Consistent Hard Work

Post by Mark Ehnis
Hard work and consistency are the two components of an athletes performance program that I stress the most. Of course exercises, intensity, sets, reps, etc. are all important, but none of that matters without the two aforementioned components. Truth be told, you can get results from just about any program if you’re consistent AND working hard every training session- the results might not last or you’ll plateau, you might get injured, or it might take awhile- but you will get some sort of result. Whatever it is your trying to get good at, put in some consistent hard work and watch what happens. You might do the wrong thing every now and again but at least you did something and can learn from the mistake.
Hard work and consistency go hand-in-hand. I would see this a lot in the college weight room and in the high school weight room. Athlete A would show up 2x a week and totally crush it for the entire session, but then disappear for the rest of the week. Athlete B would be there 4-5x per week but would just go through the motions.  Both types of these athletes would always be frustrated by the lack of results and couldn’t figure out what was wrong. It was pretty simple to me. Athlete A wasn’t consistent enough- Athlete B didn’t work hard enough. It was no secret why Athlete C, the beast of the weight room, got results. Athlete C would be there 3-5x per week, bringing focus and intensity to every session. They would then keep up this pace for not weeks, but MONTHS! This type of athlete dominates. Athlete C usually got plenty of playing time, was a good student, and was a more responsible person. Athlete C consistently worked hard towards the goal. 
If you’re familiar at all with PowerStrength, you’ll know that we like to have our athletes come to us 3-5x per week. This is the consistency part. Once they’re in the gym then they must work hard- by any means necessary. Whether it’s me in their ear all session, competition with other athletes, or loud music- they will work hard while they’re here. Combine that with proper programming and coaching and the results could be fatal for the competition!
    High school football player, Brian Hohendorf, performing a 450+ pound sled drag
     Brian trains AT LEAST 4x/week and has gained 33 pounds this off-season while sky-rocketing his strength, speed, and power!
Consistency + Hard Work = Results