Fundamentals, and the work we avoid.

There are two mantras I recall whenever I find myself drifting away from the path of virtuosity. This happens more often than I’d like to admit. Today, we’re going to explore the truths behind these two mantras.

Sometimes, I catch myself rushing through a workout, just trying to check boxes, not truly giving my full attention or effort to each part of the session. That might look like giving up on a set before I’ve actually pushed close to failure. Or maybe it’s not pushing hard enough during a cardio piece. Some days, my shoulders and elbows don’t feel like pressing a barbell overhead, so I’m tempted to cheat the rep with a soft lockout. Sometimes I let my deadlift get sloppy. I round my back, I settle into a lazy position that I know will irritate my spine. Most days, there’s at least a small part of me that wants to be lazy. And on some days, there’s a large part of me that would rather just stay home and skip the workout altogether.

Drill, drill, drill the fundamentals.

Reinventing the wheel would take me years, maybe even a lifetime. And when I’m done, I’ll only have created another wheel.

This is one of the lessons I’ve learned over years in fitness. I’m not going to be revolutionary when it comes to discovering some brand new movement pattern. The human body is designed to squat, hinge, press, and pull. I’m not going to invent a new, undiscovered way of moving. As for programming method, maybe there’s room for creativity there, but at the end of the day, the best training is built on the basics. The best athletes are forged from the most fundamental principles. The best programs are constructed on the foundation of basic human movement and decades of evidence-backed research in exercise science.

Drilling the fundamentals means perfecting the air squat and continuing to give it every ounce of respect it deserves. It means approaching every deadlift with intention, using excruciatingly good technique, even with warm-up weights. It means grabbing the PVC pipe and running through snatch positions before touching a loaded barbell. Drilling the fundamentals means locking out every overhead press, then holding the position long enough to confirm that it was a perfect rep.

These are the things we tend to skip when we’re tired, when we’re impatient, or when our ego gets in the way. You’ve been training for how many years? You start to think you’re too good for this warm-up stuff. You assume your movement is solid. But this kind of thinking is foolishness. It’s the sign of an immature mind. And if you've had those thoughts, trust that you are not alone. I think this way all the time. That’s why I have to remind myself daily: stay humble, and keep refining the basics.

As someone who’s battled all kinds of injuries, I’ll admit, another fundamental I like to skip is rehab and prehab. I’ve dealt with shoulder pain, a locked-up neck, lower back issues, you name it. I’ve spent years, and thousands of dollars on physical therapy. I’ve built up a library of exercises I should be doing every day. When I stick to them consistently, I’m pain-free and can attack my training with intensity. When I don’t, I tweak my shoulder.

Drilling the fundamentals sometimes means having the patience and discipline to spend fifteen minutes warming up and doing banded rehab exercises. It takes time, and it’s not exciting. But it’s the foundation that keeps me safe and healthy.

Drill, drill, drill the fundamentals.

My second mantra hits even harder. It doesn’t let you off the hook. It calls you out.

The results you’re looking for are in the work you’re avoiding.

Read that again.

When I first heard it, it ruined my day. How can one phrase be both incredibly broad, and painfully accurate?

Every time I apply it to my life, I see a dozen examples staring back at me.

What’s the work we tend to avoid? Is it squatting, because tight hips and ankles make it uncomfortable? No one becomes truly athletic or resilient without squatting. Maybe it’s running more than 800 meters, because we hate being out of breath and suffering on the pavement. Ironically, my clients who hate running the most are often the ones who need it the most. The clients who lack discipline and consistency are the ones who stand to benefit the most from it.

I’ve got my own list of exercises I love to avoid: wall walks, handstand push-ups, heavy squats, long runs. All the stuff I’m weakest at. The results I want: stronger shoulders, better gymnastics, a bulletproof core, improved endurance, all hide behind the work I don’t want to do.

It’s almost diabolical how direct the correlation is.

I hate the burning in my shoulders. I hate being upside down and feeling out of control. I hate the panic of a heavy barbell burying me in a squat. I hate the rising heart rate and gasping breaths that come with my distance running.

That’s the work I avoid.

Commit to the work and watch your life change.

Commit to budgeting, and watch your finances come under control.
Commit to a relationship, and watch yourself grow into the version of you that was trapped behind fear and avoidance.
Commit to training and become strong, mobile, and fierce.

The person you are meant to be cannot exist until you rise to the challenge of the work you despise.

On a good day, you’ll find me in the gym, upside down, suffering. On a bad day, you’ll likely still find me there - I’ll just be complaining about it.