4 Reasons To Embrace The Suck

Embracing the suck is an important concept in sports and fitness that refers to accepting and pushing through the difficult and uncomfortable aspects of training. It requires mental toughness, perseverance, and discipline to push through discomfort and overcome setbacks. While it may be challenging in the moment, embracing the suck can lead to significant improvements in physical and mental strength, endurance, and overall performance.

1. Persistence: Embracing the suck means persevering through challenging situations, even when it feels like giving up is the easier option. This can help you develop persistence and the ability to keep going in the face of adversity.

2. Resilience: When you embrace the suck, you learn to bounce back from setbacks and keep moving forward. This can help you develop resilience, which is the ability to adapt to difficult situations and overcome obstacles.

3. Mental toughness: Embracing the suck requires mental toughness and the ability to push through discomfort and pain. Developing mental toughness can help you handle stress and pressure in other areas of your life.

4. Focus: Embracing the suck requires you to stay focused on your goals and push through distractions and challenges. This can help you develop better focus and concentration skills, which can be valuable in all areas of life.

By embracing the suck and pushing through difficult and uncomfortable situations, you can develop a sense of accomplishment and pride that can carry over into other areas of your life. It can also help you become more resilient and better equipped to handle the challenges that come your way.

Where To Start

There are many different ways to embrace the suck whether it be physically or emotionally. One place to start is no matter what you're doing, get it done. A lot of the things we do in life as humans whether it be in the gym, in our sports, in the workplace, in school, or even in our normal day-to-day life are going to be challenging and rather annoying to do. One great example of this on the fitness level would be to start doing workouts you hate the most. Instead of dreading them, find the joy in making progress within the workout over time. A lot of people hate running, so start with a mile every day until you can do two, then three, and so on and so forth. I can guarantee once you hit that ten-mile mark, you’ll be beyond proud of what you’ve done, regardless of how much you hated running before.

Whether it be to hike a mountain, run a marathon, or bike 100 miles, doing something you never thought you could do helps you realize your biggest competitor in life is yourself, and above all else, feels amazing. I spoke to Hailey Poe, a North Central College student who is currently a triathlete and a part of the track team at NCC. Hailey is currently a sophomore studying to get her bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in ethical leadership. In an interview regarding her personal experiences with embracing the suck Hailey said, “I have really been able to understand the pain that comes with sport and using it to push me mentally. Whenever I am uncomfortable, that’s something I have been really working on with my running…. When I have a good grasp of that uncomfortable feeling, that to me is embracing the suck.” Hailey has been through some of the most grueling and treacherous races in sports, and to my surprise, Hailey hasn’t always enjoyed running. Hailey is a prime example of taking on your discomfort head-on and embracing the suck. 

In another interview with expert Mahesh Narayanan, the North Central College head women's cross country coach and assistant women's track and field coach who is in the middle of his 23rd year at NCC, we talked about embracing the suck and how to translate it as a coach. When asked about where to start when embracing the suck, Mahesh had to say, “Don’t look for perfect, look for a lot of data. Over the course of four years, nobody is going to have a perfect trajectory, so instead focus on the different experiences and what you accomplished over time. Focus on being able to get through the mess, embrace the mess, messy is good.” In my conversation with Mahesh, the overall message I received was to get better no matter what every single day. Always be getting better in some way whether it be physically or mentally. Improvement is key and it does not only center around physical performance.

The Pain Cave

In an interview with expert Jason Rice, assistant professor of sports management and sport management program director at North Central College, we spoke on embracing the suck and what it means to him. As an avid cyclist and lifetime athlete, Jason said, “When I hear the term and think of it in cycling terms, in cycling they have their own phrase and have built a brand around it called the Pain Cave….. A lot of what cycling is, is that it’s an endurance/physical sport that becomes a mental sport. When I cycle, there all always moments when you are challenged physically, and embracing the suck in that is the only way to get better in cycling is to go past your current barrier. Overall, if you’re in the pain cave and you can come out on the other side, you’ll be in a better place physically and mentally in the sport”. The pain cave is something many teams and organizations use world wide, and it has been developed to train athletes in different ways to make them become the best athlete they can be. The pain cave is not only physically demanding, but mentally draining as well. The pain cave is the perfect epitome of embracing the suck.

5 Ways To Embrace The Suck

"Embracing the suck" is a phrase that means accepting and even finding value in difficult or unpleasant experiences. Here are some ways to embrace the suck:

1. Change your mindset: Instead of viewing a difficult situation as a burden, try to reframe it as an opportunity for growth and learning. This can help you approach the situation with a more positive attitude.

2. Practice self-care: When things get tough, it's important to take care of yourself. Make time for activities that you enjoy, connect with loved ones, and prioritize your physical and mental health.

3. Seek support: Don't be afraid to reach out to friends, family, or professionals for help and support. Sometimes, talking through a difficult situation can make it more manageable.

4. Keep things in perspective: It can be helpful to remind yourself that difficult situations are often temporary and that you have overcome challenges in the past. This can give you the strength to keep moving forward.

5. Take action: Instead of feeling helpless or overwhelmed, try to focus on the things you can control and take action to make things better. Even small steps can make a difference.

Remember that embracing the suck is not about denying or minimizing the difficulty of a situation, but rather about finding ways to cope and grow despite it.

In conclusion, embracing the suck is an essential part of sports and fitness training. It requires mental and physical resilience, perseverance, and discipline to push through discomfort and overcome setbacks. While it may be challenging in the moment, the rewards of embracing the suck can be significant, including improved physical and mental strength, endurance, and performance. By embracing the suck, we can cultivate a growth mindset, build confidence, and develop discipline and self-control, which can help us achieve our goals not only in sports and fitness, but in all areas of our lives. So, the next time you find yourself facing a challenging workout or competition, remember to embrace the suck and push through the discomfort. The rewards will be well worth the effort.