I mentioned yesterday that I’ve been struggling to push myself in workouts. Today I went to my friend’s gym with him and I did his routine. First of all, having a workout buddy is a great motivator. But also, we did exercises I haven’t done before and he coached me through them. He even coached me on bench press, which I’ve done quite a bit of before.

I can’t stress how valuable it is to get good coaching. Subtle changes in body position can make a huge difference in working the right muscles, and performing in a way that’s more efficient, effective, and safe. And when you are trying to work a muscle and you actually isolate it such that you aren’t cheating using other nearby muscles, you are bound to see better gains than doing the same reps and weight but with poor technique.

Good coaching really matters and today I got to push myself harder than I have in a while. So much so, I think I need a nap to recover.