I\u2019ve often been asked about how long it takes to complete this workout.
How many breaks are needed to finish it, things like that.
Multiple times, by multiple people. Sometimes by just one person.
But rarely about why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1001 is quite a number, isn\u2019t it? A daunting one at that. Sure, if it\u2019s jump rope or crunches, fine. But squats? That\u2019s another story altogether. Plus, there\u2019s nothing fun about it.
Those who have erected statues in honor of Jocus will never understand its value or appeal.
The same goes for those frantic consumers of the present moment, who take without leaving anything behind, without a thought for what might remain for others after their passage.
At first, the novelty and the challenge against oneself are euphoric and give us a surge of energy. But after three or four Sundays in a row, you start thinking that skipping straight from Saturday to Monday wouldn\u2019t be such a bad idea\u2014skipping the Lord\u2019s day, no rest in sight, turning Sunday\u2019s peace into a fight.
Three months go by, and some Sundays you don\u2019t even want to get out of bed, let alone do squats! A year later, you think to yourself that sometimes, you truly have terrible ideas. It\u2019s hard to always maintain the same mood or keep motivation at its peak. Let\u2019s say it\u2019s impossible\u2014except in books.
Just like in real life, where difficult moments inevitably arise, trials that diminish our drive. Or worse, obliterate it entirely. But life doesn\u2019t stop because of it.
For me, the 1001-squat block is a metaphor for life, a sped-up summary of the fluctuations of our moods. It forces us to face the dilemma of not letting them dictate our actions. To do so, we can cultivate a discipline of \u201cno matter what,\u201d a discipline of effort or contrast that is especially strong.
Contrast challenges our certainties, shakes them up perhaps, but in the end, they emerge stronger. Because they\u2019ve been tested\u2014and validated.
There are days when everything feels heavy. That\u2019s okay. Take it easy. One squat at a time, calmly. If you can do one squat, you can do two. If you can do two, you can do a hundred. Once you\u2019ve understood this, you can do 1001. At your own pace.
The 1001 squats train the mind first\u2014the essence. Then the body\u2014the tool.
The first step lies in accepting pain. Not the pain of martyrdom, which is ready to sacrifice itself for a cause it would have never conceived of\u2014often without even understanding what it\u2019s about.
And we see them, these so-called enlightened individuals whose sense of duty and morality is glorified, thrown onto the altar of the interests of a select few.
Yes, even within our community, or what\u2019s left of it at least.
Once we\u2019ve accepted the effort, we must sustain it and then face the second stage:
Ignoring all those little voices saying, \u201cStop if it burns,\u201d \u201cGo home if it\u2019s too hard,\u201d \u201cDamn, this is boring\u2026\u201d
Not easy, right? Sure. But it\u2019s certainly easier than going to war for the sake of bastards who wouldn\u2019t dream of putting their own children in the line of fire.
If we\u2019ve resisted, the third stage comes knocking: the “second-souffle”.
It\u2019s the ability to speed up or increase intensity when you think you\u2019ve already given your all. That\u2019s when you discover resources you didn\u2019t even know you had.
Once again, the mind makes the difference. The spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Strong Spirit. Yamakasi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve often been asked about how long it takes to complete this workout.How many breaks are needed to finish it, things like that.Multiple times, by multiple people. Sometimes by just one person.But rarely about why. 1001 is quite a number, isn\u2019t it? A daunting one at that. Sure, if it\u2019s jump rope or crunches, fine. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":503,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spirit"],"yoast_head":"\n