I remember hearing this quote once that was referencing how to come out on top during competition. It was in reference to being successful. The quote said “You only have to work a little harder than the next guy. You only have to work a little smarter than the next guy.” I don’t recall the origin of this quote, but despite its obvious nature the truth is very loud in this statement.
The key to being able to make the biggest gains both in training and in life is to devote yourself to a cause and to not let up from pursuing that cause regardless of what setbacks, attacks, and downfalls you may encounter. This is where you will find yourself at a crossroads deciding whether or not to weather the storm, or to get blown off the path like a feather in a tornado. If it were easy then everyone would do it, but rest assured that you will learn a lot about yourself and what it takes to have the mental edge to overcome hardship and failure.
I’m always hammering away on the importance of mental toughness. As far as I’m concerned in the world of the iron game there are three keys to success. The three main things every strong individual needs in order to achieve goals in strength are mental toughness, the discipline of persistence, and a set of strong hands!
I guess on one hand I could say that I’m always fairly surprised at how poorly so many people struggle do push ups, but then again with the cushy society we live in I can understand why so many people struggle to perform one of the most basic exercises that are available to us in our arsenal of strength. Push ups are one of the most powerful tools available for each and everyone of us, yet many folks are incapable of executing this standard drill…while others are cranking them out like a factory producing sliced bread.
Too many times I witness people wanting to focus on developing strength and they immediately want to pile more and more weight onto the bar in an attempt to grow their strength. I mean this sounds like the logical response in an attempt to produce strength, right? Sure it is…and I’m not saying that it’s not, but there is a step that many leave out that goes between getting stronger and just piling on a truckload of weight.
