Crisis Situation

[Cellardweller]

I often wonder what our country would be like with a man like this as President today. But then I wonder if he was just a product of his time and would get eaten up in the red tape, multimedia world of today.

[Cellardweller]

It's time to harden up and really get back into the game mentally. Been feeling like I'm going through the motions lately. Not hitting goals for the day means I'm not going to hit my long term goals either. I am NOT having a lack luster year of training. Time to dig deep and commit myself to my lifts. If my goal once I get under that bar is 3 reps, then I don't stop til I've done 3 reps. I want all my lifts to be stronger by January. Not just one or two, but all three lifts need to be pushed past their sticking points. This WILL happen. If I don't push past my limits and what people think is possible, then I don't deserve to rep my Animal shirts, hats and shakers in the gym. I will earn the right to call myself an Animal. I will earn my membership in the Legion. Anyone with two dimes can buy an Animal shirt, but I earn mine with sweat, pain and sometimes blood. For me, it can be no other way.

[Cellardweller]

You have to be tenacious in your training. If you aren't after it and miss days then you miss opportunities to grow and be stronger. Taking a break when you need it is one thing, slacking in dicipline and skipping out when times are tough is bad. Pushing through a tough situation is what makes you tough. This goes for any situation. The tougher the situation, the more of your character is revealed. Don't bury your head in the sand and pretend the problem isn't there. Don't be that guy who's the first to run away. Instead be the one who steps up and takes control. Take control of the situation, take control of your life and you cannot be stopped.

[Cellardweller]

My adversary is cold, emotionally detached and untiring. It is an unbreakable and unbeatable foe. I stare it down and only see my own eyes reflected back by it’s cool grey finish. I am a weak thing in comparison, but my will is unyielding. My body may be weak but it is armored in determination, fueled by self discipline and passion and armed to the teeth by my resolve to win. It is thus armed and armored that I get under the bar, set my grip and prepare to take no prisoners.

Adding in one rep let alone 2 reps at a high % of your one rep max is a big deal. That's why in 5/3/1 you only add 5lbs (upperbody) when you hit a rep goal. Any more than that and the iron laughs at you and you walk away totally demoralized wondering what just happened when you had an awesome week last week.


You don't know how deceptive the weight can be until you start repping it. Light weight can be a bitch, especially when you aren't used to the reps. You don't need a pile of plates to fry your ass.

[Cellardweller]

We all have our obstacles. Whither it be physical, mental, financial or whatever, the important thing is that we never give up. Even a baby step is a step foreward on this journey. Take those baby steps and hold your head up high, for you are that much better than yesterday. Never forget.

[DANO]

How have I not caught this thread before?
Hard, gritty, and true words here.
Preach on brother, I will put my hands up and give you an "Amen"

[Cellardweller]

How have I not caught this thread before?
Hard, gritty, and true words here.
Preach on brother, I will put my hands up and give you an "Amen"

Thanks man.

[Cellardweller]

Noticing a few things lately. I don't attack my reps. There's little intensity there. I would rather grind out one or two reps than do a hard set of 5. I think this is affecting my one rep max on some lifts. Explosiveness and speed are not there. Also I think I'd be beefier looking if I focused on my reps more. My goal is strength not size, but a little powerbuilding would do me some good. Intensity has been lacking in here. Lacking? It's fucking gone. I might be training "heavy" but it's not intense, not outside my comfort zone. For example, yesterday I worked up to a single squatting 445. I should be doing triples ROUTINELY with 455. I should have worked up to a single of 475-485. I've hit 500 once, but only once. I can't work up to a nice strict single on standing military press then go over to the dumbells and grab a fucking safe girlie weight to do sets of 10. That's what the fuck happened today. This is why I post my numbers. If I didn't I could just hide behind "4 set of 10." No one's hiding in here. There's no safe zone. Things need to change. Limits must be pushed. Barriers must be broken. Pain should be a constant. I'm not going into the gym 4 days a week for a fucking pillow fight. I'm going in to train, to smash other people's hopes and dreams as I take what's mine. You ever see a ghost in the gym? They're there every day. The same people, doing the same stuff with the same weights for years and years. Might as well be that old Cybex shoulder machine in the middle of the gym that no one uses. These people are like that machine, always there, unchanging and never noticed. "What's that guy in the Animal shirt got on the bar?" "335." "He was pushing 335 last week." Fuck if I'm gonna become a ghost. I'm an Animal. King of the beasts. I refuse to stagnate and fade away. When I'm on a bench or rack it's got to be like a nuclear test zone. Everybody whats to get the hell away from there. Time to up my game. Time to take out some trash.

[Swolepez]

^^^^ it happens to all is us bro...during the month of January and the beggening of February my workouts were like this...lifeless..no passion...no heart...I kept blaming it it on the fact that I had been out for two months died to injuries and a surgery, this excuse allowed me to have a reason to fail, a reason to be ok with a lackluster workout...I too had lost my balls so to speak....I tried to change my diet around, ie; add some red meat, some more carbs but nothing changed...I switched up with different pre-workot concoctions ie; rage XL, Pump, Shock Therapy, Juiced Aminos, Carbo Plus, Universal Creatine...no matter what workouts still sucked...

But then I realized it was all a mind thing..the reason the diet or pre-workouts didn't change anything was bc I was going into my work-outs with the thought' "my workout may be good or may be bad"...I was already creating an oppurtunity in mind before my workout even started that it could possibly be a bad workout...once you let a inch of doubt or an inch or excuse slip in, your already fucked...I had to change my mindset, I started thinking, " i don't give a fuck about what kind of day I had, the weight room is something I have control over, I don't care if the bench is taken, I don't care if the exercise I did last wk is not giving the same pump this wk, I don't care that my strength is down today, I'm going to have a fucking good workout regardless bc I have control over my workout!"..I started going into the gym knowing, I'm going to make this the best work out I've had in a while...and honestly, it's been working...I've been having better workouts then I had before my injuries and my surgery...

It's all in the mind...We have the power, the authority, the control over our workouts and how they go...

So honestly bro, it might just be a mind thing for you right now...go into the weight room knowing your going to fucking kill it

[Cellardweller]

once you let an inch of doubt or an inch or excuse slip in, your already fucked...

So true. Most of this thread is my self talk. Part of my problem is that I train alone. There is no competition between partners or anyone to call me out for being lazy. It's all me and that can be a trap. You can be all fired up and then your motivation slowly declines until you catch yourself doing some stupid shit like I have recently, then the cycle continues. I'm sure I'll be posting in here again when I get pissed at myself again. Or at anything else LOL. Wake up and look at what you're doing. Is it what you should be doing? Is it helping you reach your goals? Or did you slip along the way? This is what Machine is always saying. Today on the way home from the gym I woke up and heard his wisdom.

[Cellardweller]

"There's no urgency anymore. Everyone's happy to dawdle along; everything's fine, like we've already got what we're after. It's comfortable contentment, people happy with what they've got. Where's the hunger for more?"
Gav Thorpe Empire of the Blood

This is from a novel I started rereading. It pretty much sums up most people and especially the ones at the gym that are there for years doing the same shit everyday. I also take it as a warning not to get comfortable with where I'm at.


I have to counter that with a quote from Bulldog:

"This is it. This is the time. There is only now. Tomorrow is a dream and a day away. Can you go after what you want? Yes, only if you are motivated. The real question is, are you? Or do you believe that tomorrow will come and bring the motivation with it? Yeah well while you are waiting for tomorrow, I will be doing heavy squats and deads today to turn pro while you are watching me do it on TV. Animals? Yes, at Animalpak.com we are. Why? Cuz we go after what we want and we don't wait for tomorrow to bring us motivation."

[Bean]

"There's no urgency anymore. Everyone's happy to dawdle along; everything's fine, like we've already got what we're after. It's comfortable contentment, people happy with what they've got. Where's the hunger for more?"
Gav Thorpe Empire of the Blood

This is from a novel I started rereading. It pretty much sums up most people and especially the ones at the gym that are there for years doing the same shit everyday. I also take it as a warning not to get comfortable with where I'm at.


I have to counter that with a quote from Bulldog:

"This is it. This is the time. There is only now. Tomorrow is a dream and a day away. Can you go after what you want? Yes, only if you are motivated. The real question is, are you? Or do you believe that tomorrow will come and bring the motivation with it? Yeah well while you are waiting for tomorrow, I will be doing heavy squats and deads today to turn pro while you are watching me do it on TV. Animals? Yes, at Animalpak.com we are. Why? Cuz we go after what we want and we don't wait for tomorrow to bring us motivation."

Tomorrow is not promised and sometimes that is forgotten...I'm ready to get out of work now and go blast shoulders because today is a great day to live and become better. Thanks for the reminder

[Cellardweller]

Hope you had a great shoulder session brother.

[Cellardweller]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWlXsEj1RpM

[skibasgym]

Teddy's word are always on point. Amazing thoughts to live by and an amazing man.

[Orthodox]

"There's no urgency anymore. Everyone's happy to dawdle along; everything's fine, like we've already got what we're after. It's comfortable contentment, people happy with what they've got. Where's the hunger for more?"
Gav Thorpe Empire of the Blood

This is from a novel I started rereading. It pretty much sums up most people and especially the ones at the gym that are there for years doing the same shit everyday. I also take it as a warning not to get comfortable with where I'm at.


I have to counter that with a quote from Bulldog:

"This is it. This is the time. There is only now. Tomorrow is a dream and a day away. Can you go after what you want? Yes, only if you are motivated. The real question is, are you? Or do you believe that tomorrow will come and bring the motivation with it? Yeah well while you are waiting for tomorrow, I will be doing heavy squats and deads today to turn pro while you are watching me do it on TV. Animals? Yes, at Animalpak.com we are. Why? Cuz we go after what we want and we don't wait for tomorrow to bring us motivation."

Great post. Powerful

[Cellardweller]

I stand before Machine and the Animal Leigon and confess my sins -but do not beg forgivness
I confess to minding my own buisness in the gym,
I confess to keeping my head down,
I confess to striving to be a better man walking out of the gym than when I walked in,
I confess to trying to squeeze out one more rep than last time,
I confess to adding more weight to my bar when I can squeeze out that extra rep,
I confess to useing 2.5lb plates when others only use 45's,
I confess to being drivin,
I confess to having goals,
I confess to sticking to my program and plan,
I confess that I don't miss a day at the gym,
I confess that dicipline and sacrifice are my weapons,
I confess that I have favorite implements,
I confess that I tend to stick to same old reps schemes,
I confess that I don't always eat clean,
I confess that I posess and own this knowledge and strive for change,
I confess that though I have accumulated several injuries along the way, that I don't let them define me and find ways to train dispite them,
I confess that I will be the best that I can be,
I confess that I will share my knowledge with any and all who ask for it,
I confess that I am an Animal.


Posted this elsewhere but it's worth putting here.

[RedlegDbell]

I stand before Machine and the Animal Leigon and confess my sins -but do not beg forgivness
I confess to minding my own buisness in the gym,
I confess to keeping my head down,
I confess to striving to be a better man walking out of the gym than when I walked in,
I confess to trying to squeeze out one more rep than last time,
I confess to adding more weight to my bar when I can squeeze out that extra rep,
I confess to useing 2.5lb plates when others only use 45's,
I confess to being drivin,
I confess to having goals,
I confess to sticking to my program and plan,
I confess that I don't miss a day at the gym,
I confess that dicipline and sacrifice are my weapons,
I confess that I have favorite implements,
I confess that I tend to stick to same old reps schemes,
I confess that I don't always eat clean,
I confess that I posess and own this knowledge and strive for change,
I confess that though I have accumulated several injuries along the way, that I don't let them define me and find ways to train dispite them,
I confess that I will be the best that I can be,
I confess that I will share my knowledge with any and all who ask for it,
I confess that I am an Animal.


Posted this elsewhere but it's worth putting here.

Nice post Mike!

[Cellardweller]

Nice post Mike!

Thanks Steve. It means alot brother.

[Cellardweller]

I feel it. The shadows are moving all around me. Surrounding me. Closeing in on me. I'm slipping, falling, loseing my grip. I feel angry and sometimes helpless. Life is playing the game with me. I'm focusing on too many things that are outside of my control. Money, illness, time, family and corporate bullshit have gotten under my skin causing me to be weak. No! It doesn't cause me to be weak, I use it as an excuse to be weak. Most people think there's a war going on out there. Bullshit. The war is in your head. We all grind and hustle to make ends meet, but the battle is fought in your head. I took saturday off from the gym. It's just one day, right? No. It was a battle lost. For whatever reason my knee got fucked up 5 months ago and I took a day off of rebuilding. I will not be 100% if I take days off. I will not be more than I am, more than I was, if I take days off. Average people take days off. This is my Journey. It has my name on it. It represents me and who I am. Time to rally the troops, reform the shield wall and march one step at a time towards the enemy. Time to reset my grip. Time to take out the trash.