Quick one for you today.
Often times I have students reach out to me concerned that they are not making progress because they are always exhausted after training.
Conflating exhaustion with a lack of skill, progress, and/or conditioning is a common fallacy, though.
Consider this thought experiment: you are a runner at the pinnacle of your sport, and you have just finished a championship race. Would you be exhausted?
Of course you would! Exhaustion is simply a reflection of your effort relative to your potential output. If you empty your tank, you will be exhausted.
This is independent of how efficient you are in your efforts, as well as how your tank can hold.
Focus less on whether you feel exhausted, and more on how much work you are getting done. Are you sparring at a higher pace? Are you able to perform more rounds? Are you having more success in your efforts?
The illusion of stagnation is one of many ways our brain can trick us into thinking we aren’t making progress. And, for some reason, many of us are prone to self-sabotaging thoughts like this (that’s a whole ‘nother topic).
Don’t be fooled. Do the work, embrace the exhaustion, and appreciate how much you have accomplished!