Too often people assume that working out only builds muscle and endurance. However, while there are definite physiological benefits to working out, there is so much more to be gained. The principles of working out apply to so many other areas of life and can give you more than just physical strength. When you pay attention, there are quite a few lessons to be learned from workouts.
1. Failure is not a bad thing
Fitness is one of the areas where failure is celebrated. If you work to failure, it means you pushed your body to its very limits. This leads to greater hypertrophic gains (muscle growth) than merely working until it gets difficult. Similarly, if you don’t push yourself and do things you don’t think you can succeed at, you will never know how far you could have gone. Failure does not reflect poorly on you but rather makes you stronger and smarter.
2. You are stronger than you think
During a workout, fatigue will set in long before the muscles have reached failure. People often say that your mind gives out before your body does. You have the potential to achieve so much as long as you do not listen to the voice in your head that tells you something is not possible or that you are not strong enough.
3. It doesn’t always get easier, you just get stronger
In many workout programs, the goal is to work just as hard on the 60th day as you did on the 1st day. However, the difference is that on day 60 you will be able to do so much more than you were able to do on the first day. It works the same way in life. While the challenges of life may never get easier, we can continue to get stronger.
4. Rest is important
When people (such as myself) first start working out they often believe that they never need to rest…and it never ends well. Not giving your body time to recover only leads to injury and burnout. In fact, much of the gain you receive from working out takes place during the recovery period. If you don't allow yourself a rest period, you will not be able to push yourself as hard and you will hit a performance plateau. This is true in life as well. It is essential to rest and rejuvenate every week in order to achieve optimal productivity.
5. Two are better than one
It is a well-known fact that the more muscles you engage when working out, the more you are able to accomplish. An example of this is bicep curls. When you are doing single-arm dumbbell curls, the combined weight you lift is less than what you would be able to lift if you used both arms together to curl a barbell. The same is true in life. When you work together with others and allow them to support you, you are able to accomplish more and grow together.
