Bodybuilding: Then and Now
Then:
Now:
Get Your Game Face On, This is War
There is one hard and steady rule to see if someone is working at full capacity: The goofiness of the face they make. If the face isn’t goofy, they aren’t trying too hard. Simple as that. For some reason some guys are just shy or scared of looking silly. Other guys don’t care how stupid they look, they’re going to go for it. I’ve had workout partners who made all kinds of silly faces and I’ve had workout partners who would end the set the very second their face might start to look silly. And their was always a huge difference in the physiques between the two types of people.
Be proud of your goofy face for it means you are a warrior. Hold your head high and let the world see.
Kill the Bear or Die Trying
(Note: If you don’t understand the latter part this post it is because you have not seen the movie ”, in which case you should watch it. It’s about two men stranded in the Alaskan wilds being stalked by a Bear. They can give up and let the Bear consume them or they can fight the Bear to the death, his or theirs.)
This life is the only one we get. We will all die. There is no way around it. Knowing this undeniable fact what do we choose to do with our lives? Winners choose to live it to the fullest, never wasting their precious little time doing mundane work for mundane pay. Losers (people who live their lives afraid) take the easy way, the irony is that it’s much harder, and choose to work and toil their lives away for nothing.
So there lies the question, can a loser become a winner? The answer is a resounding yes. It requires nothing more than a change in thought. Choose to stop being afraid. Choose to not live in fear. When this choice is made an entire world of possibilities open up. Afterall, what are people afraid of – death? Everybody dies. You will die so why be afraid? You’re going to eat dinner tomorrow night, are you scared of that too? There is no reason to ever be afraid of dying. There is no reason to ever think that other people can live great lives but you can’t. “Oh, that’s ok for him but I’ve got bills and a house and a car and a million other excuses”. Bullshit. We say these things to make us feel better about choosing the shitty life. Don’t for one second think that you can’t do it. That’s a lie. You can do it. If you choose not to it’s cowardice. Kill the Bear or die trying, but don’t give up before you start.
What one man can do another can do!
What one man can do another can do!
WHAT ONE MAN CAN DO ANOTHER CAN DO!
“Because today, I’m gonna kill the motherfucker.”
When to Miss a Training Session
I have a stomach ache, I don’t want to go to the gym.
I’m hungover, I don’t want to go to the gym.
I have a headache, I don’t want to go to the gym.
I’m sore, I don’t want to go to the gym.
I’m hungry, I don’t want to go to the gym.
I’m too tired from work, I don’t want to go to the gym.
I have to go shopping, I can’t make it to the gym today.
I want to go on a date with this girl, I can’t make it to the gym today.
I ate too much food, I don’t want to go to the gym.
I’m too stressed, I don’t want to go to the gym.
Not feeling 100%? Walk it off, slugger. If you are unable to get in the gym by yourself, get a training partner. Letting yourself down is low, letting someone else down is lower. In my life there has never been a time when I cancelled a training session and there never will be. My training partners cancel all the time. I go in and kill the weights anyway.
The Lion’s never miss a training session. The Lamb’s use every opportunity to miss a training session.
The Killers, the Winners, the Champions, the Determined are in the gym day-in and day-out come rain or shine.
Start Monday with a BANG!
Today is Monday. The greatest day of the week. Every Monday is another chance to accomplish, to conquer.
Winners love Monday because it’s time to start kicking ass again after the laziness of the weekend.
If you hate Monday, it’s for a reason. Isolate the problem. When the problem is isolated - annihilate.
To hate Monday is a very clear sign you hate your work. The work you will be doing 5 out of every 7 days.
If you hate Monday there should only be one thing on your mind at all times - not how to endure the work week - but how to break free.
You might fail. You might succeed. But for Gods sakes you had better try before you realize you have wasted your entire life and have nothing but regret in your heart.
An old man on his death bed never thinks to himself “I should have never quit that job I hated so much, they had a 401k and dental insurance“. If he lived his life he thinks about all the great things - the adventure, his family, the good times. If he didn’t live his life he is filled to the brim with regret. To know you are going to die and be flooded with a lifetime of regretful memories would be a fate worse than death.
It is Monday. Do you regret your life so far?
Today is your last chance to turn it all around.
Don’t let it pass you by.
Adventure! Spartan Camping
Friday is the universal last day of the work week. Saturday and Sunday is upon you. What do you do?
Watch tvGo shopping at home depotSpend all weekend online
Forget all that nonsense. It’s time for ADVENTURE! It’s time to get out of dodge. It’s time to get away from your computer, your phone, your tv. It’s time to spend a night under the stars and hear the wolves howlin’ and the owls screachin’. It’s time to sit around a campfire grilling some hot dogs and burgers and drinking some beer.
It’s time to go CAMPING.
Camping is one of the funnest things you can do. Camping gives you all the ease of modern civilized living but with a primitive thrill. As a bonus it requires very little preparation and can be done almost anytime.
Steps to Camping:
1) Find a campsite. This is as easy as googling ‘your state campsites’. There are reserved campsites in every single state. These sites give you a little piece of solitude without really being alone - there will be other campers around you. Find a campsite, call to make sure they have room, reserve a spot. Now you are done with the hard part.
Go here to find a campground near you: http://www.greatcampingspots.com/Directory/Search.asp
2) Find some friends to go. Hopefully you have some adventure prone friends. If not, it’s time to make some new ones. Call up your closest friendsand invite them. Invite your girlfriend to go along. Invite your brother to go along. Bring your dog along. Go alone. It doesn’t matter who goes with you, just go. There is hardly anything tougher than sleeping out in a tent all by yourself, that will build character.
3) Find a tent. Call all your buddies and see if they have a tent available for you to borrow. Call anyone you know who may have a tent. No point in buying one unless you have to. As a last resort you can go buy a cheap one, shouldn’t cost more than about $40 and it will be ok for, at minimum, several camping trips.
4) Fill a cooler. Hopefully you already own a cooler, if not call your buddies yet again and borrow one. As a last resort go buy one. FYI - Coolers always come in handy so keep your eyes out for a cheap one. I got mine at an Estate Sale for $4. Fill your cooler with water, beer, hamburger beef, hot dogs, ice, and whatever else strikes your fancy (Marshmallows). Bring some charcoal to grill your food and keep a fire going. Don’t forget to bring a lighter or matches.
5) Pack up your vehicle and hit the road. It’s easy enough to find a campsite within one and 1/2 hours drive from wherever you are. Pack up your vehicle with:
- tent
- cooler and food
- some chairs
- blankets and a pillow
- charcoal
- lighter/matches
- some warm clothes to sleep in (it will get cold at night)
- toilet paper and/or napkins
- whatever else you want to bring
Make sure you have everything you need, hop in the car and hit the road.
6) Arrive at your campsite, pay for your spot, set up your tent, make a fire. Your tent should have instructions, but if you’re a man you don’t need instructions. There will be a fire pit at your campsite for you to make a fire with. If you have questions ask one of the park rangers. Your campsite will also have a grill for you to cook on. Cook directly on the grill at your own risk. I usually bring tin foil to cook on.
7) Enjoy yourself. Your tent is set up. You’ve got a fire going. You’re cooking some burgesr and hot dogs. Crack open a beer and marvel at nature. Sit around and bullshit with your friends. Think about your life and what you’ve accomplished and what you must accomplish. Make a plan for yourself. It’s these times in life when we are the most reflective and aware of what we must do. Enjoy it. Relax. Come Monday it’s time to get your ass in gear.
Going camping right now could be the best thing you ever did.
Reaching the Alpha State
Vince Gironda, trainer of champions, referred to what he called the Alpha State. The Alpha State is when your body disassociates with any pre-conceived notions about what it is capable, pushing past any previous barriers with a vengeance. Not merely passing your previous performance with a rep or 2 but completely blowing it out of the water. Your mind and your body are one and there is nothing else in the world. It is one of those training sessions where you are super-human and you can do anything.
In his own words:
“You will also find that in this alpha state that the passage of time no longer exists and that your former imagined limitations no longer exist. (Train over your head.) You will discover a new reality heretofore never experiences. That of the absence of limitations formerly imagined. Your capabilities are unlimited if you can achieve this mystical state. I personally believe that from my observations of champions, and I have said this before many times in my writings, that they No.1, desire to make changes in their bodies and physiological changes take place, that logically should not and cannot take place, but lo and behold, they actually do.
So, to put it into plain English, you do not and cannot build anything without first making a mental blue print. This visualization and the faith to believe that you cannot fail, is the answer to the (illogical) miracles I have observed take place before my eyes. I have seen changes in bone structure (narrowing of hips) that physiologically were impossible to change. So if you don’t believe in miracles, you have never experienced one. My life is full of miracles. There is not a day that passes that I do not experience one. So don’t be afraid to ask, because you must, if you wish to receive. You create with your mind and don’t you ever doubt this.”
&
“Productive workouts can never be experienced until you let go of all your fears, frustrations, tensions, doubts and indecisions. When this happens a blinding light of total awareness engulfs you.
Example: I first experienced this takeover when I was sitting behind my preacher bench waiting my turn to perform my next set. This particular bench I’ve always maintained has a life of its own. This is due to the fact that so many famous bodybuilders have literally stood behind it and “prayed” for the magic that they know it contains.
I have never failed to observe the reverence displayed by any man who uses this bench. They all know that no one has ever been able to duplicate the magic proportions that this particular bench embodies. Try to copy it as they have, no one to this day has ever succeeded.
To get on with my story, the man before me finished his set and stepped aside. I picked up my Olympic barbell, took the proper grip, placed my elbows at the top of the bench and with both feet parallel, lowered the barbell smoothly to the low position, then slowly curled the bar to my front deltoids.
I was only interested in working the muscle in good, slow, smooth form (balanced cadence). No number of reps in mind. Just a good honest set in as perfect form as I could manage.
The number of reps I usually did was 12. But due to the fact that I had achieved a total alpha state during the waiting period my body disassociated the reps factor and I performed 24 reps with no more effort or strain than if I had performed the usual 12 reps.
The example I am trying to give is simply that if you limit yourself to any number of reps that is all you will do. I had somehow rejected the fact that 12 reps was my limit.” - Vince Gironda
Several months ago I was at a park for a festival. In China all the parks have pullup bars, monkey bars, dip bars and various exercise apparatus. I was walking around with my lovely lady friend and came upon some monkey bars. Anyone who knows me knows that anytime I am in the vacinity of any sort of bar, pullups will be done. I stepped up to do my usual 10-12 pullups (overhand grip, palms facing away) for fun. There were a few people watching, including my lady friend and this upped the ante. 3 or 4 pullups in, my lady friend said something like “Let’s see how many you can do!”. With no more exertion than I would use on 10 pullups I did a full 24 pullups. Impossible to accomplish before or since, at that moment in time it was as easy as doing only a few pullups and, at minimum, it is 9 more pullups than I have ever been able to do.
Leave a comment and tell us about a time you reached the Alpha State. When was a time you didn’t just surpass past performance but smashed your way through it? And how did it happen?
5 Signs It’s Time To Become An Entrepreneur
Everybody wants to be an entrepreneur but nobody wants to leave the illusion of security a job provides, set out on their own, do a ton of work, live with the stress of not knowing when the next payday is coming, or rely on themselves. For some people these drawbacks outweigh the benefits of entrepreneurship, namely: freedom, time, and money. Freedom from wasting your life as a cattle grazing in the fields of the corporate world. Time to do what you want, when you want without a permission slip from HR. Money to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Nobody in the history of the world got rich from a paycheck. Some people are born to be entrepreneurs, some people are born to be wage slaves employees.
If these 5 details describe you then the stars have aligned in your favor and the heavens above have opened up a path for you and it’s time for you to make your move.
1) You have an all-consuming idea, a vision, an obsession that keeps you awake at night. For your idea to work, as in make you money, you must have a single minded determination. A great idea that you wish to turn into monetary gain is not a part time endeavor. The Four Hour Work Week is a cool book but there isn’t any way on Earth to start your first real business on 4 hours per week, not even 40 hours per week will cut it. You will spend every waking minute working on your plan, either passively while eating dinner, or actively doing real work. Say goodbye to 40 hour work weeks when your brain is free at 5pm, say hello to constant thoughts of your business and how to run it, maintain it, make it better, and make you money. If you have a day job you will spend all day thinking of your real business while mindlessly pretending to do the work they pay you for. Your business requires 100% dedication and confidence. It requires exaggerated over-confidence beyond any reasonable amount. That’s because reasonable men do not start profitable ventures, they stick to their “safe” office jobs and beg, roll over, and fetch for a paycheck. It takes an unreasonable, supreme confidence in your idea. 75% confidence will not work, 150% confidence is what is demanded.
2) You know how to monetize your idea. A seemingly great idea without a way to monetize is a poor idea. A standard idea with a clear view of how to monetize is a better plan. Unless you’re getting paid it isn’t a job or a business, it’s a hobby. Hobby’s are fun but they don’t put steak in your belly. How you will make money must be clearly established, planned, and understood.
3) You have a supportive spouse or significant other who believes in you. Doesn’t matter what she thinks about your idea, she must believe in you and give you support. Starting a business venture with a nagging, un-supportive wife is a pretty good way to fail miserably. If you have an un-supportive girlfriend there is a simple solution: dump her immediately and go to work. There are better women to be found who will be supportive and pleasant, making your work immeasurably more pleasant. If you have an un-supportive wife you have made a huge mistake in letting it get to that point. Fret not, all is not lost. She nags because you do not currently show leadership qualities. Because of this she has taken over the role as leader. You must take it back from her by showing sufficient leadership. It’s remarkably easy to do because men are born leaders and women are born followers, to reverse this order is akin to spitting in your own face. Turn her frown upside down and go to work.
4) You are prepared for the worst. It is entirely possible that you will not make any money for a while. Preparing yourself mentally is of utmost importance. “I don’t care if I have to sleep in a tent in a forest until my money comes in, it will come in and I will endure the worst for as long as I have to“. You can ease this burden by reducing and eliminating expenses - shut off cable tv, cook at home, trade down vehicles, rent a cheaper place etc.. When you have made the money you can splurge on these superfluous items (though you still shouldn’t) but until you make a fortune you should live like a pauper.
5) After you leave your soul-stealing job, you refuse to give in and get another job “to help you through the tough times”. Relying on anything other than YOUR business to make money is a surefire way to never make any real money. Before Sylvester Stallone made Rocky he was so poor he had to sell his dog, his best friend in the world, to a stranger for $50 because he couldn’t afford to feed him. He refused to get a job because he had his passion, his obsession, and he knew if he got a job he would get comfortable and eventually lose that fire and never fulfill his dreams. Because of his iron will he is now a famous multi-millionaire, we have the 3rd greatest movie of all time, Rocky, and you went to yet another seminar on sexual harassment given by Peggy in Human Resources.
Rocky’s whole life was a million to one shot. The chances that a new business will fail are maybe three to one. Those are pretty good odds. Follow the steps above and the failure rate drops significantly.
Time to Bite the Bullet
Look over at the guy in the cubicle next to you.
Does he look impressive?
Do you envy him?
Does he look like he has hit shit together?
Is he living his dream?
Did he enjoy his one week vacation last year when he stayed home and watched tv?
Does he constantly amaze you with all the new ideas he comes up with?
Is he in peak physical condition?
Can he walk up 2 flights of stairs?
Can he take 3 months off and do anything he wants?
Can he do 5 pushups?
Does he eat donuts for breakfast and mcdonalds for lunch?
Is he married to a beautiful wife who supports him 100%?
Does he enjoy the paying the mortgage and taxes on his house in the ‘burbs?
Take a long, hard look at this man. Take a long, hard look at him and then take a look in the mirror. Can you convince yourself you aren’t just like him? And is he thinking the same thing about you?
Bite the Bullet
Accept the inevitable pain and hardship with fortitude and emerge stronger, tougher, free and richer than you are right now.
Next year Joe Schmoe Company Man will still be sitting at his cubicle. You can sit right alongside him or not. No one is putting a gun to your head.
Nick
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