Sunday, December 08, 2013

Training - Wendler Wisdom - "Being in shape requires one thing: hard work. And working hard requires no talent. None."

12/8 - squats, tricep pushdowns, pulldowns, calf press, 10min treadmill incline walk

12/7 - 10x2min rounds shadowboxing/Rutten MMA - boxing -- pushups/prisoner squats

12/5 & 12/6 - rest/off/vacation

12/4 - press, wg neck press, inc db press, laterals/Gironda swings, drag curl, 10min treadmill incline walk

 "A popular misconception is that if you had access to train with all the latest strength training toys and gadgets you'd be as strong as your strength training heroes. It's an easy way out. It's also flat-out wrong."

"There's no excuse to be out of shape. You don't have to be a marathon runner and you don't have to be able to fight five rounds for the UFC title, but there's no acceptable reason for being an out of shape lard-ass. Being in shape requires one thing: hard work. And working hard requires no talent. None."

"When you read, your mind expands. Your dreams become bigger and your words become more colorful. When you train, your body becomes taut and hard. And when you train hard, your mind must overcome the physical pain to overcome and move on.  All these things go hand in hand. Never stop creating, moving forward, and kicking ass. Discard the negative and trust your heart."

"That part of your life is done, and if they want to "go out with a bang," tell them you want to "go in with a fist of hate." People may see this as cold. I see this as part of achieving your greatness."

"You know the saying, "Get knocked down seven times, but get up eight"? I prefer to get up eight times and knock the fuck out of whoever knocked me down the first seven times. Adopt a winning attitude that understands you will fail but allows you to achieve your goals. If possible, have someone in your life that won't coddle you, but call you out on your bullshit. "

"There's an old saying, "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser." Instead of bitching about it and pouting, most of us put our heads down and worked harder – that's how you properly channel setbacks and challenges. You're either a man of action or a bitch."

"Lesson: Your goals and your life are your own; true freedom is not allowing others to make them for you."

""Put your hand in a bucket of water. Take it out and the hole that you leave is how much impact you will have on the world. But the drops of water that are on your hand; those are the parts of your life that you need to worry about. Those belong to you.""

"I love challenges, even if they can be somewhat pointless or don't really mean anything. There's something amazing about setting out on the hard path, struggling like mad, and reaching the final destination. Still, many people shake their head at those who do that and ask why anyone would subject themselves to such "trivial" things. They're missing the point – the work and the perseverance required to reach the goal is what really matters. These things harden the body and the mind. They teach you resolve and how to fight through mental and physical pain."

"(One of my favorite excuses from the Mediocre Army when defending their shitty numbers when compared to strong lifters is, "If I didn't have a job and lifting was my job, I'd be that strong too!" No you wouldn't. You'd be playing Xbox all day, engrossed in reality TV, and sleeping until noon. You're weak because you're weak.) "

"So to cover the bases, these are the answers to the questions I get asked most. While this is only my opinion, be warned, I like to pass them off as fact and then fight endlessly over the internet to prove my point."

"3. "Scientific studies prove me correct!" There's a general rule in this industry that you should use whatever scientific study supports your way of thinking and disregard any other study that proves the opposite, citing quackery. Alwyn Cosgrove once said that if you took a lifter and had him perform a 1RM in the bench press, and then later the same day had him perform a full bench press workout complete with assistance lifts followed by having him test his 1RM again, the said lifter would test lower. Thus, you've just proven that weight training makes you weaker. So take each study you read with a huge amount of skepticism and understand that humans always have an agenda."

"If you squat, your legs will get bigger, whether you've got long levers, tight ankles, or you think your mother never loved you. Not that I blame her, either."

"You didn't start lifting weights to become smaller. (Some of you really need to let that one sink in.) Train around injuries, not through them. Write a Training Manifesto – I have a "Train to be Awesome" list that I refer to when I feel like I'm losing track of where I'm going/where I've been. Refer to this when you're "lost." Everyone needs to have their own Training Manifesto and it's all based on what you need and want from training. You don't have to share this with anyone – just hold yourself accountable. Don't be afraid to do what you want, not what others want you to do. Don't hold yourself to others' standards – especially when your standards should be higher. Training should be fun; there's joy in the pain of the process. When it becomes tiresome or becomes a "job" remember why you began training in the first place. It's not supposed to appease anyone but you."

"This is a slippery slope, so you’d better know your limits and your reactions. The good thing is that alcohol can make you more social. The bad thing is that you might forget to use your edit button and ask grandma about the open sores on her legs – and then compare your deadlift shins to hers. Of course, having a few drinks can also knock you out, and this is a good thing. Sleeping through a family gathering is highly recommended. "

 "I hear it all the time about “wanting to be around for my kids” or “my wife deserves better.”  That is horseshit. I know because I said it too. If you want to do something and make a change, you have to do it for yourself. This is a stronger statement to others and your children; that you are taking charge of your life and doing it because you want to do it. Finally, and I can’t state this enough, the important thing is to just do something. "

"8. Take the slow road – don’t be the guy “bulking” and “cutting” and “dieting.” All of these things fail. It’s about a lifestyle. 9. Mobility/Flexibility/Strength/Conditioning. These things are paramount to any training program no matter who you are."

"One important lesson that I've learned is when things get out of hand in life, keep the things that you can control, controlled. This keeps you from going insane."

"The problem is that everyone wants to have their cake and eat it too. It doesn't work like that – you can't be strong like a powerlifter, fast as sprinter, and as big as a linebacker. Well, you can, but these people are so rare that teams pay them millions of dollars and television stations have billion dollar contracts to broadcast them to you. They're called professional football players, and if you're one of them, you aren't reading this, as you're too busy counting your money and cracking skulls."

"Eat a ton of protein. Squat heavy. Push heavy objects. Have sex. Love life." -   Jim Wendler 5/3/1


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