WJ: Spastic Movement, THE Secret To Success, Why The Rush? -

Hey there,

Here are 3 things I’ve learned and/or expanded on this week.

Enjoy! Subscribe, share, comment, all the things.

P.S. we’re getting closer to my 1-on-1 online fitness coaching going live. Stay tuned and send me a DM on Instagram @jamietmacfarlane if you’re interested in being first up on the list.

P.S. we’re also getting closer to more video content on Youtube and other social media. If you’d like to see some of these journal entries turned into videos, send me a DM on Instagram @jamietmacfarlane.

Spastic Movement Is Killing Your Gains

That ego of ours likes to reveal them self the moment we step into the gym.

There’s nothing wrong with having some amount of ego when it comes to lifting weights. In fact, it’s probably a good idea in order to keep you interested and motivated.

BUT a lot of times our ego can get in the way of progress, especially when it comes to muscle growth. I’m not talking about the ego that causes us to load up way more heavy circles on the bar than we should be (which is also a problem). I’m talking about the ego that causes us to move in a spastic manner.

Spastic movement in the context of the gym is uncontrolled, uncoordinated, sudden, and jerky movement.

I’m not talking about athletic movement during the concentric contraction or intelligently using a bit of momentum on certain exercises to squeeze more growth out of the eccentric contraction. I’m talking about jerking the weight around and having uncontrolled and uncoordinated movements or bar paths.

You don’t have a nervous system disorder which causes muscle spasms or other involuntary muscle contractions, so why are you moving in the gym like you do?

Muscle growth occurs through applying a high degree of tension to a target muscle. Spastic movement literally takes the tension away from the target muscle.

Congratulations, you were able to “curl” a 135lbs barbell up to your shoulder and back down a few times, but you got very little growth out of it.

Control your movement in the gym. For muscle growth you want to really control the eccentric contraction, and move athletically, but still with control on the concentric contraction. These days I suggest a pause at the most stretched position when you transition from eccentric to concentric. Whether you pause at the most contracted position or during the lock-out portion of the lift is a little more nuanced. You may even cut that shortened ROM out of the exercise completely and perform lengthened partials in some instances.

THE Secret To Success

*Spoiler, there is none.*

These days it can really seem like there are secrets or hacks to success. Either through people making claims about them or through clickbaiting you with titles, as I’ve done ever so cleverly with the title of this journal entry. What’s even worse is that most of this content is trying to sell you on the idea that you don’t have to put in as much work, as long as you buy this one product, course, book, video series, etc…

There are certainly systems you can put in place, products, courses, or books you can buy which will make your journey to success more efficient or enjoyable. Maybe even things that can increase the magnitude of success you get that you wouldn’t have otherwise accomplished without.

BUT they won’t change the fact that you have to adhere to fundamental principles and practices over the long-term to really achieve success.

Nick Shaw made a damn good outline of some of the fundamental principles and practices for success (which he calls habits for success) in his book Fit For Success: Lessons On Achievement And Leading Your Best Life.

Here’s a quick summary of some of the fundamentals for achieving success outlined in the book::

Work ethic. This is the foundation of success. Without it, there’s really no accomplishing anything, or at least anything you can be proud of. You have to be able to put in the work, you have to have a real desire and drive to do the work, and you have to follow through over time with your commitment to do the work.
Internal Locus of Control. The book talks a lot about internal locus of control as it relates to your outcomes and actions. It’s the belief that you are in control of your outcomes and not factors that are external to you. I mostly agree with this, but I tend to think that it can be argued that you don’t really have control over the outcomes in your life. There are way too many external forces which you simply cannot control. What you do have control of however, is your attitude, your actions, and your responses to situations and external forces. This is really where I would place the emphasis for internal locus of control.
Positive Mindset. There’s a balance to be made when it comes to having a positive mindset and optimistic thinking. You should definitely be giving some credence to self doubt and realism. Figuring out where you should be targeting that balance will be individual and based on your context or situation.
Discipline. Forming good habits is absolutely key to any successful endeavor. The process of forming those habits will require discipline. Even when you have good habits established there will be periods of low motivation, and external factors which throw you off your groove. This is where discipline comes into play. .
Purpose and Meaning. Your purpose should align with your core values. If you don’t know what those core values are, take some time to write them down and think deeply about them. They will be key in your journey to success. If you haven’t read Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frank, give it a read.
Failure. You will fail. The beautiful thing is that failure is when the most learning and growth occurs. Embrace your failures and learn something from them.
Recharge. Your sleep, nutrition, exercise, and relaxation practices and routines could be the difference between you burning out and not burning out during your endeavor. Take the time to carefully construct these routines and individualize them to fit within your circumstance and context.

Give the book a read, I highly recommend it!

Why Are You In A Rush?

If you’re like me you have a strong desire to accomplish many meaningful things in your life. You also probably feel like you should be getting things done as fast as possible so you can accomplish more and more. Once one goal is achieved, you’re on to the next, and then the next, and then the next.

This is a constant struggle for me and I go back and forth with it a lot.

The periods of time that I feel the most content, and I’m truly enjoying the process of achieving my goals, is when I really slow things down.

The periods of time that I feel the most stressed, overwhelmed, or even burnt out is when I’m trying to rush the process of achieving my goals. It’s when I’m trying to get to the finish line as fast as possible.

This concept of slow productivity is outlined by Cal Newport in his book Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. It’s one of the next few books that I will be working through.

Ask yourself “why am I in a rush to achieve this goal?”

If you have deadlines to meet, of course, make that shit happen. But don’t set short deadlines for the sake of accomplishing the goal faster.

Give it a shot. Slow things down a bit. You’ll probably find yourself with higher quality achievements along with more enjoyment, happiness, and life satisfaction.

Peace friend,
Jamie

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