I Smashed Training Tonight, Did You?

So you're tired, you've had a long hard day, you have a cold and you just can't be bothered to do anything. All you want to do is go home lay on the sofa or go to bed and go to sleep. Sounds really nice and if you're honest you've skipped training when feeling like this and taken the easy option in the past.

Sometimes your body decides this for you when it really does need the rest, at others though it is the mind that decides without you putting up any fight.You con yourself with "I'll make up for it tomorrow, or during my next training session" which of course you never do.

Well like the title suggests, I smashed training tonight. Chest, back, shoulders, abs, stretching and shadow boxing. I finished my shift went to my nice warm room, sat on my bed and thought 'I think i'll go in the morning, have a night off' knowing I wont because I just don't train in the mornings, not very often anyway. So I went to the gym feeling tired, came out though knackered but more awake and energetic. 

We all like to think that if we are ever attacked or are involved in any sort of contact situation; we will be at peak physical and mental fitness, if it was only so.
we see the walking targets, the potential victims passing us every day and when you're tired, miserable, pissed off, have a cold or flu or its raining and you're walking with your head down, your shoulders hunched ,wrapped up not only in your coat but also in your thoughts. More worried about where you put your handkerchief than who has been following you for the last ten minutes.
You start to imitate the signals that victims send out to the bad boys out there. They are now looking at you as their prey and if you are really unlucky you may have to protect yourself in this sorry state you find yourself in.

The bad guys - your enemy, are training. From the lowest thief, to the mugger, rapist, Kidnapper, murderer and terrorist they all do some form of training.

You can bet the two scum bags in the video have practiced this before trying it out.

'Hitting the ground running' is a common term used by the military, police, close protection personnel and other professional groups. It simply means being prepared to do your job as soon as you get there, no matter how much or little time you have had to prepare.

I am sure you are all aware of the effects of jet lag and if like me you work in the close protection industry and often travel internationally then you will know how difficult it can be to keep focused when you have to work through this period.

We used to do a pretty gruelling trip which was especially hard for the CP team member who's turn it was to do the night shift in the accommodation.
We would do a normal day at work starting at 0800 then fly out; to arrive in country early evening. After an hours drive the CP member had then to go straight into his night shift routine while the rest of the guys set up the ops room, squared all of the kit away and prepared for the next day. A long day for all but especially for the night shift who was on shift until 0800 the following morning.
The next day he would help pack up the kit and then; with another team member do a four hour drive to our second location, he would sleep on route then the two would set up the ops again, check in all of the rooms an do all of the advance duties for this location. 
He would then have to be on shift at 2000 for the arrival of the principal.

As a new guy on the team the longest I did was a 36 hour shift with the odd couple of hours sleep here and there and still be focused.
36 hours and I would still hit the gym. This acted as both a mental and physical workout and set me into my routine.
Thankfully we don't do that trip anymore.  

You have to be able to perform at your best while not feeling at your best.

I like motivational quotes like the one below:

Now it may be that someone is actually training to kill you. For most people though the reality is that someone somewhere is training to either rob, rape, murder or commit acts of terrorism and you may be the unlucky person in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Take a look at the advice below.

So will you be smashing training in the future?

Stay Dangerous

Rock