DON'T OVERTHINK IT

I've got a couple of newer clients, and I'll keep them nameless, but they both ask too many questions.

Now, I love a thoughtful client who wants to know the intention behind the program and why we do exercises in a certain order. But sometimes we humans take it too far. We create paralysis by overanalysis.

"AM I DOING THIS RIGHT?"

One client constantly asks, "Am I doing this correctly?" Or worse, she assumes she isn't and says, "I'm not doing this right, am I?"

Here's the thing. Her coach is there to make sure she's doing every exercise safely, not necessarily perfectly. Everyone's anatomy and range of motion is different. Our squats are not going to look identical, and that's fine.

TRUST THE PROCESS

Another client is back after a near three-year layoff and wants to stop every time something feels stretched or sore. "I just don't want to pull something," he says. I told him I've never seen anyone pull a muscle doing a bodyweight step-up, and that he should trust his body, the process, and me. ;)

The next day he emailed about a tweak in his back that felt like a charley horse. My guess on the real culprit? Three years without any meaningful exercise.

A slight breakdown in form on a kettlebell swing isn't landing you in the ER. Overtraining, no recovery, bad sleep, and poor nutrition are far more likely to cause pain and injury.

So ask good questions if you're curious. But don't obsess. You'd be far better off sleeping an hour earlier, drinking 20 more ounces of water, and getting protein and veggies with every meal than fussing over whether your form was perfect. Perfection is the enemy of progress.