Six Pack and Senior

When we focus on the things we want and set out to get them, often we are confronted with the reality that they cannot be obtained by simply snapping our fingers. Many times we fool ourselves by believing that if we just say the words, or verbalize the goal that it is automatically on it’s way to us. Many of us have been around “blow hards” who beat their chests to pump themselves up while declaring what they are about to do. This a character that our mother’s warned us about….fear them and stay away from them!!

In bodybuilding all of us have learned that identifying a show and prepping for it will cost us plenty! We don’t tell anybody about our next show, we just go about the task of getting ready. We certainly do not brag about how we are going to do. It’s time to put our heads down and train like a demon on a mission. But, there are times when getting to the stage seems like it is off in the distance and we are constantly discouraged and exhausted. During these times it is very tempting to, step off the track and quit. Afterall! We worked but it’s not the time for us to do this….This is a very popular excuse. Despite what we feel we have to know precisely what we want and we have to be about the task of winning. If we do not become single-minded about accomplishing what we want then the arsenal of excuses and disappointments is at our disposal to excuse our character and hide us as cowards.

I live by the mantra: “Do the work!” and the belief that nobody in this gym ever out works me. I must live up to my own credo to be my best with each training session and to keep my eyes on the prize on stage.

Let me say that the road is long and we must push forward when everybody else is letting themselves down. We have to be unique because of our work ethic and trust that there is a win that has to be integrated into our lives.

Yes, the journey is long but we have to keep pushing forward when quitting is what we really want to do. I can’t promise a win everytime, but I can promise myself and you that persistence in the face of quitting will bear a magnificent result. The long road is another challenge. Tough! Be about the business of winning always.

I’ve recently contemplated how it feels to be as far down as you can go emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually and still gather the energy and “want to” to go on. To stand again as we once did to press on to the goals we have set for ourselves. All of us at one time or another have found ourselves seemly trapped by defeat, discouragement and feeling all alone. These are very bad times. I desperately want to get back on stage to prove to myself, and nobody else, that I can overcome things and still win. But, as things go there is life, work, the times and our most intimate relationships seem to occupy our entire beings. When I have run into this swamp of distractions and sources of badness I resort to a certain mantras in the gym. One of these is, “DO THE WORK! Another is, “NOBODY WORKS HARDER THAN ME!” I keep these cycling in my brain so that I focus on what is possible despite of my troubles.

Powerful Lesson for me: “So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.” i Sam (30:4) David and his men were totally defeated and all they possessed was stolen from them.

“But David “encouraged himself” (KJV) in the LORD his God. I Sam 1:6. This is the lowest point for all of us…We have to return to the source of our power and existence. We have to regroup and encourage ourselves in the things that keep us alive. Now we stand up and get on with the task of living and winning.

This is the essence of rejuvenation and not quitting when it is so easy to do. Let me end this by say; “Find that thing that makes you tick when nothing else will do. Get back in the gym. Train like a mad man/woman. Talk to nobody except your own heart. There is a “WIN” out there just for all of us who want to quit and disappear. Get on with it…..This is your life and your time…..Let me know what you think!

The proverbial “ass kicking” is all but baked into the cake of life. Sooner or later we all get humiliated or driven into seeming obscurity. Sometimes it is through no fault of our own. We get ambushed by those who don’t like us and “POW!” we get one right in the kisser. Down we go and life seems very bad. The key to failure and future success is learning what we did wrong and to vow to never let the mistake never happen again. Thus, the wisdom of defeat. Why rise from the ashes of total annihilation only to do it again……We would then conceded that we didn’t learn a thing and we deserve what we get.

We have to know the difference between losing and learning and going on and the personal abandonment of quitting. In the world of a quitter there is only hostility toward ourselves, regret, loneliness, and a severe sense of loss. If the thing we sought is left on the side of the road like a discarded piece of trash we leave with it a piece of ourselves. The things we throw away are of two categories: 1.) We really didn’t want them that much anyway or 2.) We really wanted them but we didn’t have the guts to keep going and to accomplish them. So, before we toss something over our shoulder, let us think and consider what this thing means to us and how much we want it.

Deferring to bodybuilding I can say from experience that once the fire is burning and progress toward our stated goal is being made, it is a sacred decision to keep going. Never back down. Losing only happens on stage. Quitting happens in the heart and the head before you even show up. If you do it once, you run the risk of making quitting a way of life.

Bottom Line: Go after it an lose and then learn. Never quit because you run the risk of learning how easy it is. This is a lesson we need not learn.

There has always been this little motor inside me that pushes me, excites me, settles for nothing but the best or at least will get me into the fight. But, the most important thing is to know where you are going and that is more ugent than anything else in your life. This is you “WHY”….Simply stated it is the thing that drives you, that gets you up in the morning, that occupies your thoughts and pushes you to excel and win.

Not every “WHY” is attached to a contest. Many “WHY” mindsets are in place to move us to a better place economically, socially, or in relationships like our wives and our kids. Just imagine closing your eyes and thinking of where we want to be and holding it there. The imagination can define and direct us. Again when something or someone becomes our “WHY” there is nothing tht will get in our way to have and hold the “WHY” in our hands.

My “WHY” is loving my wife and having her approval and advice always. It’s quite impossible to live without her presence. In bodybuilding she has become my posing coach. She has a real knack to see my flaws and hold me accountable. If I need to do better or to change something she is merciless and my ego takes a beating but is she that pulls off the difficulties I face with her keen eye.

Lastly, find that thing and make it your “WHY”…..There’s an old saying that says, “HE THAT AIMS FOR NOTHING HITS IT EVERYTIME!” Do not let life become purposeless. It’s a oad that does not end well.

Bottom Line: Determine to be somebody or suffer the consequences of being nobody. It’s all up to you. Discover your “WHY” and be the best you.

All of us have been around people who talk a good game. They always have answers to life’s most difficult problems. They believe that if they just “say the words” their solutions and desires will appear like magic. These friends are not very interesting and we all know they miss the whole point of supreme effort to attain a given goal. Now, the guys who are interesting are the ones that tell you everything and are willing to bleed openly about their efforts, what they are doing, how it works, why they are doing it and they love to relate their progress. Now, these are the beings that will teach you, test you, and will push by example to be better.

When I used to run track (a million years ago) i knew I would be running against the best. I would fret and worry about not being the worst guy on the track the day of the meet. I’m a first class worry wart so I would take my prep to the alley out back of my house. I’d run the precise race over and over again, night after night for weeks if necessary. All the while trying to improve. I’d finish with my legs wobbling, sweat soaking my entire gym clothes. I’d climb the stairs to the balcony outside my bedroom and fall flat on the cool wood and often fell asleep until around 4:00 am. Then crawl to the base of my bed and grab my stinking blanket and wrap it around me until school. I never lost in the next 5 major meets. All because of the hard, hidden work in the night.

In bodybuilding the same is true. You have to get a very large pile of “want to” in your belly. Begin and don’t look back. You have to work harder than anybody else. You need to develop a maxim that says, “nobody out works me.” — “Victory belongs to him/her that prepares to win”…..Bear Bryant, College Football Hall of fame coach from the University of Alabama.

Bottom Line: Nothing is free. Talk less. Work more. Expect to win. This is your time.

Shadow Boxing is lonely and not very much fun. It teaches us to be better while we seemingly imagine our opponent encased in the boundaries of our own shadow as it is projected onto the wall in front of us. No matter how hard we work we cannot overcome, defeat, or outdo our own shadows. Of course, this is precisely the reason we do the shadow boxing. It causes us to reach deep to beat the beast in front of us.

The reality of our training motivates us to overcome the very things that drag at us and cause us to be less than we can be. Let’s start with Genetics. The first thing we face as men and women is that our body size and our shapes are all different. We are instantly intimidated because all of us sees our own body as less than perfect. Our body image throws us backward and tells us we cannot do what others do nor can we look as good as others. Self Image is paramount in our ability to believe we can be better. We have to beat the negative self image of who we are and what we look like. Next up is the fact that genetically we don’t all possess a standard amount of muscle, reflexes, and strength. We are all different but none of these things can/should hold us back unless we let them determine who we are and how far we can go. Overcoming these genetic markers is tough. Being too short doesn’t eliminate you from the battle. Only we can surrender the determination to use that we have and become the bestt here ever was.

Next up are the people we know or sometimes don’t know that do not want us to be the best. For some obscure reason there are people who just cannot stand to see somebody else excel and be the champion. They won’t do the work, they won’t spend some time imagining what it would be like to be a winner. So, rather than get into the game of life and excellence they spend their time dragging others down with their constant criticism, belittling, undermining, and downright denigration of true competitors in life. It’s best to defriend these naysayers. Three people in life you should never listen to: 1.) Close Friends. 2.) Relatives. 3.) and Knuckleheads. Bottom Line: Stay away from them and let them stew in their own juice.

Doubts are inevitable. Don’t listen to the negative voices inside you. An exercise I use when I prepping for a show is to go for long walks and try to focus on the feeling of exhilaration I will have on stage. Focus on the routine. Let the sound of the crowd fill your head as you do the music routine. Make this whole experience about you and winning. Doubts seem to go away as you imagine the great moments to come.

Excuses are a dime a dozen. When things are not going well—-blame something or somebody else. It feels good to shift the blame and reduce the effort. Excuses gives you an out. It says to yourself and the audience that you are really good but the path of least resistance must go through the land of “Excuses” in order to qualify for an easy path despite their being no reward. The lack of a trophy is explained away by the athlete as unfortunate but—-better luck next time!

Competition is the ultimate hurdle. It’s here that we decide what we are made. of. It’s in the heat of battle that we show the world what we can do. It demonstrates to the arena that we have worked, we have overcome many obstacles and we are ready to win.

On stage you project your personality, you demonstrate your skills, you demand to be paid attention to. Bring it on! Show me what you got so I can humiliate you and leap over you to collect the prize. You own the stage, the judges, your competitors, the trophy that you have come to collect. Competition has to be overcome. This is not the time to be humble. Each competitor you face is staring down the barrel of a person’s gun that is committed to the win.

Bottom Line: In order to win these basic obstacles must be faced and each must be brought under your control. Overcoming is the order of the day. Nothing else will do. Don’t listen to me…….Go do it!

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com for all my photos and posts

I believe that we just didn’t show up on planet earth out of thin air. We bring into the world some very definite personality characteristics. That said, each of us begins a journey that is tough. This journey refines our particular strengths and weaknesses. We learn to adapt to change that is not good sometimes. The changes we experience help to define the parameters of our existence. We are able to see and define characteristics in our lives that make us stronger and more capable to problem solve. Out of this comes a strength to push forward even under the worst of circumstances. Some would say, “IF IT DOESN’T KILL US IT WILL MAKE US STRONGER.” I also believe this is true but some toughness we develop is natural.

Now, just rolling forward here. In our daily human experience we run across people that seem to have been born for the hard times that we are experiencing this moment. These heroes seem to have what it takes to overcome the here and now problems. But, rest assured this quality didn’t appear just because it is a “super power.” They possess a degree of toughness that will forever serve them in a world that honors nobody.

As a kid we grew up “beyond” dirt poor. There were 10 of us kids in a condemned building in a small town on main street in Iowa. We truly were the outcasts of the community. I learned very early that there was nobody who would be coming over mountain to save us. We were our own captains of our own ships. The biggest mantra for success I ever learned was “if you want it, you have to go get it.” There was no free lunch. I excelled in sports because I had nothing else. The lessons learned have carried me when there was nothing that would make me survive or to win. Digging deep has been the order of the day for me. I won’t trot out my resume with all my accomplishments but suffice it say that it is good. Being strong is predicated on personal training, and personalities that are conditioned to win in the face of certain failure. Nothing is wasted in this life.

Bottom Line: We are destined to vast personal strength based on having had to develop that strength earlier in our lives. Now, this is our time! Enjoy the world you have conquered and share it with the best people in the world—-those we love!

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com for all photos, posts, and articles

Ahhhh the Sting! There is no greater bitterness than to admit that I no longer have the gumption or the drive or the bedrock reason to continue toward something I really want and believe in. When quitting is summoned as our only response we are denying that what we are chasing is not “worth it.”

Regarding losing! What a wonderful thing to step onto the stage, or into the arena and fight for our right and our place in the war. Losing!!! Hell!!! We all lost but we are here on the field, giving it all we have. We who are in the arena are the envy of all those who would not do the work to be here with us or against us. The armchair quarterbacks talk and salivate in front of their unwilling egos to prove they too belong here. However!! We who are living and dying, moment by moment by being in the fight cannot extend the same respect to those who will not do the work and “get their asses in the grass,’ (to steal a term from a Marine infantry officer in Vietnam). Be sure to know that we who engaged are automatically the winners. There is no losing. But, we all want to be on top so there is another level of the journey that must be endured—-‘Let’s call it the AGONY OF DEFEAT if we do not win. Ouch! Everytime I come close and do not win I repeat to myself, ‘THIS SHIT AIN’T HAPPENING AGAIN!” as I descend the stairs of the stage.

Back to the idea of quitting. Never in a million years should we entertain the temptation to quit. My suggestion: 1.) Take a deep breath. 2.) Punch a wall. 3.) Cry and scream out loud. 4.) Curl up on the bed and sob. 5.) Get up, take a long shower and think about what you will do now—but quitting is not one. 6.) Talk softly to your wife who feels all your turmoil and disappointment as her own 7.). Resolve to find another way and begin to fantasize about the plan. 8.) NEVER TELL ANYBODY ABOUT THE NEW YOU. 9.) Get after it and be willing to lose again and push on for the win.

Bottom Line: Don’t let quitting define you. Losing will never define you. Before you can make the world believe in you, you must make yourself believe in you. All this is given in my humble opinion. See you in the arena but prepare to lose.

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com to read this in it’s entirety and to see all my photos, posts, and articles

This is it guys…..You can forget bringing stuff and wins into existence by simply thinking about it or talking about it. When you pursue something that you have deemed “worth it” and you want it, you have to establish the end game and then the plan to get you there. We, quite literally, have to be about the business of setting aside time, each day to pursue the vision. Tough as it is, we being the “Captains of our Ships” are the only ones who can set the goal and establish the path forward. Our wonderful imaginations and egos are helpless before the altar of practicality and sheer effort. There is no short cuts…..You have to decide what you want and provide the place, time, and effort….

Very simply, there is no substitute for performance. I have being around guys who talk a good game but in reality they cannot even find the stadium.

Bottom Line: Be consistent. Be tough. Keep your mouth shut. Keep your head down. EXECUTE! Anything less than this is a self lie. Be about the business of performance and not about the business or bragging, talking, dreaming or missing workouts. This is your mandate—-Make time for your goals and EXECUTE!

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com to see all photos, posts, and articles

Each of us starts our lives in this world by bringing to the table all that we have, all we know, and all the basic intellect and physical gifts in our possession. We crawl, then walk, before we run but we are in there fighting and making a life for ourselves. Later we settle into an adult life that is focused on providing for our families, making sure that all of our kids and wives hae all they need to thrive and the advance.

Later on at sometime during our life’s experience a real sense of clarity about who we are and what we ought to be pursuing. Often, this new insight and aspiration is at odds with being a great provider, husband/wife and we toss our desire aside to return to the grind of being the best resource in the world for those who depend on us. We try to ignore the beating of our heart and the dream that has taken shape in our chest, our mind, and our souls. We begin to day dream and plan to take the leap onto the path that leads to our dream. We try to not discuss our goals with anybody for fear of being ridiculed, misunderstood or rejected. So we keep quiet.

This is the story of many, if not all bodybuilders. But, one day we take the big risk and we share with a trusted friend what we are thinking about and what we are preparing for. Naturally, the fear in that moment is deafening. But, even if the person is totally against what we have shared we will not be deterred. It’s at this point that we realize that we will get very little support or understanding from those we love. It’s also here that we decide to go on.—-ALONE!

There are no HEROES to look up to because this is a brand new world order. So, knowing that we are ALONE we keep after our goals by comparing ourselves against ourselves day by day, picture by picture. We look through magazines to compare our body against all the greats on stage. We up our game. We train harder. We train more often. We train longer. We eat like the stars say we should eat. Our bodies are getting bigger, leaner, more cut, more hard, more veins appear.

Despite being ALONE we learn to reach for the most powerful weapon in our life’s arsenal—OURSELVES! We discover ultimately that nobody cares about me and my success more than me. With a super great EPIPHANY my hero is cut from the massive piece of granite. It takes on all MY characteristics and it becomes obvious, My hero is ME! Unvarnished, rough, and yet solid. When this moment arrives is when we will never depend on anybody else to motivate us or to discipline us to win. “I AM MY OWN HERO! I don’t need a cheering section. Because I finally know who I am and what I want.

Bottom Line: When you are on stage, try to remember that there are 10,000 other guys who wish they could do what I just did. I carry “MY HERO WITH ME EVERYWHERE I GO.” Pick up your hero and follow your dream. Nobody is going to do it for you.