• 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
Fitness

Average Is Crap: The Painful Truth About Making Gains

I have a small daughter and a growing business, but I still find time to train and to keep getting stronger. How? It's no mystery. Sacrifice. Many talk big, but few are willing to actually do it.

David Cross

Written by David Cross Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

The other week I posted another video clip of me squatting and hitting more personal records in the process. I post a lot of my training videos online for several reasons. I like to get feedback on what I’m doing technically, so I can continue to learn and improve from people with more experience than myself. The other main reason is to show people that you can change, but you need to work your ass off to do it.

I received this coment from a friend and colleague last week, on one of my videos: “I would sincerely like to know how the heck you are able to make the gains, while still training people and running a business.” At the time I just responded with eating well, recovering enough, and having a simple desire to never be fat again. When I thought about this over the weekend, though, I realized this was a very simplified answer, and only the tail end of what actually happens.

With my daughter now on the scene, my life all of a sudden feels very crazy and time is never my own. Having said that, the average day I go through is not really any different to many other people who have kids. So why do I make the gains? How do I continue to push and progress my training to higher levels?

Simple – sacrifice and consistency.

On a daily basis I consistently sacrifice, because my health, strength, and mobility is ultimately more important to me than the other fluff with which people seem to fill their lives. I’m not saying that other people are wrong (I am really), but I know which I would rather be doing.

david cross, south africa gym, capetown gym, evo fitness south africaI already miss many hours in the day with my daughter, so I make sure I don’t need to leave for work before she wakes up, and I make sure that I’m home for her bath time. This, for me, is incredibly important, and I won’t let any money, clients, work or training replace this. This for me is a priority.

I don’t go out in the week for drinks or dinner. Not because I don’t want to, but because my evenings are full with family, food preparation, work preparation, and getting to bed at a reasonable time to have adequate (seven to eight hours) of sleep and recovery. This allows my body and mind to recharge, regroup and gets me ready for the day ahead and whatever it may entail.

I sacrifice the junk food, deep fried foods, sweets, and processed crap. Not because I don’t like it (I love it), but because I love myself, my body, and my physical and mental health more. I love the confidence and energy that looking and feeling good gives me. Average is shit, and it’s great to be better than the average.

I don’t miss training sessions. I didn’t miss a single session in 2012. If something comes up and plans change, then the session gets rearranged, caught up, scaled down. It never gets cancelled. Looking after your body isn’t a quick fix or an appointment, it’s a lifestyle. Until people realize this, they will continue to miss the mark and fail to live up to their potential.

I disassociate myself from negative people and bad influences. I surround myself with positivity, healthy choices, and strong emotional and professional support structures. I engross myself in environments and situations that will challenge and further me. That is how I grow, gain strength, and continue to learn and make positive steps forward in my life.

david cross, south africa gym, capetown gym, evo fitness south africaThe spare money I have gets reinvested into my family, business, education, or my training. I don’t buy gadgets, expensive clothes, go out boozing, buy take away food, or purchase anything that won’t enhance my life or help me progress. Some will see this as strange or say I’m not enjoying life, but trust me I am. It’s only when you have no money and need to work your ass off for what you do have that you truly find the value of money.

Looking back at the original question, I haven’t talked about specific strength training, gym programs, or nutrition, and I don’t need to. They are the tiny cogs that form part of a much bigger machine. It’s the big things that count. When you get the big things right, the small things fall into place and you can’t help but progress and make gains in everything you do.

I can picture some people reading this and thinking that I’m denying myself the pleasures they have. I’m not denying myself. I choose not to participate in some things, as I want something more, something greater.

Some will think I’m being big headed and making myself out to be better than everyone else. I’m not; I’m just telling it as it is and sharing what I do. If you feel that way, then there’s probably some guilt at the way you lead your life.

Others will think I’m obsessive over the way I live my life and the choices I make. To those, all I would say is, “Obsessive is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated.”

The last year was the toughest and most challenging of my life. It was also the year I made more progress in all facets of my life than ever before. I must be doing something right.

David Cross

About David Cross

Cape Town-based British expat and Strength and Conditioning coach David Cross, with his passion for strength, nutrition and transforming lives, devotes his time to the physical wellbeing of each one of his clients in his privately owned strength facility. David’s life in corporate finance, fast talking, and unhealthy eating came to a drastic halt when he committed himself to a complete lifestyle reconstruction, after finding the person staring back at him in the mirror not the person he wished to be.

David remodelled himself from a hefty 137kg to a lean and fit 86kg. With this metamorphosis, David discovered his passion for healthy, fit living. He enrolled himself back into varsity in his late twenties and qualified as a personal trainer, having spent his practical education under former South African Springbok S&C Coach Chris van Loggerenberg, taking this knowledge to the world. David participated in various endurance events before turning to his new found passion in strength.

David, with his own experiences of body transformation and his PT graduate, continued his thirst for knowledge and certified with the IKFF as a kettlebell teacher and went on to specialize in fitness nutrition with the ISSA. All around strongman, power enthusiast, and knowledge hunter, David uses his background and ability to change the lives of those around him.

View All Articles

Related Posts

Female competitors headline a graphic for the 2024 CrossFit Games season.
2024 CrossFit Games Season Schedule: Division-by-Division Breakdown
2023 Rogue CrossFit Invitational winners Pat Vellner and Laura Horvath holding their championship titles.
2023 Rogue CrossFit Invitational Results — Laura Horvath and Patrick Vellner Become Two-Time Champions
Female competitors performing medicine ball sit-ups at the 2022 Rogue Invitational.
2023 Rogue Invitational Events Revealed
CrossFit athlete Josh Bridges performs a barbell back squat in his home gym.
CrossFit Legend Josh Bridges Crushes Full-Body Workout Two Weeks Out From 2023 Rogue Invitational

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