Failure IS an option?
February 10, 2011 by Admin: Joe Hashey, CSCS
Filed under Featured, Strength Training
It has been a quiet week on Synergy Athletics because I failed…
…and that’s a good thing.
There is that old saying “failure is not an option” and I’m not sure if I buy it anymore. For me it is more like “accepting failure is not an option.”
We all fail. In the gym, with deadlines, etc. It’s going to happen, that’s life. What happens next is the important part. Shrug it off and change your goals because you accept failure??? I don’t think so!
I had a young man squatting 405 and had a goal of 455 during our 3 months of winter training. Half way through he attempted 415 and missed it – mostly because his head wasn’t screwed on right.
He approached me after the session and asked if he could change his winter goal to 415.
NO WAY.
That would be accepting failure and that is just not going to happen in our gym. It is just a speed bump…walk it off, change the strategy, and crush the goal.
He was looking for a way out and failing on that lift was it…or so he thought. It was time to have a big talk with him about setting his goal in stone and only accepting success.
My Failure.
I’ve a different speed bump – that’s why there hasn’t been any new free articles up this week. We are working on our new training program….for secrecy’s sake let’s call it X.
It has been almost 2 1/2 years since Bull Strength was released. People are still purchasing it and using it with success to this day – BUT it is time for something new. I get that.
We started researching X almost a year ago and it is truly unlike any other training program. It will blow people’s minds, I gurantee you that!
We are 6 weeks in to the 12 week program and a few people started missing their numbers on the big lifts. So do I accept failure and do 1 of two things? Release the program anyways and go for a quick buck like a lot of internet trainers, or scrap it? After all, our major lifts are up BIG TIME in 6 weeks.
Not Acceptable.
Those options are not acceptable. I have to tweak the program and start back at week 1 and test again, and again, and again until it works every time with various athletes. Even though it will delay finishing it at least 3 months I’m perfectly okay with that as long as the last outcome is a complete success.
Don’t worry, I won’t delay it as much as Axl Rose’s Chinese Democracy (that was like a decade!) That popped in my mind after watching Fergie murder classic G N R during the Super Bowl….
Your Story?
I’d love to hear about a time you or someone you know has overcome adversity to be successful. Don’t be shy! It will serve as motivation to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!
Please post it up in the comments.
Joe Hashey, CSCS
PS. Thanks for understanding the delayed articles this week!
PPS. This definitely isn’t a marketing trick about X – you probably won’t hear another thing about it for 3-6 months!!
[New Post] Failure IS an option? – via #twitoaster http://www.synergy-athletics.com/effecti...
People who don’t “fail” never put anything on the line worth failing for. As a design engineer I fail, but when things happen it is a great thing. I fail in the gym but that is because I push myself and don’t do workouts that I know are going to be a walk in the park. If you are going for the best PR you can you eventually have to fail, unless you quit early. Failing is a great way to learn.
Thanks for the post Joe. Looking forward to what you have in store for us in the future.
Great point about not putting something on the line! Brilliant, thanks Michael!
Joe
About 4 years ago, I herniated a my first disc at my old job. NOT FUN! I was a guy who worked out regularly, ate well, stretched frequently, etc. I was out of commission for 6 months. Still working, but couldn’t do my workouts anymore. But I didn’t quit. I went physical therapy, stuck to the exercise and I was back on it stronger, and more flexible than I was before. But it didn’t last…
About a year after my injury I was laid off. No surprise. After a few months of job hunting, I landed a job in San Francisco. My old job was very very physical. LOTS and LOTS of heavy lifting, fixing heavy equipment, etc. My new job is a desk job. A death sentence for my back…I herniated 2 more discs from the physical shock. NOT FUN! This time I was out of commission for about year! I was bed ridden for 4 months (only work and home), and on a cane for 7-8 months. I tried epidural treatments, physical therapy, and nothing was helping. My next step was surgery. NOT AN OPTION. No one and I mean NO ONE is opening my back up. So I said f**k the doctors and started researching. I started with very very low mobility exercises and Qi-gong. Then slowly progressing from there to more complex movements, then after a year of recovery, I signed up with an excellent personal trainer. Now I am benching over 250lbs! Stronger than I’ve ever been! My flexibility isn’t where I’d like to be yet, but getting there. =)
There’s a saying about failure my mother used to always tell me. ” Mistakes and set backs aren’t failures; QUITTING is the true failure.”
Moma knows best =]
About 4 years ago, I herniated a my first disc at my old job. NOT FUN! I was a guy who worked out regularly, ate well, stretched frequently, etc. I was out of commission for 6 months. Still working, but couldn’t do my workouts anymore. But I didn’t quit. I went physical therapy, stuck to the exercise and I was back on it stronger, and more flexible than I was before. But it didn’t last…
About a year after my injury I was laid off. No surprise. After a few months of job hunting, I landed a job in San Francisco. My old job was very very physical. LOTS and LOTS of heavy lifting, fixing heavy equipment, etc. My new job is a desk job. A death sentence for my back…I herniated 2 more discs from the physical shock. NOT FUN! This time I was out of commission for about year! I was bed ridden for 4 months (only work and home), and on a cane for 7-8 months. I tried epidural treatments, physical therapy, and nothing was helping. My next step was surgery. NOT AN OPTION. No one and I mean NO ONE is opening my back up. So I said f**k the doctors and started researching. I started with very very low mobility exercises and Qi-gong. Then slowly progressing from there to more complex movements, then after a year of recovery, I signed up with an excellent personal trainer. Now I am benching over 250lbs! Stronger than I’ve ever been! My flexibility isn’t where I’d like to be yet, but getting there. =)
There’s a saying about failure my mother used to always tell me. ” Mistakes and set backs aren’t failures; QUITTING is the true failure.”
Moma knows best =]
Emilio,
Mamma does know best! Thanks for taking the time to share that – it was personally motivating to me! I’m glad to hear things are going much better because you didn’t “accept failure!”
Thanks – Joe
In this time of war it baffles me that as coaches, people, teachers etc. that we can actually come up with stories of adversity, challenge, failure and success. If I hear one more coach or athlete talk about over coming a challenge and consider athletics at war or themselves a soldier I am going to lose it. We have become a society of the pat on the back. We have soldiers dying on a regular basis and we are going to tell stories of how we over came something. Maybe we should tell stories as to how we have over come absolutely nothing. If you have served in the military you have the right to talk about over coming adversity. I did not and still do not have the balls to serve in the military so therefore I have not overcome anything. Do what you are supposed to do in life and quit looking for a pat on the back. I do not wish to be rude or make lite of anyones situation but I have been involved with athletics for 20 years and I can no longer listen to or read about people who have no clue what sacrifice or true adversity is. When you feel sad or neglected and frustrated with your personal failure shut the hell up and go to http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org and then see what adversity really is. Have a lovely day.
Hi Joe – tough call on the delay, but respectable. Knowing your standards are so high actually will, of course, help increase sales of it once it’s released so a delay now won’t mean a net loss of sales. A bad program will eventually have reduced sales over time, and a good program will take off.
Good luck with it!
D
Bob,
Thanks for the response! While I don’t agree at all with minimizing anyone’s difficulties in favor of others or “rating their adversity” based on your own feelings, I’ll respect your opinion and leave it alone.
Joe
Joe,
Haven’t received anything from you for several days.
Everything ok?
Looking forward to getting more great info/articles/videos from you.
Take care and best wishes.
Stephen