Motivation? What Seperates You?

B_rocK1 · February 19, 2009, 8:33pm

I can say that for me: I have a massive inner drive to do better. From the way I was as a child to some events that happened in my life; I have been able to look back and see what I was in order to see what I want to be.

"To be honest with you my motivation now comes from seeing normal people. "

I liked this quote by blaque.ops a few posts back; this is exactly how I feel when I go to the gym and see people slacking off, talking or just not doing anything.

I bust my balls in the gym and have a strict diet so I can set myself apart from the majority and be seen as an Alpha Male.

I challenge you to put your health and strength ahead of everything else in your life for 3 months and then look back and tell me if you think it was worth it.

It took me a hell of a lot less time then that to know MY answer was: Unequivocally - yes.

Good luck and stick around this site; more then enough inspiration.

ddinante · February 19, 2009, 9:00pm

I can’t really give a solid reason why I first went to the gym. But I know why I went today. I wanted to get that feeling of victory you get when you add 2/5/10kg to what you lifted the last time.

I look good now, by average guy-on-the-street standards.I get oohs and aahs when I take off my clothes in front of a girl. I can take it easy and still look better than most. So that’s not my reason.

The thing is that I want to feel like I did when I first deadlifted 2.5 times bodyweight. Like I felt when I spent a month trying to get through a bench press plateau, and blasted it into history. And so on…

These victories, as secret as they are fulfilling, as numerous as they are arduous- they are my reason. No one else really understands them. A friend of mine, when he finally got himself to tag along to the gym, watched my training partner and me squatting set after set and then said,“You guys actually love this shit”.

Why I went to the gym this afternoon: I’m beyond achieving results,goals; because there’s always another goal just beyond. I just love the bloody process.

I truly wish you the same.

Growing_Boy · February 19, 2009, 4:15pm

What seperates me? Evertime I stare in the mirror I see flaws amidst a sea of compliments. I see room for improvement. I see my final outcome and realize I still have a ways to go. When people call it a day, I still keep the bar moving.

Merely running on the power of my mind because the body has failed. I’m not doing this for the girls, attention, fame, etc. I’m doing this because it allows me to become something greater than the norm. Living life being normal, to me, is a wasted life.

I do this because in there it doesn’t matter what your walk of life is. What you drive, what you fuck, who you are, how much money you make, what you’re wearing, etc matter nothing. The only place when a white bread millionare can be worth shit next to a blue collar Hispanic mesomorph. Its my constant, my only controlled factor in a chaotic world.

Motivation has to be an inner fire that no external source can help you light. Its a psychological process that is born from destruction, humiliation, pain and hatred for oneself and others. Maybe its just me.

kennedy35 · February 19, 2009, 9:37pm

[quote]B rocK wrote:

I challenge you to put your health and strength ahead of everything else in your life for 3 months and then look back and tell me if you think it was worth it.

It took me a hell of a lot less time then that to know MY answer was: Unequivocally - yes.

Good luck and stick around this site; more then enough inspiration. [/quote]

I will take that challenge. I am seriously tinkering with the idea of doing the Velocity Diet for a couple reasons:

I want to jump right into the fire and get working. I have done diets like this before and I like the idea of losing fat without losing all the muscle which I have also done in the past. With the expenses I will be doling on supplements for this diet it will add to my motivation and consistency.
I really want to do a log and put up pictures, questions, concerns, triumphs, etc… because it will also keep me motivated.

Finally, the responses to this post have been more than I could have asked. Alot of different personalities here but, deep down everyone added something that can help me. For that I appreciate it.

Now, I would like the rest of you to know that I am serious about this and would like to show it in pics and a log etc…

Thanks Again!

kennedy35 · February 19, 2009, 9:39pm

[quote]B rocK wrote:

I challenge you to put your health and strength ahead of everything else in your life for 3 months and then look back and tell me if you think it was worth it.

It took me a hell of a lot less time then that to know MY answer was: Unequivocally - yes.

Good luck and stick around this site; more then enough inspiration. [/quote]

I will take that challenge. I am seriously tinkering with the idea of doing the Velocity Diet for a couple reasons:

I want to jump right into the fire and get working. I have done diets like this before and I like the idea of losing fat without losing all the muscle which I have also done in the past. With the expenses I will be doling on supplements for this diet it will add to my motivation and consistency.
I really want to do a log and put up pictures, questions, concerns, triumphs, etc… because it will also keep me motivated.

Finally, the responses to this post have been more than I could have asked. Alot of different personalities here but, deep down everyone added something that can help me. For that I appreciate it.

Now, I would like the rest of you to know that I am serious about this and would like to show it in pics and a log etc…

Thanks Again!

dre · February 19, 2009, 9:58pm

If you need to get on the internet and have a bunch of strangers “challenge” you, you aren’t ready to do this.

Carlitosway · February 19, 2009, 10:15pm

[quote]kennedy35 wrote:
Not sure where to post this so I went here. Thought about Beginners but, I’ve been training for a long time.

My question/comment:

Why do you think so many people settle for a less then ideal body even though they complain/think/worry about it everyday?

That is my current dilemma, I’ve been overweight for for nearly 5 years now.

I just can’t chock up the answer to it being “hard” to look good.

I am successful in every other aspect of my life. And alot of the aspects in my life are hard: my job, my relationship, coaching, etc… These are all things that take a major amount of time and effort.

So, why is the working out and eating right part so difficult for some and not others? You could say Math comes easily for some but, not others but, not everyone cares about math. Everyone usually wants to look good.

I am the constant excuse maker when it comes to looking good: I’ll start next Monday, after the New Year, after the SuperBowl.

I would never do this at my job or with my significant other. Why so much with the food and workouts?

What is seperating me from those who can be consistent in the gym and eat right?

Why have I settled for looking like a baby elephant and being unhealthy. Why do some care more about their look then their jobs? And who are those special people that do both so well?

Answers. Advice on motivation. Anything will help as I embark on my umpteen attempt to get back in shape.

Thanks for reading this difficult question that I barely understood how to pose never mind answer. [/quote]

I just find it weird you state you’ve been training long. During all this long training what the hell have you been doing? Just going through the motions like every other yuppie?

I mean what got you to this point, don’t give me that talk about life this or that bs everyone has their issues to deal with. Yeah training has to take the back burner sometimes, but you BOUNCE back ASAP. Like someone stated bottomline you don’t care at all.

I understand you made a thread for some answers, maybe some motivation. Yet why do you need more people to validate your huge lack of motivation. Plain and simple you don’t need “us” or “answers”.

Think of all the people in wheel chairs who don’t even have that choice of being able to go play a favorite sport or go hit the gym hard. I think it’s a shame most people don’t give a shit about there body and then at the last minute they do when they are the worse position all weak and fat.

I grew up poor and because of this and my families genetics grew up real damn skinny. Yet I looked in the mirror one day when I could take care of myself and said fuck this I’m going to change this even if it takes a long time. Being my best physically, mentally and socially is my ultimate goal.

Yet if you don’t have that inner spark to love training,eating and grinding it out. You most likely won’t ever.

FattyFat · February 19, 2009, 11:08pm

[quote]Trenchant wrote:
You don’t care enough. Simple as that.
[/quote]

I second that.
I’ve been in the iron game for about 9 years and had about 3 years of track & field experience under my belt prior to that.

I know the basic and important applied facts about nutrition and training and I know my body, its strengths and weaknesses. I trained hard and consistently, but I used to fuck up in the related efforts like getting enough sleep, not exceeding recovery capacity and listening to my body.

I was still making progress, mind you, but I wasn’t getting back what I’ve invested training- and nutrition-wise.

You have to set your objective(s) and then to really burn with the desire to achieve it/them. It’s goal setting / motivation 101.

kennedy35 · February 19, 2009, 11:35pm

[quote]dre wrote:
If you need to get on the internet and have a bunch of strangers “challenge” you, you aren’t ready to do this.[/quote]

Come on? You gotta be better than that dude. What the hell are you talking about? That has nothing to do with this thread.

I didn’t ask anyone to “challenge” me. I asked people what their motivation was. Read the started thread man. You read the last post out of context. But, that is typical of people who take hard lines on things they have not read entirely through. Not once did I ask for a challenge. I accepted one in jest to a previous post.

I simply came on the internet (a vehicle used for millions of people to find answers, advice, community, etc…) and specifically this site, to get some good information and motivation. And it has been very helpful.

Motivation comes in a ton of different forms as you can see by this thread. You could have included your motivation in your reply to me. That would have helped and been appreciated. But, instead you talk about me wanting people to challenge me? Where does that come from?

Part of my motivation was coming here and getting the internet version of cold hard stares and tough love. People have been very supportive and some have challenged me (again, I didn’t ask for any challenges) or broke my ego a little bit.

But, noone has told me “I’m not ready to do this.” That’s just a garbage and narrow-minded response. I’m here on the internet looking for motivation and ideas not throwing down cheeseburgers at Fat Burger. Gimme a break man.

But, your entitled to saying whatever you want because I posted it on the website for all to see.

Ironically, your shitty post might motivate me as well.
So, thanks for the equivalent of the guy who kicked sand in the other’s guys face at the beach internet reply.

Maybe I need that. Maybe I deserve it.

Hopefully a month from now I will be on a different path.

Carlitosway · February 19, 2009, 9:35pm

Why not make the path start this instance:D. You say hopefully next month, which might then turn into the next month after that month.

RebornTN · February 19, 2009, 9:46pm

[quote]Kanada wrote:
Because I can’t control my school load. I can’t control if it rains, if its sunny, if its -30 outside for 2 straight weeks.

I can’t control which girls I meet, if it’s her period, or what the crazy chick is thinking.

I can’t control what I already did, where I’ve already been, or how hard it was to get here.

I control how much weight I put on the bar. How often I lift, how many times I eat. I control what I put in me, even if I don’t pick the ingredients. I pick the timing of food, the frequency of eating. How fast I lift, what the exercises are, the supplements I remember to take every day.

So if i walk to the gym thinking, “I made an ass outta myself last night” or “I’m not getting the girl acting like this” I get to the gym thinkin “fuck it, the iron doesn’t care. It just wants me to move it”[/quote]

That brought a tear to my eye.

D_Day · February 20, 2009, 3:09am

This video always makes me want to push myself everytime I see it. It sends a shiver down my spine.

LiveFromThe781 · February 20, 2009, 3:21am

blah blah fucking blah

either youre meant to do this or you aint.
you need 2 things to be a good bodybuilder; genetics and determination. determination is the most important because its what makes you keep coming back.

youre either born with it or you arent. you guys that go “off and on” will never make it so stop bothering youll always be the “off and on guy”.

Carlitosway · February 20, 2009, 3:58am

goood stuff d day. Damn doing that ironman alone is tough already, I couldn’t imagine having to carry some one along the whole way. CRAZY.

Cortes · February 19, 2009, 11:57pm

Good thread. There’s a lot of good advice for you here. You need to make a decision to change NOW, this instant, any further procrastination or plans for doing better in the future are only evidence that you are not ready to make a commitment.

One thing I have NOT noticed discussed that jumped out at me from the very first post was the fact that your self-talk is probably exactly your problem.

You say you beat yourself up and you have a poor image of yourself. Well, the subconscious mind will unalterably, good or bad, deliver to us the exact results of whatever it is we program it with. For example, if I see myself as fat, out of shape, etc, then my mind will direct my body to take actions which fulfill that image of myself.

The mind will go so far as to induce cravings for food you shouldn’t eat, or sabotage your motivation to get to the gym at the last instant.

Conversely, if you tell yourself that you are a bodybuilder (or whatever), that you ALWAYS make the right food choices, that you ALWAYS get to the gym, that you ALWAYS live a healthy lifestyle, and if you will envision yourself in as much detail as possible as looking like your ideal,

You will find yourself automatically becoming that person. You don’t even have to believe this. It is that powerful.

I would venture to say that a lot of the guys here that stay motivated do not do so for the reasons they have stated, but rather because they talk to themselves in a manner which is conducive to inspiring motivation. This involves both visualization as well as the words you speak, both orally and in your head.

If you are interested in this subject, and you should be, then I HIGHLY recommend the books What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, and The Self-Talk Solution, both by Shad Helmstetter (in that order).

Real change does not come from willpower. In fact, willpower is a myth. Real, lasting change comes from a revolution in the way you see yourself and the words you use to describe yourself and your actions.

Hope this helps. It’s for real.

kennedy35 · February 20, 2009, 2:01pm

[quote]Cortes wrote:
Good thread. There’s a lot of good advice for you here. You need to make a decision to change NOW, this instant, any further procrastination or plans for doing better in the future are only evidence that you are not ready to make a commitment.

Real change does not come from willpower. In fact, willpower is a myth. Real, lasting change comes from a revolution in the way you see yourself and the words you use to describe yourself and your actions.

Hope this helps. It’s for real.[/quote]

Thanks. That was interesting and certainly appreciated. And certainly makes me take a look at how I do view myself. I will think more on that.

To the others about starting now: I mentioned a month from now because that’s when I will see if I have been committed for at least a month. Which I expect I will. I have already started.

I continue to check the thread because people continue to give advice and I do like them to know I’m still looking at it.

I had no idea this thread would go on so long. And I’m happy it did and I will continue to look it over and re-read some good advice.

My original post had nothing to do with me being a bodybuilder. I need to get back to square one first: eating healthy and being consistent in the gym.

From there I hope things will take me to another level. As many have said so eloquently: once you start looking better and feeling better and seeing change then you will continue to strive to take it to a new level.
That is what I want.

At 5’10, 240 pounds, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 20% body fat I have a long way to go. Luckily, I have always been a person who can put on good size and muscle rather easily. I was blessed with good genetics but, have not taken those to my advantage for a very long time.

I am continuing my Waterbury TBT workout and hoping to start the V-Diet whenever the products come in. I have started eating much better already.

Thanks again to all who have contributed. I will continue to look.

dre · February 20, 2009, 2:06pm

[quote]kennedy35 wrote:
dre wrote:
If you need to get on the internet and have a bunch of strangers “challenge” you, you aren’t ready to do this.