I’m Up, He Sees Me, I’m Down

A common exercise in the military is “I’m up, he sees me, I’m down’.” It is simple in theory, but perfect execution can make the difference between making the objective and failing. Its principal can easily be applied to your own workout and objective.

I’m Up

There’s a lot that goes into an advance. You just don’t get up and run to the objective. You have to make sure your properly stocked up on water, medical supplies and ammunition.  If you head in without making sure your stocked up on the right supplies, it could end very badly.

The same is true in working out. You have an objective for your muscles and they need the right supplies before heading into battle. A pre-workout supplement provides the needed supplies in the form of nitric oxide, beta-alanine, BCAAs and numerous other muscle/energy building ingredients. You also need to make sure you are taking the right pre-workout, without fillers or propriety blends. It does no good to head into battle with just any bullets, you need the right ammunition for your weapon.

He Sees Me

You’ve checked supplies and you’re ready to advance. This is a burst towards the objective. You have the amount of time it takes you to say, “he sees me” before you have to get back down. You go all out for those seconds. While your workout is hopefully longer than seconds, you still only have a limited time. Put the most into it, explode! It doesn’t matter if you’re hitting a gym, working out your garage or doing a workout video in your living room… give it your all.

We’ve all seen it. That person who goes to the gym and is constantly on his phone, chatting it up, staring in the mirror and any other number of distractions. Focus! Go hard for the time you are working out. There will be time to check the phone, the mirror, your friends, or whatever distraction may come, after the workout. Soldiers only see their landing spot while they are surging forward.

I’m Down

You’ve prepped, you burst forward in your workout. It is all for nothing if you don’t finish correctly. If you break your weapon or roll your ankle, you’re stuck and not progressing to your goal. It is the same with taking your post workout protein.

If you don’t take your recovery protein right as you “get down”, you’re just hampering… and even injuring your muscles. Whey isolate initiates protein synthesis necessary for muscle growth and contains an amino acid supply critical to raising the rate your body synthesizes the muscle tissue. Getting down properly by using a pure product without “proprietary blends” (that could contain anything), will not only help you recover for the next burst, but build your strength and energy to excel at it.

One & Done?

I’m up, he sees me, I’m down is not a one-time thing. It takes many repetitions to get to your objective. You won’t even get close on your first burst. Working out is the same. It isn’t just a one-time thing. You have to do each step, properly, every time. It might seem like a long way to go after the first burst… but keep at it and you’ll accomplish your mission!

Nick Wright