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traineo Community / Motivation Tips / How Hard should we Work?
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Dean Grimshawe
Fitness Guru
Posts: 1178
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 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 15:49


I heard a phrase recently:

"If what you are doing is HARD work, then you are doing the wrong thing"

It is on the premise that nobody ever achieved anything by working hard. Now before you frown, perhaps I should clarify the term 'Hard Work'.

When I run up and down a mountain with weights in my backpack, I'm absolutely knackered, sweating and breathing hard. But it isn't hard work cos I love it!! Daley Thompson trained 3 times on Christmas Day once, but no one forced him. He was world champion and olympic gold medallist at the decathlon.

What do you think of this?

True, or a load of old crap?
Richie Anderson
traineo Fanatic
Posts: 177
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 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 16:10


i think hard work is breathing hard and heart pumping out of your chest. i see your point about it not being hard work if you love it, but not to me. i enjoy hiking, but hiking seven miles a day with a 35 lbs pack is still hard work. i enjoy it, but its still hard.

but as far as fitness goes, i think if you don't work hard you're not going to gain anything. if you push your limits, then you are going to get more fit. pushing your limits = hard work. if you never push yourself, you'll never excel (in my opinion).

i think that the idea that you can never achieve through hard work is crap

later
Splint Chesthair
Fitness Guru
Posts: 471
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 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 16:12


Sounds like the point being made is that you need to find something you enjoy doing or, ultimately, it won't work. That's kid of the situation I was in. For the past 3 years I was doing your basic bodybuilding-type weightlifting routine that you read about. But I was just going through the motions and giving it no intensity. Now, I'm more into bodyweight type stuff and weightlifting only consists of the big lifts like deadlift, squat barbell rows. I've found that I enjoy trying to beat my record at the 100 Burpee challenge more than I enjoy sitting in a gym doing preacher curls.
Dean Grimshawe
Fitness Guru
Posts: 1178
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 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 16:25


Hey Splint, you get the idea of what I was thinking. Willpower is not sustainable and the very best never got their by beasting themselves to train. They were motivated to get to a higher level.

Truth is everyone can get there, but maybe 'Hard Work' isn't the best way?

We need to be inspired to hit our goals. Kind of carrot and the stick. Are you motivated by the prize of winning? or scared of the fear of losing?

'You get more of what you focus on'

'Winners focus on the fruits of success, where losers focus on the effects of failure'

Maybe when you are inspired and excited about succeeding you are enjoying the journey too much to notice the hard work?
Dean Grimshawe
Fitness Guru
Posts: 1178
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 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 16:29


The reason I thought up this thread is because of my latest goal I've set for myself.

The people around me who have already achieved the lofty types of goals that I am aspiring to seem to be on a different level to everyone else, and that is what I admire and try to emulate. And it isn't through genetics, or physical prowess either. It is entirely through their mentality and pysche.

Now if I could unlock the code for that, bottle it and sell it, I'd be a ver rich man in deed. And not just financially.
Josephine McCulley
Fitness Guru
Posts: 384
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 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 18:09 - Edited by: missjoe


I think the concept really could be worded better. The truth of the matter, is that no one ever accomplished anything by making themselves absolutely miserable.

You can bust your ass all you want, but if you don't really love the goal, take pride in the work, and enjoy your accomplishments, you're going to get diddly squat done in the end.
Dean Grimshawe
Fitness Guru
Posts: 1178
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 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 18:27 - Edited by: wayofthewarrior


Well put. I take the point

I do get concerned with the people who work soooo hard thinking they are doing the right thing and then feel destroyed when their willpower didn't last long enough so they could reap the rewards.
Jeff West
Fitness Guru
Posts: 237
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 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 18:32 - Edited by: jwest62


For me, hard work is overcoming resistance. Even things I love doing can come with resistance (ask any married person about this). I experience resistance in both realms of diet and exercise, although they're opposites.

In dieting, it's hard work resisting foods that are bad for me, i.e. empty, but tasty calories.

In exercise, it's many times difficult to do cardio because I'm resisting it.

I find that a love for something, and even a logical analysis of something, are not always enough to overcome resistance. I did all this before, got stronger, built more endurance, and bettered my diet, so I know I love it because I remember what that felt like. I also know I'll be healthier if I consistently maintain all my good diet and exercise habits. But still...

White knuckling through the things I resist is what I call hard work. Maybe someone else can relate to this but perceives it differently? ...
THE NEW ME
The Master
Posts: 2856
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 # Posted: 14 Nov 2007 09:04


it depends if you are talking about just exercise which i assuming you are. (if you arent, i might disagree b/c you can find a job you love, which i know is really rare, and go to work everyday and love it, and feel like you arent working really hard b/c you you love it so much you arent working so hard. it doesnt feel like work. again, rare but can and does happen)
in terms of exercise i think you can get away with not working hard once in awhile but ultimately if you want to achieve your goals , you have to work hard. i agree with josephine in that you have to love your goal or else you wont want to work hard to achieve it. i do also agree with jeff that white knuckling is hard work. there are plenty of days i go through the motions of eating my diet and resisting temptation foods. but it all comes back to wanting to achieve my goals so i have to work hard. there is no other option.
Dean Grimshawe
Fitness Guru
Posts: 1178
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 # Posted: 14 Nov 2007 09:54


Yeah, you're all correct guys. It is open to interpretation. From my experience work is a negative word.

'If you find a job you love then you'll never work another day in your life'
THE NEW ME
The Master
Posts: 2856
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 # Posted: 14 Nov 2007 14:02


you always have the right quotes dean! i can only think of them after the fact.
John Matrix
traineo Newbie
Posts: 5
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 # Posted: 14 Nov 2007 15:26


Quoting: wayofthewarrior
"If what you are doing is HARD work, then you are doing the wrong thing"


Right, because all human achievements came from the push of an Easy Button.

You should always strive to be challenged. Life without challenges is a life of boredom. And a life of boredom is, well, no life at all.
Dean Grimshawe
Fitness Guru
Posts: 1178
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 # Posted: 14 Nov 2007 15:58 - Edited by: wayofthewarrior


We covered this John, its down to interpretation.

My personal philosophy is:

'The only limits are the limits you set for yourself'

I frequently break new ground, but it isn't HARD work. Challenging myself is something I enjoy doing, I don't need to push myself to give 100%, I naturally do anyway. Thats where I'm coming from.

Besides HARD is a perception. If you believe you have to work HARD to achieve results then thats exactly what will happen. Nothing until you work HARD. If you believe breaking world records is well within your capabilities and just requires a bit of focus and priority, then guess what. Things start to happen.

HARD is a mindset and people defeat themselves by making things harder than they actually are. Lets face it training is a piece of piss!!

Anyone who really achieved something, did it out of building habits that they had an inspiration to form. Excellence is a habit after all, not something we need to be striving for. Most people who think training is really HARD are the people who miss their goals, same as most people who think money is hard to come by generally don't have any. Training is as much a mental thing as a physical thing, so be careful about how you think about training.
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