time, focus and competence in the gym

The controlled environment of the gym is rich for learning. And even if you haven’t thought of it before, exercising is a skill.

Here’s an example of how you learn in the gym, and you may not even be aware of it—because that’s exactly where we’re going to start. The first stage is unconscious incompetence.

There are four levels of competence when learning or developing a skill. The first stage is unconscious incompetence. That means you don’t know how to squat, and you don’t even know it—you’re unaware of the deficit. This describes many people who walk into a gym for the first time.

The next stage is conscious incompetence. You don’t understand how to squat perfectly, but you’re aware of the lack of understanding. You know that you need coaching cues and eyes on your form to make sure it’s right.

The next stage is where many of you are in regard to training: conscious competence. You understand how to squat well, but it requires a lot of brainpower to do it. If you start thinking about work while doing goblet squats, your form gets sloppy. You need to focus in order to do it well.

The final stage is called unconscious competence. It’s second nature. You can easily perform the skill without any thought or brainpower.

In the gym, this is a hard place to get to. You might reach it with squats but not deadlifts or push-ups. We’re all different here, but one thing makes this stage possible for all of us: time and focus.

We’ve got to put the time in and use our brains to learn and develop new skills. The end game for all of this is to become better movers—unconsciously. So that when we’re hiking, kayaking, or playing tennis, we move better in safer and more powerful positions automatically.

Focus in the gym so you can have fun in life outside the gym.

—Justin Miner