I’ll say it once and i’ll say it boldly – If you’ve never had a very tough workout where you feel as though you’re going to pass out… Then you’ve never lived.

I stand by that.

When you’re in the gym or you’re out a run or whatever the occasion may be and that day you’ve decided – Guess what… I’m gonna really push it today, That day is one of the most beneficial days you can have.

At the time of the activity – You’ll feel wiped out, you’ll feel as though it was a bad idea.

When you really get in the trenches – You start to feel in tune with your body. For me – I go into another world, another dimension almost, where I start to really feel my body working and moving as a unit. My focus goes through the roof.

Let’s take a couple of examples –

If I’m doing high rep sets of deadlifts – I decide that day I’m going to do 20 reps with 180kg on the bar.

Now that 180kg for me is heavy. I wouldn’t usually ever do 20 reps with it – But today I’m going to do it.

I begin the set – My first few reps I’m thinking – Shit, I’m not going to be able to do this. I get to rep 6 and I can feel it in my back, I keep going, rep 8 I’m starting to feel my lungs panting and gasping for air as the workload and stress takes over my central nervous system, rep 12 and I’m now trying to block out everything else and I’m really feeling the bar be lifted from the ground up thinking of myself pushing against the floor rather than pulling the bar – I’ve managed to disect each muscle group from another – I’m feeling specifically my hamstrings or my lower back work independantly from the rest and I’ve now no thought of stopping, By Rep 15 – that’s now completely changed and I consider stopping as 15 seems like a good respectable number .In my head I’m fighting against myself with every rep from 15-20, I’m thinking to myself, okay you’re feeling dizzy let’s stop – But I’m also thinking – What am I going to achieve in life if I can’t compete this set – I’m comparing myself to people I look up to with a quick thought process speeding through my mind – I keep going and keep going and eventually I get to the 20th rep.

I get the set.

I hit the floor and I sit down exhausted on the ground.

I did it.

There’s a great feeling of joy and elation and instant happiness, achievement and I’ve lay out another piece of that jigsaw.

I fought against what I THOUGHT COULDN’T HAPPEN AND I’VE ACHIEVED IT.

I’m using caps for that as it’s so important.

And guess what – I’ve realised that I’ve now unlocked a new mental and physical box that I never had before that.

I AM ALIVE.

For people to have never felt that feeling – I believe you’re not living. You’ve not pushed this organic machine of a body you have to it’s capacity and you’ve never felt it working.

I couldn’t insist more that you at least try it.

For some – That was a set of deadlifting done. Yes, It may have been impressive to watch.

But for me – That set was everything and it made me so much more of a better person.

Andrew