A Beginner Again | 101126

6 days ago

4 min read

I've been lifting weights for years. This week, an unloaded bar humbled me.

By the time I finished my first homework session for a Landmine University course, my obliques, abs, and lats were smoked. It felt like five hard rounds of sparring. The next morning I was still sore enough that I checked for bruising.

From an unloaded bar.

And I loved every second of it.

The homework had to wait

I've used a landmine before, but this course is teaching me positions and ways of moving that are new to me. The sections I've been working through begin with theory, lecture, and reading. Then come detailed demonstrations, followed by homework to put the material into practice.

A lot of my work and studying happens on the train. I can get through the reading and demonstrations there. The physical assignments have to wait until I get home. The other commuters probably wouldn't appreciate rotational lunges in the aisle at five in the morning. They're just trying to get to work.

So I saved a few assignments for later. I figured I'd knock out two or three with an unloaded bar. How hard could it be?

Pretty hard, apparently.

Finding the position

Much of my early practice has involved isometric holds. I'm holding a position while applying forward or rotational intent and creating tension.

One position is called the landmark. The elbow and hip on one side of the body are in contact, driving into each other under tension. It carries into movements throughout the screwdriver series I'm learning.

Understanding the demonstration was a start. Holding the bar and trying to produce that position gave me much more to work on.

My elbow would drift away from my hip, and the tension would go with it. I'd reset, check the position, and try again. Some attempts felt right. Many needed another reset.

What looked like one position on a screen became several decisions I was still learning to coordinate. I'd come out of an attempt, stand there for a moment, breathe, and find the position again from scratch.

The session took longer than I expected. By the end, my trunk was wrecked, and the position still wasn't reliable.

The soreness wasn't the goal. It was simply part of what surprised me. What I enjoyed was concentrating on something unfamiliar and working to get it right.

Remembering the person who is new

As I prepare to coach people inside Temple Built, I want to remember this experience.

Someone will eventually walk into a session after years away from training. Someone else may never have held a barbell. They might be comfortable with a few movements and unfamiliar with everything else.

That person may spend the rest of the day doing things they're very good at: leading people, raising a family, and handling responsibilities. Then they come into training and need help figuring out where to put their feet.

I want to remember what it feels like to understand an explanation and still need practice to carry it out.

I'll ask people to slow down, repeat a movement, and spend time with a position. When I do, I want to remember the reset from my own first homework session. Watching the demonstration, I hadn't appreciated how much patience those moments would take.

I want to give people the patience that learning deserves.

Enjoying it before I am good at it

I'm struggling to get some of these movements right, and I'm having fun. I'm looking forward to the next section and to seeing how it connects with what I'm practicing now.

There's satisfaction in having something to work toward before you're good at it.

Maybe there's something you've been thinking about starting, and part of what's holding you back is how awkward those first attempts might feel. They may feel exactly that way. You may also discover something you look forward to practicing.

I have years of experience to bring into this course. I still need to give these new positions their time. That combination has been challenging and enjoyable.

Remaining teachable in faith

Proverbs 9:9 says: “Instruct the wise, and they become still wiser; teach the just, and they advance in learning.”

The wise are still receiving instruction. There's still growth ahead of them.

That challenges me in my faith. When I read Scripture or pray for guidance, I want to remain open to something I need to change. I want to listen, ask questions, and receive correction without treating it as an insult.

In this course, I expect instruction. It's why I signed up. I can read, listen, and take notes, but there's still an assignment waiting when I get home.

In my faith, I want what I'm learning to reach the way I live: how I treat my family and how I respond to people. That takes practice, too.

More homework to do

I'm excited to continue the course, and I'm looking forward to eventually sharing what I learn with others. For now, I have more studying and practice ahead of me.

Maybe you're considering learning something new or returning to something you've been away from. You may need instruction. You may need to ask someone to show you again. The basic version may be plenty challenging.

It certainly was for me.