This post is really for me, as a litmus test to check my mental state.
It is 3 views from 3 different people I have come to respect by reading their blogs/internet discussion posts,on training, life, and in a large way philosophy.
I refuse to make a New Years Resolution this year, it gives me a way out, after all there is always another year after that. My goal is to not miss any of my scheduled workouts. Period. Not for a month, not for this next year, not untill I hit 40. For life. Done.
Now the 3 views
First one is By Mark Reifkind, someone who has been very supportive of everybody that wish to improve. He is a vast reservoir of knowledge wich he readily shares. If you read what it takes for him to train and even walk, the rest of us have NO excuse. Period.
"Especially for the average person who is most interesting in finding the fastest, safest and most efficient method of getting leaner( first on almost everybody's list),stronger, able to move more and have more energy for life and life's daily challenges. Which are considerable. Especially when you consider just how many people are literally not strong enough to stand up straight and oppose the force of gravity!
And that is just what poor posture is; the inability of a person to push back hard enough against the pull of gravity to find a neutral posture! Amazing. And people are worried about how big their arms are."
I have poor posture, this one hit me like a TON of bricks.
The second view is from Jack Reape a Navy powerlifter who also is a fountain of knowledge. He willingly shares it with people like me.
"Thanks for the mention in your article, but pressing on is what i do and i hope what most people would do when confronted with an unavoidable obstacle.
To be honest, my wife and i discussed selling our damaged home and moving on, but i could not stomach the idea of my kids living their adult lives rememebering that hurricane Katrina ran them off. i do beleive that an absolute difference maker in your life is the ability to be relentless. As a kid i was forced to confront the neighborhood bully, my dad made it clear to not come home until we had fought. i took a beating until the kid got tired of punching and wrestling, but when i would not quit coming the bully gave up. A lot of lessons were learned that day, and actually the bully and i became friends.(sometimes the throan room of being a tough guy is a bit empty)That quality of relentlessly pursuing your goals has made a huge difference in my personal, proffesional, and training life. i have had many spectacular failures, but never let it stop me. My wife oftens says she is amazed at how i never question myself. Actually i do, i just don't let it get in the way. Because when it is go time, you need to shut out the voices we all have in our heads that say "I can't" and then just Press on.
Good thing happen to the last guy standing."
A gym I used to go to before I battled everything from alcohol to meth addictions used to have a sign in front of the squat rack "SHUT UP AND SQUAT!"
This applies to both outer and inner voices, I am going to put up a sign that says "SHUT UP AND TRAIN".
The 3rd view is from an interesting fellow that I really don't know much about.
I grew up as a minoroty in my neighborhood and high school, and was always getting in trouble even after high school. I am no stranger to fighting, but I have a real strong suspicion that I should go out of my way to never piss this guy off.
His name if Thomas Furman.
"Actual toughness, or the ability to persevere in adversity is rare these days. Let me relate to breeding animals. The term "gameness" is used. Gameness does not mean posturing, aggressiveness, size, strength, or anything else. It means, "the ability to continue when the situation is hopeless". This quality is lost in the modern lifestyle. It is also lost in modern training.
I frequently review the training programs of trainees and I am amazed how the smallest disturbances or mildly stressful days can throw their training into a downward spiral. They lose a few hours sleep, have a difficult commute, don't have the right towel to pad their neck for squats, etc. etc. It's as if they are begging for an excuse so they "have" something to complain or bitch about. They probably fear success or maybe they fear that the harder they work,..the harder the work will get. Doing 20 squats with 135lbs is no where near the grief of doing it with 225 or 315lbs.
There are many great training programs that require consistent adherence and monk like devotion. They are not however, etched in stone. Good training methods should be flexible, with variations available for specific tailoring and individual variation. It is shocking to find sixteen year olds and forty six year old practitioners who apply their moronic, anal retentive, twist on training. They start training the same time every day, they do exactly the listed number of sets, reps, timed rests, and exercises. They eat a post workout meal as if it actually has the impact on their hormonal cascade that anabolic steroids would. They go to bed early, and avoid "stressful situations" as well. They know this works as well because they read it in a muscle magazine. To be crystal clear,...they have NO life. There is training, eating, going to the bathroom, sleeping, and research (reading muscle magazines). Forget a girlfriend, a wife who you actually like, children, pets, hobbies, friends, productive career, or social interaction. To be successful at sport or strength, you have to be an obsessive compulsive narcissist.
Real toughness and strength can be produced in times of diversity, period. Soldiers in battle do not have optimized levels of testosterone, glycogen load, or lean body mass. My close friend and Marine, Mike Collins, weighted 140lbs in Force Recon. He later wrestled at 285lbs with a 34 inch waist at 6 feet tall. He lived through things that would kill other men and I am sure he is tougher than you. Jack Reape, powerlifter, author, father, husband, and all around badass continued to train and compete before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. His family was displaced. His ability to tough it out and not be a sissy, allowed him to be stronger now than ever. Kevin Tolbert, Dr. Ken Leistner's protege used to train on a Navy ship and actually do squats between the rocking motions of the vessel. He would drive to Dr. Ken's from his school on Friday night, and go through training that would kill a normal man. He would spend the weekend, and train again on Sunday afternoon before his drive back. He did this for years.
I am actually shocked at social gatherings with athletic people have trouble standing for any amount of time without pain. What is the purpose of the training effect other than to make you stronger and more enduring under ANY circumstance. These so called athletes complain of sore muscles after yard work or moving furniture. Imagine that. These are tasks that retirees accomplish. They put in a few extra hours at the office or lose a few hours sleep and it completely derails their training. Pathetic, isn't it?
This lack of ability to deal with adversity extends to food. Five meals a day, six meals a day, 8 meals a day,...you have go to be kidding me. What 5 foot 9 inch 300 lb. chemical monster bodybuilder eating on the above schedule could have existed in any other time but this one? He could not have lived without microwaves, protein supplements, modern food distribution and transport, and refrigeration. I imagine his "anabolic" state is compromised if he misses a meal or burns an excess calorie. So his appearance or strength is a fragile slice of time and any outside factor like getting a haircut or constipation could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
At the other end of the spectrum is the dieter. I call them that because "being on a diet" gives them something. They have found that the pleasure given to them by food far exceeds personal relationships, appearance, health, and other sources of happiness. They frame things by food as well. They give you directions by telling you the fast food joints along the way. They constantly tell you about how well their diet works, BUT, they have to get back on it,...it is the holidays,....there was a birthday,...etc. etc. I have news for you. Skipping a meal won't kill you. Skipping two meals won't kill you either. Your body has mechanisms in place so you won't die. That flab around your belly and on your butt is a rich fuel source and it will do nicely. You can actually run several marathons on that fat. If you are REALLY fat, you can run ultra marathons back to back for months. Get over it. Stop acting like the last snack or meal you had is SO directly responsible for you being tired, lazy, or in a bad mood. Focus instead on dealing with adversity and not medicating with calories.
Life is a state of flow. It has random and unpredictable components. This is called Chaos. No matter how well you think you have it in hand, it will get away from you. I think about Jeff Goldbloom's character in "Jurassic Park". The founder of the park said they were creating only female dinosaurs to reduce aggressiveness. Goldbloom's character thought this was amusing since chaos determined that life is more powerful than the scientists trying to control it. He was right. That's how they got boy dinosaurs.
If your training is first in your life. Change it. It may be important, but it is not more important than human interaction. Please take note. Many popular athletes and trainers seem to place themselves as some sort of Superman at the Fortress of Solitude. They shun surrounding themselves with family. Like it would almost make them look human or less tough. The opposite is true. Social interaction or families challenge your ability to be diverse and they are a signature of success. Needing friends and family is part of not being a sissy. Being able to skip a meal or training session to spend time with friend or family in need defines toughness. Driving 1000 miles to a funeral with no sleep to comfort loved ones is far more important than a bench press PR. Keep it all in perspective. Picking up heavy things is alot of fun,..but as my father used to say to me, "That's why we have forklifts." If you can't dig a ditch, carry cement, or stand on cement for 12 or 14 hours, maybe your training isn't so smart. Toughen up."
Fucking Damn Right!!!
I'm done fucking around with my life, I am paying for pre-reqs next Friday for a private nursing school so I can be a better father and husband to my family and wife.
I will train every day I'm scheduled, and I will train for old school strength, endurance and toughness.
And I love music so I am learning the piano.
The old Royce died, he was a good guy, but a lot of stuff botherd him about himself.
A new Royce was born from his blood, still a good guy, but self-doubt and self-pity got left in the shitpile of the old Royce.
Peace, Success, and Love to all.
