When You Start, Don't Stop!

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Before I start, I want you to imagine this . . .

Your Story

You’ve made an appointment to experience your first Gym Induction at your local gym. Your heart rate elevates, your palms become sweaty, and all of a sudden your limbs start to feel heavy . . .

You get in the car and drive to the gym, where you’re politely greeted at the door by one of the staff members . . .

You look around the gym . . . up at the ceiling, where the lights are gleaming, towards the equipment, and then towards the machines where you think you’ll spend the next few months . . .

You then ‘snap’ back to the staff member explaining how to use the pieces of gym equipment, and the various locations of all the rooms and fire exits. . . .

Your nerves subside a little, as you start to take in your surroundings . . . the atmosphere around you houses the cool air generated by the air conditioning . . .

The bright lights illuminate the treadmills, cross-trainers and bikes you find yourself drawn towards. It is then, when you find your heart rate start to climb again, through the mixture of nerves and excitement.

Once the induction ands, you begin to walk around the gym yourself t ‘find your own feet.’ Once a little more familiar, you go towards the treadmill, and begin with experimenting with the buttons to find the correct speed . . .

Once you have a steady walking pace and you feel secure, you stick your elegantly designed and popularly branded headphones on and upon hearing your favourite music, you enter your own ‘calm’ and your own ‘universe.’. . .

The 'Comfort Trap’

However, this is a mistake!

People fall into the same trap . . . it is okay in the beginning, like the person I just described, but if you allow yourself to develop this habit of ‘being too comfortable’ then you will never realise your fitness goals, and you will ultimately FAIL.

Because the gym - in spite of today’s modern designs and air conditioned-upbeat atmosphere - is not supposed to be a comfortable place.

You go to the gym to put yourself through hard work, and yes, it can be enjoyable, but the enjoyability comes afterwards: after you’ve ended the session knowing you’ve done the work!

Your Mindset is Honed

This is also why the gym helps develop your mindset, and helps you develop will power, because you are in a different, more uncomfortable environment than your home!

This is where you give birth to Will Power, Determination and Fortitude.

Be Someone You Respect

Both physically and mentally, you turn yourself into someone to be respected, and you step onto the path of developing your physical appearance and physical performance.

And, it is your physical performance, married with your mental fortitude, that YOU originally strive to achieve!

Fitness Headline of the Day!

I have decided to actually start throwing some headlines in here from different parts are the world, and I will be selecting the m at random and then dissecting them to see if they’re valid for you guys to use or not.

I think it’s important to note here that there is a nuance to everything, and you can still take the good parts of a session, warm-up, or routine and implement them into your own fitness program.

I came across this one and thought there are some useful exercises in here, although I wouldn’t necessary recommend them in the order she is performing them, nor would I recommend some of them for beginners.

Now, if you’ve clicked on the link and watched the video on the web page, you’ll notice she uses some ballistic ankle stretches as part of her warm-up for the run - If you’re a beginner, this is a ‘NO’, and I would also strongly recommend you do a longer warm-up than 5 minutes, and use the ballistic ankle stretches towards the end of the warm-up.

The alternating lunges mid-way through the warm-up are a good way to start, especially because using larger muscle groups like your thighs (quadriceps) will help warm your body up faster in this cold weather we have at the moment.

Lastly, I wouldn’t necessarily use the alternating hamstring stretch at the beginning of your warm-up, because you need to get the blood circulating throughout your body more efficiently at the start - jogging on the spot, high knees or heel flicks would be more effective here, followed by those alternating hamstring stretches.

Thank you for reading!

If you liked this article then you might like ‘Morning Chalk-Up’ a Newsletter that delivers the top headlines in CrossFit and some really useful content in nutrition and exercises to help improve fitness performance.

Lastly, I would like to thank today’s sponsor, ‘RunDot’ for their kindness, and for providing a free offer for people wanting to participate in research in the fitness industry - this is how we can move forward as a community.

Participate in running research with RunDot and get two free months of run training

What is The RunDot Project?

It is an annual research initiative that uses optimized run training to help runners reach their true potential.

Why should you join?

RunDot athletes improve their running abilities, on average, 3.2x more than non-users, and experience performance improvements in 30% less training time.

Qualified participants also receive 2 free months of run training.

Do you qualify?

You are a good fit if you check these boxes:

• You train with a GPS-enabled device

• You have not used RunDot or TriDot in the last 12 months

• You are not a professional runner

• You are enthusiastic and motivated to accomplish your running goals

Do you meet these criteria?

Join the 2025 RunDot Project. Learn more and apply here.