๐ป For when it feels like you're not making any progress in your practice
Published about 19 hours agoย โขย 3 min read
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Hi Reader!
It was your average Sunday at the gym. A lighter crowd than the weekday late afternoons, mentally calculating my grocery list for after the workout and catching up on reading other Sunday newsletters in between reps (how I got inspired to schedule mine to deliver on Sundays).
I set up the hamstring curl machine, did my warmup set and then moved the dial to my working set amount.
And then I paused, because something was new.
4 years ago I started strength training and have been going to the gym 2-3 times a week almost every single week since.
One of the first machines my original trainer ever showed me how to work was the hamstring curl (lying down instead of seated, but my local Planet Fitness only has the seated one).
I distinctly remember how hard it was to curl 45 lbs and how tired my legs were after.
Last Sunday, I saw that I'd done enough reps in both working sets to progress to the next weight. I set the machine to 80 lbs...
...And cruised right on through with nothing more than the usual amount of effort this exercise takes.
When I saw the number 80 on the machine, I instantly knew what I wanted to talk to you about this week. Because, yes this is an Irish fiddle newsletter and here I am telling you about my gym session from a week ago.
But I've used the gym metaphor before and I think it's worth revisiting today.
The fancy term for me struggling through an exercise at 45 lbs and then sailing through the same exercise at almost double the weight 4 years later is progressive overload.
It's the gradual increase of stress on the body to push past what I can comfortable lift to tear down and build new muscle.
The way I see it, there are two lessons to be had from this:
You can't progress if you don't push past what's comfortable. Playing a tune start to finish with no time spent troubleshooting problem spots isn't going to make the tune sound any better. It just means you'll have a lot of time cementing a bad habit or not listening critically to troubleshoot.
Learning an instrument, like strength training, is a long game. Progressing 35 lbs over 4 years doesn't sound like a lot and doesn't feel like a lot during the process. But the progress is happening, and it's worth pausing and celebrating when you hit a milestone.
And as a bonus, without rest there would be no progress. Notice I'm not lifting 7 days a week, and over the past 4 years I've rotated this exercise in and out of my weekly routine. At some point you plateau on a skill (be it bowing, intonation, ornaments), and rather than stay frustrated, it's better to shift your focus to another area and come back to it later.
Weekly Tune Library Update
Two new tutorials for you this week! Hector the Hero was requested and I'm adding to our non jig + reel sections with the Boys of Ballisodare (hop jig).
While you'll typically hear Boys of Ballisodare in G at sessions, CUAS has a really nice version of it in D in this recording! A good exercise to be able to recognize and play the tune across multiple keys!
For your viewing and listening pleasure this week...
I lowkey want to learn to play concertina (speaking of good exercises in slow and steady progress, and in being a beginner all over again), and Caroline Keane is one of my favorite players! Have a listen to her new music video released this week -- and for Tune Library members, this is a great slip jig set to have on hand!
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