“I don’t wanna!!!”

For the last few weeks I’ve been trying something new with my training. As most of my clients train at home with minimal equipment, I tend to lean towards bodyweight training myself as I’m always looking for new ways to develop and improve my programmes. Recently however, I have been inspired to try lifting some heavier weights - my body feels great for it!

I’ve been working on a Barbell Front Squat and on improving my Deadlift, along with some other hip and upper body exercises. (There’s a video at the bottom for a sneak peek behind the scenes!)

I found the Front Squat really challenging on my shoulders at first. I did attempt this exercise about 6 months ago and experienced a lot of mental resistance to the position it required my body to be in - I had no pain but was feeling a real reluctance to do it.

It reminds me of how I felt back when I was told I actively need to squeeze my bum if I didn’t want my back and knees to hurt when doing a Hip Bridge. (Find out more here and here.)

My inner 5-year-old would have a tantrum and bang her fists against the floor.

“I DON’T WANNA!!!!” - she would shriek!

This time round I was determined to nail the Front Squat and just as how the Hip Bridge is now one of my favourite exercises, as a result of perseverance and determination I’m really enjoying it.

I LOVE how it requires the strong upper body activation and I’m relishing the badass feeling of adding weights to the bar.

Have you ever had that aversion to do something? Something that you know will benefit from but you just… can’t?

Don’t worry - it’s totally normal!

Our brain wants to avoid danger and as soon as it experiences any resistance to doing something, it interprets that as a stress signal and creates more blocks to us doing the thing. Very often it’s something that is hugely beneficial for us - the brain is literally fighting against what we actually want to do in an effort to “keep us safe”.

The same applies when working with a painful body part - in order to get beyond pain-free you need to be able work with a mild level of pain in order to teach the body it is safe to move.

(IMPORTANT: If you are unsure whether it is safe to move your painful body part, please check with your doctor or a clinician.)

There are a lot of things in life that cause a lot of mental friction, yet if we can push through the rewards can be amazing!

Have you experienced this? Something challenging you had to push through and suddenly it became manageable or even enjoyable and gave you a great result? Let me know in the comments!