Some people train because they "have to" to better their health or because it's otherwise a means to an end. But many of us do this because we enjoy it. Achieving goals might be the endgame, but going for the ride is often the point of taking the trip. But sometimes we get bogged down along the way. It happens without realizing it. You have a sprain or minor injury. You hit a plateau. Your life gets out of whack and stress levels kill your progress. Before you know it happened you're not having fun anymore, and getting to your goals becomes a grind instead of a great experience.
I've had it happen to me and watched it from the outside more times than I care to think about.
Someone gets a sore knee and before long they're breaking out a protractor to determine optimal right pinky toe angle away from midline in order to more evenly activate the VMO but then their TFL gets an adhesion from the shift in femur position and....shit that's just not a fun way to spend squat day!!!
Or you get a cramp in your calf and wind up tracking potassium intake to the microgram to ensure proper electrolyte balance after ingestion of precisely 37.8 fluid ounces of filtered water from an artesian well in Switzerland that supposedly has an identical PH to their intestinal tract as measured by top doctors in the surgeon generals office.
See my point? Paralysis by analysis as its known.
Sometimes we could all use a mental break and a reminder to just have fun in the gym. Knowledge is a great thing, and to be able to solve problems with science is critical to making progress. But sometimes you just need to go to the weight room, sling some iron around in the most productive way possible, and have fun doing it. You won't kill your goals by smiling or straying slightly from the plan here and there, and the mental relief of not stewing over minutiae is pretty great!
Have fun!
Steve Decker
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