No Reps Left In The Tank – it’s a saying I use in the gym. It simply means to be fully spent at the end of a workout. Determining if I’m fully spent is really easy. At the end of my workout can I stand or not. If I have the energy to stand, then there are reps left in my tank, so I can absolutely work harder. If on the other hand I’m lying on the gym floor and folks are wondering if I’m ok then I’ve done everything I can and there are no reps left in my tank. (by the way a rep is short for repetition and is the number of times a movement is performed for. Like 10 pushups, or 5 sit-ups.)
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable! – Jillian Michaels
These are two different ways of saying the same thing; to do your best work in the gym requires you to be willing to endure lots (not just some because most people can put up with a little discomfort) of pain.
Turns out the same is true in life, and business. If you want to do great work you can’t have reps left in your tank so you have to do more than you’re comfortable doing. Seth Godin puts it this way; When we tell people we’re doing the best we can, we’re actually saying, “I’m doing the best I’m comfortable doing.”
Something to make you go hmm! Don’t get it twisted. Being busy and over-taxed is not the same as being uncomfortable.