A Kettlebell and a Garage Changed My Fitness Philosophy
One kettlebell.
That’s all I had back in 2017 when I did my first garage gym workout. No barbell, no wall balls, no fancy equipment — just a single kettlebell and a small space carved out among the cardboard boxes and bikes in my garage.
I was attempting to modify a workout from my old affiliate that called for a barbell and wall balls. On paper, it was a dramatic downgrade from the “real” workout.
And guess what? I still ended up on my back, making a concrete sweat angel.
That was the moment I realized I didn’t need all the equipment, all the time, or even a commute to the gym to get an effective workout. Was it Rx? Nope. Was it still effective? One hundred percent.
But it took me years to truly internalize that lesson.
The Perfect Workout Myth
For too long, I was caught in the mentality that I couldn’t do the workout as prescribed (Rx) — with the exact weights, movements, and rep scheme — I felt like I was somehow cheating or taking the easy way out.
Sound familiar?
Here’s what I’ve learned: consistency isn’t about perfect execution of every workout. It’s about showing up — even when conditions aren’t ideal.
In WODwell’s chat group, I see the same misconception pop up with other members sometimes. We fall into the trap of wanting to hit the Rx weights at all costs, even if it means blowing past the time cap or missing the intended stimulus completely.
It took me longer than I’d like to admit, but I finally realized that, when it comes to sustainable fitness, perfect is the enemy of good.
My Consistency Evolution
Before kids, more of my time was dedicated to fitness. I had the luxury of 2-hour training sessions and double days. I used to think consistency meant no rest days (which couldn’t be more wrong, but that’s a topic for another newsletter).
Now, life demands flexibility. I check my meeting schedule and the kids’ baseball and tutoring schedule to figure out where I can fit in my workout. Lately, a couple days a week, that might be after dinner. Not ideal, and certainly not when I’m going full send… but far better than nothing.
Daily training is still generally non-negotiable 5–6 days a week, with 1–2 rest days. But the work that gets done in those training sessions is no longer so rigid.
I guess you could say I train every day, except when I don’t. As Bruce Lee said, “Be water, my friend.”
The Surprising Benefits of Flexibility
As I’ve broken free from the “go big or go home” and “rest is for the weak” mindsets, something unexpected happened.
I’m less beat up, healthier overall, and — perhaps surprisingly — still hitting PRs. More importantly, I enjoy training more. There’s less pressure and more satisfaction.
I’m still fitter than most other people pushing 50… and in some ways, I’m fitter than I was 10 years younger doing those obsessive double-days and avoiding rest.
Redefining Consistency
Here’s what consistency actually looks like:
- Sometimes it’s a full hour of training with proper warm-up, skill work, WOD, and cool-down
- Sometimes it’s modifying movements because you only have a dumbbell
- Sometimes it’s 2 minutes of burpees, a scaled workout, and a 5-minute stretch to fit the session into 20 minutes
- Sometimes it’s training after dinner when you’re not at your peak
The key isn’t perfection. It’s prioritizing that training slot, even if what happens within it needs to flex.
This belief in the value of consistency is exactly why we built a consistency leaderboard for our ELEMENT program members — not just a performance leaderboard. We want to celebrate those who show up regularly, regardless of whether they’re doing the workout as prescribed or modified to meet their needs and circumstances.
The Mental Shift
My own fixation on what training needed to look like had a lot to do with comparing myself with others — it was an ego thing. But when it comes down to it, I’m training to be a better version of myself, not to look cool working out or beat someone else on a leaderboard.
Do I still like to see how my workout scores stack up? Of course. But increasingly, I’ll sacrifice that ability to compare scores in favor of doing a scaled version so I can get back to all the other things in life that matter.
Because at the end of the day, something is always better than nothing. And showing up consistently — however imperfectly — is what builds sustainable fitness for the long haul.
Train smart,
Jeremy
WODwell | Co-Creator
@wodwell_jeremy
P.S. What’s your definition of consistency? How do you keep showing up even when conditions aren’t perfect? Share your experiences in our chat group — I’d like to hear how you make it work.
