I’ve always disliked going to the gym.
Thirty years ago, when I was preparing for College football, I was bored with the gym. After I was done playing football, it was the same thing. And today, sorry, Schwarzenegger, I still don’t like going. But I still did it, and do it.
Going to the gym has never been my favorite thing. However, I do like the feeling of conquering something I’m not a fan of, and I also love the results.
I’d love to tell you I’ve had a thirty-two-year streak of going to the gym, but that would be a lie.
There have been gaps in my commitment to entering the ‘iron palace.’ And those gaps will always negate my gains because I’ve just triggered the 5th principle of sports performance: Reversibility.
What is the Reversibility Principle?
The simplest way to describe Reversibility is:
Use it or lose it. Feed it or starve it.
When you and I fail to regularly adhere to our routines, commitments, or maintenance program → our progress will dwindle.
So whatever massive action you took six months ago won’t mean much if you haven’t done anything since.
Remember our trusty bicep example from the previous sports performance principles? You:
- overloaded it,
- rested it, and
- progressed.
But what happens if we stop lifting weights altogether?
It’s pretty obvious, I know. Shrinking, weakening, and decline.
Nothing can escape this principle. Not me, not you, not a machine, or even Taylor Swift. However, there are benefits to Reversibility…
“Wait, Todd, there are BENEFITS to Reversibility?” ~ you ask.
Absolutely.
Benefit 1: Non-Emotional Diagnosis.
You can use it to help diagnose how your earlier success happened, without beating yourself up with self-defeating thoughts. (Not everything has to be a story in your head of “I’m not worthy,” “My stuff stinks now,” or “I’m such an idiot.”)
What if life can get complicated sometimes, and you simply stopped making progress? ***Ehem… 4th Principle***
Benefit 2: Negative Starvation
You can use Reversibility to starve a behavior, relationship, or issue that’s negatively impacting your life. (Stop giving a weed water and sunlight, and you won’t have a weed.)
Reversibility doesn’t have to be viewed as something that causes negative consequences on positive things.
It can also have positive consequences on negative things.
Benefit 3: Renewed Motivation
Have you ever heard the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder” by Thomas Bayley? Well, the same effect can occur when we take away time, energy, or effort from anything.
I’ve seen hundreds of top performers come back to their “thing” after a hiatus, with a completely new level of motivation.
There’s a reason why the top students on College campuses are often people in their 50’s, 60’s, or 70’s–they have a different perspective or motivation.
Just like all of these Sports Performance Principles, there are positives and negatives you can leverage to find your flow in life.
A Final Thought On Reversibility
Not every loss of progress is equal.
You and I have muscle memory, skill memory, and intellectual memory. If a highly skilled swimmer stops swimming for a decade, it won’t take them as long to get back to top level performance compared to a beginner.
Here’s a rule of thumb to remember:
Positive gains produced over a short term are usually lost more quickly than those produced over a longer term.
The amount of time it took you the very first time to develop a skill won’t take you the same amount of time the second time. Don’t think your second, third, or fourth attempt will be the same as your first.
There is a ramping-up period that gets eliminated after you’ve already developed the skill.
So whatever you’re thinking about getting back into, starting up, or re-focusing on, I hope that greases the slide to taking action.
Alright, Champion, I’ll see you next week when I share the 6th Sports Performance Principle.
Oh, and remember that video I promised last week that perfectly combines Progress and Reversibility? You can find it here.
Be Bold. Take Action. Leave a Mark.
Todd Herman
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