Powerlifting, Parenthood and Staying the Course

Over the years, I've found that strength training and powerlifting taught me some pretty valuable lessons. Little did I know that it would come full circle and give me a perspective on motherhood that I never would've realized.

Planning out a training cycle can be pretty tedious work. Chain cycles, band cycles, deadlift days, etc. Yet, sometimes I find myself approaching potty training, bed transitions and such with such a "whatever" type of attitude. Perhaps I can learn a thing or two from my training.

Stay the Course

When we potty-trained both of our kids, we had a plan. We took a long weekend to go cold turkey. There were messes and there were definitely times when I was ready to give up and let her go back to diapers...

...but we stayed the course.

Within four days, my kid was understanding when she had to go and could TELL me when she had to go. If I didn't stay the course and push through the tough times, it would've taken a lot longer. I would've given up and never known if our plan- our strategy was going to work.

Training

How many times have you done that with your training? You have a plan for three to four months, but two weeks into training, you abandon it because "it's not working." Sometimes when we don't see immediate results, we change everything. And not just one variable – ALL of them.

So, now, we're really confused. Were you not improving because of a certain exercise? Was it the volume? Intensity? Your nutrition? Your sleep? But wait, you adjusted every variable and abandoned the whole plan. Now you'll never know what was really holding you back.

Be Consistent

Parenthood comes with a whole slew of uncertainties. I'm fairly certain you can't have every transition planned out and "strategized." But, if one day you discipline for throwing toys and the next day you don't, the inconsistencies will cause bumps in the road and the outcome (the discipline of the child) will be in question.

Plan. Plan. Plan.

Know what you're doing the minute – nay, the hour – before you walk into the gym. Know what you're doing that week, that month, that quarter and that year. Just like parenting, will some things need to change? Absolutely.

But, the plan will keep you on the path until the indicators indicate taking a fork in the road.