Take it Off. Take it All Off.
I get the infatuation with dressing like those that you look up to.
I really do.
For example I watch NFL games and automatically feel like throwing on some eye black, a doo-rag, wrestling sweaty dudes to the ground, ending up in a dog pile of other sweaty dudes all wrestling and writhing for a leather orb, only getting off each other when a little old dude in a prisoner outfit blows a whistle at them and throws a flag in the air.
(Side note I run a pickup football game every other Saturday out back of the bowling alley. BYOCO: Bring your own coconut oil).
Anyways...
What I meant to say is this: Just because your phys-ed teacher had to pull 95lbs off your chest before you completed one rep in the bench press test and everyone laughed and called you ‘Gimp Wrists’ for the rest of your high school life doesn’t mean that you have to wear $500 worth of gear every time that you train.
If you ever have to climb a rope make sure that you first put on protective eyewear, a belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps. Also make sure to look both ways before you come back down.
Me:
“You are strong!”
“I believe in you!”
“You can do it without the knee sleeves and wrist-wraps and belt and headband!”
You:
“Whoa whoa whoa!”
“Hold your horses there Mark!”
“How do you expect me to get sick gains if my joints can’t support an adequate enough weight needed to trigger muscular hypertrophy?”
“How are people going to know that I’ve snatched 80kg if I’m not wearing a belt, and knee wraps UNDERNEATH MY KNEE SLEEVES?”
“How are people going to know that I am a dude if they can’t see my dong through my Virus tights that cost twice as much as I spent on my wife’s Christmas gift?”
Me:
Let me assure you, people will know that you are a man without having to be subjected to your cocktail weeny making an appearance any day you are planning on going below parallel in a squat...As long as you have a beard, and drive a truck, love the UFC and even though you’ve never been in a fight before you would totally kick my ass because you watched like 17 arm bar tutorials on YouTube.
When I see videos and pictures of old school guys training I notice that they don’t really care about what they are wearing, none of them are on phones, and they all train like animals, they are HUNGRY for more, and on top of all that they are freakin ‘UGE!
But Mark they were all on stero….
SHHHHH!
It’s still real to me dammit!
My point is that back in the day dudes just got strong.
They didn’t worry about what kind of pants they were wearing.
They didn’t worry about forgetting their wrist wraps at home.
They didn’t fret over which knee sleeves to purchase.
They just went out and put in the work necessary to get strong.
And if you have an injury or if a certain movement hurts when you do it maybe slapping on a glorified fitness accessory and ploughing onwards isn't the best idea.
So, if you are worried because your strength has plateaued and you don’t know what to do, I can guarantee you that the solution is not to buy a new wardrobe or to slap on knee wraps.
Look within before you go on a shopping spree.
Are you consistently putting in the work?
Are you following one program for a long period of time or are you hopping from one to the other from week to week?
Are you fostering healthy relationships in your life and handling stress in the right way?
Are you eating enough food?
Are you sleeping enough?
Are you training with the right intensity?
This last question is the most important one as far as I am concerned.
The guys and girls who get strong are the ones who train with intensity.
That’s all there is to it.
Intensity meaning spending your time wisely in the gym.
Hitting all your sets with focus and determination.
Staying off your phone.
Bringing some desire and passion to what you are doing.
So next time you go to the gym throw on a pair of old sweatpants and a ragged t-shirt, load up a bar and put in some work.
Godspeed.
If you are interested in getting strong and looking like a guy who is strong check out my Aesthetic Lifter Program.
I created this program for guys and girls who want to look like a weightlifter, but who may not have the right equipment to do so.
So that means no full snatch or clean and jerk.
You will however learn the fundamentals of those movements, while still focusing on building strength and doing a whole bunch of functional bodybuilding.
It includes three months worth of workouts, warmups, mobility drills, and conditioning workouts.