The Test | By Pat Gilles
There are days in the gym when I see people exceed expectations and days when I see underperformance. Maybe I put you through a workout you had no chance of finishing. Maybe I knew you would fail on the first attempt at lifting a certain weight. Maybe I knew if you hit the number you would blow up. It is always a test and most of the times you don’t even know you are being tested. How will you respond to certain things? Will you shut down, will you push through, will you quit, will you work harder, will you avoid the exercise, will you want to do it more, etc.
If we train to failure in the gym we always want to end on a positive rep to have a lasting mental impression. As long as the individual gives their best possible effort they should never second-guess themselves. Even when/if their best effort still produces failure. When you question performance after a high quality session you can overwrite productive encryptions that were written to the mind during the workout. You need to let your mind and body soak in the hard work. Don’t ruin it by over analyzing it. You are going to have good days and bad days. Don’t make the bad days worse by stressing over them.
When we test individuals in the gym it is important to treat it as a snapshot. The results are what happened at that current time and day. We don’t have the luxury of training in a vacuum so the results only matter in the context of a larger trend. What we need to do from the snapshot is ask questions. Why is the result slower, faster, better? Do I have better strength, fitness, or power? Did I recovery better or worse? How was my nutrition? Or? When we keep records we judge the results based on weeks, months, days, and even years. As long as the trend is going upward we know we are on the right path and the effective one. If you notice a decline in your performance you need to change something in your program. It is ok to have off days as long as they are not consistently off.
When looking at trends focus on stress, nutrition, recovery, and workout characteristics each day. They all tie into the larger picture and performance. Remember there can be lots of factors and never one answer. You have to know what worked in order to repeat it and do it more. Understand that doing the same thing again may not produce the same results but the only way to make the trend sustainable is to constantly questions and investigate. Interrogate yourself every day and do the right thing with the answer. The test might be arbitrary but that’s life so live it. How do you respond to life when shit hits the fan? Do you roll over and quit or do you fight? Applying what we do in the gym needs to be translated into the real world.
When I administer a test I want to see the fight. Even if you realize the target is out of reach don’t quit. Sadly most people in this world do. If I give a test that is not planned I don’t want to see self-doubt or excuses why you shouldn’t do the test. I have grown tired of this type of behavior and you have already failed before you started. If you know I am going to test you it helps to take a moment and ready yourself. Think about what your goal is and what you need to do to accomplish it. You need to learn to tell yourself you are capable and believe in yourself. Think first, then act, and watch yourself improve.
