Have a listen ….

[sabre]

…. to David Goggins on YouTube…. Might not be your cup of tea but he’s got my ass back in the Gym.

Get cracking lads …. UTT

[Deleted]

He's an incredible ultra-athlete...but seems to come from that school of thought that people need that boot-camp mentality that individuals are worthless and need to be PUSHED into doing more.

Whilst I have seen this work for plenty others, who have got off their ass and done stuff that they wouldn't otherwise do (and the growth of Boot Camp fitness clubs is testimony that they work), I'm not a big fan to be honest, as a long term practice.

If you're happy with your fitness and body image, don't desire gains, and just 'want to do continue to do what you're already doing' - how does it help being shouted at?

I'm 52 now, but over the last 10 years or so I've gone on a bit of a fitness journey myself,
...I *think* turning 40 was what started me "thinking about it" - although I didnt really do anything until a couple of years later, maybe a Boot Camp or Goggins rant might have accelerated me to take the first step? And this is where I definitely see acknowlegment of the value of Boot Camps / Goggins approach...pushing people over a starting line that they just don't feel able to do otherwise.

Thinking back...I kind of faded away but held on to playing football late 30's early 40's - it was actually an injury that kept me out of football for 6 months that was the trigger to get off my backside and do something else...once I'd made that decision, I found it quite easy, I just entered a 10k race in a few months time, forcing a deadline on myself to then work out "how do you actually start running then". Turns out it just involves opening the door...although its surprisingly NOT EASY to just open the door and start running if you've never done it...I soaked myself in the knowledge of some people who I'd known who'd gone through similar and were willing to share, and employed some mental hacks.

But - what if you've done that, and *want* to carry on drinking lots of alcohol, eating lots of shit, having lots of late nights, and are happy to do enough to maintain a reasonable equilibrium, what is Goggins et al's response to that? I do enough that I can cover 75+ miles, solo, over a day and a half off road self-navigated...I finish top half of any running race I enter from 10k up to marathon distance. And I ENJOY it. Why would I listen to that other voice and push myself further for some marginal performance gains but a reduction in enjoyment??

It feels to me like that Boot Camp mentality is a road to self-loathing and self-destruction.

I like what I do...I don't *need* to try and become the most elite athlete I could physically be. Why listen to a voice that pushes you away from the stuff you like doing?


Not everyone needs or wants to be focussed, driven & Special Op's Ready!

Its same at work too with career progression. What if you like what you do, are good at it, aren't driven by the lure of more £££, and aren't interested in the perceived upwards steps which usually distance you from the things you actually like doing...why is there always a push to 'raise the bar'?

[sabre]

Great points Q.

I’ve found over the years I NEED the shit kicked out of me to get going and once I do I love it.

You’re obviously very fit and respect for that.

For me it’s more about getting fitter and therefore mentally fitter.

✌️

[Deleted]

Mar 24, 2022 13:01:01 GMT sabre said:

Great points Q.

I’ve found over the years I NEED the shit kicked out of me to get going and once I do I love it.

You’re obviously very fit and respect for that.

For me it’s more about getting fitter and therefore mentally fitter.

✌️

Horses for courses I guess. 

And if it works for one person then its worthwhile him putting stuff out there.

Your final sentence is interesting too - you do hear a lot about exercise and being fit being a mental workout too, although it often sounds like a load of rubbish even though there's obvious science in there...

I personally never really 'suffered' in my mind and don't really understand that whole area, although I DO know a few quite closely who on and off have suffered mentally to a greater or lesser extent (and I've sort of learned to be a better 'ear' along the way) over the last 15 years or so as mental wellbeing has become something that we're all more aware of and more likely to discuss - BUT - even from a pretty decent mental starting point, I do know that...

Since I went from....
...'doing nothing' (other than an hour of half-assed 5 a side every couple of weeks) to...
...where I'm now (NOT 'very fit'! - but I do spend at least an hour being active (running or a teeny bit of HIIT or Weights) between 4 and 5 days a week - plus a minimum of an hour walking every day (driven by dog - which has also appeared in this timeframe) )...

- that I am definitely more 'relaxed'/'less stressed'/'less bothered'/'laid back' than I was (which was pretty relaxed anyway) - and, ultimately I guess, "more happy" with who I am and where I'm at as a person.

[sabre]

For me mental health and physical health go hand in hand.

Its also a way of keeping busy when not working which is important (again, for me).

I find the likes of Goggins from an ass kicking point of view great for me but also like listening to the likes of Jordan Peterson for his take on other things in life. An interesting chap.

Cheers UTT

[captslapper]

I started running a couple of times a week about 4 years ago. About 5 or 6k each time. Do two or three 10k runs a year too but its more of a family thing with my 2 lads.

I find it a very personal thing., Dont want to run with anyone. Dont want anyone telling me to do it.
Think my primary reason is getting to that age where you start to get a bit of a gut if you dont do anything and by running I can still eat a load of fatty food and drink beer whenever I feel like it.. which is quite a lot!

I was amazed at how unfit Id got. Always done a lot of walking but half a mile into my first run I was breathing through my backside.
But its suprising how quickly you build it up.

[Deleted]

Mar 24, 2022 17:39:40 GMT captslapper said:

Think my primary reason is getting to that age where you start to get a bit of a gut if you dont do anything and by running I can still eat a load of fatty food and drink beer whenever I feel like it.. which is quite a lot!

I was amazed at how unfit Id got. Always done a lot of walking but half a mile into my first run I was breathing through my backside.
But its suprising how quickly you build it up.

This is exactly the same as me.

It also just happened to be something that hit my mind around the time when shuttling kids around seemingly 12 days a week variously to football / gymnastics / tennis / running clubs etc started to come to an end...so it felt like I had a lot of "me time" available to fill.

(and my other half quite likes me going out for 2 or 3 hours every other night and a Sunday morning for some reason!).

[captslapper]

The other thing that happened was the aches in my knees. Id just got a degree of fitness built up and was training up for my first 10k when every time I went out I got a load of pain in the side of my knees. Both, but one much more than the other.
Had a look online and the obvious thing was tendonitis. The advice every such site gave was rest. Up to 12 weeks of rest in fact, which of course would mean id be right back at square 1 by the time I was running again.

I was telling this to a mate at work who's really into his running. Older than me but does full marathons every now and then.
His advice.. dont rest at all. Just run through the pain and it will get better as your tendons get stronger. So I did, and sure enough the pains all disappeared not long after.

So I suppose moral of the story is, ignore medical advice on line and ask someone who actually knows what theyre talking about.