Tuesday, September 8, 2015

It Is Amazing

What is new in your training?

Always interested in how people train. 

My assistant Stephen Brindle, of Believing' Stephen' Christian Rap Fame (The word is that I wouldn't have hired him if I knew about the rap thing. No comment. But he is a hell of a coach). 

Anyway, that boy has been on Sheiko forever. And he is consistent, man. He is dedicated. There he is, bench set up, squat rack set up, going back and forth, yelling that everything is "real light". And sometimes he has his buddy Tim with him, but most of the time, it is just Stephen.  All alone, happy to just be training.  He doesn't have a spot except on heavy benches. He doesn't care who watches him. He has a goal to be stronger and bigger and he loves to train, and you can see that he loves it.

Now, I expect that from him, I really do.  I have seen it from him.

But today, I was thinking, who does that, day after day, 500 pound squats, 600 pound deadlifts, day after day? Few and far between ( Disclaimer: I know your cousin/brother/sister/ uncle/ and YOU are stronger and more dedicated! But let's move on. And these are legit, only a belt, USAPL squats, not your gym lift).

And he slogs away. When I first met him, he was a scrawny 190 something dude. That was , I guess, 6 years a ago? Maybe 5. Anyway, now he is 225 pounds and he isn't fat. And he did it with some supreme dedication. I think that when I think of him, I think-no genetics, just hard work. The man gained 35 pounds in a few years. That's pretty good stuff. And you can do it too. He looks totally different now. And you can do it too. Yup.

Oh yeah- he gets in his protein, but he eats cheesesteaks and drinks milk and really just eats regular other than the protein.

So as I was pondering Stephen, I thought- Programs make some difference, but it is the DEDICATION that really matters. I know that you are smart enough to see that dedication is big and important, without the capitals. Bill Starr told me to stop doing that, capitalizing the big points. But I really want to tell you this- it is the dedication, the getting it done, day after day, no matter what! Sick kids, sick Uncle, sick cat. Take that time for yourself and train. And don't miss the training. Because - see the big ass picture here-you will put together years upon years of this dedication and you will be a totally different person, or should I say it this way- you will be the person that you wanted to be when you first picked up a barbell. 

And, really, what else is there? Come on. Lifting weights is the greatest thing ever. Being big and strong is amazing.  Even a little bit bigger and stronger is amazing, makes you feel like Thor or some other god. You walk out of the gym with a good pump, especially when you first start training and you can't believe how good all of this feels. Your arms are like balloons and your chest feels like Arnold's at the'74 Olympia.

And do not let anyone tell you that it isn't. Lifting weights being amazing , that is. And if they do tell you, if you are already in it, deep in it,  been bitten by the bug, the cliched' Iron Bug, you will not listen anyway. You are past all of that. You have it. And it is deep inside you 

And it just really feels right to be stronger. Man or woman. You look and feel different than normal people. 

All About Being a Lifer

What's a Lifer? Someone who isn't in to something for just a day, a month, a year...it's for life. Whether its training or your family or your job...it doesn't matter. You work at it, you build on it, you see the big picture . You don't miss workouts because it means something to you. You are like a Shakespearean actor- no matter what is going on in your life, you block it out when it's time to train. You walk into the weight room and all else disappears. Worry about it later.