Want to unlock a new level of training? The solution is simple.
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 | | In today's edition, Joe shares: - How to Evaluate Your Couch Time
- One Key Way to Train Harder
- At-Home Sled Push Tips
| | | | Spartans!
I found myself in the oddest partnership this week—collaborating with Shawn Nelson, the founder of LoveSac. That's right…the guy who talks trash about couches joined forces with the guy who literally makes couches for a living.
Talk about irony.
Shawn joined me for a Spartan race this weekend. Picture it: The couch king himself at an event where sitting on your ass is the last thing you came to do.
We had a blast, though. We made athletes carry a couch up and down hills, disassemble it, reassemble it. Full-on Spartan-style punishment. Even some of our most rugged endurance warriors had to quit!
This whole experience got me thinking about the ancient battle between resting and working—between comfort and pushing the limits. It's an age-old struggle. In fact, the first couch can be traced back as far as 2000 BC in Egypt, thousands of years before barbed wire came around in 1867.
The Greeks had a word for this—askesis—a disciplined practice that helps you resist the pull of comfort and laziness. Philosophers like Epictetus preached that true freedom comes from mastery over your impulses, not indulging them.
The couch is nice, but it's also a seduction into softness.
My message? "Couch responsibly."
I'm not saying we should never kick back. I'm saying the couch shouldn't be our default mode. Put in the work, break a sweat, and push your limits before you earn the right to plant yourself on that comfy LoveSac.
The Greeks talked about arete, the pursuit of excellence. They'd say you're not truly living unless you're striving for something greater. Sitting on the couch all day? That's not striving; that's stagnating.
I've got a lot of respect for Shawn, but not just because of his work.
It's the way he lives. His lifestyle reminds me of some other Mormon buddies I have, like Nate Checketts, co-founder of Rhone clothing. There's something about the way these guys live that's like a Spartan mission.
I've heard about how they spend two years on a mission after high school. They're out of their comfort zones, no distractions, just grinding. It's not just about who they pray to, but how they embrace the hard way, day in and day out. It's no surprise they're successful and built like warriors. That's arete.
Back to the event this weekend. The tearjerker for me was when we asked people to sit down on the couch for a moment and remember someone they've lost— someone they wished was still on the couch with them at that moment.
It was a powerful reminder that the time we spend on the couch (or carrying the couch) should be cherished with the people who matter most.
Just don't stay there too long.
Here's to The Hard Way!
Joe | | | How to Unlock Your Next Level of Training | You may be used to doing burpees solo, but exercising with a buddy or a team may actually help you push yourself harder, for longer.
At Spartan, we know that a good support system can help you overcome self-limiting beliefs and achieve more. And exercising with others may actually make you more likely to show up and do the work. One study found that participants who worked out with a partner were able to hold a plank 24% longer than those exercising alone.
Need a training partner? Join one of our Spartan Facebook community groups, a club sport, or a run club to find your squad and accomplish more. In fact, competition may be a stronger motivator than encouragement. | | | | You Ask, Joe Answers | Q: Hey Joe, I just read your newsletter last week and like the workout, but I don't have a sled to push at my house. Can you suggest an alternative?
- David H.
A: Hey David, No problem. Grab something heavy—like a tire, a weight plate, or a sandbag—and load it on a towel. You can then push said heavy object around the floor to mimic a sled. You can also use the resistance on a treadmill and move the belt with the motor off, or pull a buddy—again, sitting on a towel—via resistance band. Love the no-excuses attitude.
Aroo!
Question for Joe? Want to tell him what you think of The Hard Way? Email him at thehardway@spartan.com. | | | | They Said It | | "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." | | – Walt Disney | | | | | To keep receiving this newsletter, sign up here. | | | WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS NEWSLETTER? | | | | | |
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