No leader can…

Today, the 3PP (pushup, pull up, plank, Palace) re-opened its doors for the first time in 2013. We had been closed since December 20th to allow me to soley focus on family for the holidays. Today, the boys returned to the basement. I greeted all seven with open arms and a ball of their choice. We began with our feet in the TRX and both hands on a medicine ball. We held this plank for two minutes and two seconds. Most held this position in spite of the acute pain shooting through their hands, up into their shoulders, and throughout their core. Some dropped to their knees, collected themselves, and got back in proper position.

I was doing fine until we reached the atomic push ups at 19:42. I broke, hard. The atomics were NOT the problem. The problem was prior, like so much of life. Prior to the atomics we had “buddied up” on the bitch beam. One guy jumped up, held his legs out and grabbed the beam that runs across the 3PP. His buddy then placed a 12 pound ball on his lap and for thirty awful seconds he chinned up. When the seconds timer counted down the final three seconds, roles reversed. We rinsed and repeated three times apiece. Fingers, forearms, biceps, shoulders, back, and core were now in flames.

Trouble was coming soon…

The rest between the bitch and atomics did little to quiet the fire raging in me. A few seconds in, I broke hard. My mind had decided that my limbs had reached their limit. I had been fighting my mind more than my muscles but it didn’t feel like it. My mind won. Muttering a few choice words, I mustered up the strength to encourage everybody else to keep going. I forced myself to get back in the proper position but my mind had been broken. Each return was met with screams of protest from my mind. I broke again and again. The atomics kept coming, I kept failing, kept getting back up, and my language kept returning to my Scotch/Irish roots.

We finished this workout by going back to the bitch with buddy and ball. Twelve reps and switch roles. Ten reps and switch roles. Eight and switch. Six and switch brought the ugly end. I collapsed on the wooden chair in the corner and began to cool down.

It was ugly.

Within minutes the acute pain was a mere memory. Within thirty minutes my energy returned and for hours I will be on a chemical high of my own making. You cannot get this kinda chemical bath by staying in your comfort zone or even wandering into your challenge zone on occasion. Your body will only excrete the good stuff when you push it deep into the challenge zone, up against the panic zone and occasionally cross that imaginary line that your mind thinks is your limit.

Today a team of seven crazies pushed themselves up against their panic zone. It wasn’t pretty. In fact it was downright ugly, kinda like the 3PP. Everybody broke. Everybody embraced the acute pain. Everybody got back up. Everybody found their imaginary limit, so to speak. Everybody changed their mind. As a result, everybody got better.

Extrapolate this to Y.O.U.. There is no easy way to push beyond your limits. There is no easy way to master your craft. There is no easy way to change your mind. There is no easy way to lead anything. There is no easy way to push beyond your plateau. If you want to push a team beyond their perceived limits, you better show them more than tell.

Remember, no leader can take his or her team further than they have gone themselves…