Note: I am not a mental health professional. In writing today’s post, I have borrowed very heavily from GoodTherapy’s page on perfectionism. You should check this page out if you’d like to learn more. My sole aim is to discuss how perfectionism can be counter-productive to a person’s fitness journey, or harmful to their wellbeing. This blog should not be mistaken for mental health advice.
What Is Perfectionism?
Perfectionism is broadly defined as the need to be, or appear to be, perfect. It is a personality trait that can be linked to conditions such as anxiety, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and orthorexia nervosa. There are many forms of perfectionism.
Perfectionism may not seem inherently bad. Many successful people display perfectionistic traits, and the pursuit of perfection is socially acceptable – even glorified – in many fields. However, perfectionism becomes problematic when you:
- Are fixated on the end result of a task only;
- Are unable to complete a task unless the end result will be perfect;
- Take an excessively long time to finish something that others can do relatively quickly, because of the desire to make it perfect;
- Use perfectionism as a way to protect against shame, judgement and fear of failure.
What Has This Got To Do With The Gym?
There are a number of ways this can affect your fitness habits. The pressure to have the “perfect” body, or be flawless in your sport, or even be the best trainer, is ever-present. In fact, you can probably think of someone whose approach to training has been affected by perfectionistic traits. They might display some of these behaviours:
- Disordered eating or a preoccupation for perfectly hitting macros/calories;
- Exercise addiction;
- Searching for the perfect programme or programme hopping;
- Following a programme to the letter regardless of their current state of health;
- Obsessing with perfect form;
- Looking for “the perfect bicep/glute/chest exercise;”
- Hunting for the best pre-workout/fat burner/protein blend;
- Searching for a workout class that will burn more calories than the last one.
When Is It Bad To Be Perfect?
Some of these behaviours can be viewed in a positive light, so context is key. Seeking out better workouts or exercises is fine, but this becomes a problem if it stops you from ever completing a programme. Wanting to “do things right” is admirable, but if you are so daunted by the inability to be perfect that you procrastinate, or give up at the first hurdle, then perfectionism isn’t helping you get ahead.
If your pursuit of perfection in training is harming your health or well-being, then your training isn’t perfect.
Seem Familiar?
A lot of fitness motivation is rooted in perfectionism, meaning that many of us have felt its effects at one point or another. Many of us have encountered the pitfalls that stop us creating stable relationships with fitness and/or getting results. For example, consider the pattern that follows the first few weeks of a new fitness kick. At one point or another, we have all attempted to do the following:
- Transform our eating habits;
- Quit smoking/drinking/chocolate;
- Start running to work every day;
- Start a brand new fitness regime.
And all of this on the first Monday, of the first week, of the first month of the new year! We have all set ourselves the impossible task of perfection and then quit the second this was thrown into doubt – usually within a month or two.
Perfectionism Affects Trainers, Too
Trainers have little-to-no mandatory education on the role mental health plays in fitness. As personifications of the fitness industry, we’re often blind to the ways in which we can embody the dark side of fitness, which are at least heavily influenced by – if not fully rooted in – perfectionism.
In my early days of coaching, I thought I could foam-roll all a client’s tight muscles and “activate” all their weak ones, therefore helping them achieve a pain-free existence of perfect movement. I’d have so many corrections and cues for a client that I could easily talk for the entirety of a set of bicep curls. Looking back, I know this was about me trying to avoid judgement and failure: I wanted my clients to know that I was thinking of everything. I wanted other people to see my clients moving perfectly, and know that I was teaching them correctly. I didn’t want any of them to do anything that would bring them harm or embarrassment.
Today, I still value the importance of good form and impart this to all my clients, but I also accept that there is a huge amount of variety in the way people move, and if you try to make everyone move perfectly, you will never get them to a point where they can remotely challenge themselves.
In my long career, the clients that achieved the best results weren’t slaves to the perfect programme. When I helped a powerlifting client squat 200kg for the first time, we were adapting the programme on a weekly basis. On some occasions he had less time or energy to train, and on others I had simply gotten things wrong. If he had attempted to complete the programme to-the-letter, he would have heroically broken himself about four weeks in. If I had been fixated on creating the perfect programme for him, I never would have gotten it finished.
You could say the same for many other types of goal. Trying to get the perfect diet is a short path towards hating yourself and your food, whereas setting some loose calorie and macronutrient ranges can give you the flexibility to roll with the punches. Believing that you have to win every sporting competition you engage in leads to increased performance anxiety, which will increase your chances of losing.
Perfection Just Doesn’t Exist
If I’m beating you over the head with examples it’s because I want you to realise how misguided the search for perfectionism is, and what you can do about it.
There is no such thing as perfect lifting form. Find a technique that feels comfortable and strong, check in with a coach, then start loading.
There is no perfect diet. A healthy relationship with food requires flexibility. Don’t trade your freedom for the dream of smaller jeans.
The perfect programme is not waiting to be discovered on some internet training forum. It is the programme that best fits in with your availability and enjoyment. Stick with one, make minor tweaks as needed, and give it time to work.
You have to allow yourself to be wrong. You have to work around your limitations rather than trying to purge them from existence.
It’s Up To You
This is all easier said than done. No negative trait was ever undone because someone on the internet told you it was illogical. It’s down to you to challenge the perfectionist behaviours you have. Seeking the help of a professional can be vital to this process, and you should not feel ashamed or lesser for doing so. You can start this process here.
I hope I’ve adequately highlighted the risks of perfectionism: the unsustainability, the compulsiveness, and the impact on your health and wellbeing. Next time you find yourself starting again, try something different: don’t do it perfectly.
See also: The Price of Perfection: How Perfectionism Holds You Back
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