How do you measure success?
- Do you use pant size?
- Change in weight
- Is it attaining a distance in a run or ride?
There are many ways to gauge your progress. As a trainer I focus on performance and the ability to do something that wasn’t possible before. In the picture above, Melissa is swinging a 20 kilogram (44 pound) kettlebell. What the picture doesn’t tell you is that she is swinging this weight for the first time.
Just after finishing “The doubles” workout, Melissa recovered and we worked on more technique. With just a few corrections she quickly moved from single arm swinging the 12kg bell, to double arm-swinging the 9kg bells, to moving to a two-handed, single bell swing with the 16kg bell, to finally making a breakthrough with the 20kg bell.
Strength is a skill. Once you have the skill, you can begin to add intensity and work the metabolic pathways with greater success and deepen body composition changes.
What you’re seeing is the tipping point for Melissa. While swinging a heavy bell is commendable, it more important that she has acquired the skill to swing heavy. The metric here is simple. Success can be measured by the capacity to do more work. When you can do more work, you are fitter.
Way to rock it Melissa!
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