Sometimes.... ya just gotta get The damn job done. Period.
What to eat, how to train, optimal sets and reps, how long to rest, circa max phase, belt or no belt?
I get these questions ALL the time and I go back to my days of lifting at The Metuchen YMCA in 1989 and 1990. Many of the guys in that crammed, old school weight room were built like brick shit houses.
Here's 3 Reasons Why You're NOT Getting Stronger Or Bigger:
1) You're too worried about the tiny details.
Sometimes you just need to show up angry, with an attitude of smashing anything and everything that stands in your way.
I'm sure you've noticed when someone around you has a poor attitude.
Be it at work, the gym, out and about with friends....
The person who is always complaining and carries around their negative energy is the same person who achieves zero success in all areas of their life.
The same holds true for lifting.
Stop being a whiny cry baby and worrying about everything under the sun when you need to be getting into the gym and lifting some heavy ass weights.
2) Read Less & Train More.
I know, this sounds crazy coming from someone who just wrote a BIG Book and has countless e books, but too many people sit behind their keyboard all day and then don't know what the hell to do when they are IN the gym.
I've seen many people who can explain to me the conjugate system, CNS burn out, etc yet they have NO clue how to just show up and bang heads in the gym.
STRONG People are ACTION takers IN the gym, not behind their keyboards.
3) Excuses.
Ask a weak and skinny Dude what they ate for breakfast and they'll stumble over their words and follow up with an excuse about why they woke up late and couldn't eat breakfast.
Ask a STRONG SOB what his breakfast was and he'll talk to you about waking up early, preparing his meals, being ready for breakfast and NO excuses.
Nutrition is key.
Eat like a bird and you will be a bird.
How badly do you want to WIN?
Do you REALLY want to get BIG & STRONG?
Then KILL the excuses and HTFU.
If you are lost and don't know WTF to do, then STOP program jumping and stick to ONE simple (NOT easy) program like the FREE stuff I give away HERE.
I give it away for free so I can prove to you that what I teach you works, of course, when YOU put the hustle into it.
It might be free of $$ but nothing is free of effort. There's NO 2 ways about it.
I can keep writing but it's time to stop. Time for you to do some serious work.
Now get out there and DO the damn thing!
Live The Code 365
Z
The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning
17 Responses
Zach you are spot on once again my friend. I remember back to my college days at UGA I was training with my best friend and now head strength and conditioning coach at Athens Academy High School Bryan Pulliam.
I was ready to lift, but was sluggish one particular day as we had planned to attack a heavy squat day. Bryan kindly issued a cool rhyme that I’ll never forget to help me get mentally ready for the day. He said “Roses are red, Violets are blue..lift that heavy shit.”
Ha, yes sometimes you’ve just got to show up and get your mind right and forget about all the minor stuff. Great post Zach.
I HATE letting down my training partner, I NEVER tell him if I feel tired or sore! BOOM!
Right on target here, brother. Especially number 3. Everyone wants to tell you how much they want it, but they can’t show you through the preperation and dedication. The work an 8 hour day, and they can’t find time to make a lunch instead of buying fast food.
Brotha, we need to rebuild these people, transform them, turn them STRONG!
Yesterday when my 6 yr old daughter got home from school her WOD was to help me split firewood ( for my grandpa) we worked for a solid 30 minutes super hard. Then she practiced some of her striking skills for about 5 minutes . All of this outside enjoying fall air. Wind blowing leaves around & guess what she loved it. Parents to blame for the laziness & weakness of kids today. Peace Zach & congrats on the book
That is THE best! We had the guys do that up in VT during our Spartan Underground Mastermind, they LOVED it!!!
I’m an IT consultant and I was of the lazy people mentioned in your writing, there was always an excuse to skip training and action, too much work, driving too much early to the customer, coming back home too late, and so on.
This summer I had almost 4 weeks holiday with my family in August and before leaving I put with luggage an very old kettlebell from the time I was a young and a damn fit kick-boxer.
Believe it or not, the first holiday day I begun to work out cardio exercises and light kettlebell to discover it was heavy, hard but terribly fun!
At the end of the 3rd week I was doing workout twice a day, early morning and late afternoon, I visibly lost fat and gained a better look. I simply couldn’t skip one, I was craving to have the next workout.
Then holiday ended and normal life was back, but workout stayed whatsoever!
And the old excuses to skip it? GONE!!!
I still wake up 5am, still driving several hours per day, still work hard and always back home late for dinner.
But always, everyday, in the evening I do my workout and it’s always fun and it help to leave the stress of work behind me to close up the day.
So in the end, I can only strongly agree with Zach theory and practice of work hard, focus on your goals and stop cheating a fooling yourself!
Cheers!
Andrea
Andrea, I LOVE it, that is some AWESOME commitment and dedication. I believe in developing mental toughness and you DID it!
Love it man! Totally fires me up. Have a great day everyone and go crush it!
L.H.O.D.T
When my lifters walk in to lift that is my war chant (LHODT!)
“LIFT HEAVY OR DIE TRYING! ”
And Zach!
Haters will hate! That is it! I have come to realize that with the Crossfit(brain washed-just my area crew-the coaches here don’t care about coaching just money), comfort meat house that pass for gyms and the close minded (we got it handled) high schools.
It is what it is! I won’t change to fit their mold. I would rather go out of business than lower myself to their standard.
I fight! That’s all I know!
hahahahah eat like a bird, be a bird, that’s great!!
Zach, I appreciate every blog you publish. It’s hard finding like minded people sometimes and through this community of The Underground I feel right at home.
Time to get back to BEING about it, and not just talking about it…
Cool!!! I have certainly fit in one or more of these 3 reasons at one time or another,, prob even now. Once my body heals, I will be coming back from an car wreck, car totalled in fact. Zach, Will your advice in your “Underground Strength Book” assist with that???
Tommie my book is beyond merely the physical, it will help you with the mental aspect as well!
Get after it, hombre!
http://UndergroundStrengthBook.com
Solid advice Zach, just gonna go for it and a solid program and as you say “get comfortable with being uncomfortable”
Zach!
It’s been a while, but this blog is ON point. That’s all I ever hear now a days—excuses! As a Supervisor—I hear nothing but excuses. From my “friends”—nothing but excuses. I have strayed far away from the weak-minded!!!!!!
Work hard in everything you do! In life and in lifting. The bottom line is just get the damn thing done. It is NOT that hard. Your mind makes it harder than it needs to be. Sometimes we need to quit thinking and just do it. Next thing you know, it’s done. You will have accomplished something!
Just like everybody looking for a secret routine?? Fking stick to something g and get it done. Here is my best advice that I noticed. When lifters really start to struggle—they look for an escape route. “Time to change it up” but when you are fighting for everything you got–the gains are coming small—it does something violent to the mind and makes you want to step back or “change routines”….the best thing you can do it right through it and say “f*** you! Bring it!” The gains will be smaller, but they’re still coming.