by Michael Plank
I’ve talked at length about how every workout you do doesn’t have to be the hardest workout you’ve ever done; about how you don’t always have to redline; about how “your best” won’t be that good sometimes and that’s ok. And I stand by it. It’s not all about suffering.
But sometimes, you should do things that are really hard.
Sometimes you should go faster than you think you can. Sometimes you should go heavier than what you feel confident with. Sometimes you should come to that workout you’re dreading precisely because you know how much it’s going to suck.
Will doing that (in a thoughtful and intentional way) make you a better athlete? Yes, definitely. No question.
But much more than that, it’ll make you better at being uncomfortable. And that’s a life skill that is super valuable.
People ask me when the hook grip starts feeling better, or when cold showers get easier, or when workouts stop being so hard… Here’s the bad news… The answer is: never.
But the more exposure you have to getting uncomfortable, the more exposure you have to doing hard things, the less it bothers you that things are uncomfortable and hard.
And that’s valuable because life gets uncomfortable. Life gets hard. And if you can learn how to deal with discomfort and difficulty – if you can learn how to exist in discomfort and difficulty – it makes things a little easier.
Because doing hard things is a skill. It’s a skill that’s transferrable. If you get better at showing up on those days you don’t want to come, you’ll get better at having those conversations you need to have that you don’t want to have. If you get better at sticking with the workout that’s deeply uncomfortable, you’ll get better at sitting with a grieving friend when you have no idea what to say, but they just want you there anyway. If you get better at trying things that intimidate you, you’ll get better at advocating for yourself and creating the life you want.
Doing hard things is good. It’s a skill. And it’s a skill that you can practice, and one where you can improve.
That makes your workouts better. But much more importantly, it makes your life better.