Trust the Process
“You're scheming on a thing that's a mirage
I'm trying to tell you now, it's sabotage”; Beastie Boys 1994
I hear it a lot and I’ve said it a lot but it’s sometimes hard to take a dose of my own medicine; “Trust the process”. Or in other words; “don’t go sabotaging things”. Or in other, other words; “don’t be a dumbass”.
Why on earth would I WANT to sabotage my own progress? Of course I don’t want to do that..,but I do want other things. I want to get back to climbing, swimming and biking and I want to be stronger and more muscular again. And I want to stroke my ego and do it now dammit.
Enter the primary sins of thinking you can just start where you left off, ignoring pain (that’s a whole separate topic right there), ignoring medical advice, not taking enough rest, crash dieting and more. All of these are driven by ego, the insatiable need for instant gratification and the hankering to make things just like the good old days.
You’d think that with 46 whole-ass years of mortal life experience, I might have learned to cap those feelings. I think I’m pragmatic, disciplined, patient and sensible and armed with a solid dose of cynicism. A ‘clipboard wanker’ you might suggest. I think those traits have been honed by my experiences and they allow me to set realistic goals and plan for contingencies. Most of the time.
But for some reason, when it comes to my training, all that maturity and experience seems to go out of the window and I need to be checked, restrained and controlled. My eyes are indeed, bigger than my stomach in this instance.
I’m relieved to be training again after shoulder surgery and things seem to be moving in the right direction. The temptation to push HARD is very, very real and that’s stoopid. I KNOW it is, but it’s there and it’s powerful.
I KNOW that there’s still a whole bunch of healing that needs to take place, inflammation that needs to calm down, scar tissue that needs to be remodelled, muscle that needs to be progressively strengthened. I KNOW those processes will take TIME. Not weeks; MONTHS. I’m not 18 any more and if I rush it, I'm risking a lengthy setback at best and perhaps even another surgery at worst.
But that big old chimp on my shoulder is just chattering away trying to goad me into pushing harder.
This is where a cool head prevails, along with having a plan backed up by experience. I also know that by adding just enough stress each workout, step by step over time, is the most efficient way to make progress, relive past glories and even reach new heights.
So I can’t bench press yet. So what? I CAN overhead press, so let’s work that; steadily. I can’t get under a regular bar for squats. So what? I CAN use my faithful Safety Squat Bar, so let’s work that steadily too. This time next year; I’ll be in a much stronger, fitter position and grateful for it. Can I deadlift? Yes; let’s rock 👍. Can I Power Clean? Yes…but maybe let’s hold off there for a while yet dumbass.
All the while, I can take advantage of my spare training time to have some fun with movement and challenge myself in other ways. How about some unilateral work or some (looks over shoulder)...mobility work 😱?
If I listen to the chimp, there’s a good chance that I’ll be wishing I’d been more careful and trusted the process instead.
In case you’re wondering, “what is the process?”. Here it is in its simplest:
1. Identify what you can do right now:
Reduce load
Limit range of motion
Reduce volume
Experiment with exercise variations or different movements
Lower effort levels
2. Progressively add just enough stress each session to create an adaptation. By way of a non-exhaustive list of examples, you can:
Add a little load
Increase range of motion
Add reps or sets
Add time under tension
Take less rest.
So there it is and it really doesn’t get much simpler; “don’t be a dumbass” and maybe even have some fun and ENJOY the process as well as trust it.
“Stop stressing over nothing
Try to control your mind
Then learn to trust the process
Do that and you’ll be fine”; Sank the Ripper, 2020
