Its Saturday morning and there's a new face at the gym. He's been weight
training for about a week and he knows exactly what he wants. He's had it
with being weak. He's had it with feeling small. He's got something to
prove and he's training like it. The regular crowd is doing their thing.
The posers are glued in front of the mirrors, eyes fixed as if in a
trance.
The talkers are standing around chatting about their lives and
current events. The old timers are dutifully performing their task just
as they have year after year. The new kid is different. He's insane. He's
on a mission. He's going to train as long and as hard as it takes to
reach his goals. He won't slow down, he won't quit, he won't... He won't be back next week!
Gawd I wish that I had a dollar for every time that I've seen this. Some
newby comes into the gym with a vengeance, sparks flying from his hands
as he grabs the iron with all of the spit and venom that his weak little
limbs will muster. So eager to change his life, so anxious to gain
respect, but like a virgin on prom night it's almost over before it
began.
What Happened?
Our little friend has made an important discovery that his parents,
teachers and guidance counselors who all took turns wiping his chin
neglected to share with him. Life is hard and worthy goals are not
achieved without effort. Bodybuilding is hard work folks. If it weren't
then everybody would be doing it.
Raised in a generation in which self esteem is more important than
effort, we see that our newby lacks the capacity for either. If your new
to this sport than read the next line as many times as it takes to sink
in.
Expect Pain!
Ever notice the grimacing face of an experienced lifter as he completes
the last few reps of a difficult set. That's because it hurts, he isn't
faking it.
Do you want 20 inch biceps? Expect pain!
Do you want quads that draw your pants tight with every step? Expect to
be sore.
Do you want abs with ripples so deep that they could make a sailors
daughter sea sick? Expect to be hungry.
Until you can come to grips with the sacred truth that all successful
bodybuilders, enhanced or not, embrace pain like a lover, than you will
wash out like so much sand on an empty beach. In a week, no one will even
remember that you were coming to the gym.
I'm telling you this because I want you to succeed. I don't want you to
be just another flash in the pan who drifted through the gym with little
or no impact. I want this enough for you that I feel compelled to share
one of bodybuilding's nastiest secrets with you. The secret is that no
matter how good your genetics are or how stocked your medicine cabinet
is, you still have to lift your ass off.
There is no easy way and if you
aren't mentally prepared for this truth then you might as well hang up
your lifting straps and take up golf because you will never be a
bodybuilder.
A guy from my gym is a classic biker from the tattoos to the attitude.
While out on a ride on one of his two Harley's he was pulled over by a
State Trooper for not wearing a helmet. The officer was sympathetic to my
friends frustration as he said "I understand how you feel, I'm a biker
myself.". My friend answered back, "Dude, you ain't a biker, you're just a
guy who rides a motorcycle".
"Are you a bodybuilder or are you a guy who lifts weights?"
And now my friend, you have a decision to make. You're reading this because
you want something. You have a drive as primitive as life itself to be
physically dominant but until you can master your senses and rise above
the burn you will never be a bodybuilder, you will just be a guy who
lifts weights.
Its up to you. Each new wave on the beach brings new sand forward and
washes the old sand back out to sea. Where do you fit into this scenario?
I like success stories and have little tolerance for excuses or failure.
Will you be at the gym next week? Do you really have what it takes? It's
in your head and in your hands to achieve your goals but you must
understand the sacrifices that lay before you. Bodybuilders live in pain
and thrive on self denial.
Are we crazy? No, we're proud. We have
something that everyone else wants but few have the unbending will to
achieve. Are you truly up for the challenge? This is the hardcore truth
laid out before you in all of its uncensored glory. Do you want to be a
bodybuilder?
Thanks,
kerry@liftforlife.com
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