Are You Training With Intention—or Just Working Out?

This photo of Steve posing on stage at bodybuilding show in Boca Raton popped up in my Facebook memory today and it reminded me how powerful training with intention is, compared to just working out.

First, I have to say, I just love the Classic Physique division of the NPC. From the artistic poses to the focus on conditioning (muscle definition) over looking like the Incredible Hulk, it’s fun to watch and Steve did a great job training and competing in it.

I remember, before I started competing, Steve always said you never train as hard as you do when you compete. In fact, I would often train and diet along side of hi. I never wanted to be the out of shape wife with her mega-fit husband at these shows, so I would also diet down and lean out with him. But, I never got as lean as I did when I joined him on stage. He was right. You never train as hard when you don’t have something specific you are training for.

That brings me to the topic of this blog. What are you training for?

What Are You Training For?

There is no greater motivation to get your butt in gear than having to get half naked on stage in front of hundreds of people. lol. You better bet your britches you are going to stick to that diet and not skip a day at the gym. HA!

Of course, we were never training for a trophy. We only competed to have something to train for, knowing the importance of holding yourself accountable and finishing what you started. Once we registered and booked our hotel, is was ON – and there was no turning back.

Training For Every Season

You don’t need to sign up for a bodybuilding show or a race, but you do have a future to train for. Your future you will thank you.

When I was young, I trained for vacations, weddings and reunions. Or, I would train for a fitness job, media event or modeling job.

As a “mature adult” 😂 I find myself training to maintain my youth. I train for strength, vitality, longevity, mobility and freedom – an active life worth living and thriving in.

Instead of training to be in a bikini in front of judges, I train for the future me who wants to keep playing in a band. I train so I can play pickleball at 75 or walk a Great Dane (who might decide to chase a squirrel while on a leash lol) without falling.

What pops up in your head as you think about your future?

Some of you have dreams of globetrotting in retirement or just simply being fit enough to be the awesome high-energy grandparent you want to be.

I remember my dad teasing me that he had to workout just to get in and out of his Vette. While it is something we used to tease about, there is truth in it. If we want to keep doing things we enjoy doing, whether it’s playing golf or driving a sports car, we have to train for it.

The truth is, we all have a future to think about but most people don’t like to think about it. Honestly, it is not fun to think about aging but aging is happening whether we think about it or not. And, if we don’t, one day you will wake up wishing you had.

Living with More Intention

Living with intention, training with intention, and eating with intention are all necessary if you want to live your best life. Without intention, we will always get worse, go downhill, fall apart, gain weight, etc.

Pastor Rick Warren once talked about the common delusion we can work on something and then coast for a while, reminding us “we only coast downhill.”

Think about it. You can’t coast uphill.

Someone might be able to give you a shove and get you going for a bit, but you will eventually stop and start rolling backwards.

That is why it is so important to live with intention that constantly moves you forward – and that is why we are really focusing on intention at our gym, Lift Vero and launching our Lift Evolution Method – where each month we set a new intention, new easily attainable goals, new habits and a fresh new mindset.