Max Power is a fitness experience in Lancaster, PA. Certified personal trainers use a combination of powerlifting, olympic lifting, circuit and interval training, and plyometrics to increase power, speed, strength and endurance.

I just moved – new job, new city, new life. But I still come back to Lancaster every weekend, making an interstate trek from Maryland to Pennsylvania, to train with Max Power.

I guess I could find a gym around my new place. It’d be more convenient than schlepping across state lines. But I’ve heard horror stories about the gyms around here. Crappy equipment, meatnecks who grunt whenever they move, gym staff who   hassle you if you won’t bring in new members.

And frankly, it wouldn’t be the same. I like the privacy at Max Power – the only grunting I hear is my own, and I don’t need to worry about anyone thinking it’s unladylike (usually because I’m more concerned with trying to breathe).

I like the variety – training is never boring.

I like having someone else count for me (so I can focus on trying to breathe).

I like having someone watch my form so I won’t hurt myself.

I like hanging out with Mike and the rest of the Max Power family. It’s hard to find a good group of people to work out and train with – people with positive attitudes who push you to be your best self.

But mainly, I keep making that drive up and down I-83 because I like the results. I like knowing I can lift 200 pounds off the floor. I like being able to fit in my skinny jeans. I like having the energy to get through a new job that has my day starting before the sun comes up.

So why Max Power? Because most fitness fads don’t work and workout resolutions don’t last but Max Power does.

Been thinking about commitment lately.

To me, training is a long-term process. It goes in cycles. Sometimes you’re on your game – you’re eating clean and you’re on fire and focused in the gym – and you make great gains. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen. But whatever your motivation level is at any particular moment, you can’t expect greatness in 8 weeks. Strength, speed, endurance – they’re not a place you can reach. They’re a process. Fitness is a journey, not a destination.

Unfortunately, too many of us are looking for an instant fix. We’re focused on the outcomes – the reflection in the mirror, the compliments from others, whatever – instead of the goal, to live better. To keep improving and making progress.

When you focus on outcomes like the size of your muscles or the size of your jeans, gratification is fleeting. Because you’ll never have big enough muscles or a tiny enough waist. But when you’re committed to fitness – committed to the long-term – then you open yourself up to success.

For me, gratification comes from lifting something heavier than expected or from completing that intense crazy circuit one more time. From knowing that I’ve got more in the tank than I thought and from surprising myself with what I can achieve. To me, that’s success. And that requires a certain level of commitment – to myself, to training, and to the long-term.