Jonathan Bossenger

OK, so bear with me on this, one, but this idea came from a recent gym workout.

For the past 3 years or so, I’ve been finishing every gym workout with the same ab exercise, a Captain’s Chair hanging leg raise.

I started with 3 sets of 10 reps, and I’ve slowly increased that to 3 sets of 20. I’ve maintained that for about a year now.

The other day, I noticed that without thinking about it I was doing the workout slightly differently, which resulted in a more controlled set, and ultimately a better ab workout. I know this because until that day I don’t think my abdominal muscles have ever hurt as much as they did after the third set.

I realized that up till that point, I had been doing the exercise with a slightly poorer form. It was however the only way I could complete it, until I’d built up the strength to be able to improve my form, which in turn meant a better workout.

It got me thinking about the pathway to the mastery of any skill, and how it always has it’s highs and lows. One day you feel like you can take on the world, and then the next you encounter something that stumps you, and you feel like a beginner again.

The reality is that you’re not suddenly a beginner, you’re just subconsciously finding better ways to do the same work, which sometimes results in a bit of a struggle before you figure that out.

Understanding that this cycle will repeat itself over and over again, means you can be kinder to yourself when it feels like things are going horribly wrong, and find the strength to power through the pain.

The result will be a better you, every single time.