Know your role...

I came to the realization a couple of years ago that my rugby career was over and the only way I was going to be involved in the sport was to either play in a very leisurely men's league or become a coach. I went for the latter. I still wanted to train though and felt compelled to stay in the physical shape I had built up for myself. But when I took a look at my training I realized that I wasn't really training with any purpose in mind. Before I had trained to be fit for rugby, but now without my sport what was I going to do? I came across a post from Jason Ferruggia, a strength coach based out of New Jersey and it really opened my eyes to purposeful training. (For more info visit http://jasonferruggia.com/) Train like an athlete is the message I found. And why not? Who doesn't want to look like the guys we see battling it out on the gridiron on Sundays? Or be able to dunk a basketball with such finesse and power? I certainly want to. Alas, reality set in. Professional athletes make their paycheck by being physical specimens with an uncanny and freakish ability in their respective sports. The amount of time they dedicate to their craft is appalling and it doesn't just start in the pro's, it started way back when they would shoot baskets for hours on end, or skip the school dance to do sprints across the football field, or show up in the gym an hour before everyone else did. That type of dedication is what separates the peasants from the King James'.

When it comes to your training you need to take an honest assessment of your goals and what type of commitment you're able to make. Putting yourself in the mindset to train like an athlete is fantastic. It takes extreme discipline, hard work and a TRAINSMART attitude. All are achievable and possible. But the question remains, do you have the time to dedicate yourself to that type of training. I used to think I did. I would be working out 5-6 times a week because I put myself in the mindset that there was another team out there that I had to play this week, or a guy I had to beat. But there wasn't. It lead to stalled workouts, burnout, and just a poor attitude to fitness. Since then I've taken an honest assessment of my goals and my life to come up with a detailed and achievable fitness regime. It's about being realistic. If you know full well that your schedule won't allow you to get to a workout in more than twice week then don't commit to the 4-day split routine. It's simple. If your a father or mother with two kids, finding the time to workout will be tough. Getting to the gym 2 or 3 times a week would be amazing with the amount of time and attention 2 children need. Likewise, if you're an up and coming business executive and are on the brink of burnout, maybe you need to take time off and get to the gym 3 or 4 times a week instead of once to help balance out your life. Family life, work, friends are all apart of life. Finding time for fitness should be a priority because its an investment in yourself, in your health, in your life.

Quan, OUT.