The Importance of Failure

If you read any biographies about successful business people, there usually is a common theme: they’ve failed at some point in their rise to the top.  In terms of business success, failure comes with the territory.  It is only after you have experienced some sort of failure that you learn how to succeed.  The failures are what you learn from, help you grow, and guide you to where you want to be.

It occurred to me last night, when I was 2 hours into my workout, which was basically 2 bootcamps back to back, that failure is very important in exercise as well.  You need to be able to push yourself to your limits and beyond.  And the only way to find out your limit, is to fail.  Those that do fitness with themselves as a guide usually never get to their breaking point.  I mean lets face it, who is gonna do 40 minutes of ab work, most of us, if we were alone would do 5 minutes and as soon as it started to hurt, we’d quit.  Or doing as many pushups as you can, which for many might be already decided mentally as 20.  Well actually it probably is way more, and only at the point that you about face plant because you can’t hold your body weight, that is when you know your top.  But most stop well before that, because they don’t want to look stupid.

I think there is a real mental block to failure in exercise.  People don’t want to be that person, that can’t do it.  But THAT person is making strides, and bettering themselves more than the person that looks effortless doing it.  Our bodies are unbelievably efficient, and constantly are trying to figure out the most optimal way to do things.  So if you run 3 miles, 4 times a week, for a year, by month 5, your body has it pretty much figured it out, and you are no longer building muscle or burning fat.

So you have to get over the fact that going past your breaking point is bad, it is good.  It sets a new standard, something to constantly try to work towards, and to go beyond.  Exercise can be very complex, and if you are trying to get results, then you must train to fail.