifelong learner and never stop taking in knowledge.” And sure, we can be a sponge and retain information to regurgitate it somewhere down the road in conversation. But to just memorize facts and information isn’t training ourselves or training our mind. The goals we’ve set in place and the decisions and changes we’ve made to be the best version of ourselves to attain those goals… can’t be done without training. We talk about it every week with the fitness aspect and it’s why I wanted to incorporate the workout from the start. Because we cannot train our mind and our heart to be in peak condition if we aren’t also training the body to be fit.
So, what does this look like in our daily walk of life? What does it take to train hard and train to be the best version of ourselves?
Well, it starts with a commitment. A commitment to train and work towards a better you. Don’t try to be perfect. Yes, you should try to do things right and do it the best, but if you fall short, don’t make the same mistake twice. See to be the best version of ourselves, we have to commit to training our minds to think differently. To process situations differently. To see knockdowns as an opportunity for come-ups, etc. We must commit to training our hearts, and this is where faith is so impactful. By conditioning our heart to be like that of Christ, we are able to then transform our mind and body by pursuing the right steps in faith.
Once we commit to training all aspects of life, it takes dedication and persistence to move the needle and continue to grow. I think about the NFL camps example I started with those rookies have trained for that moment, but even greater, they are stepping into an arena full of veterans who have trained at the highest level for years. Maybe it’s not always physical, but mentally there’s a difference. The way Tom Brady approaches his training is going to be different than a rookie. Because he’s learned it, he’s perfected his craft and developed a strict training regimen.
That’s what we must do. Work at it, train hard, develop our own process and skills to be the best version of ourselves. Even the Bible has something to say about training, actually, it has a lot of things to say, but one scripture I really think is great for this is 1 Corinthians 9:25 that says, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” See in our walks of life, for me or you as a Christian, we must train in our Godliness and relationship with Christ so that we may receive the highest reward.
So I challenge you to put the same level of training, hard work, and dedication that you would into a workout, practice, or game; and apply it to every day. Approach each day as an opportunity to get better, to be better, to become the best version of yourself. Learning is a lifelong endeavor, train to grow!
WORKOUT
Training is vital in all aspects of life. As we talked about, we must train as hard mentally and spiritually as we do physically. So, this week, as it has been for the last couple of weeks, we are going to continue this isolated block set (lower body, upper body, core). Those are the three base muscle groups that we must train to be effective and by focusing on each specifically in a block, we are getting more acute training.
This week will be the same structure as last week. For this workout use the WOD app or a stopwatch. We are going to perform 40sec work and 20 sec of rest. Go through each block three times. Take a minute break after each block is complete.
Warm-Up
Block 1:
- Air Squats
- Reverse Lunge with Knee Drive – Left leg
- Reverse Lunge with Knee Drive – Right leg
- Squat Step Backs (alternating leg ea. rep)
Block 2:
- Incline Push-ups (hands on bench/chair/etc.)
- Plank Get Ups (alternating arm ea. rep)
- Decline Push-ups (feet on bench/chair/etc.)
- Plank Hold
Block 3:
- Russian Twists
- Hip Dips (right side)
- Hip Dips (left side)
- Sit-ups
Cool Down
Hammer and Anvil 