See the picture?
That’s Arnold performing deadlifts – one of the most physically demanding exercises.
See his face – the veins popping out of his neck and the way his eyes are bulging? That’s effort. Pure effort and hard work.
It’s obvious that HARD WORK is the main ingredient for building muscle and strength.
Gut-busting, blood-vessel-bursting, skin-ripping hard work.
You’d think this would be obvious to most guys. But I wish I could show you the emails I get on a daily basis.
Most of the emails I get are CHOCK-FULL of excuses.
Tim (names have been changed to protect the guilty but the emails are real) wants to build muscle quickly and gain strength but says he can’t do squats or deadlifts. Why? Because he already has a pair of “water-filled” dumbbells and he just wants to use those.
Joe wants to know how he can build muscle with his at home-weight set. He has 60 pounds of weights and doesn’t want to buy any more weight so he wants a “high-rep routine.”
Roger wants to lose the fat off his gut but he “has no time to exercise” and “his wife doesn’t want him to eat a lot of protein”.
I could go on and on.
Back when I used to sell books on gaining weight and losing fat people would call me up and ask me “if I could just tell them what to do and what to eat because they didn’t feel like reading a book.”
I wanted to reach through the phone and choke them. If you don’t have the will-power to sit on a couch a read a short book, do you really think you’ll have the guts to make it the gym when it’s 5 degrees outside, when you’re still sore from the last workout and every fiber in your body is urging you to stay in bed?
Of course, I could very well be preaching to the choir. I suspect many of the regular readers of this blog are tough. You have to be tough to appreciate the simplicity of old-school, brutal training programs.
You have to be tough to get through a 20-rep squat workout.
You have to be tough to squeeze a workout in after a 12 workout day.
You have to be tough to stick with hard-boiled eggs when everyone around you is munching on chips and cake.
Quitting is easy. Making excuses is easy. Building strength is hard. Fighting against resistance is hard. But the struggle makes you stronger. The struggle makes you harder. The struggle makes you better.
Embrace the struggle and enjoy the battle.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
HA!
Awesome post Matt, and I too know the frustration of wanting to choke people through computer screens and telephone wires
Later,
Caleb
So true! For 99% of us, there is no magic formula. We must consitently work hard on the basics. With the right focus this becomes fun and very rewarding. In fact, for the most part, I’ve had to learn to hold myself back (this may have something to do with age as well).
Good post! And I agree with Thomas, there is no magic formula or short cuts. You have to consistently do the correct things, depending on your goals, even when you don’t necessarily feel like it.
Matt, I follow your book . I’m 28 years old and have been lifting for about 15 years. For 14 in a half of those years I thought I was doing everything correctly besides for gaing weight. For the past 8-9 months I’ve gone from 158 pounds to 180 pounds. The only reason I haven’t gained more is because lack of hard work. Everyone should know you must put in 200 percent to expect 100 percent results, bottomline.
good work matt, old school training builds bigger & stronger muscle, but old school is hard work. for me i perfer old school
Hi Matt,
Good post. 100% true, but remember you can’t suffer just because of other people’s laziness. Life is cycles of pleasure and pain, but everyone only wants the pleasure and that is why many people fail in many areas of their life. People need to embrace that there will be pain, and they should find pleasure in accepting it because in the end of the day what else can we do? The only thing you can do is what you’ve done so far and just continue to show them the way and show them the technique. If they are not willing to release their pain in the gym to the maximum, that pain will be released slowly and more torturously throughout their lives through potential diseases, stress, unhealthy habits, envy at what others have accomplished regarding their physique, and God only knows how this can transfer to other areas in their lives.
Next time you get a phone call like that, remember that they are already suffering badly enough because of themselves, and you’ve done all you can to help them through your books/liver tabs and your blog. Anything else you do or say is just wasted energy on your part. I would just hang up the phone without a word or a second thought.
Cheers, and happy lifting
great post thanks,
i agree, hard work is the key.
I whole heartedly agree. As a former college basketball player i learned that you can only really achieve the results you want through max effort. Not 50%, not 75%, but a full 110% of what you’re made of.
Only then will you reap the rewards of hard work. Keep up the good work everyone. And a special thanks to Matt for helping my physique progress when i was stuck in a rut.
Best,
Nick
Hi Matt,
“No one said this would be easy”
Excellent post - you only get what you put in. Today is Deadlift day or as I like to call it heavy pull Friday. All that is needed is hard work, perseverance and hard work. I just started taking the liver tables last week. 3 times a day so far. I’m getting ready for the V-Diet. I enjoy all the good info keep it coming buddy!
Hi Matt,
I’m 54 and stronger now than when I was much younger. I’ve lifted weights off and on for many years. The past few years I’ve worked out so I can continue to do the things around the farm I enjoy without the chronic injuries. I came across your site 4 or 5 months ago and have adopted many of the dietary recommenations (more water, nuts, seeds, fish oil and liver tabs) and now am able to lift much heavier weights (was topping out at 225 on a 10 rep squat, now warming up with 225). Muscles are starting to grow and even though my body hurts, I feel great because I’m not getting injured.
Thanks for the info and encouragement.
Richard
Nice job Richard. Keep it up and thanks for reading.