Three Training Truths, Pt 2 + New Classes at the Gym
I had written a rather long entry for Part II in my “Three Training Truths” series. But as I read it, I started thinking to myself, there’s really one important lesson in all of this, and it’s best summed up in the story below. You’ll have to read it to understand, but it’s a good story, I promise.
Before I get into it though, I’m very excited about announcing…
New Strength & Conditioning Classes at DiSalvo Performance
I want to invite everyone reading to check out a brand new morning offering we are doing at DiSalvo Performance Training HQ in NYC: Starting next Tuesday, we’ll be offering Strength & Conditioning Classes every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 7am and 8am, and Saturdays at 10am. You can read more by clicking here, or you can go right to the registration page by clicking here.
This is a great way to get some serious strength training into your schedule with expert instruction. Whether it’s for jiu jitsu or just to be strong, this is the place for you.
Ok, Story Time…
About 12 or so years ago, I was working at the first gym I ever worked at as a trainer. I was not even one year on the job yet at this point. One morning, the elevator opens (the gym was on the 2nd floor of a building downtown), and a man came through in a wheelchair, being pushed by a health aide. They approached us, and explained he wanted to join the gym, as he had massive blood clots the year before, and was at a point in his recovery where it was vital he start exercising. He looked very thin and frail, and getting in and out of the wheelchair the first dozen or so times I saw him was something that took about 10-15 minutes just to get him situated on a machine to do a simple row or press.
Time would pass, weeks and months would go by, and he slowly started cutting this time down between wheelchair to machine (he typically worked on the plate stacked machines and the seated hand-pedaling cardio machine). Eventually, he started showing up to the gym by himself, without any assistance besides the wheelchair. His workouts went from a set or two across two machines to a full-on workout.
He generally insisted on training by himself, except for asking for help when it came to putting plates onto the Hammer Strength machines, which I happily assisted with.
We got into many small conversations over the course of many months, where I learned he was a lawyer during his career and worked primarily as in-house counsel to major corporations. It was clear he had a mind for business, as he always asked operational costs about the gym, procedural issues, what “x” or “y” costs, etc.
One day, as I’m helping him clean up plates on a Hammer Strength Leg Press, he says to me, “you should get out of here and start your own business.” I was a little thrown off. Not because it was something I didn’t want to to do— I very much had that goal — but it was the timing. He knew I had about 9-10 months experience at best, which I reminded him, but he didn’t seem to care.
“You learn on the job, and you’ll be able to make a good living for yourself in the long run.”
I still pushed back that I had a lot to learn and wanted to get to a place where I felt like I had the skills to carry a business.
That’s where he got serious and said, “that’s the biggest trap you need to avoid. You may be right, just don’t become someone who uses that as an excuse to never do something.”
He could tell I was thinking about that statement (if there’s one thing I wasn’t, it was that— I have an apetite for risk and betting on myself, which I shared with him.
“Whatever you do, don’t just stay idle in a place like this.”
He actually sent me a long email with small business resources later that afternoon.
There is a lot to unpack in that story.
For starters, the older gentleman in the story is very inspiring and a great show of dedication, patience and perseverance in his own health and taking hold of it.
But that’s not the only reason I tell this story.
He was ultimately advocating for me and giving me good advice to start my own business. We know how that turned out.
The timing was horrible though. My experience wasn’t great at the time, and I was just starting to find a rhythm. I needed time to work and gain confidence in my ability before I could really stand on my own two feet.
I needed more time to bake. Literally.
And that is lesson— good advice can come at the wrong time. It’s ultimately up to you to figure out how and when to apply it. It may be right in the moment you receive it, and it may be a bit later after you figure out what needs to be done first. But that’s the thing about advice: ultimately it’s all still your responsibility to make a decision. It’s up to you to fill in the blanks. That process isn’t always easy, but it can’t be completely outsourced either.
Maybe I’ll publish the longer article before next week, but hopefully this helps illustrate that the most important thing about taking advice is trying to understand when and how to apply it— and not believing every bit of training advice online is for you at every moment.
Oh— and I’m very happy to say I ultimately took his advice, at what seems like the right time.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Mark
PS— If you want to register for a class at DiSalvo Performance, use code: WELCOME10 for $10 off your first class. We hope to see you there.