Put Your Hands on the Bar. Now, Lift!

"Put your hands on the bar..."

The cue shot into my memory yesterday afternoon as I got into a "better late than never workout." It was just starting to suck, maybe 5 or 6 minutes in, and my mind had begun to wander. Instead of committing to the workout, I found myself running through a mental task list, a familiar parade of forgotten projects and suspenses. Coupled with fatigue and shortness of breath, my garage was the last place I wanted to be...

"Now, LIFT!"

For a split second, the cue transported me back to another time. It was 2007, I was in Iraq, and I was just entering the grind of a tough workout. I took a deep breath with my hands on my hips, attempting to regain composure as a train of thoughts rushed through my consciousness. My brain wanted to quit so it used distractions from my day job to preoccupy me. Had I turned in the day's report? Was everything set for our upcoming raid? What if our air support got pulled because of bad weather? The thoughts streamed through my mind as I stood there, wheezing.

"Josh, put your hands on the barbell. Now, LIFT!"

I followed the instructions. Doubts and distractions melted away as I focused on the task at hand.

I was a senior Lieutenant and in a hard fight outside Baghdad. It was the Surge, and we spent many nights raiding enemy strongholds and striking their sanctuaries. It was violent, rewarding work, and it required 110% focus. One of our only escapes was the gym, if you could call it that. A group of my peers had adopted a new trend called Crossfit. We used makeshift equipment under a camouflage net and did our best to follow the workouts. You'd find us there in the early evening heat, cheering each other through a session. We'd be in the gym even if we'd just been in a tough fight, or if we were headed back out that evening.

The cue remains relevant, both in the gym and in everyday life. Putting your hands on the barbell represents a commitment to what you are currently doing. As you grasp the cool iron, you are embracing the here and now. Putting your hands on the barbell requires acknowledgment and acceptance of your status. Your commitment and focus to the task at hand leaves no room for mental distractions or nagging doubts. Now lift, that’s about action. It means moving forward on the task or project you’ve committed to. It is about execution and follow-through. The cue is a subtle reminder that, oftentimes, the hardest part of execution is gaining and maintaining motivation.

What do you intend to do today? What’s standing in your way?