Dig, if you will, a picture...of iron and steel so cold! That was my terrible homage to Prince (RIP) while I welcome you to my inaugural post here and talk about things being HEAVY! Now that might sound a bit silly considering this blog is about weightlifting and bodybuilding, specifically my journey into the world of strongman, but allow me to elaborate...
What you see below is a wee bit over 900 pounds situated on the wonderful Nautilus branded deadlifted platform. I love this machine when I'm getting ready for a contest because the handles mimic how one would deadlift a car and they are about mid-shin level, so not too low and not too high. The day this picture was taken I was working deadlifts, specifically THESE deadlifts. My goal that day was to work up to as much weight as possible.
That's about as much programming as I do these days, but I digress...
The most I'd ever done on this apparatus was about 630 I think, so this day, I wanted to push 700 and when I got to 710 I knew I had more in the tank, and more than just that, I also had an audience!
I'm sure some of you that find this blog will be familiar with this scene; you're getting ready to do a big lift and you look around and find that there are some curious eyes upon you. In this case there is a guy on the flat bench to my left and in the distance theres a big black dude doing floor deads (you can see his leg I think) and they both pumped their breaks to see what I was going to do on this set. I'm very used to this kind of attention!
Well to be honest I was having one of those days when the weights were just moving like butter. I could've lifted a house that day if I had one! I got 800-something for a handful of reps and thought that there was no way I could do another plate on each side-not because I didn't feel like it, but I didn't THINK I could. I then zeroed in on the fact that A) I got two dudes looking and waiting on me to fail and B) ain't no way I can call myself a "Bad Man" if I can't move this weight! So guess what? I did, and busted out 9 reps on it too!
"He who hesitates is lost."
Most of the time the weight isn't "heavy" but we think it is and we convince ourselves we aren't ready yet and most of the time that's dead wrong.
When it comes to the weights you have to know your true limitations, or at least have an idea of where you're going to start to falter, but the only way to push past those limits is to give yourself permission to push through that barrier. You might even need to verbally tell yourself, "you are able to do this and I give you permission to." Your body will never be as strong as your mind, and unless you take those chains off of your mind and allow your body to push its limits, you'll never grow as an athlete.
So much of what we do in training is related to how we prepare ourselves mentally and once we tell our bodies that the limit is here, or that we have already reached the limit then you are DONE. Don't give in to things like limits! Don't give in to the "I just don't know about this." Don't make your training session become a victim of the poison of doubt, believe that you CAN push past those barriers and that you CAN push the envelope of strength, endurance, flexibility or whatever your particular piece of business is that day.
We all hit the wall for real from time to time and when life gets HEAVY then you have to know when it's wise to walk away and rest for the next attempt tomorrow. But don't GIVE UP and tell yourself that the weight got too HEAVY just because you got tired! Challenge yourself every single time you train to give it your absolute best for just that hour or two and put your energies into it.
Give yourself permission to be strong and things will never be too heavy!
That is my hope for you as you go out into the world and into the weight room, don't give up because things get heavy! Life, like the weights, will always be cold, tough, heavy and hard to maneuver but if you prepare, believe in yourself and push through it there is success on the other side.
Keep working hard, stay humble and remember...BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!
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