The Strength Curve

Listen to this: I can get you ripped, rock-hard abs in five days. I guarantee. The secret is at the end of this post. But don't skip to the end, otherwise this trick that personal trainers HATE will lose its value.

Okay, so if you're human, you probably skipped to the end. Curiosity got the best of you. Don't sweat it, though, no one will know ;). Now, if you didn't look at the end yet, look now, and you'll notice that there is no hidden secret. I was lying! I piqued your interest by promising something attractive and desirable; however, I ended up giving you nothing at all. 

While this example might seem rather silly, lofty promises are made all of the time in the fitness industry. They never fail to produce no results,  make the customers waste their money, and most importantly, skew the client's perception of progress over time. An ad may read something like this: "3-Day Ab Workout for a Shredded Six-Pack." All of these advertisements play on the same aspect of human nature: people's desire to get stuff fast. You'll never see an ad that says "Follow this moderate diet and exercise program to get a six-pack in 5 months." While the latter is a more effective approach, people will always go for the faster "3-day" method. Today, we'll look at how the fitness industry has made people believe in the existence of "quick results", and also how someone can reconcile their resulting skewed perception of progress over time.

Somehow, the fitness industry makes people believe that many ridiculous feats are possible- that obese people can transform in a matter of days, that someone can build 20 pounds of muscle in three months, or that a bloated belly can turn into rock-hard abs within minutes. How can they do this? How can they make people believe such implausible outcomes? For one, they might show people who were able to actually achieve the results. Unfortunately, the people they show are often genetic anomalies, steroid-users, or liars. But, since many people don't realize the immense role that genetics and steroid use play in fitness, they'll believe that "if the person on the cover of the magazine did it, so can I!" Additionally, many people (not all) are lazy. They don't want to admit to themselves that progress will take a long time, so they'll continually buy into the industry tricks.

If someone has continually bought into these false promises, how can they regain a correct perception of how long progress in fitness takes? Quite simply, people have to realize that progress always takes a long time. Progression matters more than the speed at which someone is progressing. You have your entire life to make progress, and you should be in no hurry. If you're ever wondering how long it will take to lose weight, gain muscle, gain strength, get faster, etc., the answer will always be the same: a long time.

I touched on this concept in an earlier blog, but the piece of wisdom that people overlook when they chase after quick results is this: it matters less about fitness and itself and more about what someone can learn from fitness. If gaining 20 pounds of muscle takes three years, so be it. The hard work that goes into reaching a goal builds character. 20 pounds of muscle is cool, but 20 pounds of character is even cooler.