Assume it applies to you

You’re taking a class and the coach yells out from the other side of the room, “let’s try to get another inch lower on our squats!”

You, being the great athlete that you are, assume that you are getting low enough in your squats and that the note was for the person next to you who isn’t getting even close to parallel.

When, in fact, the note was for you. Because you’ve been going to this gym for 8 years now and are still trying to skate by with the bare minimum requirement—never pushing yourself to move better or lift heavier than suggested.

Here’s a little trick that I want you to consider—the next time that your coach gives a correction in class, assume that it applies to you.

Coach says to keep your chest up at the bottom of your squat? Focus on keeping your chest up.

Coach says to push the floor away in the deadlift? Assume that you can work even harder on that cue.

I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve coached a class and the more advanced athletes decide to skip the warm up, ignore the coaching cues, and then complain about the programming or get injured.

It makes sense, right? As you develop your skills at the gym, your hubris increases as well. But the truly remarkable people take it upon themselves to continue improving. Because they know that no one is going to do the work for them, and if they truly want to keep getting results, they’re going to have to take every cue and apply it to the best of their ability.

“you’ll find the hidden potential just waiting to help you make your next level up.”

Sometimes people have been going to the gym for so long that they can’t see where the opportunity is for them anymore. They feel like they’ve optimized their back squat weight or their mile time, and they feel stagnant.

I guarantee that if you’re willing to take every basic cue, assume it applies to you, and do it to the best of your ability, you’ll find the hidden potential just waiting to help you make your next level up.