Professor X is jacked!
There are a ton of articles explaining the intricacies of building muscle, especially geared towards those who are “hard gainers.” What I wanted to point out today is the one thing every beginner can do that will help them build a strong foundation for mass building greatness!
The problem is 95% of people don’t do this! Ok, I may be exaggerating that number a bit but it definitely feels that way to me and a lot of other coaches. For those of you who have a vision, a goal, a dream to become a stronger, bigger, more muscular version of yourself, allow me lay out this one simple rule that will carry you above and beyond your expectation;
Lift Without Your Ego
“Bro, you sure you could bench 315 pounds? You barely started lifting last week.”
“Let me ask my ego……..yeah he said I can.”
A humorous conversation my little bro and his power lifting buddies always have with each other to point fun at the groups of guys who lift weight too heavy for their own good in an attempt to impress each other and the ladies walking out of the yoga class.
Whatever your ego tells you to do, you must tell it to shut the f*ck up. You need to lift weight that is appropriate to your current strength and if you’re one of those “LIFT HEAVY OR DIE TRYING” die hards, you might as well eat your protein powder in shame as the muscle gods frown upon your arrogance.
Don’t get me wrong, I love lifting heavy, but in order to be where I am now I had to build my foundation. Just because the weight you can lift now seems like pansy girly-man weight to others doesn’t necessarily mean you’re weak. Consider that your baseline. The stronger you become the heavier you can lift and before you know it you’ll be the one who people will ask “How much can you bench bro!?!?”
You can’t overestimate yourself with a pure desire to impress every single member at the gym. Sorry Primetime but it doesn’t work that way. It’s you vs yourself. Who gives a rats ass what others are benching, squatting or deadlifting. What are YOU benching, squatting and deadlifting? Is it more than last week? Good! Is it less than last week? Now you gotta make adjustments.
See how focusing on what you’re doing is actually more effective! You can definitely do it the other way and go “Awww snap, Billy just benched 315 lbs on Instagram!! I’mma need to go up to 325 lbs to keep up!” and BOOM goes your rotator cuff! Now that’s the last thing you want to share with any of your friends, in person or over the internet.
Stop lying to yourself and just be consistent. Whether you’re with a coach, a group of friends, or by yourself, your true north that will show you your honest progress is the iron itself.
