One of my favorite fitness mantras is this: Hard Is Where It Happens.
I use it when I catch myself whining or whimping out during a tough bootcamp workout:
but it’s hard!
Hard is Where it Happens!
I learned in physical therapy that if your muscles don’t get tired, they won’t get stronger. It’s not enough to workout until you are tired–you have to push through that tired to eke out a few more reps to get stronger.
I learned a different aspect of this lesson doing Tina Reale’s Holiday Best Body Bootcamp program over the month of December. While all of her workouts were challenging, two of the exercises were really hard.
This is easy for the first few reps, but quickly reaches the burn point!
Tina challenged us to use a bench for this–going lower makes it exponentially harder!
I was tempted to put those workouts aside so I wouldn’t have to face them again, but I realized that if those moves were so difficult, they were exposing muscle weakness, and the only way to overcome those muscle weaknesses would be to keep doing those exercises until my muscles got stronger.
Hard is where it happens–and hard is where it needs to happen.
I kept doing those workouts, and even though the Holiday Best Body Bootcamp program has ended, I plan to include these two exercises in my strength routine until they aren’t as ridiculously challenging.
(This is not a sponsored post, but if you are looking for a challenging workout program you can do anywhere, I highly recommend Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp program. The next session starts January 20, and you can register here now. She has lots of information on her site, and you can read my review of the summer session here.)
Is there a specific exercise that you find surprisingly challenging?
How do you make yourself push through a hard workout?
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I just love this mantra. It is so true. We have to be willing to challenge ourselves in order to progress.
hard is where it happens! i LOVE that!! there are several exercises that are “hard” for me and following a workout plan definitely “makes” me do them and ensures i’m not neglecting those hard-to-lift muscle groups!
That leg thing looks harrrrrrrrrd! The ball thing is something I’ve done, it’s one of my favorites, I like it a lot more than planks. I hate planks!
The leg move is crazy hard but the ball pass burns my lower abs. (whine, whine)
I think about this all the time with PULL UPS. They drive me crazy because I just want to be even better at them. I know I must be more patient with them…and practice a ton!
Yeah, I won’t even try pull-ups. I am pitiful and weak in upper body strength ….
I just finished a workout that included hamstring ball curls (probably not the real name) – a move I learned from Tina and hate. My hamstrings always scream at me for days after doing it – so I’m vowing to make sure I do a few sets once a week to see if I can beat it. But, I do wimp out on other moves – I need to stop that.
Oh yeah, those burn too! And glute bridges …
So true! I have to remind myself of this especially when going to the gym after working an 11 hour shift. Sometimes it seems so easy to say “it’s too hard”!
Ugh. I have to workout before work. I am always exhausted at the end of the day — unless I sneak out early for spin class. 🙂
I’ve actually never heard it said before that beyond hard is where it all happens. That certainly provides some additional motivation! Basically anything involving my shoulders is really hard for me. Oh, and running, too! I find the strength to keep on going because my man is always encouraging me if he’s there and, if he’s not, I think of how he would encourage me if he were. He’s fantastic!
That’s nice to have a partner who motivates you. My husband encourages me but exercise time is “me” time.
Great mantra!!!
I’ve done the stability ball exercise but not the sit and stand (gonna change that!!!).
I used to feel the way you did about those 2 moves about burpees and skipped out on them more often than not – now I love trying new forms!!!
This is great! Thanks! I do a lot of running but oftentimes I will start running almost immediately regretting the decision because it is hard and I’m not feeling it. But then I talk myself into by dreaming of the body and life span that I want to have so that I can be here longer for my kids. I realize that if I don’t push through it, I’m gonna be lazy and sit on the couch which is not healthy. So this was great to read today! Thanks
That’s a great way to stay motivated — keep your eyes on the prize and the important reasons you have to stay fit and healthy!
Sadly, any core workout is hard for me but I’m working on fixing that at a Kettlebell/TRX fusion class on Wednesday nights and a BodyPump/Core strength class on Fridays at lunch. I can’t motivate myself to do core workouts on my own so classes work way better for me. Happy New Year!
I definitely think I work harder in classes. I’m not sure if it’s the instructor or peer pressure!
One.More.Rep.
CROSS FIT – that work out is ridiculous – I cannot do it. So I decided, it’s not for me! LOL!!!!!! I will try any type of work out once… However, I do tend to wimp out a little bit… SHHHHHHH don’t tell! AH HA HA HA! That being said, I really really do work out every single day for 2 hours 😉
I’m intimidated by crossfit too. Maybe we should flip some tires to get over it!
BA H AH AH AH AH AH HA! I will sit on the tire as you try and flip it 😉
See, now that might motivate me! Or at least we’d get an ab workout laughing. 😉
Oh I LOVE that mantra!!! Way to go girl!
Love that mantra and Tina’s bootcamp. Those one leg sit and squats are KILLER!!
Best mantra ever. Might have to steal that one! 🙂
Box jumps are the worst for me. They are challenging and i must admit they scare me a bit.
My shins ache at the thought of them! I have a friend who really hurt herself ….
Love this! I just started P90X3 this week and have pushed my way through some tough moves! I just keep telling myself keep going and you’ll get stronger!
I will still this Motivation. lol
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