Often the most successful athletes seek discomfort.

I don’t think that they do it on purpose but it’s more of an subconscious habit that they have…

For example, really good athletes love competition and will seek out better and better opponents… maybe for the thrill of competition or maybe for the desire to get better… either way it works to their advantage.

Also, a lot of top athletes seek out hard training… it’s almost like they innately know that in order to grow they need to be put in uncomfortable situations. Think Tiger Woods training with Navy Seals…

I see this in the gym everyday… how an athlete responds to a challenge is huge…

Average athletes will seek comfort. They are content with being the big fish in a small pond.. they will avoid an uncomfortable weight or drill at all costs…

Another reason why success breeds success. A team full of average athletes will stay average but throw a few hungry ones in the mix and watch the level rise on the whole team.

The successful seek discomfort in order to grow….

I think that this is a quick and easy barometer to see if you or your athlete is on the right track. How often if at all are you putting yourself in really uncomfortable spots.. with your sport or your training? Are you seeking out better competition?

In our gym, we try to put the athletes through something that takes them out of their comfort zone often… At least once every few weeks…

Uncomfortable will be different for different athletes but that is the art of coaching.. For a new athlete lifting something heavy might scare them… For a big strong guy having a few sets of low handle sled pushes might induce vomit… That being said we don’t want to CRUSH the kids every time they come in but we do need to put them in uncomfortable spots. For example, yesterday was a sled push and stone carry day and the tree out front saw some vomit but its all good! We got away from heavy barbells and challenged some of the kids mentally and physically for a session.

This also relates to the culture of a team or in our case the gym. Being in the culture here kids will get pushed up and not dragged down… some of them might hate some of the stuff we do but they won’t get out of it and they will be better off in the long run. It’s one of the big differences between our gym and a commercial health club and many HS weight rooms. How often do you see somebody way outside their comfort zone with their buddies at a health club?