The definition of Motivation is “the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.” As coaches and trainees, Zack and I are often asked what motivates us to keep training – to keep showing up almost every day and hit the weights. In our teenage years, we might have been motivated by the allure of the ladies (spoiler alert – it didn’t work). Putting on some muscle and size back then was a means to puff our chests both physically and metaphorically (and maybe it’s that sometimes nowadays, too). Over the years our motivations for continuing to show up and sling weights has evolved – we are both strength nerds, reading, watching, and practicing everything strength training as an exploration of new frontiers of movement and as a way to improve our craft as coaches. Today, we are both largely motivated by the absolute upper limits of our physical (with a sprinkle of emotional and spiritual) bodies – achieving new levels of strength and movement we might have never thought possible. We often hear that people “lack the motivation” to strength train, and Zack and I talk about what that might mean. I’m of the opinion that motivation largely has an expiration date – that to achieve high levels of strength or low levels of body fat require consistent practice that long proceeds after motivation wanes or expires. Instead, we talk about creating an environment of routine, so that when you’re not “feeling it” you show up anyway. Grab a beer and join us on our favorite podcast to date.
Andy Van Strength and Conditioning 