Welcome to the Discipline of Steel Weekly Newsletter, where we build Zen warrior minds and bodies.

This week:

The best exercise you’re not doing, dealing with addictions, and mindset recipes for success.

Read time: 4 minutes

Truth be told, I’ve had trouble getting all my workouts in lately.

I came home from vacation, had changes of schedule at work, and I can’t make up my mind about which gym I should sign up to now…
This means I have neither fixed times nor fixed places to train.

I don’t have rules anymore and it’s difficult to get everything done.

So today, I’m setting rules.
And I know tomorrow everything will be simple again.
I will do all my strength workouts, all my cardio workouts, work will get done, and I’ll have more free time in the end too.

Once again this goes to show that without rules in your life, your schedule quickly turns to chaos.
And in chaos there is never freedom.

This is your reminder to always start with a plan.
And more importantly, never negotiate with the plan.

That’s rule number 1.

Now let’s start! 💪

1. The best back exercise you’re not doing.

Band pull-aparts are one of the most beneficial but overlooked exercises.

It is very simple and doesn’t require anything else than a resistance band, which means you can do it anywhere, even when traveling.

This easy move alone has the power to:

• Improve your posture

• Fix your back pain

• Increase your rowing strength

• Increase your pull-up strength

• Sculpt a terrific back musculature

• Improve your mobility

You only need to make sure you choose a resistance level which is challenging enough.
It works best with a strength endurance (3×15) reps scheme, and the band should be heavy enough so that the 15th rep is very hard to complete while still keeping good form.

Click the link below for the full YouTube video and instructions.

2. Get rid of your addictions, the Enso way.

How to fix your habits like a Zen master:

Our habits work like addictions, and of course some of them really are.

To break these addictions, we need to understand and deconstruct them.

First, watch what triggers you.
What makes you think of unhealthy snacks?
What makes you want to skip a workout?
What makes you open an app and start scrolling when you should turn off the lights and sleep?

You’ll find that the trigger is almost always the same.

Second, be objective about what it really does for you.
What kind of satisfaction do you get from this habit?
Does it last? Probably not.

Tear your habits apart as much as possible, so you can act on them.

You can start by eliminating triggers.
Or you can decide to respond to them differently.
And whenever you feel like you’re about to give in, remember how quickly the pleasure is going to disappear.

The idea it to look at your habits in a cold and objective way, and understand they are not a part of you.
You are then in a much better position to change your response and do something that’s good for you instead.

3. What you should never do if you want to get fit.

When you’re training for a goal, one of the worst things you can do is obsess about your current situation.

This kills consistency.

Sure, you are on this fitness journey because there is something you want to change.
But there is nothing more demotivating than checking the scale or mirror every day.

It’s like staring at water waiting for it to boil.
It feels as if it will never happen.

“Everything comes in time to him who knows how to wait.”

What you should be looking at is all the changes happening in you now.

You are what you do, even if you’re not where you want to be yet.

You cook balanced meals, you work out, you learn skills, you set rules and stick to them.

That makes you a doer. And that makes you healthy, even if your cholesterol test doesn’t agree yet.

The moment you start and as long as you keep doing it, you’re already a different person than you used to be.

Forget the scale, forget the mirror, and look at all the very good reasons you have to feel proud. That’s what keeps you going.

4. This is how I approach every fitness goal I have.

Here’s one of the best ways to approach fitness as a beginner:
treat this journey as a video game, where your character is a fighter and you start from 0.

0 point, 0 ability, 0 credit to buy new gear and all challenges are still locked.

Every workout is a mission on your character’s adventure.
And each time you earn points.
And you keep earning more until you gain a new ability and are ready to unlock the next stage.

Real life in a weight room is very close to this scenario.
Except rewards are real, your achievements are visible to others, and you transform your true self.

If you can get an adrenaline rush from controlling a virtual player and find gratification in winning in a video game, imagine how you will feel and how it will change your life when it is real.

All you need is to believe in yourself and understand your life works like your favorite games.

You practice and you grow.

The only difference is in real life, there is no limit

On the video below: me unlocking a new level. 🎮💪🏼

nicosaar

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Thanks for reading and see you next week!

- Nico

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