Everybodies an expert

It amazes me how many "experts" there are on the web nowadays. Go into any forum, for any subject, and every schmuck with a keyboard is the grand shirpa of knowledge. Its ridiculous. Somewhere in between searching for porn and facebook, they've figured out everything there is to know about anything (wait, you're telling me that the internet is used for things other than porn and facebook?)

Well, I'm here to tell you that you don't know shit. I don't know shit. Most of us don't know shit. We think we do, and yes, some of us may know a lot, but unless you're constantly learning and proving yourself wrong, then you my friend, are not going anywhere but in circles.

I wanted to write this now while its fresh in my brain, because it happens to me often. I figure out, or rather, someone else shows me something new and I have a "duh!" moment. It makes me remember that, even with 14 years of under the bar experience and more hours spent with my nose in training books than I'd ever care to admit to anyone (lets just say I should have a pocket protector), I'm still just a grasshopper making his way through the world, trying to become a master. But, without a doubt, in 2 months, I think I'm the shit again, and I'm wrong. (Savor this moment, because I am one stubborn fuck and I very seldom admit that I'm wrong)

So the question stands, how do we keep ourselves from becoming arrogant fucks? Well, its simple, but it requires a lot of humility. First, you must seek out people who are better than you. That's right... you need to swallow your pride and become a rookie again. I know, it sucks.... I'm going through it right now at Westside Barbell. I went in there seeking some help with my squat and bench and I found out that I suck at deadlifting... and squatting and benching. (By strong people terms... I'm still more awesome at all three than 99.9999999 percent of the population.. do the math)

You know what happens when you go into a place like that and people start giving you those little cues like "push your knees out" or "squeeze the bar with your pinky"? After enough repetition, something finally clicks and you go "duh!". All of the sudden you have shit all figured out again... well, you think you do. Shit, even the way I've put on my wrist wraps is different now because I saw someone else do it a different way and I was like "wow, that works about a million times better and is so fucking simple"

I went through that 2 years ago when I started doing strongman (and I still do every weekend... blunt criticism is the name of the game, and I am more than thankful for that). I thought I was strong. I mean, I was stronger than everyone else in the gym, so why wouldn't I be good at strongman? Oh wait, because my scope of knowledge about strength sports was limited to nothing but muscle mags and the shit that I unfortunately learned in the gym. (I've managed to replace most of that garbage with some good knowledge).

Now, you might be asking yourself "scope of huh?", and I'll explain. Before I started training for strongman, I had a limited scope of knowledge about strength sports, or, in lay man terms... my view (scope) of what being strong was, was small and warped. It happens a lot and its nobody's fault, but when you're stuck in a cave for forever, you think you're an expert on shit because you've never had anyone tell you differently, because more than likely, you share the same scope of knowledge as the people around you.

Quick example, and an obvious toot of my own horn, but when I was the "strong guy" in the gym, what I thought was a lot of weight then, has now become not so much weight. Deadlift 405lbs? Pfffttt, chhhhh... how about my goal for an axle clean and press within the next six months.... whats the weight of the deadlift for that competition? oh, a mid sized car.

Ok, I know I'm sounding cocky as fuck, but in all actuality, that's what runs through the heads of a lot of the people I train and compete with... I still find myself in awe of it when I go onto a forum of my fellow strongmen and they're talking about how its "only an 800lb yoke" or you see guys that are 230lbs running with 350lbs in each hand. Recently, my scope has grown again, after witnessing several times, people benching over 700lbs. Its crazy, I know, but when you begin to grow and learn, it becomes normal.

And here is my last point. You need to be able to take criticism. Forget all that bullshit you learned in school about everyone being special. You're not special... you're just another dumb fuck who's taking up my oxygen. You need to go into your trophy room and throw away all the trophies that say "participant" or "most spirit" because you know what? You didn't earn them... participating in something isn't an accomplishment.

I know, its a harsh reality and I'm a prick, but if everybody had more pricks in their life telling them the truth instead of blowing up their head like they're going to be the next great fucking CEO (even though they can't form complete sentences and use abbreviations like "lmfao"), then we probably wouldn't have so many shitty people who think that the world owes them something.

So, in closing your honor, I had no clue that there were 15 illegal immigran... oh wait, wrong closing argument... In short, if you don't have people that are better than you showing you things, giving you blunt criticisms and helping you to constantly grow, then all you can hope for is being good on a whim and that's like sticking your dick in a glory hole... it might feel good, but most likely, there's a dude on the other side of that wall.