Rebuilding momentum

How many times have you experienced a setback after a long run of consistency, and found yourself one, two, or even three weeks out of the gym?

We’ve all been there.

And for some, it can feel like climbing Mount Everest trying to rebuild that lost momentum.

But what if it didn’t have to feel that way?

What if you could get back on track, almost effortlessly, like nothing ever happened?

Well, I’m going to share exactly how I’m handling a multi-week setback post-surgery, and how you can apply these same principles to your life the next time you get knocked off the rails.

Because you and I both know that life is unpredictable, and circumstances are often far from ideal.

Who do you think has a harder time getting back on track after being out of the gym for multiple weeks:

The man who only takes care of his body when it’s convenient for him?

Or the man who has adopted health & fitness as part of who he is?

The former is a serial starter and stopper, dictated by external circumstance.

The latter is a man who is steadfast in his state of identity, mind, and being.

My goal, for you, is to become the latter.

Because once you become the man who adopts health & fitness as part of his identity, it makes setbacks like these meaningless.

Picture this:

A man so ruthlessly consistent on his pursuit of optimal health & fitness, that one, two, or even three weeks off doesn’t even show up on the radar over the long term.

That is the goal.

Today’s workout after 17 days off felt extraordinary.

Not because I drilled myself and set new personal bests.

But because I held back.

Intentionally and strategically.

If I’d have walked into the gym with the expectations of lifting the same amount of weight I was lifting pre-surgery…

I would have left the gym both discouraged and injured.

So it’s critical to understand that in the context of rebuilding momentum after a setback, slow is fast.

Taking things intentionally and strategically slow ensures safe and appropriate scaling back to your pre-setback performance.

Overcoming setbacks is something I help my fat loss clients navigate every single week.

But, I’ll admit, it’s been a while since I’ve experienced one of my own.

So what you’re about to get is rooted in both my longstanding coaching philosophy, topped off with a fresh, current perspective from my life, right now.

The playbook is quite simple in theory.

But in order for it to work, you must fully commit.

This is non-negotiable, and sets the foundation for everything else.

If you previously trained on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings at 7am, guess what?

You start training on those days, at that time.

No, “I’ll just start with a couple workouts this week” nonsense.

You recommit to the plan, in full. Period.

Failing to do this will only result in further negotiations with yourself and delay forward momentum.

I’ve witnessed it firsthand, hundreds of times.

The goal is immediate momentum through frequency.

Remember, when rebuilding after a setback, slow is fast.

You must pre-frame every single workout during your first week back as intentionally easy.

Your only goal during week one is to provide a signal to your central nervous system that it can expect frequent activity again.

For example, during my first workout back today, I cut all of my lifts back by 30-40% in load.

My focus was to simply control my rep speed, use full range of motion, and keep my form locked in.

No mental drift.

No going through the motions.

Fully engaged and present for every rep.

Week two follows the same principle, except with a 20% back-off.

By week three, you’re cleared to push again, full tilt.

We all have setbacks, whether due to circumstances in or out of our control.

But the important thing is that we move forward

We don’t mope around.

We don’t feel sorry for ourselves.

And we definitely don’t replay the loop of “what if things happened differently.”

That is simply not how men of our calibre operate.

Commit to forward momentum.

—

This whole health & fitness thing isn’t a game to be won.

It’s a game to be played.

And as long as you simply stay in the game…

You’ll never lose.

If this resonated with you, hit reply and tell me what setback you’re currently working through.

— Coach RK