Quick Hit: Dealing With Training Burnout
It happens to the best of us
Whether we are talking fitness, nutrition, firearms, or skills and capabilities related to our profession, training burnout is real. It is a topic of significance in the security industry, both physical and cyber. And in the fitness and nutrition industry. Heck, I spent a few months not touching firearms and I LOVE firearms training and practice. They have been one of the few constants that never presented that sort of issue to me for nearly 40 years and not that long ago I went through some time away because I lost motivation.
So, how do we recognize and resolve it? This is a deep, complex topic that a person could write thousands of words on and just barely begin to attack the topic. I’m not going down that road. Today is a quick hit. I’ve got a couple things I’ve learned and a link to a really solid 2 minute video on the topic.
The most common way that burnout manifests for me is procrastination at the beginning. I normally lift weights starting about 0520 (5:20 AM for civilians). When I wake up and hit the snooze button, I’m right at the beginning of burnout. It took me many years to recognize this. As it gets worse, I snooze more and more often. And then one day I decide I can put off the weight training until the afternoon or the next day and just adjust my schedule. If I let that continue, then pretty quick I bail on the whole thing.
Solution: program a break into my training schedule. Or change it to a different schedule. Or go get a class on something new. All things that work for me. Your mileage may vary.
Dr. Josh Williams is both a competitive bodybuilder and a mental health professional, which gives him an interesting insight into the topic (and many other aspects of the intersection of fitness, nutrition, and mental health).
Here’s a 2.5 minute video that is well worth your time if this is a topic you are being challenged with. Or just want some good tips for the next time you are challenged with it.
Saturday is gonna be Memes and it’s gonna be more fun! Either Thursday or Friday I expect to drop another Minuteman post.