Don’t Let Your Goat Get You!
We all have things we don’t like to do or aren’t that great at…laundry, the Pythagorean theorem. In the functional fitness world, we call these bad boys “goats.” This is not to be confused with the other athletic term for G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) which is pretty much the opposite of what we are talking about here. We mean those things/movements that we would like to do or think we should be able to do, but just can’t seem to get no matter what.
My big, bleating goat is the pull-up. I hate them. I used to see a WOD on the board with pull-ups and want to walk right back out of the gym. Or spend my workout whining and complaining “sheesh, pull-ups AGAIN?”. I hate them because I can’t do them. While I’m strong in my lower body, my upper body just hasn’t caught up. This used to upset me because I saw all of my gym buddies repping out pull-up after pull-up but I could only just hang there, feeling more like a sloth then an agile monkey.
“Why can’t I be like everyone else?”, I would think to myself. I would get down, which made for a crappy workout. I have been working on pull-ups for three years. I felt like I would never feel the exhilaration of getting my chest to the bar without any assistance. What I eventually realized was that I had the wrong mindset and definitely the wrong attitude.
You see, everyone has a goat. Even the most accomplished and fittest athletes have things they aren’t very good at or dislike doing. For each person like me who can’t do pull-ups, there is someone who can execute perfect pull up every time, but can’t back squat near as much as I can. What makes these people successful is that they don’t let it bother them. So what, there is something they aren’t good at? Do they wallow in self-pity, quit the workout, and go home and eat a pint of ice cream? No. They brush it off, modify and do what they CAN do, not letting it affect the rest of their workout and life. Have to do push-ups on their knees? No problem, because they know one day a full push-up will happen if they keep working on it. The worst way to deal with a goat is to avoid it because you will never progress if you don’t work on it. I know, it’s really hard not to have a defeatist attitude when you can’t do something. But take it from me, I have been there and it has definitely slowed down my progress.
The great thing about functional fitness at StoneAgeFuel is that you don’t have to walk in the door with the ability do to every movement or workout written on the board. We start with the basics in a one-on-one environment so that you are comfortable with the movements first. There is a way to modify everything so that you can safely work towards executing the movement with good form while building strength and stamina. You may not “get your goat” on day one, but that doesn’t mean you never will. Everyone has a different goal to work on and that’s where your coaches come in! It’s our job to help you work to turn that nasty, smelly goat into a cute cuddly little goat, and then send that kid to a different farm!
Having something you can’t do or aren’t good at doesn’t mean you are a horrible at fitness or not qualified to be an “athlete” (to me, walking in that door already qualifies you as an athlete). Having something you aren’t good at can be immensely frustrating but it is also a blessing in disguise; because once you are able to get that movement, that success it is extremely rewarding and you will feel like you can accomplish anything!
We will support you every step of the way. Do your best and give it your all every day…and have the heart to try again tomorrow.
