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Discipline of steel #17

A strong and healthy back, how to fix muscle imbalance, watch out for this trap, and the most important thing about your goals.

Hey Warriors,

We’re going to get a bit technical in the first part of this week’s issue, but I promise you no jargon!

Read carefully because these first tips are very important and will help you no matter your current level.

As always, I’m going to give you principles you’ll be able to apply in many different situations.

My goal is to help you become an expert at training yourself, and make sure you don’t depend on me or anyone else to reach your dream shape and strength.

The second part will show you how to build discipline and put you in the right mindset to succeed this week.

If you need any help with your training, please let me know by replying to this email and I’ll share my answer with everyone.

Now let’s start! 💪

1. Rows on Parallel Bars: for a strong and healthy back.

The exercise of the week is actually in response to a question I got recently.

Your fellow warrior had 2 concerns:

1) His bar is too low and rows are very difficult for him.
2) He was wondering how many sets and reps he should do per week.

I’ll start with the second part: if you are also at an intermediate level (can do 1 pull-up), this exercise is great to increase your strength endurance.

You should therefore aim at 3 sets of 15 reps on your pull day, which should be once a week, or twice if pull-ups are your main goal.

Regarding the first part of this question, you should set the bar either lower or higher to adjust the difficulty of the exercise.
The trick is to make it just difficult enough to be able to do 15 reps with good form but not more.

For this reason, adjustable dip bars are best but you can also elevate yours on stable surfaces of equal height.

Click this link for the full YouTube video and instructions.

2. How to fix any kind of muscle imbalance.

This is how we fix muscle imbalance with Enso Bodyweight Training System.

If you train mindfully, you’ll often find that you have one side stronger than the other.

Now you can google corrective exercises from people who make a business of overcomplicating things, or you can learn this simple and universal principle:

Perform a single limb strength exercise with the same resistance on both sides.
Start with the weaker side first, this is how you set the intensity and volume.
Don’t do more on the stronger side than you did on the weaker.

The idea is to make the weaker side catch up, while keeping the stronger one active.

This does mean your stronger side won’t progress as fast as it could.
But this is also the fastest way to reinstate balance.
It is a temporary compromise for long term success.

Don’t skip steps, be patient, fix the foundations first before you build upon them.
As I said, it’s simple and universal.

3. Be careful not to fall in this trap.

To approach training with a maintenance mindset is the best way to regress.

You may be more familiar with its equivalent in business: the day you stop innovating is the day you start losing market shares.

My whole training method is based on the philosophy behind the Zen symbol Enso.
It represents the constant pursuit of progress and growth.

Training to always get stronger, run longer, and be more flexible is the only way to stay fit.

There is a very simple and practical reason for it.
If you don’t try and get better, you won’t challenge your body and mind.
And if you don’t challenge them, you’re not really working out.
If you don’t really work out, you know what happens.

You must have your eyes on a target, always and for the rest of your days.

I remember it was hard for me to accept. I mean, training until my last day?!

But that’s how it works. And the sooner we make peace with it, the easier it is.

4. This is why it’s about the journey and not the destination.

The most important thing about our goals is what we have to do and who we have to become to reach them.

This is why we must always aim high.
Because the real reward is our transformation.
And even if sometimes we forget it, we achieve so much along the way.

When your goal is to retire healthy and be fit enough to play football with your great grandchildren, you have to do great in many aspects of your life.

And the clearer the vision, the more drive you have to succeed.

Health is a journey where you’ll have to get your nutrition right, become physically stronger, get your finances in order, sleep well, control your mind.

It sets you on a path to countless meaningful victories in many different fields.

And every day you wake up a little closer, a little better.
In fact, you may want to never reach your goals, just so you can keep growing forever.