Perceived Effort

The perceived effort to complete a task for one person is different for another. Imagine training to run a marathon: once the distance has been achieved then the next objective for a hard trainer would be to reduce the overall time and in the process become more capable of the stresses required for the whole mind/body system. The perceived effort and discomfort for one person is an accepted condition. It is expected and becomes the feedback of progress. As the discomfort becomes less and fitness and endurance increase then the level is increased and the discomfort returns. But it is all a higher level of fitness. The nature of progressive training.

In any sport that requires conditioning, the perceived effort for some is too much and, in that case, enough becomes enough. This can then be the state that becomes the condition to maintain. Everyone has their own limit. They may be capable of more, but it is all that they are prepared to endure. That’s perfectly fine. It is just necessary to realize that the effort could possibly be increased if the perception is altered. If the system gets damaged, then a review is needed and the realistic expectation and potential will change. Even a world class runner will not win races with a damaged muscle.

The real problem occurs when an individual has their own perception wrong: they could be setting themself up for a dangerous situation, unaware that an unrealistic expectation exists. The error is compounded if someone else appears to confirm that the expectation is correct, when in fact it is wrong. An experienced hard trainer will ‘listen’ to his/her body, and listen well, and will take heed of what is ‘heard’. Either stop, step it down or take a while longer to get over the damage and then continue: later. Common sense matched with survival. It is the difference between an aware instructor (maybe yourself) and one who is a bad instructor. There is a major difference between the two. It is essential to become aware.