Oh how many times I have heard this and said this myself.

“Its time to get serious about…”

This usually is a sign that an athlete is not happy with some aspect of their performance or fitness. Its often heard toward the end of the season or the beginning of the season and daily during the off-season.

The bigger question here is why aren’t said athletes being serious now, in this moment? Are they actually not being serious or are they trying to take it to the next level? These are exactly the questions I ask myself when I hear this from an athlete.

I read lots of athletic performance sites, articles and published journals and there was a recent stand out written for those focused on body building that had a quote I absolutely loved! I have paraphrased the following:

“You’re the Terminator. Not a Care Bear

Most competitors can flip a switch in their minds and become more machine than human. Adopting a little bit of that mechanical mindset would help a lot of non-competitors drop the wishy-washy thinking and execute their plans consistently.

Competitors don’t eat based on their emotions. They also don’t let their emotions determine whether or not they’ll get a workout in.

And when they get to the gym, competitors don’t meander or look for people to chat with. Most of them have to put on their “go-away face”, avoid eye contact, and get it done. They always know what their next meal is going to be, and they either have it ready or easy to assemble. There’s no guesswork in the gym or the kitchen.
– Dani Shugart – T-Nation.com”

I think the above describes perfectly what the athlete who says it’s time to get serious really means. They mean its time to ditch the excuses and get busy.

That is great if you have objectives and goals that are supported by a plan. If you do not have this you stepping it up to become more serious is likely to lead to over training and deep disappointment.

I over heard a competitor over the weekend state they have not had a win in several years. My first thought was why and my immediate internal answer to myself was he had not planned on winning. This may sound harsh but if you do not look at your season and say this is what I am going to do and this is how I am going to get there then you have already lost.

This entire website was started so that I could share my own experiences as an endurance athlete in hopes that it would help others and serve me as a log of what worked and didn’t work in my own athletic endeavors.

In the 6 years since I started this site, I have become a coach, coached many athletes and had my own wins and failures in sports and business. There are a few things that I can share with you that produce winning results.

• Reasonable and Reachable Goals
• Consistency
• Determination
• Showing up
• Plan the Work and Work the Plan
• Excuses are never given

There are many more but between the few that I have outlined and the quoted information, I hope you are seeing a simple pattern.

I want to leave you with some questions that you need to be thinking about going into the off-season.

• Wouldn’t it be great to start a new season KNOWING you did everything you could to make it the best one possible in the off-season?
• What are you going to get serious about?
• Are you ready to become the Terminator?
• Are you going to make the investment in you?

Now here comes the sales pitch.

If you are a competitive cyclist, runner, or multisport athlete and read this site regularly. Are over the age of 18 and are English Speaking and want help Getting Serious and Release your Inner Terminator its time to act now.

Many athletes are wrapping up the competitive season or starting new ones. I have room on my roster for competitive athletes who want to turn around their performances. If you wait until January you will find my rates have gone up.

Check out the coaching services pages and contact me if you are ready to plan the work and know that you have done all you can do.

Until Next Time,

Train Smarter Not harder,

Coach Rob