Boxing Blog

    Every session is a privilege

    Hey Everyone,

    Happy Sunday one and all.  It has been a special weekend for everyone around here with Kirei and Ben getting married down on the river in North Fremantle on Saturday afternoon.  Kirei has been part of our little community since (and I looked it up) October 20th, 2013…so a little over 6-years.  It was a great ceremony – very unique and ‘THEM’ – and a fantastic night…

    Gym stuff?  First off, a quick reminder that we have implemented the SugarWOD app (android or iPhone) for the Strength gym users to track their weights and ‘times’ for the workouts.  Each of the workouts we run in the strength gym is available for viewing on the app from 8pm the night before the class – and this applies to both Functional Fitness AND ‘Developing Athlete’.  We have gone to the effort of getting this in and working to enable you to better track your workouts and therefore better ‘progress’…it is hard to go up in weights from what you did last week if you have NO IDEA what that was…SugarWOD is an awesome solution to this and 1-minute of effort after each session will provide a huge benefit.

    I want to talk (reflect??) a little bit this week about how truly lucky we all are to be able to train at the gym together.  And to remember that not everything is forever.

    If that all sounds a bit dramatic, it is kind of meant too.  Over the past ten years people have come and gone from our training ‘circle’ – but if you think sometimes about WHY people have left, you might think about things in a different way.  Of course, some leave because they have just had enough, others move house/jobs, have families, decide they will – no matter what – never reach their goals and give up…but others WANT to keep training – but due to injury/health issues, they no longer can.

    For each of us, every day we train could be the last time we are working out with our regular gym buddies…maybe one of them will never be back, maybe you will never be back…for each of us, ONE of the sessions we do WILL be the last one.  That’s just the reality.  And for a lot of people, that ‘last session’ comes and goes without you ever realising it…you think you’ll be back in tomorrow, or maybe early next week at the latest, but…

    Talking to one of our members the other day I was upset to learn that his mother-in-law had passed suddenly in her early 60’s.  No warning, no pre-existing signs of ill-health.  She was happy, active and the hub of the family.  Another story with a happier ending – one of our 5am’ers wasn’t feeling well, went to the hospital and within 24-hours had a stent installed to re-open one of the arteries to his heart…he had been given the option to go home and come back in for the results on Monday or hang around and wait for the results that afternoon…thankfully he chose to wait – the doctors have said had he not had the operation immediately he ‘probably’ wouldn’t have made it to Monday.  He lives a healthy life, in the gym 4-5 times every week…being fit and healthy HELPS, but…

    These are extreme examples (of course they are) but the point (for me anyway) is to reflect on how lucky I am to train every day and how – no matter how much it SUCKS sometimes – how every session really is a privilege.  Tom Hafey used to say “If you think you’re having a bad day, try missing one” and there is nothing truer than that.

    Our ‘gym problems’ really aren’t problems when you think about it.  It is a cliché (I know) but being hassled to ride a few extra calories on the bike by one of the coaches is not a ‘PROBLEM’.  Being sick and battling to walk down the driveway to get check the mail?  That’s a problem.  Embrace the challenges that you find in the gym – attack them with a bit of energy and ‘verve’ – and remember that the old saying about the worst session being the one you MISSED is an ‘old saying’ because it is the TRUTH.  You can’t get back what you have missed and every session is a privilege.

    Setting aside the physical benefits of the training, for me the privilege of training is the ability to be able to share a common bond and purpose with the people I train with.  It is funny that you can sit alongside someone on a plane for a 4-hour flight and yet somehow that isn’t a ‘shared experience’ – oftentimes it passes without a single word being exchanged between the two of you.  Get through a 3-minute mix of heavy bag work and body weight exercises (you know, 30 hard straights, 3x burpees, 30 hard hooks, 5x pushups etc) and you will be best mates with the person alongside you…united against the pain (and possibly the coach running the session!).  It is the social bond that our group sessions create that is so valuable…and what makes every session a privilege.

    One day it is going to be the last day.  You don’t know when that is going to come – just work hard, be positive and be grateful for every day you get in the gym.  Not every session you do can be your ‘favourite’ – but even when the class ‘sucks’ (and this can be one of a million things – too much cardio, too much strength, not enough cardio, not enough strength…we are all different and one person’s greatest class ever is another’s worst nightmare!) you have to remember that it is a privilege to be able to train.  And remember that the occasional ‘bad day’ is what makes the ‘good ones’ worth celebrating!

    I have to admit, I am not always great at remembering that just being ABLE to train is something worth celebrating – many (many) times I treat the sessions as something to be endured rather than enjoyed.  But given some of the events over the last couple of weeks I am trying to remind myself that being able to ‘get out there and do it’ really is a privilege and one that could be taken away at any time…without warning.  A few people have noticed me riding my bike to work over the last few days…that’s part of it.  I’m doing it because I can – and I’m starting to realise that I am not always going to be able too.  It probably wont be every day, but…

    Embrace the journey.  Even if your legs are aching from yesterday’s session, if your lungs are burning from the ski-erg, your shoulders on fire from push-ups…ENJOY it.  Every session is a privilege.

    See you in the gym,

    Michael.

     

     

$29
HEALTH
CHECK

Are you ready to make a change?

We know this can be a daunting time. You’re probably wondering if we really are the right fit for each other. And it’s OK! Many people before you, have felt the same, and that’s why we want to offer you something special – our $29 Health Check.

Let’s work out together to see if we’re the right fit. Just hit the button below to let me know if you’re ready to see what’s included.

1/22 HAMMOND RD COCKBURN CENTRAL WA 6164

Join Our Tribe

Subscribe below to join our tribe.
You'll receive email updates about the studio, special events, and membership option sales!