Saturday, June 4, 2016

Blog Version 3.0

          Admittedly, I have been away from the blog for a while now but that doesn’t mean I have been away from the gym. I am still at it five days a week and in that time, I have been doing a lot of research, experimenting, and such. I am hoping that all this trialing will help elevate me to a new level and while I am still doing “clinical tests” before posting my results, the effects have been very positive and I am close to being ready to share with the myriad of Furyan Strength followers – hi, both of you! – all that I have learned.
          But before I do that… a few stories.
          First, I feel that the philosophies laid down in the previously published pages are pretty rock solid and will not end up changing as the months (and years) roll on. Resistance training. Antagonistic sets. Limited rests. Protein, fats; limit sugar and carbs. Those building blocks are not going to change and I feel like I have explained them to the best of my limited ability. So with that said, the focus of the blog is now going to shift to that “This is what I am up to” style that I hope you can learn from and adapt into your own program.
          This month, I will officially celebrate my 2 year anniversary of my starting my fitness journey. It has been a long road. I am still learning new things every week. And I am starting to understand and appreciate how much hard work and dedication goes in to getting to that upper echelon. If you want veins to display in your biceps, it is freaking hard work to get to that level. It is not something you can do two days a week and expect results. And I am still learning after two years. It is not a sprint. It is a marathon. So don’t let doubt discourage you. Just keep dialing in to find that perfect routine that is right for you.  
          Third, and finally, I was confronted the other day when someone asked me, “Why are you working so hard? Who are you trying to impress?” And there was this moment, where I wanted to turn and present what some would affectionately call “the stink eye.” I don’t know if you are familiar with the new tag team duo Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy in the WWE, but I immediately went into my Jersey mode. While this was done through text message (where accents are hard to enunciate), I immediately went to that place. “Well lookie what we have here. A cuppa haters… A cuppa haters…” If you don’t speak Guido or are my father, that translates to “a couple of people who do not approve of what you are doing.”
          Now, in fairness, this texter was female. And the long running joke is that “Men and women go to the gym for the exact same reason. To obtain the perfect female body.” Women go because they want to look like that famous pop star or movie actress. And men go because they feel that they cannot attract the attractive with a pony keg. They need a six-pack to do so.
          Then, of course, is the fear. If a spouse sees their significant other going to the gym and getting in shape, there is the fear that they are doing it to look good for someone new or because they are about to be single again and want to attract the opposite sex. Now clichés are clichés for a reason. They exploit those tropes in sit-coms all the time.
          Time and again on here I have commented that you have to find your why. And this is what I have learned. I have openly said that I am in the gym because I want to cut an impressive figure in my tuxedo a decade from now when I walk my little girl down the aisle. So in that regard, I am not doing it for someone else. I am doing this for me but that mental image motivates me.
          I feel there is a difference between using mental images to motivate you and doing it for someone else. If you tell me, “Ryan, I want to go to the gym because I want my wife to be attracted to me physically.” Boom, good motivation! If you tell me, “Ryan, I think my wife is going to leave me and I want a six pack so she will be attracted to me and not leave.” Sorry, dude. You got bigger problems than the gym can fix.
          I have also said often that you do need the correct motivation to go to the gym and this is one of those instance where I feel it is okay to be selfish. I think if you are doing it for someone else – and by that I mean doing it so some girl will like you – then you will find yourself making excuses not to go. Instead, hit those weights for you. Gain pride in your own appearance and the rest will all just fall into place naturally.
          Keep up the good work. I hope you find the blog useful and learn a thing or two. For me, Year 2 is just right around the corner. What does that mean? It means it’s time to start the hard stuff…
 

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