Setbacks Are Loud. Progress Is Quiet. 🔈

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A few months ago my shoulder started to niggle.

Nothing dramatic. Just enough to know something wasn’t quite right.

So I did the sensible thing. I reduced training volume, pulled back on heavier work, and added in a few rehab drills. Nothing heroic. No panic. Just small adjustments.

And week after week, it improved.

Not in big leaps. Just small changes. A little less tenderness. A bit more confidence under load. Strength slowly returning.

Quiet progress.

Then last week — bang!

A proper flare-up. Pain back. Tender to touch. Overhead work out. Normal training off the table.

Setbacks are loud.

They don’t care how consistent you’ve been. They don’t care how sensible you thought you were being. They show up, make their presence known, and demand your attention.

Progress doesn’t do that.

Progress whispers. It’s the extra rep you barely register. The session that feels “fine.” The pain that’s slightly lower than last week. You almost miss it because it isn’t dramatic. Setbacks are events. Progress is a trend.

Right now, as I write this, the shoulder is still yapping away. It’s frustrating. I’m not snatching 24kg kettlebells any time soon.

But if I zoom out for a second, I can see it.

Pain today is slightly less than yesterday.

That’s progress. Quiet progress.

And the mistake most people make is thinking a loud setback cancels quiet progress. It doesn’t.

I’m not back to full strength yet.

But I’m one day closer.

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P.S. If you enjoyed this week's Thursday Three, please share it with a friend.

Thanks,

Jamie