HOW TO FIGHT DRAGONS

  What drives you? What pushes you further when pain, distractions, and excuses start pouring in? Sure we all start out with what seems like an unstoppable drive to do what needs to be done. But then inevitably, if no planning has been done, if no clear goals exist, if there is no route from point A to point B, if you just showed up at the gym one day with a fire in your belly and a head full of dreams to look like the images plastered across muscle mags...you are doomed. Don't get me wrong, I applaud your newly found desire to workout and sculpt your physique. However, an absence of the aforementioned points will have you wondering blindly in the dark.

  With this type of blind searching you'll be lucky just to stay healthy and injury free...so what about your results? At first, if you've never lifted weights, you'll probably make some ok gains even with a bad program. This is because you introduced a new stimulus (weight lifting) to your body. What happens when you see those gains? Your on cloud nine of course! You feel as though you could fight rhinos and arm wrestle gorillas!! THIS IS SPARTA!!! kind of stuff. Now time for that poor planning and bad routine to bare their ugly side like Brittney Spears with an umbrella...PLATEAU. The wasteland of sadness and despair most gym goers will never progress past. But why?! Because most never dig deep enough through the garbage dump of useless bro science and muscle mag BS to figure out "the law of specificity". This is the fundamental principle behind ANY good routine. "What is it?! Tell me tell me"! Whoa there captain impatient...the law of specificity states..."the body will adapt specifically to imposed demands". So if you don't introduce new demands or manipulate your variables, your body has absolutely no reason to change. It's like your cranky neighbor with the 1981 Buick..."I don't need to change! This baby gets me from point A to B just fine". Sooo what to do? Make the old crankster haul wood. "Oh man! My poor Buick can't haul wood...I need a truck"! So instead of getting pissed and arguing with captain angry, we introduced a reason for him to change out of necessity. What does this look like for you body?

Change:

The amount of weight lifted

Sets and reps

Rest time between sets

Training frequency

Exercises

Duration of workout

The tempo of your reps

  I don't mean change all of these at once, this is simply a list of variables that you can tweak when your training gets stagnant. I may at some later date tackle the subject of training variables more extensively. However the goal here is to help you understand how important variables are and that you need to learn how to manipulate them, to get RESULTS. All of this needed to be explained because THE KING OF MOTIVATION IS RESULTS, and results come from goal setting, planning, knowledge of what you're doing and why, and consistency... not some mystery powder you bought online.

  So what's next? An unbreakable diamond crushing WILL. A strong will isn't something you are just born with, it is a skill that must be exercised to make it stronger. After years of careful honing of this prized skill you will be able to do things you thought you couldn't. It will give you the courage to do things other people say you shouldn't. The most powerful will is one fueled by bigger and bigger successes. Go out right now and test yourself...set a goal, a clear goal that is black and white (either you made it or you didn't). Now destroy that challenge as though it was a fiery dragon, hell bent on incinerating you with its liquid hot magma breath! Now as you look down at the lifeless carcass of this mythical bringer of destruction, that once was an obstacle in your way...just try and tell me you don't feel like you can do anything in this moment. That feeling is your confidence, that your will created, built by your result of slaying the dragon. You are unstoppable now my friend. 

  Now you know how people who achieve amazing physical success feel every day! The mirror is a constant reminder of how their hard work is rewarded. I'm telling you, you start seeing results and you'll look at a cupcake a hole lot different than you did before! 

  Now you know why most people fail where you will succeed...you know the secret. When all the New Year's resolutions start dropping like flies, you will stand the test of time. So get ready for your results and all the motivation you could ever hope for! You got this!

"Now wait just a minute! Where the hell is Steve"?! I'm sorry but my imaginary friend Steve that just so happens to be the perfect example for every one of my stories, took the week off.