A mindset approach to your training, however you do it.

To note... training is... working out, moving your body, etc, etc.

Absolute Intensity VS Relative Intensity.

Absolute =

• I can do a 500lb back squat for 1 rep, you can do a 300lb back squat for 1 rep.

• Who wins?

• I do. I squatted more load.

Relative =

• I give my best effort; you give your best effort.

• Who wins?

• Both of us, right?

Here is the point of training...EMPHASIS ON TRAINING. NOT... competing.

Training is practice. It's developmental by nature, or it should be.

Too often, we see people comparing themselves to others by way of...

• Load

• Time

• Skill

With this information, you are presented with a potential downfall to group training. When you compare yourself to another based-on metrics you might not understand, this concept may help.

If we say relative intensity is KING.

What might that mean for you?

The name of the game in your training is that everyone involved finds their own relative intensity to what is being asked of them.

Every workout, or effort in life... requires our best effort. RELATIVE... to us.

What doesn't matter? That your best effort beats someone else's.

Side note:

Unless it does of course. I am not here to hand out trophies to everyone when a 1st place might be the name of the game. YET... I am here to tell you your best effort is equal to someone else's when winning is off the table. It would also be good to take this idea into winning. We aren't in control of a result, only our process... so if we give it our best...we can be happy with whatever result comes. Sure... keep pushing to win if that's involved in your pursuit, but if you beat yourself up about losing, even with a best effort, my guess is you won't last long in your pursuit of winning.

Back into the topic at hand though...

Often, when we are in a pursuit, a process, a progression...

What matters is that we meet that effort with what we have, and we don't worry about anyone else.

This means...

Your 1 rep max of 200lbs in the back squat EQUALS my 1 rep max of 500lbs.

Neither one of us win this. We both expressed our own metric of a max.

Take this into conditioning efforts just the same...

If I do 5 min in

• 3 rounds

• 5 ring rows

• 10 push ups

• 15 air squats

and you do 5 min in (what looks like a "harder workout")

3 rounds

• 5 pull ups

• 10 weighted push ups

• 15 goblet squats with 20lb med ball

We both win!

With the above, we both expressed our own relative intensity in the same way. Sure, maybe YOU had what would be perceived as a "more challenging" workout... but the truth is we both had a workout that expressed the same relative intensity. We all met ourselves where we are.

This is true in all of life, and if it's not... maybe we should take a look at that environment. If that environment doesn't support this, if it doesn't take US into account... in any given moment... then what are we doing?

So, the lesson here is this... don't get down on yourself for changing the workout to meet you where you're at. For whatever reason... maybe it is injury, maybe it is skill, maybe load... the point in what we do is to meet YOU where you're at, on any given day (always fluctuating) ... and give you the same relative intensity as everyone else in class.

So next time you modify or customize, don't use the language of... Yeah but I did.... (whatever it is you modified) ... instead... own it. Meet yourself. It's ok. Let your ego go.

Yes, aim for something more... but don't invalidate yourself for your current efforts just because it wasn't the same as someone else's.

To take this into all of life... if you give your best effort, that's all you can be in control of, and that is the only thing you can be happy for. That you gave your best effort. Regardless of the outcome. If it isn't enough to get you where you're wanting to go, be honest with yourself. Look at that feedback. Figure out your next move.

Give your relative intensity. It's all you can do at the end of the day.

See ya out there,

Coach D.