Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Motivation and Habits [Training Photos]

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. 

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing Something. 

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make new mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is. 
Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it. 
Make your mistakes, next year and forever. 



Motivation is a weird thing that comes and goes based on how you feel at any given moment or day. 

Whenever people start out with a goal, they start out with great energy and fire, with huge amounts of motivation because they want to hurry up an accomplish that goal. But before they know it they are burned out, and lose motivation; and then they find themselves searching for a new goal. 

The best way to achieve a goal is to make the steps to achieve that goal a habit, a ritual. 

Once you make the process a habit, a ritual, you no longer have to suffer through the process...it just becomes a part of you. The key is, you must make the steps needed to achieve the goal a habit before you lose your motivation because if you lose your motivation before turning the steps into a habit, its over...time to start the vicious cycle all over again.  




















Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Transcendent Rep


Theres something you have to understand about training. It is not just the body at work. There is an integration of mind, body, and spirit at play. There is a threshold you have to cross in order to access the power of the mind and the spirit in your training. Lifting barbells isn’t just lifting barbells, lifting barbells is a transformative process that makes you a stronger person INSTANTLY if you cross this threshold. Most people are too scared to cross that threshold. When you cross that threshold you’re like breaking into a fortress and within that fortress there are jewels of untold value that will instantly turn you into a brand new person; a type of person that wherever you go people will know that you are not the same. People will recognize new found power in you simply by approaching training from the spiritual perspective. That power is only found beyond the threshold. That power that is within the fortress that transforms you instantly, that transforms your into a stronger person, that everyone sees, can appreciate… Its found in one place. Theres a single opportunity in your workout to access this gate, to move through and transcend yourself…Its found in the last rep…its called the transcendent rep. Everything that you have done up until this point leads to the single sweet spot, and it is here that you grow stronger…it is here that champions are born. Everything else is just a warmup. You can’t be in the flesh when you approach that transcendent rep, that last rep that your body doesn’t want to do. You must use your mind and spirit as well. But when you cross that threshold not only will your body grow stronger because you did that last rep, but here is an alignment, there is a unity that happens between your mind, your body, your spirit…but only when you’re courageous enough to cross that threshold; that transcendent rep. When you put every ounce of effort, energy, commitment, discipline, into executing that last rep, you transcend and you are born again, you become a brand new person. You’re resurrected in strength and everywhere you go from then on out people will recognize that there is a new found power in you…they can’t see you the same way. They won’t talk to you the same way, they won’t feel you the same way…because you’re brand new. You’ll breath different, you’ll walk different, the look in your eyes will be brand new. More stronger, more direct, more focused, more confident…They will all know that there is a brand new, stronger you. 

Workout
5 Rounds for time: 
10 push jerks
10 toes to bar
10 burpees




















Monday, December 21, 2015

Typical Goal Setting Advice

So it is that time of year again...the time where people typically reflect on the year and start setting goals for the new upcoming year. The typical advice about goal setting goes something like this: Set a goal and then tell lots of people about it. That will keep you accountable. The problem, it seldom works. Most of the time it will have an opposite effect. 

Multiple psychological studies, some going back as far as 1927, back this up. But here's the gist: When you tell someone about your goal, you get a sense of satisfaction and even a little tingling sense of achievement. Your mind becomes somewhat content, as if you already achieved that goal. Announcing the goal makes you feel closer to achieving it even though you haven't actually done any work yet. 

Psychologists call this a problem of "social reality" or "social acknowledgement." You've identified with an end goal and get a little excited about the thing you haven't done yet. Now you're less likely to do the work. 

A Better Way

First, you can keep your mouth shut. Resist the urge to talk about your goal. Delay the sense of gratification you get by telling someone your goal. Be the person that achieves cool things, not the person who talks about achieving cool things and never does. 

Another reason to keep your mouth shut, there many bad people out there that don't want you to succeed. These people are dealing with their own doubts and insecurities, and when someone decides to do something great, well, that hurts their feelings a little bit, especially when these goals are much more grand than the ones they have set for themselves. They usually won't blatantly discourage your aspirations, but they will do it more subtlety: Little comments or small actions that cause you to waver. 

Tell your coworker your goal is to lose 10 pounds and sure enough she'll offer you junk food here and there because, "You deserve a reward." 

Better keep your mouth shut about your goals, do your thing, and celebrate your actual achievements, not your make-believe good intentions.