Those Who Enjoy Challenging Themselves - A Question

poeco76

I need some help and I'm hoping some of you will offer your thoughts on the matter. I started taking kickboxing back in March of this year. I absolutely love it! It's difficult, constantly challenging (to mind and body), and I have seen major strides as far as changes in my body. I also cycle and try to get to the gym on occasion (though honestly not as often any more as I find the kickboxing to be my current "thing" that keeps me going).

As part of the kickboxing program, there are tests of strength, endurance, etc after so many classes and we receive a belt if we pass. Tests take place every four weeks, and those who have reached the number of classes to test for his/her next belt attempt to reach "X" number of reps of various things (like pushups, situps, wall squats, etc). I've been attending so frequently that I've been testing every month.

Part of what keeps me motivated is trying to reach that next level by the following month. I enjoy the challenge of seeing what I can do in a relatively short period of time, and I find that when I'm challenging myself, I seem to keep my "head in the game" so to speak. That said, in order for me to test again next month, I have to attend 32 classes, which means that I end up attending back to back classes two days a week, and double classes a little more spread out two days a week, as well as once a day two other days. It's become quite a lot! While I enjoy it, I fear that I will burn myself out and not want to go anymore - particularly with the very early morning rise time (I've never been an early morning person). My question really as stated above is along the lines of a what would you do kind of inquiry. Would you just let it go, and test in two months so there's a bit more of a break and have the ability to participate in other life activities more often, or would you push just a bit harder than normal to get through it to reach the goal in a month?

Thanks for any thoughts you'd like to provide. Have a beautiful day! :O)

sonyagruman

I think you will burn yourself out. You are doing so much already. Ive seen your workouts and they are great. Plus if you put to much strain on your body you can hurt your self. You already know you can do it you kick butt when it comes to working out. I would wait the two months and test again. Good luck with everything and have a wonderful day

Mrs_Winfrey

I guess it just depends on the amount of "life activities" you have going on. I am a mother, wife, team mom, work full time and have lots of family that I love to spend lots of time with, so I would push it to two months, and work extremely hard during those work outs (and in my spare time if possible). Especially with holidays coming up, it seems as though that is an awful lot of kickboxing. BUT, that is just me. It is completely up to you how hard/how often you want to push yourself.

By the way...congratulations on what you've achieved thus far!!! I LOVE kickboxing so much and would LOVE to get back in to it. I get just enough of it in Turbo Fire and P90X to keep me happy, but there is nothing like being in a class with a bag to hit on

poeco76

Thank you for your thoughts. I know that the decision is ultimately mine, but it's always good to get some feedback from others.

Have a great day!

Rachelmilloy

I think our minds love what I'll call symmetry for lack of a better word. For example, as a child traveling around the Great Lakes between Ontario and the USA, I thought what a fine thing it would be to be able tosay that I'd put my hand in each of the five lakes. Another example is a friend who derives great satisfaction from having a complete collection of AGatha Chritie's books. And yet another example is something I noticed as a young adult when I was a downhill skier... there were plenty of joys associated with that activity: the snow, the sunlight, the speed, the exhilaration... but all anybody talked about was how many runs they'd made - that was the sole measure of how successful your day was.

The tragedy of all these measures is that they, in and of themselves, become the measure of an experience. So I try and keep 'measures' in their place, and use them for motivation, but subject them to revision if they're beginning to displace things that matter. In short, I question doing anything if the ONLY reason I'm doing it is to satisfy the measure. What's the point of putting a hand in each of the Great Lakes if it meant I missed out on something else I would have enjoyed more!

Sounds like you're having similar thoughts, and no, changing your measure definitely does not mean you have failed a challenge. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

poeco76

I think our minds love what I'll call symmetry for lack of a better word. For example, as a child traveling around the Great Lakes between Ontario and the USA, I thought what a fine thing it would be to be able tosay that I'd put my hand in each of the five lakes. Another example is a friend who derives great satisfaction from having a complete collection of AGatha Chritie's books. And yet another example is something I noticed as a young adult when I was a downhill skier... there were plenty of joys associated with that activity: the snow, the sunlight, the speed, the exhilaration... but all anybody talked about was how many runs they'd made - that was the sole measure of how successful your day was.

The tragedy of all these measures is that they, in and of themselves, become the measure of an experience. So I try and keep 'measures' in their place, and use them for motivation, but subject them to revision if they're beginning to displace things that matter. In short, I question doing anything if the ONLY reason I'm doing it is to satisfy the measure. What's the point of putting a hand in each of the Great Lakes if it meant I missed out on something else I would have enjoyed more!

Sounds like you're having similar thoughts, and no, changing your measure definitely does not mean you have failed a challenge. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

This is a perfect analogy for me today, so thank you. I suppose I don't necessarily see it as a failure if I don't meet the goal (it's arbitrarily generated in my own mind anyway because it honestly doesn't matter to the instructors when I test), but I both enjoy the challenge of trying to get there, and have days when I question why I am doing this. I think I just need to sort out the priorities and determine if this is something that I truly need/want to do in a month, or if it's something that I've created to "satisfy the measure" as you state.

Thank you, again!

bahacca

I'd be afraid I'd hurt myself if it is getting to a level where you are going to have little to no recovery for your muscles OR your mind. I think you should be really proud that you got to this level by testing each month. Now it appears as though the amount of work that is necessary to really fulfill the next belt is simply going to take more time-it takes more CLASSES, so, for me, that would equate into a longer amount of time as well-not trying to squish in 32 classes into a timeframe that used to have me doing say 15 classes. Just adjust for the level of advancement. So if the first belts were 15 classes and took 1 month, then the 32 classes should take 2 months. Also, with martial arts, it isn't how FAST you can do things necessarily. There comes a time when taking the time to PERFECT movements becomes more critical than the simple execution of them or the ability to do a wall squat for 2 minutes instead of 1. I'd reevaluate your LONG TERM goals with kickboxing as it seems thus far your emphasis has been on short term-each month. Where would you like to be a year from now? And have you evaluated how many classes, how much money, how much TIME that all equates to. Lengthening the amount of time it takes to reach your goal is not failure-it is often just the opposite-you being able to evaluate your life to be able to determine what is within reach and what would likely kill your SPIRIT in the process.
So-as for a "what would you do?"-I would evaluate this next level and following levels based on the time it took you to complete the first levels and set up a plan that followed those lines.