Where to place the carrot - the difference between finishing and quitting

Several years ago I participated in the MS Tour For Cure. On the second day on the last half of the 75 mile ride I settled in with a small group of riders who were keeping up a blistering pace. We sailed past each of the rest stops. Toward the end it was all I could do to take my turn in the lead. I stayed with it because my odometer indicated that we only had a little over mile to go – the carrot (the end of the punishing pace) was very close.

I was really suffering. I wondered if others were suffering too. I found out. Someone in the group asked how much farther? Someone else replied: “Five miles to go” – that placed the carrot very far away. I knew that was wrong, but one of my co-riders Shane didn't know. Shane immediately fell off the pace.

I left the pack and went back to Shane. Shane told me he could not hang for five more miles. I assured him that it was not five miles; it was less than a mile – the carrot was close. He got on my rear wheel, and I took him back to the pack.

When we made it back to the pack the finish line was in sight – the carrot was extremely close. Shane bolted to the front and left the group to finish well ahead of us. Shane had more left physically, but he was almost defeated mentally.

This is relevant to exercise. A person is capable of performing at an absolute level. Somewhere below that limit is what someone is willing to do by themselves. A good personal trainer will get the subject to go to the next level - somewhere above what they are willing to do and closer to what they are truly capable of. To do that a good personal trainer will be “in the moment” - they must know exactly what the client is experiencing (their level of stress and even panic). When Shane fell off the pace I knew where he was physically and mentally.

The trainer who is in the moment will be totally consumed with what is going on with a client during those most difficult repetitions. She will use whatever psychological ploys she knows that worked in the past – where to place the carrot. It is anything but boring for the trainer, and the client really appreciates it.

At New Orleans Personal Trainers and at Austin Personal Trainers our workout program involves high intensity interval training. It is a demanding workout and the trainers slowly build the clients up to that workout. Our trainers have been through the same process. Our Austin personal trainers and New Orleans personal trainers spend months working out and interning before they take on clients for one simple reason: Before being able to be in the moment with a client the personal trainer must first have been there themselves.