Sweet Spot

We had a beautiful gathering yesterday for Thanksgiving. It was the BEST to have Lucas home and get to spend quality time with him, hear more about his college adventure, and watch Mason and Willa soak up one on one time. Each Thanksgiving, I typically ask everyone to share two things they are grateful for from the past year. This year, I decided to ask something else, a question that promotes forward thinking. In thinking through my own answers and hearing those of others, it got me thinking about sweet spots. What’s the question?

Thanksgiving Question

A year from now, what will you be thankful you spent time on in the next 12 months? Think of something/as many things as you want that you could easily not do. Think of things that you would do entirely by choice and look back upon this time next year with gratitude for having done it.

What’s your answer?

Among others, mine is definitely pushing in the gym and with my entire bodybuilding program. I could easily not do it, especially with my increasing limitations, metal plate and screws, need for another surgery “sometime this coming year,” etc.

But I believe I can do both, so long as I find…

The Sweet Spot

In the gym, if you experience no stimulus your muscles won’t grow. If you step under 10,000 pounds your body will break.

Life is similar.

Too much challenge makes life hard, but so does too little.

– James Clear

Amen. My sweet spot requires careful attention to how hard I push and how well I recover, giving time for not only the work of the gym to equal progress, but time and space for continued healing from my last surgery so we can move forward.

That’s a tricky sweet spot!

It is like a dance every single day as I check in and assess. The ~30 minutes I spend on the floor every morning doing mobility and activation work is the key to finding what that day’s sweet spot is. I’d argue that it is the most important part of every workout.

The work I do after that needs to be sustainable long-term. Weekly that means six gym workouts followed by a full recovery day. Longer term it means hitting the mark relentlessly leading up to competition dates without getting injured. A sustainable sweet spot.

Next Surgery

We are seeking a sweet spot with my healing and next surgery, too. We need to get the metal out ASAP due to the metal allergy and issues it is causing, but there must be enough healing first. The bone needs to be able to support itself and allow me to keep going with my workouts. If we do it too soon, we risk the whole thing collapsing. If we wait too long, the damage from the metal allergy will have created a whole cascade of other issues. And there’s no precedent to call upon.

I think it is exciting and fun! How hard can I push towards my goals while staying in my lane? Where is my sweet spot every day?

Where is yours?

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