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Discipline of steel #27

How to build warrior grip strength, an exercise for motivation, consistency is muscle memory, and focusing on the next step.

Hey Warriors,

How do you stay motivated to work out all year long?

The answer is you don’t.

And if you’ve been waiting for a way to keep that motivation, or a form of training you like so much that you’ll want to do it every day, I kindly request you to stop looking.

It doesn’t exist.

Your motivation comes and goes? Great, that makes you human.

What you should be looking for instead are ways to keep training 3 or 4 times a week through those ups and downs.

Because unlike your motivation, your goals are a constant.
And they need you to keep going.

And this can be achieved with a lot of strategies and techniques that you can learn over the years, or faster if you read this newsletter.

On this note, I strongly suggest you do the exercise in the second article, and I wish you a strong 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. Build warrior grip strength.

Here’s an amazing exercise to build grip strength even if you’re a beginner.

We say we can measure a person’s overall strength by their grip.

Grip strength is actually forearm strength.
Just do the test: with your palm facing up, clench your fist as hard as you can. Open it again and repeat, see what’s happening with your forearm?

A good grip strength is not only a gym bro’s flex, it also makes everything in our daily life easier and safer.

You must be familiar with sling trainer rows.
To put more focus on your forearms, simply perform your rows with a close grip.

If that’s harder that normal rows, stand slightly more vertically and that problem will be fixed.

Here’s to a stronger life and handshake!

Click this link for the full YouTube video and instructions.

2. An exercise to not lose sight of the prize.

Here’s a little exercise to give you some motivation.
(Repeat as often as needed)

1: Write down what will happen if you work out.

You can start with the usual like making muscle, sleeping better, increasing your endurance…
But don’t stop there.
If you’re familiar with features and benefits in marketing and sales, you should know that these are actually features.

Continue your list by writing benefits.
What will you get from having more muscles, boosted confidence and not being out of breath after 10 minutes of cardio?

Get really personal with it.
Find your values and write down how working out will help you reach your aspirations.

2: Now write what will happen if you don’t work out.

Make a list of your losses and their consequences, and go as deep as you did for the positive stuff.
Write down how not working out might cause your biggest fears to become reality.

Repeat this exercise every time you feel less motivated.
Don’t just read your previous list, write a new one every time.

Never losing sight of what’s at stake will keep you focused and consistent.

3. When consistency becomes muscle memory.

Practice talking yourself into taking action, then follow with the said action.
Make this pattern become muscle memory.

You know everything originates from your mind.
Your mood, your vision, even how much you can lift is regulated by your brain.

But how often do you give your brain a workout?
I’m not talking about memory games and sudoku. What we need is to work out our willpower.

Every time the thought of something you should do pops up, there are 2 things you can do.
Act or procrastinate. By doing that, you feed a pattern, every single time.

Be mindful.
We become better at what we do repeatedly, so let’s repeatedly act whenever we see something that needs to be done.

And even better, let’s give ourselves a pep talk first.
Let’s remind ourselves why we need to train, how much it counts, and that we have no choice.
Then let’s act.
Let’s make this a pattern, and let’s become great at it.

4. Focus on the next step.

Lofty goals are necessary to set the direction,
but they can become toxic if we can’t take our eyes off them.

At first, they make us eager to act.
But soon, they put pressure on us.

The gap between these goals and our present reality makes us feel bad about ourselves.

It feels like we have so much work, and that’s how we freeze and never act.

Always focus on the next session instead.

For some of us, one workout is a mindset shifter.
For many of us, it’s already a victory.
For all of us, it’s a mandatory step to our goals.

This is why we should think of our goals only 1% of the time,
and focus on the next step 99% of the time.

That’s what very fit people do.
And that’s what you will do today.