Showing Up Is the First Step

As coaches, we often say that a client’s role is to just show up. But this isn’t entirely true. You can’t simply show up and expect results to happen—you have to bring a certain level of intention and intensity to your training for real progress to occur.

In a sense, showing up is the hardest step because it gets the ball rolling. Just completing the warm-up means you're committed to the session, which is far better than skipping it. However, there is a difference between merely showing up and showing up with intent. One leads to long-term results; the other results in stagnation and frustration.

Beginners Get a Free Ride

When starting something new, we often see rapid progress with minimal effort. Moving from beginner to intermediate can feel relatively quick and easy, without requiring much struggle or intentionality. Beginners get a bit of a free ride—they make fast progress and may assume it will always be that way. However, once those initial "beginner gains" run out, intensity and intent become crucial.

Intensity Matters

Intensity plays a key role in making progress toward physical health. It is your ability to push the limits of your capacity and complete challenging tasks with the body you have. If you never reach a certain level of intensity in resistance or cardiovascular training, you won’t make meaningful changes to your physiology. If your goal is real progress but you’re just going through the motions, you’re in for a long period of stagnation.

Intention Matters

Having a structured plan for what you're progressing toward and how you’ll achieve it is crucial. Intention is about making rational decisions on what tasks to perform to reach a goal. Intensity is essential, but without intention, it can be misguided. Your physical training must have a level of intentionality that directs you toward real progress.

How to Really Show Up with Intent

Be Well-Rested

No one can train with intensity if they aren’t well-rested. We all lead busy lives, but that doesn’t mean we should neglect recovery. The majority of the time, you should be well-rested and ready to perform. Sleep is the most critical factor, but life stress and work hours also play a role. Our daily energy is limited—if we want to reserve some for physical training, we need to manage our workload effectively.

Alcohol also deserves a mention. You cannot bring intensity to your workouts while consistently binge drinking.

Be Well-Nourished

Your diet should support your energy levels and movement. This means eating real food in appropriate quantities, spread throughout the day in a way that suits your body. Hydration is also key—this may sound obvious, but many people show up to training sessions without having had any water in the past 24 hours.

Have a Plan

If you're coaching yourself, you need to approach each training session with a structured plan. Progress isn’t possible without a training program to guide you. You can’t apply intensity if there’s no clear reason to do so. If you're paying a coach and they don’t have a well-defined plan, it may be time to consider finding a new one.

Be Willing to Do Hard Things

This is the step most people overlook. Progress in physical health requires a certain level of drive to push through challenging tasks. Without this drive, making sustainable progress will be extremely difficult. When you show up for training, bring a mindset that embraces discomfort—because that's where real growth happens.