Why mentality is everything

We've become a society of complacency. Everything, every product, issue, and it seems, much to my dismay, every new bill or law passed by congress, is made for us to be comfortable and make life easier. Sure, I love the fact that I can write this blog in my big leather chair, while listening to my iTunes and enjoying shelter from the elements, but it disgusts me how mentally weak we've become as a society. So many people feel as though they're "owed" something. People complain about how they can't afford health care and how the government should give it out for free, but they then they seem to be able to afford brand new smart phones, 100 dollar shoes, Ed Hardy t shirts (my disgust for Ed Hardy can't be described in words), jewelery, nights out at the bar, and a myriad of other luxuries... luxuries being the key word. Do I believe that everyone should be able to afford health care? Sure, but I don't believe that it is a necessity to have a cell phone, so you have to pick, do you want health care or the new iphone? Sure, there are people that are truly struggling and deserve some intervention from someone who can help them, but unless you're a single mother raising a plethora of kids and working 2 jobs to give them whatever you can, then I don't know how sorry I feel for you. Ok, enough political discussion, lets get to what I'm talking about. We've become complacent, seeking comfort where there is struggle. This isn't a good thing. We've fallen into a rut, one that I try to fight every damn day of my life. We're born, raised with the notion that if we work hard and do good in school, get into a good college and find a good job, we'll live happily ever after, but thats not the case. Its the easy way out and thats the reason it has been ingrained into our minds all of out lives.

What does this have to do with training? Well, because of the way we've been raised and shown to find the easy way out, a lot of, if not the majority of people in the world go to a gym, hop on a treadmill everyday (I'm being optimistic here) and put it on a setting they KNOW they can handle, with a goal they KNOW they'll be able to reach and then they get off and feel like they've accomplished something. They go through their whole day, satisfied that they challenged themselves and that they've been productive. Here's my question to them... what did they accomplish? I wake up and piss every morning because I KNOW I can do it, but I haven't accomplished anything. Its a routine, it isn't a hurdle. People get so complacent that they make their workouts "routines" and that is antithesis of what a good training program should be.

I'll admit, I've been guilty of this myself, or rather, I was a long time ago. It took me a long time to realize that when you are training, or "working out", that every time you're in the gym, it should be a challenge. Go to any hardcore gym, preferably one where they allow chalk, death metal, heavy ass lifting, and big meatheads, you'll notice that almost every time these guy and gals train, that they are setting new PR's (or personal records). They push themselves past their comfort zone so that they are always pursuing bigger and better things. If you never step out of the box and try to push yourself past the limits that you think you've set for yourself, then you'll never move forward. People get stuck in a circle. They get upset with the way their progress is going, try something different, but not challenging, maybe see some results and then 6 weeks later, they're angry at their stalling progress again. Its maddening, I know. I did it for years, that is until I started working with people who are stronger and better than me in certain areas that I learned that I needed to improve. For instance, for the first year that I was training strongman, I went in and I never really pushed myself on training overhead pressing. I though, "Damn, I'm pressing in the 200's, thats pretty bad ass", until one day, I was pushed to hit 300. I did it for a double. And then, my training partner Brad said he was going to attempt 350 for an axle clean and press. I thought to myself "man, I wish I could hit that weight" and then after he did it successfully, I was egged on to give it a shot. Here is my first attempt:



Sure, I failed, but I failed while trying to do something I've never done! I had never even imagined pressing even close to that weight until that day... Hell, I didn't think I'd make it over 300lbs! This showed me that it was possible, that it was attainable, and this is the result when I said fuck it, and tried it again:



I made a PR that day but I never would have even come close to that if it hadn't been for the people I train with, egging me on to get outside of my comfort zone and PUSH MYSELF! And because I knew that that sort of weight was attainable and that I was able to unlock a mental barrier, a few months later, this happened:



I hit 370 and I never looked back. I'm chasing down records for the overhead press and I will get them. I know it and thats all that matters. I've unlocked that portion of my mental drive that allows me to realize that crazy, unimaginable things are more than attainable.

Now, another portion of mental training, which can be applied to life is realizing that there is no one else to blame but yourself. If the world is shitting on you, its your fault. No one else's. Excuses are for assholes. You want an excuse, I have a list of them in my gym bag. Sure, I keep it in their as a joke if I miss a lift... I can just point to one and feel better about myself, but at the end of the day, you and I both know that I can't blame anyone for a missed lift or a failed attempt at something, but ourselves. I hear it all the time from people "I'm just don't have the genes to be good at this" or "well, that guy is good because he's a natural". Are you fucking kidding me? All those "naturals" out there probably put in more work toward their sport or talent in a day than you do in a year and THAT'S why they're better than you. If more people started taking responsibilities for their own actions and overcoming their own insecurities, this world would be a much better place.

My last bit of information is something that I've read about recently and I've probably talked about, but I'll reiterate. A lot of people I talk to will ask me about strongman and my training and then say something like, "Damn man, I wish I could put on size as easy as you do" and I just laugh. Easy? You think that this has been easy? You think that I, or anyone else out there that is into strength sports came across this stuff easily? You're right, I love staying in every weekend so I can wake up before the sun to train, instead of going out drinking with my friends and chasing hot college tail. I love force feeding 7 meals down my throat a day so I'll grow. I love waking up, feeling like I've been hit by a truck everyday, with pains from injuries that would probably have most people layed up in a bed in the hospital. I love going to a party or watching a football game with friends and watching them drink beer while I'm down protein shakes. I fucking hate doing all those things, but guess what, I LOVE the sport that I compete in and I make those sacrifices so that I can excel in them. It amazes me that people sit there and eat complete shit everyday, drink their asses off and get barely any exercise and then have the gall to bitch and wonder why they aren't athletes or why they're not like those "lucky guys and girls" out there who are bigger, stronger, faster, and thinner than them. Here's an idea, get off your fat fucking ass, put down the pizza and pick up some weights and some chicken breasts and stop making all these fucking excuses.