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I'm what some call a fitness nut, but really, I realize that we only have one body, so why not make the most of it?
Over the years, the gym, and most namely the squat rack, has become my home. For a long time, the Iron was all I had. I invested all my energies and time to getting bigger, stronger, faster, more explosive.Time spent researching nutrition, weighing and cooking food, honing my form to perfection. I loved it.
Soon, people started taking notice. "Shit dude, how the hell do you squat 4 plates for reps! Teach me!". "Your one rep max squat is WHAT!?!". Perplexed, my answer was always quite simple "I squat lots", which was the truth. Not a second later, they would appear deflated, hoping for some protein powder with 9 types of creatine in it to get them to squat over 2 times bodyweight.
A few listened to my advice, and squatted more often, asking me for tips on form and positioning - tips that I promptly supplied, as they were already well en route to squatting mountains, I was merely a guide.
Slowly though, a negative energy was projected at me. Big men with small minds passive aggressively attacking me - standing in my way for no reason, messing with my equipment, staring me off at the gym. Anytime I got under the bar, there'd be whispers - many that would find their way back to me. "He's on the juice", "I heard he's on X, Y and Z", "I reckon he's on X, I heard him coughing earlier, it must be X".
Not one of my detractors had built a physique of any worth, developed any particular physical talent or strength. I still see some of them nowadays - same old.
Then, the newbies. I take no issue with flattery, but I wish some of the newbs at the gym did their own research - they would have gotten more out of what they did. As I went from strength to strength, I began to notice that various newbs would begin copying my training regimen. Same reps, same exercise, same sets, EVERYTHING. Carbon copied. Yet, none of them were making any great quantum leaps in muscle or strength gains. Why?
----
Morals of this story
Ok, I know this story seems to trump me up, but it's all 100% true. Having recently been involved in the entrepreneurial community, I see a lot of parallels.
Here are a few take aways from this story, in my eyes:
- Forging true physical strength is much like forging a business. It is not without attaining knowledge and having the wisdom and drive to apply it consistently, that one garners any results. Knowledge, wisdom, drive & consistency are all required in equal measure.
- Having lurked on this forum for a while, by and large, many here can be likened to the gym newb who asked me my secrets to squatting more. They see something amazing, and MUST have the magical secret, only to be given a basic tool or two, which while true and effective, pale in comparison to the MAGICAL SILVER BULLET OF GAINS/RICHES that many assume to exist.
- I imagine that many of the mentors here feel the same way I did when I saw guys who would squat consistently, and do everything right, even if they were lost or not particularly strong. They have showcased initiative, action, persistence and perseverance - they're already halfway there! They just need a nudge and some guidance, and I have no problem supplying it, since I know they're not going to waste it and they are doing it right. It's rewarding when you see the fledgling skinny asian kid who barely squatted the bar, start put up 1 plate and close to 2 plate.
- When you begin to succeed, you will draw criticism, no matter what. There's an Aristotle quote I really like, something like: "If you wish to avoid criticism; say nothing, do nothing and be nothing". That's it in a nutshell. Read some Buddhist texts - even Buddha, a guy who just wanted peace for everyone, drew ire from hotheads who wanted to humiliate and one up him. Jesus got cruxified for less than that. If you want to walk through any road of achievement, be prepared for the smaller minds to come out of the woodwork and test you.
- Commenting on my potential steroid use is tantamount to people calling others "lucky" or "gifted". It insults and discards the process. They saw the 500 pound squat. What they didn't see was me catching a bus at 8:30 or 9pm to go to the gym. Or walking a few miles with bags and bags of groceries because I didn't have a car. Or the hours spent researching and writing programs and diets. All of my efforts culminated in a singular act, which is all they saw. They put the event over the process.
- Lastly, copying my program is much like how competitors may copy your ideas. The newbs never gained, not because my program wasn't good, but because they had no idea why I was doing what I was doing, and missed all the subtle nuances that I performed. A rotation here, a change of grip there. Slight tweaks which I had perfected over years, according to my physical structure, to maximize the benefits that I would reap.
When a competitor is copying you, or vice versa, it's a very shallow replica of the original. A market leader is doing the thinking, the implementation and the testing, then the pack is playing catch-up, not understanding the WHY or the HOW of the new feature, just jumping on it to fit a mold.
Seems like I'm making all my posts with a short story before it
. Hope you guys all take away something useful from my post.
Over the years, the gym, and most namely the squat rack, has become my home. For a long time, the Iron was all I had. I invested all my energies and time to getting bigger, stronger, faster, more explosive.Time spent researching nutrition, weighing and cooking food, honing my form to perfection. I loved it.
Soon, people started taking notice. "Shit dude, how the hell do you squat 4 plates for reps! Teach me!". "Your one rep max squat is WHAT!?!". Perplexed, my answer was always quite simple "I squat lots", which was the truth. Not a second later, they would appear deflated, hoping for some protein powder with 9 types of creatine in it to get them to squat over 2 times bodyweight.
A few listened to my advice, and squatted more often, asking me for tips on form and positioning - tips that I promptly supplied, as they were already well en route to squatting mountains, I was merely a guide.
Slowly though, a negative energy was projected at me. Big men with small minds passive aggressively attacking me - standing in my way for no reason, messing with my equipment, staring me off at the gym. Anytime I got under the bar, there'd be whispers - many that would find their way back to me. "He's on the juice", "I heard he's on X, Y and Z", "I reckon he's on X, I heard him coughing earlier, it must be X".
Not one of my detractors had built a physique of any worth, developed any particular physical talent or strength. I still see some of them nowadays - same old.
Then, the newbies. I take no issue with flattery, but I wish some of the newbs at the gym did their own research - they would have gotten more out of what they did. As I went from strength to strength, I began to notice that various newbs would begin copying my training regimen. Same reps, same exercise, same sets, EVERYTHING. Carbon copied. Yet, none of them were making any great quantum leaps in muscle or strength gains. Why?
----
Morals of this story
Ok, I know this story seems to trump me up, but it's all 100% true. Having recently been involved in the entrepreneurial community, I see a lot of parallels.
Here are a few take aways from this story, in my eyes:
- Forging true physical strength is much like forging a business. It is not without attaining knowledge and having the wisdom and drive to apply it consistently, that one garners any results. Knowledge, wisdom, drive & consistency are all required in equal measure.
- Having lurked on this forum for a while, by and large, many here can be likened to the gym newb who asked me my secrets to squatting more. They see something amazing, and MUST have the magical secret, only to be given a basic tool or two, which while true and effective, pale in comparison to the MAGICAL SILVER BULLET OF GAINS/RICHES that many assume to exist.
- I imagine that many of the mentors here feel the same way I did when I saw guys who would squat consistently, and do everything right, even if they were lost or not particularly strong. They have showcased initiative, action, persistence and perseverance - they're already halfway there! They just need a nudge and some guidance, and I have no problem supplying it, since I know they're not going to waste it and they are doing it right. It's rewarding when you see the fledgling skinny asian kid who barely squatted the bar, start put up 1 plate and close to 2 plate.
- When you begin to succeed, you will draw criticism, no matter what. There's an Aristotle quote I really like, something like: "If you wish to avoid criticism; say nothing, do nothing and be nothing". That's it in a nutshell. Read some Buddhist texts - even Buddha, a guy who just wanted peace for everyone, drew ire from hotheads who wanted to humiliate and one up him. Jesus got cruxified for less than that. If you want to walk through any road of achievement, be prepared for the smaller minds to come out of the woodwork and test you.
- Commenting on my potential steroid use is tantamount to people calling others "lucky" or "gifted". It insults and discards the process. They saw the 500 pound squat. What they didn't see was me catching a bus at 8:30 or 9pm to go to the gym. Or walking a few miles with bags and bags of groceries because I didn't have a car. Or the hours spent researching and writing programs and diets. All of my efforts culminated in a singular act, which is all they saw. They put the event over the process.
- Lastly, copying my program is much like how competitors may copy your ideas. The newbs never gained, not because my program wasn't good, but because they had no idea why I was doing what I was doing, and missed all the subtle nuances that I performed. A rotation here, a change of grip there. Slight tweaks which I had perfected over years, according to my physical structure, to maximize the benefits that I would reap.
When a competitor is copying you, or vice versa, it's a very shallow replica of the original. A market leader is doing the thinking, the implementation and the testing, then the pack is playing catch-up, not understanding the WHY or the HOW of the new feature, just jumping on it to fit a mold.
Seems like I'm making all my posts with a short story before it
. Hope you guys all take away something useful from my post.
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