• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Learn

Game Plans: When to Hold ‘Em, When to Walk Away

When preparing for a fight we study our opponent and prepare a strategy. But we should also study ourselves, through their eyes. And we should plan for all outcomes, without attachment.

Eric C. Stevens

Written by Eric C. Stevens Last updated on Oct 20, 2021

“Everyone has a plan until they get hit.” – Joe Louis

Joe Louis was a brilliant heavyweight in a time that was certainly a difficult one for African American men. Joe Louis was a quiet champion and generally let his fists do the talking. In the quote above, however, Louis spoke true words of wisdom offering up a poignant essence of sport and life. Mike Tyson modernized the sentiment years later by stating “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face” Uh-huh.

In getting motivated, we generally plan, establish goals, and set a game plan for the future. Nothing wrong with that. Hard to get somewhere without a map. As my uncle says, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” Inevitably though, plan or not, we are going to have disruptions, trials, and storms along the way. Our road maps and goals rarely have contingency plans for such disruptions, because we see through our own lenses in how we hope things will evolve.

Fighters fight to win and in doing so try to fight on their own terms. In boxing and the martial arts we develop habits and patterns over years of practice, honing our strengths along the way. In developing these strengths we create game plans to capitalize on them. Finding our strengths and developing a plan in and around them is certainly a vital component of success. However, so is looking at our weaknesses – or how our opponents would and will look at us. Many of us don’t look at this dark underbelly of planning.

The thing in fighting and in life is that each of us has an opponent to contend with. In the ring there is literally another man (or woman) trying to hurt and defeat you. Unquestionably though, our biggest opponent whether in or out of the ring, is ourselves. This is what Joe Louis was saying – have a plan, but be willing to adapt. Sticking to the plan no matter what is arrogance and a good way to keep getting hit. We have to develop that sense of knowing when it’s time to change that plan or even throw it away.

In developing a game plan we play to our strengths and to our opponent’s weaknesses. When preparing for a fight, we notice our opponent’s tendencies. For instance, we might take note of our opponent’s footwork or head movement. Someone always moving his head in the same pattern might be something I’d notice. Always stepping with the jab or dropping the right hand as the jab is thrown is another tendency I look for. In studying such patterns we can better capitalize on our opponent’s mistakes.

While it’s vital to study such things in preparation, we have to keep in mind that our opponents are also most likely doing the same work. What is key is that we must also have enough humility to be truly introspective and see our weaknesses. We must also plan in and around those weaknesses. And if and when we have these weaknesses exposed, we must be willing to adjust our plan.

game plan, strategy, goal setting, setting goals, making and changing plansOne of the lessons in planning is to have more than one plan. I might fight my game and play defensively, but I should also have a plan for being the aggressor. You should have a plan for succeeding and, honestly, a contingency plan for quitting. The problem is that in fighting the fine line from having heart and courage, to arrogance and ego is often blurred. We face the same issue in planning to succeed in life. We can become blinded by our self-will and determination to win and be right.

Such will is what makes champions, and sometimes such will is also what leads to permanent brain damage or permanently fractured relationships. If victory is not attainable, much better to utter “no mas.” Better to know that the fight is no longer there for us or that perhaps it’s time to fight another battle. The ability to see through the smoke of battle and make such a distinction is true courage.

My uncle also has another quote he likes to say from time to time. “You can have the answer, but if no one has a question, it doesn’t really matter.” In other words, having the plan and answer is fine, but we also have to be wise enough to know when and if it’s the wrong plan.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

Eric C. Stevens

About Eric C. Stevens

For the past seventeen years, Eric Stevens has established himself as a leading fitness professional, consultant, writer, presenter, and television personality. Currently, Eric is the Fitness and Membership Director for the Allegria Spa & Club at Park Hyatt in Avon, Colorado.

In addition to his extensive fitness experience, having managed, coached, and trained in the private health club and non-profit industries, Eric has been a long-time instructor of Western boxing, most recently as boxing coach for the Denver Athletic Club. In 2011, Eric was selected to serve as a trainer in the nationally televised series "I Used to Be Fat" on MTV. Eric is also a published author and regular contributor to Breaking Muscle, Muscle & Performance, and the Whole Life Challenge.

Eric is originally from Portland, Oregon and is a graduate of the University of San Diego. Since 2003, Eric has been a nationally certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

View All Articles

Related Posts

learningtofight1
Learning to Fight
maryannberry
Posture Intervention: Healing After a Knee Injury
Train for Uncertainty: It’s Guaranteed
Opposites Distract: Stress Versus Fitness

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About