Declare
War on Your Muscles
(An excerpt
from the book Tactical
Fitness: Rules of Advanced Gym Warfare)
Foreword (with Dave Draper, Mr. Universe)
Men and women in increasing numbers
around the globe are weight training. The value of the activity
was discovered years ago by a gritty few and only recently has
lifting weights been accepted and, in fact, become a trend. We
stand before the crowd.
To prep us for the material and
tone of Tactical Fitness, let's take an overview of the mission
at hand.
A person lifts weights for a
wide variety of reasons, many of which are undefined or unclear
to the lifter. The reasons one pits him or her self against the
iron often become increasingly clear as one applies oneself to
the deed. The purposes and values of resistance exercise develop
as the participant develops.
Typically, weightlifting is practiced
to build strong and shapely muscle. Who doesn't want a trim,
well-muscled body? Good health and fitness are on the heels of
attractive muscular strength. We look and feel better, think
and do better when we're physically fit. As a sport participant,
engaging the weights in regular exercise improves one's ability
to perform well on the field and in the arena. The benefits unfold.
And, as might, swiftness and endurance are great assets in games
and recreation, and so are they in the daily battle of living.
The physically strong thinks adequately of himself, projects
confidence, acts positively on his own behalf and protects himself
adeptly from aggression and aggressors. There's an element of
security in being fit and strong, and fear moves to the background.
The injured and ailing recover
more quickly and completely when rehabilitation includes weighted,
resistance exercise. Nothing builds healthy tissue and a sound
cardio-respiratory system more safely, directly and quickly than
good nutrition and proper weightlifting.
Then there are the characters
in both genders who take the development of muscle and strength
to the highest degrees and compete against one another to determine
who is structurally the best or most powerful. What devotion,
what passion!
Above and beyond the physical
development one enjoys from dedicated weight training is the
development of the mind and character in the relentless pursuit.
Lifting weights, as does any worthy, difficult and regulated
activity, requires patience, discipline and perseverance. And
as these magnificent jewels of personality are applied, they
are strengthened and enabled polished and set. Purpose,
hope and commitment are added to the treasure of brilliant qualities
required and amplified by insistent bombing and blasting.
Not a muscle is added to our
bodies by lifting unless the mind directs us to act. Here we
have a curious juncture in the pursuit of muscle and might. Lifting
weights is hard work. We expected it would be. In the beginning
hard work was novel and almost welcome. Nothing good comes without
pain and sacrifice, we are told by savvy and tough mentors. Good!
And in the first weeks and months, we delighted in evidence of
strength and muscle development. We, too, are tough.
And then progress slowed to an
apparent halt. At the very same time the work became exceedingly
hard. Time stood still, the weights moved laboriously, our spirits
dropped and we stood slump-shouldered and pigeon-toed in front
of the mirror of life.
This, the test of all time, is
a bigger test than we realize or admit. Take note: Surrender
and we give up more than we can afford. We give up the vital
link between us and the good life. We forfeit the connection:
the enabler, the provider, the elevator, the teacher, the healer,
the perfecter, the bridge over the gap. Sufficient iron, tons
of the stuff, in our construction supports and develops the building
process, and the whole structure.
Look. We can go to school, we
can get a job, we can save money, have a relationship, a home
and a family, run and jump and play. But without the rewards
and benefits of regular weightlifting and the right eating and
living that accompany it, it is all more difficult and less complete.
Surrender is not an option, not
for the wise and the willing.
To press on and acquire the riches
that attend weight training and exercise, we need to be smart
and courageous two more absolutely magnificent features
needed for and nurtured by generous exercise. We must be clever
and straight-forward and aggressive. This doesn't make us bad,
only assertive and determined.
See how the fortress grows. To
stack on muscle and might we stack on layers of strong character,
sound behavior, solid individuality, respected moral fiber and
plenty of desire and spirit.
What next? When your breath is
short, when you feel overwhelmed, when you're alone and off guard
stop, look and listen. That chaotic stillness you feel,
that blinding vision you see, that silence hammering in your
head is a call for a strategy to topple the resistance before
you. There's no turning back; you have too much invested and
it's emptied your soul. Your storehouse is full of resources
and knowledge earned, saved, developed and invented over a grateful
and rugged length of time. They must be applied and realized.
As a life well lived and well
earned would have it, a book of encouragement and application
fortuitously bounces off your head and into your lap. Well, wouldn't
ya know it: The next step for the thrust of your energies, abilities,
strengths and understandings is at your fingertips
Declare War (with Brian D. Johnston)
The ability to improve, maintain,
or reduce the loss of muscle as we age is a continual battle
rife with conflict. What works in the past may not work today,
or will work to a lesser extent, and knowing this should make
it evident that an effective fight necessitates you identify
your enemy. You may be attached to your muscles, but muscles
are a 'troubled sort;' schizophrenic you could say since their
'evil twin,' a necessary evil in survival, is adaptation.
Muscles are your allies that
eventually must be betrayed in gym battle to weaken its darker
and more mysterious counterpart. However, by weakening the muscles,
in order to disrupt homeostatic adaptation and stagnation, and
later befriending the muscles with food and rest, you make both
factors stronger.
This betrayal of alliance is
necessary since muscles are reluctant to grow. And it is your
brain, and the creative strategy in which you apply exercise
science that determine whether you can win the war against stagnation
and homeostasis. The end result will have the muscles growing
in response, to increase the number of muscle cells within its
army in order to create a greater defense against future attacks,
but this, too, increases the strength of the enemy - adaptation.
How ironic that your greatest
obstacle of not growing larger muscles is from your ally, the
muscles themselves, who pretend to be on your side while, at
the same time, scheming to sabotage your intent of making them
larger. They are lazy and must be forced to grow and will do
whatever possible to remain the same size or atrophy. It is
further ironic that they are in a defensive position (to produce
force resist exercise strain), and yet require a state of self-destruction
to become more offensive.
Knowing how to strategize requires
the discovery your muscles' hidden patterns of response to exercise,
a necessary step since it is not so simple as to submit all muscles
to the same methods, number of repetitions, sets or frequency;
what may work on the quadriceps may be detrimental to the latissimus
dorsi, and what may be effective for the shoulders may have little
effect on the pectorals.
It is the reluctance of muscles
to grow that must make you merciless in your pursuit, with clarity
and direction that will serve to annihilate the enemy. With
that in mind, a crucial idea must infiltrate your psyche
nothing will stand in your way of muscle building success. Once
you begin thinking that it cannot be done, once you allow frustration
to seize your thoughts, you already are defeated.
Obviously a person often will
be confronted with negative situations and thoughts, in that
training responses are not to standards or to one's desires,
but how you confront those situations will determine your inevitable
destiny, and whether you give in or regroup for the next battle.
Many trainees have already given in without realizing it, since
they rarely if ever strategize and explore their options, sticking
with the same battle plan week in and week out.
Understand that the obstacles
are not the quality or choice of equipment you have, but yourself,
in how you apply exercise, regardless of the tools, supplements
consumed, etc. Everything depends on your frame of mind and
how you interpret your existence in the gym so that you can apply
exercise creatively to your individual needs. Discover who you
do not want to be (i.e., what you do not like about your physique),
and your sense of purpose will become more clear and motivated
toward change. Understanding that you are at war with yourself,
and that each gym visit becomes one of purpose within a unique
battle controlled under your command will eliminate feelings
of frustration, aggravation and excuses toward self-pity.
Many trainees concede to their
muscles, being at their mercy by giving them exactly what they
want a stable and predictable exercise environment. As
stated, muscle don't want to grow, since it is metabolically
expensive to increase and maintain greater size, whether at rest
or during activity. You need to antagonize your muscles, since
without antagonism there is no battle, and without a battle there
can be no victory toward change. Put fear into your muscles.
Do not retreat into submissiveness by laying down your arms
and giving into your enemy. If something does not work, you
must re-strategize.
As will be discussed in later
chapters, it is best to attack when your enemy is not expecting
it, and this means when your muscles are complacent and adapted
to doing the same thing repeatedly. At that point they are dormant
and a surprise attack will be your best line of defense.
Avoiding an attack and feeling
victimized is pointless, an internalized behavior based on a
sense of hopelessness and negative emotions. Rather, you want
to externalize that effort toward the problem you face lack of
muscle growth. Stop blaming genetics as your reason for your
limitations. That may be the case for some of us, but until
you learn to attack through effective strategies, regardless
of the equipment used, or lack thereof, you never will know whether
a genetic peak has been reached or breached. Sticking with the
same battle plan week in and week out, when results are not forthcoming,
is self-inflicted suicide for an army and its commander, and
so it is true of you're a person's training destiny.
It is through our battles in
the gym that we learn what works and what does not, whereas not
making change and not experiencing change does provide a learning
experiencing. Do not avoid conflict, but welcome it since conflicts
will bring out the best in you. The greater the conflict, the
greater the return; this is true even when you fail, since it
is better to lose and to learn than to remain complacent.
The ability to succeed will increase
if you know and believe that you will achieve a workout goal
with ease. Unfortunately, most trainees focus more on safety
while avoiding danger or risks, but it is only with risk that
you will realize your full potential. However, the challenge
must be within your means, in that you want maneuverability to
make last minute changes when in battle with the muscles. But
realize that maneuverability does not mean that you should compromise,
since compromise is a weapon that is used against you. Most
people compromise by making things easier and doing more sets,
avoiding the very challenging exercises while doing additional
exercises that are more 'comfortable,' or sticking with the same
tried and true exercises because they are known and understood.
The point is: You want to have
control over your muscles, and not the other way around. Most
people train in a contrary manner, whereby they allow fear to
control their training, sticking to what is safe and what is
known. Their fears and emotions alter their perception of reality
as 'why' a program is working is rationalized to suit one's desires.
A common rationalization is that
if progressive increase in the weights exist, then there will
be, some day, change made to the physique. However, if muscular
change is not happening immediately, within hours or days as
a result of a workout, since any army must adapt immediately
to change or will perish, then it never will happen. A bodybuilder
is not a 'weight lifter,' and more than progressive overload
must be taken into account in a muscle-building strategy. When
focus is only on pushing or lifting heavy weights, while all
other factors remain the same or are ignored, the only adaptation
that will occur is one of complacency!
Conclusion (with Andrew Shortt)
When you have chosen to change,
you have engaged in a challenge. Not many challenges are without
their conflicts and to arrive at and pass milestones will always
be a battle of sorts. However, it is a crusade of purpose and
the goal of fitness is justified if not righteous. The gym and
such is a civilized and noble venue for our great ability to
fight for what we need and to achieve out of life what we desire.
Thus, not surprisingly this venture necessitates a particular
tact not unlike that used for successful military conquest.
If the author of this book has
taught us anything over the past decade, it is that with our
ability to apply intellectual strength we can conquer plenty.
That our ability to use our brains makes or breaks our successes
is a fact. Johnston has proven through his work and his example
that at the top of one's hierarchy in life stands your mental
faculties and your 'state of mind.'
To achieve is to overcome and
to overcome one must be willing to fight for what is desired.
That is, to fight and defend what you hold in high regard and
to do so with nothing short of intense aggressive intent. We
are not machines and there are no buttons to press to assure
a particular physical response. We must guide and motivate ourselves,
through the work and pain, by utilizing emotions spurned and
directed via a proper mindset.
Fitness, bodybuilding, exercise,
however you refer to it, requires constant forward momentum.
The body ages and adapts and easily will stagnate then, soon
enough, it backslides. To stave off this natural process takes
continual progress, to always push on even if only to avoid sliding
backwards. This most often means taking on the point of view
of pushing on through a storm, thus making 3 steps forward to
offset the 2 steps you are blown back. Most give up before the
fight has ever really begun and many others give in before victory
ever really takes shape.
Good health (mental, physical
and emotional) stems from a good body created by good living.
Good intentions to do right by your body and your bodybuilding
goals mean nothing short of a declaration of war on your shortcomings.
Whether it is reducing fat stores and getting lean (the 'battle
of the bulge') and/or building muscle (the war on weakness) you
are demanding self-improvement and self-preservation. These demands
will not be met easily or without resistance, thus you must be
prepared to defend your desires and fight for what you believe
is your right.
Even if viewed as a hobby or
game of sorts, building a better body brings with it the goal
and aspiration to win. To win will mean that something or someone
must lose or succumb to your impositions. In this case, it is
your body that is forced to become better, or at the very least
slow its regressive nature. To win will require many a plan,
plans full of tactics to deal with the problems and difficulties
of the challenge you have created. These tactics are not passive
and serene in nature but active and tenacious, and must be born
of a domineering point of view.
Building a better body and trying
to maintain it is a competitionalways. It is never a stroll in
the park, nor a Sunday drive; it is a rivalry with genetic constraints,
age, and most of all homeostasis that that incredible ability
of our bodies to maintain equilibrium. In so many ways this is
a staple of our survival, to keep balance within the complex
system that is our physical existence. However, as anyone who
has tried to reduce fat stores knows, this innate trait so needed
to keep us healthy in the face of stress is also very much a
double-edged sword. Eat too little for too long and not only
will you fail to drop fat levels, but you will possibly reduce
your body's metabolic level and, thus, reduce its ability to
deal with prior caloric requirements. You start trying to be
good and get lean, but end up making yourself more capable of
gaining unwanted fat for your efforts. As mentioned, repeatedly
throughout this book (and for good reason), the body's homeostatic
skills compete with your fitness efforts at every turn. The body
fights to maintain the status quo and ignore particular requests
for improvement. It is a constant state of competition when you
are bodybuilding, and though it may be friendly in nature it
is nonetheless "stiff" competition at every turn. Opposition
of this nature is best dealt with through forceful and martial
means.
It all starts and boils down
to your frame of mind, of how prepared and capable you are of
meeting and seeing through the task. To continually arouse the
appropriate motivation, strategize your approach and problem-solve
your defeats, will most often entail antagonistic tactics that
would necessitate your body to bend to your will. To find peace
with your fitness, you actually (and somewhat ironically) will
oblige superior firepower. Superior that is, to your genetic
constraints, ages, regressive powers, as well as against the
pain of exercise exertion and the discomfort of diet.
The mind controls the muscles,
but who controls the mind? Of course you do, but the question
is how and how much? How much is habit, and how often are you
simply reacting in an automaton, possibly self-defeating manner?
Are you allowing outside influence to grossly affect your progress
and/or are you comfortably replaying the same mental tapes over
and over, ever deepening your rut and reinforcing your stagnation?
How can you avoid failure brought on by mental mediocrity? The
answer is to know that with regards to physical fitness when
you want to make changes the time for diplomacy is over. Your
self-acceptance is hung up for the moment and you don battle
garments and take charge of yourself. What you must come to accept
at this point is that improvement will not come easily or without
a price, and it will not necessarily come willingly. You approach
the task of building and maintaining a better body with fire
and fervor looking to 'fight the good fight' and to battle banality.
Having 'body-built' with great
hopes and much zest for years and worked with dedication and
diligence for fitness clients of similar mind, I recommend you
fully consider the sentiments in this book. Its text should
be kept close at hand as your field manual to instigate and recalibrate
your needed frame of reference repeatedly. It is a manual to
look to and draw from in order to take and maintain an effective
mental stance within your workouts and fitness in general; a
stance that is efficient at both projecting your strengths as
it is your weaknesses. This is a guide to churn up your desires
and focus your feelings with the goal of beating the odds that
conspire to hinder your success. Paying heed to the underlying
metaphor herein surely will encourage your adroitness and fuel
your passion for physical enhancement.
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