Maintenance or Growth

I usually have a main focus on my training. Generally, this means more running focus in the summer and more lifting in the winter. I always do both though. One is on growth mode, meaning I’m trying to improve specific capacities. While the other is about maintaining what I’ve got, not necessarily trying to make improvements. This meansI don’t care if my max deadlift improves through the summer, I only care that once fall rolls around, I’m within striking distance of where I was a year before.

We can get caught up always trying to improve everything at once. Not only is this unsustainable, it rarely ever works in our favor.

Instead of trying to lockdown your diet, run more, lift more and learn how to play the piano, classify your endeavors into growth mode or maintenance mode. Try to pick one thing to grow in. For me right now, that’s running. Specifically, running fast. My long running is in maintenance mode right now, just like my heavy lifting.

Get organized and stop trying to do too much. Prioritize something instead of going half in on many things. As Ron Swanson says in my favorite show of all time, Parks and Recreation, “don’t half ass two things, whole ass one thing.”

Justin Miner

@justinminergain