Hard training never gets easy

“When does this get easier?”

It doesn’t. You either give up, or you learn to enjoy some part of the process.

Coaching CrossFit gives you an unnerving glimpse into people’s first experiences feeling true pain in a workout.

When you’re first starting, it can feel like every single day is the hardest workout you’ve ever done. And the question inevitably comes up: when will this get easier?

Better results come with an understanding that you’ll have to be willing to put yourself in more pain.

When will I get to the point where I’m not on the ground breathing for my life after doing the workout? When will this not be so painful?

Essentially the question is—when can I start just going through the motions again?

My suggestion to anyone having these thoughts is this:

Learn to enjoy at least some part of it. Because if you want to continue to get results, or even just maintain results, that pain is not going away.

Maybe you don’t enjoy the workout itself, but you enjoy how you look in the mirror after a few months of consistency.

Maybe you despise huffing and puffing after each class, but you enjoy the friends you workout with.

Maybe you learn to enjoy the ability to push the limits of your body further and further with each workout—and the pain is something you come to crave as a signal for a job well done.

Maybe you’re embarrassed to say you love the praise you get from being able to call yourself an ironman.

“The reality is that your workouts will not get easier.”

There are a huge number of reasons that you can enjoy your workouts, and I suggest analyzing for yourself what is most motivated for you—with the full understanding that your motivating factor will change over time.

The reality is that your workouts will not get easier. Because as you continue to improve your fitness, you’ll inevitably try to push the envelope further and further. Better results come with an understanding that you’ll have to be willing to put yourself in more pain.

But don’t worry, not all pain is bad. And you’ve been preparing for this with every run, every class, every lift.

You’re ready.