I took a great kickboxing class tonight. The instructor is awesome. Every time I thought I was pushing myself hard, he’d yell, “Come on! More Power! Go crazy!” So I’d punch and kick harder. Then he’d yell again and I’d take it up yet another notch, giving it everything I had. My heart was pounding, my muscles burning.
At one point, I thought to myself, “I don’t think I can work ANY harder.” Another thought followed a split second later, “You don’t know until you try.” So I tried and I was able to work even harder.
“You don’t know until you try,” is something I often tell my clients. It’s normal for anyone to feel a little afraid or nervous about trying a new exercise or a particularly challenging one.
I remember the first time one of my clients jogged around the track. She is a big girl and had only been training with me a few weeks. She looked at me like I was out of my mind, but I said, “Come on, you can do it. I’m going to go with you.” We jogged side by side…and she did it!
Often I hear, “I can’t do it!” My response? “You don’t know until you try.” If I can convince my clients to try, they can do what I ask. If they can’t do something, it’s because their fear is holding them back – not their physical limitations.
Do you think you can’t work harder? Would you try? If you usually walk, then jog. If you jog, add some sprints. If you always curl 10-pound dumbbells, pick up 12-pounders next time. If you’ve squatted, but never did a jump squat, do 10.
You don’t know how much you can do until you try.
