strength and weakness

Here is something that has intrigued me lately. Its the topic of strength and weakness. When I talk about strength and weakness today it is not only of the contractile force of your muscle fibers but also of your mind. To be strong you can’t be weak…if that makes any sense to you. I’ll give an example. To pass the RKC I embarked on a training program as chronicalled by my training routines for the RKC. The training schedule happened to land on Christmas and New Years. Did I stop training during those days? No because I had my goal set and I was not letting failure be an option. The small sacrifices you make now will pay off in the long term. To me it didn’t require that much strength of character but it is more then most people have. On the other hand a client of mine skipped his workouts this week because he was hung over. That is the worst f’ing excuse for skipping workouts for the simple reason that excessive drinking in a malnourished person (another thing I am mad at him for) has no place in his programed especially when it is causing you to skip training sessions. Is it any wonder that his wife who is stronger of character is pressing a kettlebell twice as big as his. I am very close to dropping him because you can’t help those who refuse to help themselves. I can make you strong in body but you have to be strong in mind first. Another of my clients has a goal of fat loss. Everytime she drops a pound she celebrates with a binge and when it goes back up she says to herself “Oh whats the point?!?” the point is to not go crazy with every pound of fat lost but to perservere. It takes strength of character to just keep pushing. Fat loss isn’t that hard its just tedious. Find a proper exercise program, find a proper nutrition program and stick to both of them. It really is that simple.

So why is it that so few people succeed? I believe it to be weakness that isn’t part of your body but part of your mind. Ask yourself these questions to see if you are strong or weak in mind which will carry over to your body. Do you look for excuses to get out of a training session? Do you use the excuse that it is your genetics? Do you quit early? Would you be willing to train at 2 in the morning if you had to? If you are trying to lose weight is the pull of the hamburger stronger then you? Are you willing to eat to live rather then live to eat? Are you willing to do what is necessary to accomplish your goal? When the going gets tough do you rise to the challenge or do you give up?

Eric Moss RKC
End of rant

Related posts:

1. Eric Moss' 10 Commandments for health, strength and fitness
2. training blog 11/5/08