For the average person, if the goal is simply to stay healthy, it’s best to leave plenty of room each time you work out. You can gradually increase weights, but avoid any sense of competition. He might increase his weights by fifty kilograms in three months, while you might add only one kilogram or none at all. However, a single injury could make him dislike working out, whereas you might keep going for a lifetime. He might push to finish five kilometers in under 18 minutes, while you consistently take 25 minutes. He might give up after six months, but you could keep running for fifty years.
Never overtrain or push yourself too hard
1. One of my boxing coaches once said, "Never push yourself to train excessively. If you constantly chase high-intensity workouts, there will come a day when you can no longer handle it, and you’ll grow tired of exercising, causing all your previous efforts to go to waste."
2. He once had a student who trained very hard. At that time, his weight was just over 60 kilograms, and his lead punches were fast and powerful. But later, he gave up training and returned to his hometown to work in sales. Without exercise, and with his daily indulgence in food and drinks while meeting clients, his weight has now reached nearly 200 pounds, and he's facing various health issues caused by obesity.
3. My coach mentioned that he watched a documentary about Tyson back in the 1990s. Even for a top athlete like Tyson, balancing work and rest was important. When D'Amato was training Tyson, he would take him on trips every now and then to help him relax.
I once considered pursuing a career in professional boxing
• I’m the same. I once considered pursuing a career in professional boxing. After training hard, I realized that being a professional boxer is actually a tough life. Opportunities to fight are rare, and the income is very low. Many boxers end up becoming bodyguards, debt collectors, or coaches at gyms. Very few athletes make it to the top of the pyramid, and I know deep down that I’m not cut out for it. I’ll never reach that level in my lifetime.
• For a few years, I gave up boxing, weightlifting (though I did some lifting during my boxing training, but not at a high level), and even stopped running. During those years, my weight skyrocketed by several sizes, adding dozens of pounds. Just running a little would leave me out of breath. Because I had trained so hard in the past, I had developed a huge appetite, and after I stopped training, the calories quickly piled up, eventually causing stomach problems.
It wasn't until later that I adopted a more laid-back approach to fitness.
• Later, I adopted a more laid-back approach to fitness. I jump rope occasionally (twice a week, 30 minutes each session), and once a week I do moderate-weight strength training, mainly pull-ups and squats (I do 100 kg squats for sets, without adding weight), and bench press (80 kg for sets, without adding weight). The number of sets depends on my mood, and occasionally I add a set of deadlifts (150 kg for sets, without adding weight). My body weight is around 80 kg.
• From a health perspective, for an average man, being able to run or swim once or twice a week, do dozens of push-ups, perform 8-10 pull-ups, do several dozen bodyweight squats, and hold a plank for one or two minutes already puts you ahead of 90% of your peers. As long as you maintain this level of exercise consistently for decades, you can largely avoid conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. You'll be able to keep your energy up throughout life—climbing stairs, hiking, and traveling will be easy, and your quality of life will be more than enough.
Comparing yourself to others is a big taboo in fitness.
Although my condition is not as good as when I was younger, my strength and fitness are still better than most ordinary people, and more than enough for daily life. I’m also not bored with fitness at all, so I should be able to keep it up. I plan to replace jump rope with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu next year.