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| Doyle doing coffin shrugs. |
If you are like me in anyway you did not play sports as a teenager. The idea of playing organized sports made you want to puke. You mean dudes got together to do more hard work after a full school day and willingly gave up their weekends to travel to towns no ones heard of and do the same thing?! fuuuuck that. I want to do kickflips, fingerbang girls in movie theaters, work a Dominos pizza and have my own money, play punk rock music with my friends, get outta school so I can go home to watch Worlds Scariest Police Chases while I take a nap on the couch. I did play and enjoy soccer from the age of 5 till 16 but when it was time to pick a side I had different priorities. No coincidence that my dropout in athletics was timed with my spike in puberty.
I can tell you right now sports didn't even make the top 15. While I harbor no regrets from my high school/early 20's "anti-jock" lifestyle I do realize the err of my ways now. Sports help mold a child/teenager/man into a stronger person both physically and mentally. Teaching about pushing yourself, discipline, commitment, teamwork and most importantly THE WEIGHT ROOM. I was Beta for most of my life. I mean painfully Beta. Most of us have outgrown our beta shell and abandoned it on the sands of Be-A-Man Beach but there was a time were even the baddest dude on Earth didnt know who he was. I was vegan (for all the wrong reasons), I listened to emotional music about girls and lost love, girls made me cry, I would send 10 too many text messages to girls, I was the guy who said "what do you you want me to do or be? ILL DO IT! just tell me!" I had no interest long term goals, no career path, no expectations. I quit every job by no call, no show, I never finished anything all the way through. I just worked shitty low paying jobs, drank diet soda, and was into long distance running.
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| your face after you finish reading that. |
Im not charging all of that beta-ness to lack of sports into my life but I have to think If I had the introduction early on like most high school jocks do then my foundation would be primed for better form and gains much sooner than now. I had zero knowledge of all things weightlifting related. I mean nothing. I had no jock friends. I didn't know a soul who was in shape. It just wasn't plugged in. Wasn't the company I kept.
The guys who have been playing school sports at an early age have a clear advantage in the weight room. They may not even realize it but their bodies are already conditioned for the squat rack and the bench press. They just have that natural thickness They have been doing so many similar punishing exercises and drills for years. They were bred in the habitat of iron, grunts, ass slaps, hi-fives, headbutts, generic statements of encouragement (i.e you got this! lets go!), injuries, cramps, motivational speeches, and "take a knee" huddles.
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| "bring it in boys... Miller Lite and Barbell Lunges on 3. 1,2,3...." |
So for whatever reason when I was 24 and started taking an interest in getting strong I was on my own. A frail, wet, and wide eyed baby deer wandering out of the forest of Skinny Fat. If you are reading this and were like me here is what I did to get on track to the gains.
First thing....I got a gym membership to LA Fitness. It was cheap and they gave me a discount for working next door at the restaurant Shorty's in Decatur GA. I had no idea what I was doing but I knew what I wanted to look like. So I watched every dude in the gym who was ripped and took note of the exercises they were doing. I wrote it down and next time I was in there I tried it. Some exercises were advanced and I biffed them hard. Others were do able and I built off that. I would buy a large black coffee and go to Borders (RIP) and read fitness magazines for hours. Trying to learn everything I could about eating, exercises, muscles, etc. It was a lot of fun. I began watching sports and getting into they lifestyle the athletes maintained. It was tough and I got my ass kicked but It got me out of my comfort zone and toughened me up a bit. Basketball games on Saturday morning with my co-workers, soccer games after work, softball with my neighbors. These were baby steps but it did wonders for my confidence.
What I am getting at is I never stopped learning. Always on the hunt for new techniques and food, learning and teaching myself, trial and error. Its a process that is still ongoing today. Its a great feeling to know that every year in my life I have been moving up. Always better than the previous year. I haven't peaked. No matter how outta shape you are or how weak you think you are dont loose sight of the mentality that you will always be better and stronger next month or next year. It is an eternal source of motivation if you are on the up. As long as you willing to push then you will see better results as time goes on. never be complacent with your routine or training.
