• 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

The Failure to Progress

Coming to the gym shouldn’t feel like a chore or punishment, but understand that progression takes many forms.

Brooke Mars

Written by Brooke Mars Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

If you know me personally, you know that for the past seven years I’ve arranged my schedule to make room for teaching ski lessons in the winter. I love to ski and I’m happiest when I’m able to teach others how to love the sport as well; I generally work with children under the age of 7, but the other day my supervisors asked me to teach an adult lesson.

If you know me personally, you know that for the past seven years I’ve arranged my schedule to make room for teaching ski lessons in the winter. I love to ski and I’m happiest when I’m able to teach others how to love the sport as well; I generally work with children under the age of 7, but the other day my supervisors asked me to teach an adult lesson. Most instructors would jump at the chance to get out of a children’s lesson—it’s not easy work and involves a lot of nose blowing, mitten finding, and coming up with ways to distract the kids from eating the snow.

I ended up teaching one on one with a woman who had been taking lessons for three days; she said she started to get the hang of it but on the third day they gave her longer skis. She felt like she had to re-learn everything—the skis weren’t responding the way she wanted them to, she couldn’t turn, and wedging to a stop was proving to be next to impossible for her. She was frustrated, defeated, and kept trying to give up completely. She was uncomfortable in the situation and felt like she was failing; her ultimate goal of learning to ski and taking the chairlift with her husband was no longer on the horizon, and instead it was nowhere in sight and seemed to be completely unattainable.

When the lesson ended that day, she said she would keep practicing and knew what she still needed to work on. Whether or not she follows through, I’ll never know, but I did what I could to help her and tried to make the experience as positive as possible for her.

Somewhere along the line, the fear of failure becomes stronger than the urge to try something new, or increase a weight, or make a big life change. I actually prefer teaching younger children how to ski because they haven’t developed any fears and they learn by doing rather than overthinking every movement. They’re there to have fun and learn best by playing games, not even realizing they’re learning new skills. They don’t really have any goals in mind and even though they may get frustrated sometimes, tears can usually be fixed with goldfish crackers and a quick break to make a snow angel or squish a snowman.

Identify Your Progress

The women that I train at Vermont Sport & Fitness Club generally start out using weights that are significantly lighter than what they’re capable of lifting. They’re afraid of “getting too bulky” or lack general confidence in themselves and their abilities. Getting them to understand that a rep range is a range for a reason is a big part of what I do—they don’t always have to make it to 12 repetitions.

Progressing by failing isn’t something that is easy to wrap your mind around and it takes time for them to stop beating themselves up for only getting to 10 reps with a heavier weight rather than getting in a full 12 using something easier and lighter. They often see it as a failure rather than as a way for them to progress and increase their weights and reps in a future workout. I love my job as a trainer because I can help women realize their full potential and that they truly are stronger than they think.

Similar to coaching skiing, I like making workouts fun and something to look forward to. Coming to the gym shouldn’t feel like a chore or punishment. Even though I push my clients and encourage them to work and breathe through the tough exercises, I also try to make sure they leave with a smile, even if it’s a sweaty, tired one.

Brooke Mars

About Brooke Mars

Brooke Mars is an ACE certified personal trainer and orthopedic exercise specialist in southern Vermont at Vermont Sport and Fitness. She works one-on-one with clients, does small group training, and as leads fitness classes. In her spare time, when she's not at the gym, she can be found hiking or skiing in the green mountains, walking her cat, or working on her Etsy store.

View All Articles

Related Posts

Fergus Crawley 5K Run Tips Photo
Fergus Crawley Shares 5 Tips For Running a Better 5K
Actor Chris Hemsworth in gym performing dumbbell row
Chris Hemsworth Diagrams a Killer Upper Body Workout Fit For an Action Star
Hugh Jackman Deadpool 3 Workouts Spring:Winter 2023
Hugh Jackman Returns to Wolverine Condition in Workouts for “Deadpool 3”
Method Man Incline Dumbbell Presses December 2022
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps

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