The Law of the Start

One of the biggest reminders we give ourselves and our teammates when it comes to any fitness journey is to start where you’re at. What do we mean by that? Starting where you’re at means accepting your current level of fitness, movement, and mentality so that you can improve from there. Sure, we all see those high-level athletes and think, “Damn, I want that to be me,” but the cold, hard truth of it is — You’re not (yet).

With health and fitness, you can’t skip steps. You simply have to grind and do the work from wherever you’re at to get to where you want to be. We believe in that so adamantly that (you guessed it!), we’ve made it one of DRYWORLD’s core laws.

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best." — Tim Duncan

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Here’s why you need the Law of the Start.

1. Injury Prevention

We are HUGE believers in pushing ourselves. How else do you get better, bigger, faster, or stronger? You also can’t push yourself to the point of injury. If you start out way beyond where your current fitness level allows, you’ll hurt yourself and end up out of the game for a long time. You might even put your starting point further back than where it is currently

2. Building Foundations

Speaking of injury prevention, another way to prevent injury is by building your foundational movements. The better the foundation, the more effective your movements are for helping you reach your goals. Plus, you won’t hurt yourself. If you’re a beginner, start with the beginner movements, even if they’re boring. Do not jump ahead. Olympic long jumpers, for example, got to that stage by breaking down the jump over and over again, starting with basic movements and building into the entire thing from there.

3. Mental Health and Ego

We get it. It sucks being at a high level and then feeling like you’ve gone backwards when you come back from time off or an injury. When you go back to it, starting at your old level might not just damage you physically, but mentally, too. If you’re competitive like we are, starting out too hot from the get will result in you beating yourself up for not being where you were. You’ll burn yourself out both physically and mentally. You may even give up altogether. Baby steps.

4. Gains

Like how you can’t lose weight and gain muscle if you don’t eat enough of the right things, you will set your gains backwards or achieve them much more slowly than you want if you start off too high. Overtraining is a thing with symptoms including fatigue, inability to relax, poor sleep, tension, anger, and… You get the point. Too much too fast will be a setback, not a benefit. Work up to your goals slowly but surely, otherwise you may not get there at all.

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If you don’t start where you’re at, you could be setting yourself up for some major disappointment and future setbacks. We know it’s hard — especially if you’ve performed at a high level previously or are exceptionally competitive, but when you start where you’re at, you will see faster improvement, keep your body safe, and ensure your mental health continues to improve with your form, body, and overall health.

"Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like muscles of the body." — Lynn Jennings