One of my friends suggested to me that I need to write down my perspective on things, kind of like Dave Tate did in “Under the Bar”, because he has heard me rant about these things in the gym, in bits and pieces, and launch into dissertations and monologues about numerous subjects. To me, I never really thought of myself as a sage or guru sitting on the mountain top but rather the seeker climbing in search of the master. I never put serious thought to it until now. I started this blog because some social media marketing consultant suggested it. There was no plan. I just wrote about what I was feeling or thinking about. I found it to be therapeutic for me to write. Well, after the last post, between the people I made cry and the people that suggested I write about something I have told them in person, I think I will try to write with more of a plan.
Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach, would speak to all walks of life when he gave The Speech. He would lead with the disclaimer that all he knew came from football. But he asserted, all those lessons carried over into every other aspect of life. I am calling the posts in this series, In the Company of Iron because all I know came from moving the weights or my desire to move more weights. Plus, I figure that if you are still reading this blog, my writings must connect with you on the emotional level I write with or trigger your intellect like I intend to. If not, it is a Ben Kenobi situation (Who’s more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?) and these are just the babblings of a crazy person and you are a poor wedding guest trapped by my words.
In truth, I am just a musclehead. I have spent more time with an knurled grip in my hand than almost anyone I or you know. It has given my life meaning but also perspective. What value that has is arguable? I can not claim to have found the key to success but to be selected as an Athlete of the Decade means that for the majority of a ten year block, I was a top competitor. During this time, I did not have the largest overall lifts nor did I have the best lifts based on bodyweight. I was simply the most consistent. That really means something. Legend says that it took 10,000 failures to invent the light bulb. Even if you had one attempt every working hour of the average worker, it would take you just short of FIVE years to get the 10,001 tries necessary. Perseverance is key. It is truly the one thing that will ensure your success in fitness and in the rest of life.
From the time I started lifting, it took around six months for me to break 100# on bench press, another two years to break over the 200# barrier, another four to cross 300#, plus another 4 to smash 400#, about 7 to crack 500# but two and half to break #600. I am over three years past that barrier and have conceded that I may not get 700#. But that shows you one thing, I was consistently getting half a pound a week on my bench press for over two decades. I persisted despite injury, in the face of massive frustration, in spite of life outside the gym, and eventually triumphed. It wasn’t by some great genetic advantage. It wasn’t by some brilliant understanding of the workings of the human body. It was not by some intricately designed program that overcame some hidden secret that was hindering my progress. It was through sheer stupidity. I was simply too stubborn to quit. I did not concede that I was done.
That’s what I am doing with this series. I am persevering at writing my thoughts, perspectives, and, dare I say, wisdom. I need to just do it. Like my calf rehab, it is probably good for me and helping me get where I want to go. I don’t have the inherent motivation to be as consistent as I was over the last 2000 bench press workouts. That is key. How do I find a reason to write? I don’t. My friend once quoted a much greater author than either of us by saying, “You become a writer by putting your butt in the seat for one hour a day.” So, I will just do it. Like this post.
So, that brings up the most common question I get asked as a trainer. ”How do I get motivated?” or “How do I stay motivated?” My answer is always the same. I don’t know. You just go do it or you don’t do it. In my training, it has always been easy for me to just do it. That is why I don’t listen to music when I train. I strongly believe if you need music to workout, you don’t have enough focus on what you are doing. It is highly likely you don’t have enough heart. You need to be paying incredible attention to what you are doing when you bench 600#. But I don’t think I was paying any less attention when I was trying to break through any of the barriers on the way there. The thing is, I am not too far off when it comes to my reps in my workouts. I had to pay a great level of attention to develop the understanding I now have for bench press. It is a level of understanding that is not available in books, except when you read my bench training manual (email me if you are interested), no matter who wrote it. No clinical trial or published study will give you that comprehension no matter how expertly the biomechanics is explained. Nope, you gotta put your time in. You gotta do the task. You gotta persist. You gotta invest the time In The Company of Iron.
