The Workout is Always Worse on the Other Side

When I train myself, or plan my own diet, my mindset is the opposite of when I train under someone.

When I'm training myself, and I look around the gym, I sometimes find myself thinking, "My workout is the hardest workout here. These other people aren't willing or able to do what I'm doing. They may be working harder or longer at what they're doing, but they aren't doing this awesome thing I'm doing."

When I'm training under a coach, and I look around the gym, I think, "Thank goodness I'm not doing that. Everyone's workout is way harder that mine. I better keep quiet and hope my coach doesn't realize this and make mine as hard as theirs." Even if other people come over and say to me, "I'm glad I don't have to do what you're doing" I feel like they're fooling themselves, I've practically got a free ride.

The same goes for diet. If I impose an eating plan on myself, no matter how good or how bad, I tend to think, "This will be hard, but I can do it. It sucks that I need to give up this and that, but it'll be worth it." At the same time, I think, "Well, technically this treat isn't a treat, it does fit into my plan." And in sneaks all sorts of marginal choices. So will seeds of doubt. I will think, "This will work. Probably. The other thing didn't."

When my coach gives me a diet plan, I think, "Okay, is that it? I can do that standing on my head. I'll show you how much compliance I can give you." And at the same time, I think, "Okay, you said I could eat all of this particular food that I want. I'll do that. This other food is off-limits? No problem." No seeds of doubt grow, either. I might think, "Really, that is your plan?" but I'll do it and think, well, it worked for my coach and my coach's clients, so therefore it'll work.

Just a little something I observed in my own mindset the other day at the training facility . . .