TCMA: I Hate Squats — Kenton Sefcik, R.Ac

Look up.  Way up.  That's the direction you'll go.  (Don't look down.) — Look up. Way up. That's the direction you'll go. (Don't look down.)

I do. Hate 'em. There's something about loading a bunch of weight on my frame, squatting low and trying to push it back up. I can usually get my hips back up underneath me. I've never had anything bad happen. I love deadlifts. And overhead presses. And bench and rows. But squats are... uncomfortable. I guess that's why I do them.

I think I've built a life around being uncomfortable. Moving towards discomfort is something normal to me. Perhaps if I am comfortable there is something terribly wrong because then there is no personal growth.

Boxing, or rather: getting punched in the face, is very uncomfortable. Always being on bottom in grappling with larger opponents is also uncomfortable. Building a practice and staying with it until it flourishes is uncomfortable. Putting my face on Youtube and trying to record videos in one take is uncomfortable.

Ice is for dead people, right? In the healing system of Chinese medicine we recommend heat for most injuries. The reason for this is simply: ice slows down the natural healing process of the body. The body knows what it's doing by bringing fluid and heat to the injured site. The reason most of us would prefer ice is because it numbs the pain. If we put heat on an injury it will surely get worse - increasing the amount of heat in the area. What ensues is a lot of discomfort; however, if we can move towards discomfort the healing process will occur to its full potential and we will heal faster.

Think about that for a moment: if we apply something that causes discomfort we will get to where we are going FASTER.

Many of life's challenges that are worth pursuing are very uncomfortable - maybe even painful, but I believe it's important to ask ourselves if the easy path is worth the risk. The risk of never growing mind, body and soul.

Keep squatting.