Recently I’ve been
getting messages from clients and friends about motivation. Lack of motivation,
lack of will power, lack of desire to change….whatever it is they feel
something is missing and something needs to change. I’m never sure how to respond because while I
try my best to understand the problem, empathy (at least in fitness and
nutrition) is always something I’ve had trouble with. Most people have a “goal” in mind, whether
it’s lose weight, add muscle, look better naked, or train for a
marathon…whatever it may be, they usually have an end goal in sight. Unfortunately, they only WANT to
accomplish this goal but it stops at just that….a want…not a necessity
Motivation is an odd
term…people feel if they don’t have it they won’t be able to perform and succeed. Well what is motivation? It’s defined as simply
the desire to do something but I think it also encompasses the purpose of that
desire. Why do you want to lose weight, run a marathon, or look better naked?
Is it necessary for your happiness? Will it make you a better person? Will you
benefit from it?
When clients ask me to motivate them I don’t know what the hell
to tell them….”push? One more rep? You can do it?” fuck all that….I’m just not
that kind of trainer…if I’m lucky I get to train clients 2-5 hours a week…out
of 168…what the hell am I going to say to you that will keep you motivated the
other 98% of the week? Not much…
you don’t need
motivation, you need to be consistent. You
need to change that simple desire into a necessity. Do you need it as bad as you need a job, food,
and shelter? Of course not but you need to change the way you view your
goals. You probably view your goals as an
option but if your goal is to lose 10lbs of fat well then you NEED to train
with intensity and stop eating crap. If
your goal is to get stronger well then you NEED to progressively overload and
put plates on that bar. If your goal is
to run a marathon? Well then you NEED to
fucking run. The end to all of these
goals doesn’t happen overnight and it takes more than watching a training
montage or a Ray Lewis speech to get you motivated. It takes consistency day in day out….regardless
of whether you want to or feel like it, you just have to. Don’t feel like working out and eating clean?
Tough shit…you need to do it to get to your goal, no questions and no
exceptions.
I get asked pretty
frequently how I do it, how I stay motivated to change my lifestyle, to eat
well, and train hard day in and day out regardless of my 60 hour work week
schedule. Well the thing is…I don’t need
motivation….I don’t have a fire under my ass, Eye of the Tiger playing in the
background, or wicked pre workout formula to get started…I just start moving no
matter how I feel. I don’t view my
training or my eating habits as a want, I view them as a need. My goal is to compete at a certain weight
class for jiu jitsu and powerlifting and just to look better so I NEED to lower
my body fat percentage and drop some lbs….the goal doesn’t matter, but if you
want to accomplish whatever goal you have, then you NEED to work towards it. Training is a NEED for me, eating clean is a NEED
for me. Could I stop working out and
eating healthy? Sure….just as I could stop brushing my teeth, stop working, and
stop showering everyday….but then I would be homeless, smelly, and out of
shape. I put my wants, feelings, and all
other bullshit life throws at me aside….it doesn’t stop me from training and it
definitely doesn’t stop me from eating healthy.
