Fitness Progress Halted? Are You Suffering From The Jill Of All Trades Syndrome
By admin
When someone says they’re into fitness, what does that mean?
There are tons and tons of categories that fit into the exercise world, and more becoming available each year.
Are they into running? Climbing? Crossfit? Barre? Boot camp? Lifting? Yoga? Spinning? Triathlon? Swimming? Basketball? Tennis? TRX? Kettlebells?
The list can go on and on, the point being that no one can be perfect at all of these things and we often find ourselves drawn to to just one. That magnetic pull is what draws us in and we find ourselves wanting to be better at one element of fitness over the others.
But then there are those of us that don’t have the strong pull. Those of us that want to be “into fitness”.
That special group of people that don’t want to be type casted and truly loves to do a little bit of everything.
That’s fun and all. Trust me, I get it because I’m one of them.
But when it comes to progressing, it can hurt. A lot.
The Jill Of All Trades Complex
The ‘Jill of all Trades’ complex is a term that Ashton came up with when we sat to discuss our own goals and progress in our latest podcast.
Instead of progressing forward, we’re stuck.
Feet in cement shoes (okay, a cast)… Trying hard to push through to prove we can hit goals that span over many forms of fitness.
Trying hard to push through to prove we can hit goals that span over many forms of fitness.
But the truth is… YOU CAN’T BE A JILL OF ALL TRADES.
At least, not by focusing on improving multiple facets of fitness at once.
I call this “Chaos Fitness”.
Where you’re a little all over the place. You know you’ll get a workout in each day but you’re not sure what kind of workout. You love to sweat, but what causes the sweat is of little importance.
Take me for example….
On a given day I may be: Heavy lifting, doing sprints, going for an easy run, doing a kettlebell workout, or jumping into a boot camp.
Lifting Revolution Podcast: We Want To Be Good At Everything
Is It Bad To Do A Little Bit Of Everything For Exercise?
No! Not at all. In fact, I encourage it.
- Keep things from getting boring. Yoga on Monday, Kettlebells on Tuesday, a new class at the gym on Wednesday. It’s exciting!
- It keeps you safe. When you’re working your body in different ways the chances of getting an overuse injury are pretty slim unlike if you focus on the same type of exercise 90% of the time.
- No need to worry about cross-training. We all know cross training is essential for overall fitness balance but it can be hard when you’re focused on one element. You don’t want to skip a run in order to fit in a weightlifting session. But when you’re naturally doing a little bit of everything, it happens on its own. No need to “schedule” cross training.
But… and this is a BIG but… there is a flip side.
While it’s fun to be spontaneous with your workouts, if your goal is to improve your performance or you have specific goals, then yes, you could and ARE holding yourself back.
If you want to be stronger and more toned… it’s not going to happen unless you have a regiment that makes that happen. You have to lift more. You have to lift heavier.
Are you doing that with chaos fitness? Chances are that it’s difficult to find a schedule that allows for all the fun while also focusing on a goal.
The Jill Of All Trades outlook makes you “good” or “decent” at all fitness, but does it make you the best you can be?
Of course not.
I want to be faster.
I want to be stronger.
I want to run longer.
I want to gain muscle.
I want to lose muscle.
Having an outlook of disorganized fitness isn’t going to target that one magic goal you have. It makes sense right?
I mean, you don’t get a half marathon PR from doing kettlebells. I know because this is where I’m at right now. Coming to terms that some things are going to have to take a backseat in order for my fitness to get where I need it to be RIGHT NOW.
That right now is what is the important element to remember. Fitness goals can change, it’s the goal you have right now that determines what you need to focus on.
How To Beat The Disease: Cure Your Jill Syndrome
If you’re at a stage in your fitness life where you’re not focused on a particular goal and you’re loving doing a little bit of everything, then there really isn’t a reason to cure your complex.
If however, you’re like me and you find yourself saying things like… “I want to be better at …” or “I need to focus more on …” OR, “Oh, crap. My races isn’t that far off, I need to get going.”
Then it’s time to receive your vaccine and start a recovery process.
1. Write down what you want. Instead of saying what you want to do, write it down. All of your goals. You might find, as I did, that when you do this your goals seem to go on forever. What seemed like little goals are not longer than your weekly grocery lists.
2. Prioritize your goals. If you have a race coming up, chances are that’s going to be at the top of your list. If you want to build muscle mass, then that’s going to be the top. Prioritize ALL of your goals from top priority to the least.
3. From the list, choose 1 master focused goal and up to 2 mini fitness goals. A master goal may be to PR a race, move up 2 kettlebells for a particular workout (Dan just focused on this).
Mini goals are goals that be be done simultaneously. They take focused training but take up little time. It could be to do a handstand without a wall, complete a 2-minute plank, or to master a new exercise. You’re not going to spend 60 minutes a day working on a split squat (at least if you want to walk the next day) but you can spend just 5 minutes a day focusing on it.
4.Create a plan. A plan is ESSENTIAL. Wanting to do something or having focused workout here and there isn’t enough. Write out a week by week plan on how you’re going to train to accomplish those goals.
How long should a plan last? Most fitness plans run anywhere from 6-14 weeks depending on the goal. since we’ve been stuck in “Jill” land, start small. Write out a 6 week plan. Focus just on those 6 weeks then re-evaluate at the end and write out another 6 week plan.
5.Follow the plan. It’s a waste of time to create a plan and not follow it. Not only will you not see results but you’ll feel disappointed. The great thing about plans are they can be changed. If after a week or two, you realize that something isn’t right, fix it. Then get back to it.
Commit to just 6 weeks. Anyone can do something for 6 weeks. After that time, if you’re not on the path to your goal or if your goal priorities have changed, then switch things up and start over. Either way, you’ll progress forward.
Action. Change.
Those are the two things needed for results.
I remind myself of those two elements every day. Ask yourself, what are you doing differently to see different results? If you don’t know, then it’s time to follow the 5 rules.