newsletter archives

Discipline of steel #28

How to unlock your first push-up, the best way to get lean, the road to greatness, and this is fit people’s secret.

Hey Warriors,

I found something harder than staying motivated and consistent.

I think we all get this problem.

And the most upsetting thing about it is that it always appears when we finally get motivated and are all pumped-up.

That problem is patience.

You finally have clear goals, you’re ready to work hard and grind daily to go after them.

But no.
Now you have to wait, pace yourself, take rest days, and tell yourself that the journey is the destination…

Enjoying the journey is easy to say, but not so easy to do when you know exactly where you want to be.

But that piece of Buddhist wisdom is all we have, my friend.

And all we can do is take a deep breath and add one more thing to our practice: patience.

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. How to do push-ups when you can’t do push-ups?

And how it will help you unlock your first push-up in no time.

The power of “negatives” is a widely used tool in calisthenics, but you can actually use it with almost every exercise.

The concentric phase of an exercise is the part that requires the most effort or contraction.
A negative, also called the eccentric phase, is the opposite (usually when returning to the original position).

You could call it the relaxing, or loading phase too.

Example: the descending phase of a push-up, where you bring your chest down to the ground.

A negative exercise consists in doing only that relaxing phase, while resisting as much and as long as possible (not so relaxing then).

This allows you to train the strength and motor pattern required for an exercise, before being actually able to do it.

And this is the fastest way to get there too!

Click this link for the full YouTube video and instructions.

2. This is the best way to get and stay lean.

The advice below is for those of you who are relatively fit and want to take their fitness to the next level. Please note that it doesn’t apply if you are overweight or underweight.

The best and healthiest way for you to build a lean physique is through strength training and a calorie maintenance diet.

Focusing on calorie deficit and vanity exercises is not a viable long term strategy.
It will hurt your morale and you’ll likely lose all your gains the moment you take it easier or eat normally again.

By strength training, I mean training to be stronger. This is not the same as resistance training.
By vanity exercises, I mean exercises whose primary goal is to make you look good, often by isolating muscles.

Doing exercises to look good is a bit like taking medicine to treat symptoms.
You should take medicine to treat the cause and you should do exercises that make you truly fit.

The same goes for your diet.
Eat and train to be strong.

When you address the core issue and build a physique that’s real, not only will it look real, it will also be easier to maintain.

This is the most efficient and sustainable way there is.

3. The road to greatness.

The only way to become great at something is to do it for many years.
The moment you make peace with that, you can start progressing.
Everything you do to try and save time is wasting that same time and is keeping you on level 0.

First, you must reframe your goals.
Instead of wishing to lose 20 pounds in 8 weeks, get a six-pack for summer, add 2 plates to your deadlift, run 5k in less than 25 minutes…
Choose to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, be lean forever, get stronger every year, run faster every year.

In other words, think long term.

Second, you must stop seeking any form of shortcut.
Instead of fad diets, 8-week magic programs, unregulated supplements, or extreme training regimens....
Accept that you will need to work many years to accomplish something which is worth it, and that you will probably need to keep working forever to keep it.

In other words, go slow and steady.

The fastest way to reach your goals is to start doing the real work today, and not waste those years trying to cut corners.

4. Fit people’s secret.

People who are able to stay fit are not mentally stronger than you.

Here's one thing they do different.

They watch themselves closely, objectively, and correct themselves whenever they're drifting away from the plan.

No fitness journey is linear, and nobody has everything under control.

Things come up and we skip a workout. There's something to celebrate and we forget our diet for a day. We find an addictive TV show and sleep later than we should.

That's ok, it's part of life.

However, you probably noticed how quickly this makes you want to go back to your old habits and comfort zone.

This is where you find 2 types of people.

Those who see what's happening and correct their course, and most of us who get dragged back to the dark side.

It's crucial that you stay aware of this tendency and save yourself on time.

Because this might very well be the only reason why you didn't reach your goals before, and the only thing keeping you from reaching them now.

Be aware.