The MSP Fitness Index is a monthly blog post covering the extracurricular things both Michael and Taylor have been reading, listening to, processing, or just really digging at the present time. As MSP’s Head Coach and Assistant Coach respectively, Michael and Taylor trust this month’s Index will be insightful, transparent, and inspiring as they share glimpses of what’s going on between their ears.
Michael:
STEP #1 – Watch the Video
STEP #2 – Want Results -> Do The Work
STEP #3 – OK…ok…ok
I hope the above made you smile and think at the same time. For those of you who have ever asked me a question in the realm of health and fitness, your questions are likely met with the appropriate answer of “It Depends,” along with tennis match of back and forth Q & A’s that allow for a thoughtful, and useful answer. With that said, sometimes it doesn’t have to be that complicated and nuanced.
This case was pretty straight forward. Tara ‘said’ she wanted to get stronger. Tara ‘said’ she wanted to build on her squat. Tara ‘said’ that this was important to her. Tara ‘said’ a lot of things centered around this topic, but the most important question to ask of Tara, or (INSERT ANY NAME OF ANY CLIENT EVER), is are they actually willing to put in the work to see their goal come to fruition? That’s THE question to ask, and nobody can answer that but the individual stating the goal. Tara was on board so we got to work.
Day after day, week after week for months, yes ladies and gentleman months…Tara got under that barbell and put in the work. While there were mini positive glimpses along the way to keep the fires stoked, there is a huge trust and communication factor between coach and client to ensure that we’re on the right path. She trusted me that I’d take care of her and do right by her goals and abilities, and I trusted her to do the work and follow through with what she ‘said’ she wanted.
I think you can see for yourself that she followed through in spades. It’s wasn’t easy, and she’d be the first to agree. Horrible training tempos, higher reps at times, the dreaded 1 1/4 Squat reared it’s ugly head, and more torturous training methods to get the job done right. There were numerous ups and downs. Some days/weeks gravity was just a little more mean and demoralizing, but this is where you separate those who want it and those who say they want it.
Here’s to Tara and all of you out there who put in the time and do the work. Well done! Keep at it. Anything of value takes time so stay the course and reap the rewards.
Taylor:
Personality Hacker Podcast:
Do you listen to podcasts? The answer to that question is usually a, “YES!” with all the emphasis one could muster; or a, “Pod-what? You just listen to someone talk?”. While they aren’t for everyone, I particularly enjoy podcasts as they can be incredibly informative, yet their consumed in narrative form. To me, it’s like listening to a story or conversation while picking up a few pearls of wisdom along the way. Needless to say, I bop around here and there in the podcast-sphere obviously listening to plenty of shows on fitness and health, but I do lean towards news, geopolitics, comedy, and personal development as well.
Lately I’ve been digging this cast called Personality Hacker, a show focused on personal growth through the lens of personality types and models. Hosts Joel Mark Witt and Antonia Dodge use personality systems like Myers-Briggs and Enneagram to help listeners understand what drives themselves, what might drive the family and friends around them, and how to communicate, motivate, and delegate to others in the workplace. I’ve been listening for four or five months now and while I don’t catch every episode, I am always picking up on little things when I do (Antonia calls those “little things” nodes).
I’ve personally been loving their recent series on marketing to different personality types which discusses everything from how cereals are marketed to how a spouse “markets” an idea to their partner. Truly great info for elevating your experience with yourself and eventually your experience with others.
This show is packed with insider terminology. Not so much so that it deters enjoyable listening, but I might encourage you to take their personality assessment first to help learn the lingo. You can find their podcast on their website and anywhere you download shows (iTunes, Stitcher, etc.). Give it a listen and let me know what you think!