Swoldier Starter Steps: What you need to know about getting started and motivated!

This article needed clipart in the beginning
so here's Godzilla v.s. King Kong.

One of the biggest questions I am asked surrounding fitness is "wtf how do I get started?"  For anyone who is athletically inexperienced it sucks, it's overwhelming and incredibly intimidating given the general nature of a gym.  It's full of heavy things, sweaty men, people grunting/screaming and it hurts like hell. 

Fortunately we're here to help take some time and extinguish any of the anxieties associated with this task and give a strong foundation to help get started ,practically, with your goals. 

YOU GUYS LOVE GODZILLA SO HERE HE IS AGAIN

MAKE SOME GODDAMN GOALS
Well in case you might not have guessed it it's pretty important but is the most crucial and demands caps lock and big bold foul language.  This means to take a look at where you are currently and decide where you want to be in the future.  Deciding to lose fat versus gain muscle will determine your workout routines and diets so this is important to figure out which path you will take before starting off on it.  

  
START MEASURING STUFF
Regardless of where you want to go you need to figure out where you are.  Establishing a baseline of your current body stats will help you determine where you are going and if your current plan is productive enough.  Start with the basics like a scale, body measuring tape and a body fat caliper.  This way you will know how much you weigh, how big certain body parts are (I lol'd too) and how much body fat is on your frame.

This is a scale..... just in case.

One handed
body measuring tape

Body fat caliper.

This is something you should also be checking up on periodically to see how your progress is and what changes you should be making.  Personally a month is how often I check up on things in order to make adjustments and to compensate for the more immediate causes of body composition change (like a big poop or something.) 

The cool part about these things?  You can typically get the body tape and a caliper as a FREE gift from bodybuilding.com with certain orders over a certain amount.





TAKE NOTE AND KEEP TRACK

Plus Steve Cook is there; What a hunk.

Keeping track of your statistics is the most important thing you can do as well.  While many of you might think this a plug for bodybuilding.com (maybe.....) I have to note that their Body Space is a great resource for getting your goals straight.  It's like Facebook but it allows you to update your body composition, lifting benchmarks as well as setting a goal.  There is also a mobile app as version as well that also includes workouts and videos (god this is so easy.)

Taking pictures is also a great way to keep progress in check as well and see how far you've come.  These don't have to be plastered all over the internet but use them as a tool of progress and motivation.




GETTING PUMPED TO PUMP
You know this is something you want to do but just need a bit of a push.  I say watch a few movies!  Sit on the couch after reading this and curl up with something you know gets your blood flowing.  A good action movie, maybe a romance movie with that "hot" guy you would want to impress or even some sports to keep inspired of what you would like to be like.  

Personally a favorite of mine, and many others, is the 1977 documentary classic Pumping Iron .  This is the movie that not only make names like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferigno a household name but it's the movie that put weight training and bodybuilding onto the center stage and out of the side-shows.  While the focus is on the creating of a body into a work of art this film is loaded with heartfelt moments and is often quite humorous. 


For some people the hardest part is getting into the gym.  The new year is coming up and it's prime time to make a resolution for change.  You can say that a gym discount will get you in there or "going with a friend" will help you out a bit more to be motivated but the real motivation comes from within.  If you aren't ready to take yourself there and get the job done, there is no true motivation.

Start with these simple building blocks and get going!  This is a long journey for someone trying to just get in shape or perfect and sculpt with plenty of time to changes along the way.  Just remember to not lose true sight of what you came here for.

-Pq

Focusing on the Fascia: Opening up for bigger gains

Look at this handsome bro.

Who doesn't love muscles?
Who doesn't love science?
Now you're going to get both!
Check this out!

As we've talked about before (if you paid attention) there are different fibers that make up your muscles but unfortunately there is one more thing we didn't tell you about yet; that's the fascia.  Your fascia is almost a sort of webbing that surrounds the muscular fibers, enclosing them and it too can expand, stretch and become damaged just as the type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers would during a workout.  This makes the muscle grow over a period of time, cool right?  So what do we do about the fascia?  Do we just let it sit and have it stretch during the workouts just like and fibers?  You can but if you want to be proactive you need to take matters into your own hands and start stretching.

This was much more appealing than the old yoga lady.

Here are a few methods to help open up your fascia, prime your fibers and encourage more blood flow and prevent injuries from overworking your muscles before, during and after your workout.

1. Manual Stretching
  - We've all done it at one point or another and we might have even hated it but this is the most simply way of stretching your muscles.  Bend and over touch your toes, do what this chick is doing to the right, arms across your chest, you get it.

Even this old bro does it.

2. Foam Rolling
-  A foam what?  I know it looks ridiculous but give me a minute.  Dropping anywhere between $15+ for a decent foam roller will do wonders for your muscles and general flexibility.  Hamstrings, quads, lats and traps; a foam roller allows you to actually roll your body across a round dense piece of madness in order to stretch.

It has its advantages before a workout as it allows you to feel where your muscles are most tense (could even be a patch of built up scar tissue) and "roll" them out until they are loose.  While it works great accompanying manual stretching, this massaging tool (yes it's a massaging tool and cheaper than a therapist) can help reduce built up lactic acid on those painful and sore off days allowing for faster recovery.  Don't say I didn't warn about pain because it does hurt but you'll be glad you did.

3. Trigger Point Therapy

Trigger points and mohawks make you a badass.

-Now if mommy and daddy will foot the bill for this, it's a trigger therapy kit.  Much like the foam roller it is designed in order to "trigger" smaller and more detail orientated parts of your body that a foam roller isn't up to the task of rubbing down.  For instance calves, front/rear/outer deltoids, pectoral muscle groups, biceps and triceps can all be loosened up via the use of one of these kits.  The bad news is that they start at around $60 (I know right?  Looks like bad pottery.)

However there are solutions around this as racquet balls are sold in packs and can be bought for a few bucks.  Tennis balls may also be beneficial but preferably something with a bit of give and the ability to be rolled into more precise areas.  Try a small racquet ball or tennis ball and if you love it, go buy the kit (Kris Gethin did.)



4. Stretch During Your Workout
- All of the previously mentioned methods are great and everything around your workouts but what about during? All of this soft muscle tissue is typically flooded with blood during a workout and sometimes an intense pump gets in the way of stretching the fibers and fascia to their limits.  A favorite practice of mine if to stretch in between sets as well as during a set.

Stretching during an exercise, like lat. pulldowns (handing limp and stretching left and right lats), can really help in allowing blood to drain from your muscles for a few seconds before filling them back up.  The same principle applies in between sets as well and can help prevent failing prematurely to ensure your optimal rep range has been met. 

The ultimate idea here is to allow for maximum blood flow to the muscles and nutrient intake during your workout.  You might even find that you are able to make the most out of each repetition as well as prolong the inevitable fatigue.

Besides, nothing looks more menacing than a pumped up bro delicately stretching muscles.

P.s.  This is something we will look to get pictures of and explain further in the near future so hang in there.

-Pq

Y3T: What it is and why you NEED to be doing it now!!

When it comes to building yourself up for mass, strength or definition it becomes essential to bring all of the different muscle fibers into play for the most comprehensive growth as possible.  It also is just as important to incorporate proper rest in order to allow the muscle fibers to heal and grow to fully function.  Neil Hill is a pretty cool guy when it comes to this.  He doesn't afraid of anything and is considered one of the best natural body builders overseas from the U.K.  He mostly trains now days including fellow Welsh, Flex Lewis (recently crowned Mr. Olympia 212 division and is now a Smart Shaker.)  Through Hill's experience he has mastered his training into the Yoda 3 Training (Y3T for short) for ultimate size and power.  Before we get into my personal experience from it, a little bit of science.

Flex Lewis at the 2012 Olympia
(Placed 1st in the 212 Division)
*dem feathers*

Your muscles consist of the two different kinds of muscular fibers with the fascia surrounding them.  Simply put, pumping up causes the intense blood flow to tear these fibers and fascia which allows them to heal and grow back stronger.  Seems legit. 

Different exercise repetition ranges and varying weights effect the different muscle fibers as such:

• Type 1 Fibers - Respond to longer intensities accompanying lower weights and stresses
• Type 2b Fibers - Respond to heavy burst style of lifting
• Type 2a Fibers - More so the middle man who can handle more intensity at higher weight but not quite as much as the Type 1 Fibers

In order to build mass, all of these fibers must come into play and Y3T aims to please.

 Y3T is a four day split broken up into three weeks... wait what?  Each week of the program has it typical body part splits including

1. Thighs and Hamstrings
2. Chest and Triceps
3. Rest Day
4. Back and Biceps
5. Shoulders and Calves
6. Rest
7. Rest

What makes this even sweeter?  The fact that it's a three week cycle with varying rep ranges as such:

• Week 1 is the heaviest with rep ranges from 8-10 repetitions
• Week 2 gets lighter but the volume increases to 12-16 depending on day
• Week 3 get at some gnarly drop sets, 20+ or 40-50 rep ranges depending on the day

 My first week was meant to establish how much weight would be fitting for each exercise.  This is easily found as Hill has left plenty of room to incorporate warm-up sets and stretching before the actual workout begins.  I used this in order to not only warm the muscle and start the blood flowing but it helps determine which weight will be my working weight through the sets. 

Flex Lewis getting his ass handed to him under
the supervision of Neil Hill and Y3T

Hill stresses the importance of using rest-pauses in your training throughout this program and they do become essential.  There is no rushing any of these routines as your target rep ranges are meant to be met through absolute and utter failure through an emphasis on contraction and proper form.  The thought process is that you are building muscle mass instead of throwing weight around, and gains they came.

Already within the first week of learning to push myself through proper forms and incorporating rest pauses I found that my heaviest working weight in the first week (8-10) reps became working weight for the next week (12-16 rep ranges).  The third week threw me through chaos and even further muscle destruction and then guess what?  You come full circle back into week one ready to lift heavy and turn some heads in the gym.  With initial weights established it was more apparent to me that my conditioning had improved along with my consistency to handle the heavier weights while maintaining form.

In the past few weeks (roughly 6) I may have put on a solid 4-5lbs (about 191 lbs and 195 lbs between 10%-12% b/f) of solid, powerful mass not limited to better leg definition, upper chest size, arm detail and incredible thickness in my back.  Strength gains are through the roof as well in just one cycle.

Week 1:8-10 reps (first time through)

• Squats 290lbs-315lbs
• Rack Pulls 390lbs-410lbs
• Incline Dumbell Press 75lb-80lb each
• Push Press (recovering shoulder in mind) 95lbs-100lbs

Week 1: 8-10 reps (second time through)

• Squats 315lbs-335lbs
• Rack Pulls 415lbs-435lbs
• Incline Dumbell Press 80lb-85lb each
• Push Press (recovering shoulder in mind) 110lbs-120lbs

This is a four week cycle so far and can only wait to see what more results yield.  Strength has increased, conditioning and consistency has persevered as well through due to hitting more muscle fibers effectively. 

Y3T is a program that works and is no joke.  The leg workout is the longest while the others are relatively shorter but if they are done properly using rest pauses to incorporate total failure within the recommended repetition ranges, gains will come and they will be sweet.  This can be done in any gym and equipment substituted so long as the principles are maintained making this an easily accessible program as well. 

Without ranting on and on about how awesome it all is, give it a shot.  If need be, grab a partner (preferably someone who knows the ins and outs of this program) and give it everything you have.  Weight and strength will come in time so do not be discouraged about what weight is being used to work your muscles so long as they are properly worked and fatigued. 

If you are around the Philly Mainline area or on St. Joseph's University campus you can catch me obliterating this routine and will be more than happy to educate anyone on the benefits pertaining to any goal and how to execute this program for maximum gains. 

Eat right, Train hard and ensure plenty of Rest and your body will take care of itself.

The entire program with videos and workouts can be found here at BodyBuilding.com

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/y3t-neil-hill-9-week-hardcore-video-trainer.html


-PQ

Heavy Ego? Take a load off.

Reminiscing about the first time I entered the gym, (and really took it serious) I imagined the videos you see on YouTube. Being a big dude just throwing weights around yelling, "Light weight!" "Nothin' but a peanut," but little did I know it’s not that simple. This long and hard road that you're about to embark on, so start with getting your ego in check!

Ego can be defined as, "reactions to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drive of an individual’s identity and the demands of the social and physical environment surrounding them" (dictionary.com).

Now, how does this relate to the gym? Take a look around the next time you enter the gym. Are there people that are bigger, stronger, and more ripped than you? Of course! How you take that into consideration is what will help you achieve your personal goals. You identify as being someone that is larger even though you are not quite there yet. Then take into consideration of your environment as you try and stack up, trying the same weight they use, or trying more, just to show them up. It would be great if it was that easy, but it isn't.

So STOP, right here. Think about this, do you want to be someone else or are you doing this for you? Who cares how much you bench? Who cares if you can squat 1000 pounds? It would be awesome to say you can do that but how practical is that for you?

Starting out for me, in a college gym, it was all about the numbers. I thought that that was what bodybuilding was all about, but quickly I found out I was wrong. I wasted a solid three months of my time (and supplements) trying to use momentum to move weights, rather than using proper form and stretching and contacting my muscles to build consistent strength and size. For example, I would try to bench more than I could handle, banging weight off my chest trying to get anything going so I could get the weight up. Not knowing that I could just have easily brought the amount weight down and slowly controlled the weight and lightly touch my chest then push it back to the starting position and see greater results.

With that being said, here are three main things you need to focus on:

Proper Form:

This will prevent injury, have a better transfer of power and hit the correct muscle you are trying to target. I never learned correct form until I got injured, don't wait, ask someone for help!

Full Range of Motion:

Full range of motion will make sure all of the muscle fibers are being activated and not just half of the muscle, or even the wrong muscle.

Mind Muscle Connection:

When you work on a specific muscle you need to squeeze that muscle and be sure you’re thinking in your head that specific body part. For example, if you're doing chest think about streching your Pecs as you come down and then squeezing your Pecs together has you come to the top of a fly or press.

It's not about the weight, it’s about the resistance. A bodybuilder uses resistance and is not concerned about the weight rather than the contractions within the muscle they are working. Eventually this resistance will need to be greater because your body will adapt.

Lifting heavy doesn't focus on the contraction and tearing of muscular fibers that will cause your body to create tears in your muscle that can then be rebuilt to be stronger and larger. Don't get me wrong it will create tears in your muscle and you will get stronger but, there is a far greater risk of injury. There is a difference between weightlifting and bodybuilding (I will write more about in another post).

Lifting heavy, I suffered multiple shoulder injuries as well as causing harm to my lower back from heavy improper squats. I also found out, from taking before and after pictures, my body composition didn't change, not even a little bit.

Dropping the weight down I have seen the most growth, and so have the pros.

Here is a video that sticks with me whenever I work out:



In order to grow, sculpt and change your physique your muscle needs to "stretch and it needs to contract," just like Kai said it’s not about the weight "I will never be a weightlifter." Full range of motion, like I said earlier, is the key to really getting the muscle fibers to tear and creating tears those tears your body will naturally rebuild those fibers. This also causes your body to adapt to the resistance calling for more resistance to get the same effect. It looks impressive when people fling their body back as they do bicep curls, but are they working their biceps? There are exceptions to this, like negative reps, but that is for another post.

Ask Yourself:

Do I want to move around as much as I can and try to be a power lifter? Or do I want to build muscle and try to sculpt my body the way I want?

The choice is yours, but ultimately, bodybuilding is a lifestyle and is a huge commitment. This is a sport that does not bring you instant satisfaction. These things take time, strength will come, size will come, and you need to be patient. Put that Ego aside and get contracting at whatever weight that may be as long as you perform the exercises properly there is no reason why you should be embarrassed or feel self conscious.

I hate to do it but, Tony Horton once said, "do your best and forget the rest." Live by this, because all you really can do is what your body and mind will allow at first. But don't be afraid to break free of that after you have your form and start building some muscle, that’s when the real fun comes in.

-NC

Follow me on twitter! @BIG_SIPS

 

Grinding out your grindage: All about easy food prep!

 This can be the biggest enemy of progress for a busy college student....... the diet.  I'm sure many kids think they have it down pat though; eat breakfast around noon, hit the cafeteria for a salad (cause they're mad healthy, yo) and then eat around dinner time or something (can't eat too late you'll get fat!)  That's nice but unfortunately it's completely wrong.

The average bodybuilder eats at least 6 times a day with the frequency ranging from every two to three hours from the crack of dawn until night.  A fast metabolism helps to not only keep you less hungry through the day (since you're constantly fed) but keeps a constant supply of aminos, carbs, vitamins, minerals and all those good jimmies floating in your system constantly.  Unfortunately this is the hardest part of being fit and achieving your goals healthily but don't worry I got you guys.

The best way to keep things simple is to start in the supermarket and figure out what you need.  I have a methodical way of deciding what to buy and it varies by week depending on what I want or can stand to eat that week but always have similar principles.

-Lean meat in bulk packages is cheaper and since you're going to need it! Lean beef, turkey, chicken, fish (if you have deep pockets) or tofu or whatever vegetarians get their swole from.
-Pick out a complex carb source!  Whole grain pasta, brown rice, Ezekiel bean sprout bread, etc.  If it's on sale... snag a bunch... why not?
-Milk... if you don't drink it... you better start.
-Eggs!  Fast absorbing protein in a vulnerable shell?  Yes plz.  Egg whites are great if you prefer but are much more expensive than their shelled counterparts. 
-Vegatables!  I prefer a few frozen bags to keep around (I'll explain why) and a few sweet potatoes too.

Now that you have all of this lovely food what the hell do you do with it?  Cook it... all of it.


One of my favorite tools for this involves my cast iron griddle/grill.  Invented by Emeril Lagasse in 1942, it was originally used to shield Nazi radio waves while he was on stealth missions into Berlin.  These days its purpose is to supply me with a great cooking utensil.  George Foreman also had a similar electric griddle which might be a better and more suitable for all you college dorm, bros.  Whatever you have, heat it up and get going. 

This week I went with my usual chicken breasts that I butterfly down the side in order to help it cook more evenly on the grill and usually portions slightly bigger than one serving when it's cut.  I'm not a chef so I really just cook it until it's done.  Sorry if that seems lame but it's true.  I also don't use seasoning or special sauce for the whole recipe, why?  I prefer to cook it plain just in case I decide to use the chicken differently per meal.  It might be cut up into a wrap, chicken parm, salad, or a sandwich.  It doesn't help me to have 4-5lbs of chicken seasoned in one particular way and get sick of it right off the bat. 

  While that's going on you can throw your pasta on and let that cook through.  This can be kept in a separate container and used with whatever sauce you feel like, or plain if you're into it. The same thing can also be done with rice or whatever grain you feel like using.  Just as long as you have some sort of substantial carbs to hold you over, pick what works best.

Don't forget to move onto cooking steak if you have it; always something I have on hand.

Once it's cooked, tupperware it up and let it chill for when you need it! 


 But what about frozen vegetables?  For me, I keep them that way and for a particular purpose.  When I portion a meal to go I throw the vegetables in there frozen.  That way when I heat it up in a microwave they're perfectly steamed in the container.  I've found that cooking them ahead of time and then reheating them will leave them mushy and unappealing. 

See not so bad, right?  The process usually takes no longer than 2 hours; including cleaning, cooking, texting, potty break etc.  This way you have a plethora of meat and food to pick up and go at your ready disposal leaving no excuse to not be ready! Now of course I don't eat 6 meals of solid food, this is in addition to any weight gainers and whey proteins around meals and post workouts as well.

Just the tips:
-Buy tupper ware!  Nothing fancy, it just needs to hold food
-Bust out a deck of cards!  A typical meat serving is 4 oz and about the size of a deck of cards.  This deck of cards will help you eyeball out each serving to take with you properly to ensure proper nourishment.  Each serving is roughly 23-25g of protein as well so keep that in mind while packing your food.
-Keep it interesting!  Experiment with different sources of carbs and different meats around different points in the day.  Sometimes I'll bring a sweet potato with me to eat before a workout and they seem to be an incredible source of energy.  I encourage you to try and figure out what works best for you.
-Keep no excuses.  This is it, you're prepared and ready for the battle against nourishment.  The gym is the easy part and now the hardest part has been tackled. 


What foods do you typically like to keep around?

-Pq

Product Review: Universal Storm

Everyone who sets foot in a gym is dying for the biggest and best "pump" they can get.  Along side this comes the immensely flooded marked of "Pre-Workout" boosters and N.O. enhancers (nitric oxide).  What does that mean?  Mix some sweet powder in your fluorescent colored shaker bottle and drink a magical concoction of typical ingredients to get your mind energized (via caffeine) and your muscles primed for blood flow and performance (arginine, beta-alanine etc.)  The problem with these is that you sometimes want something basic and effective to help you get the job done when tossing around the iron.

While toying around with a few thermogenics and working days (only being able to hit the gym at night) my muscles wouldn't be primed enough for lifting after a long day and didn't want to supplement additional caffeine late in the evening as it would disrupt my sleeping (or make me jittery as all hell).  I thought to myself "There has to be a better way!"   Not too much later it was found...

This is Storm by Universal Nutrition.  More so labeled as a "Creatine Cell Volumizing Supplement" this magical blend of essential manhood can be used as a pre-workout and a post workout supplement as well (a post? yeah I know right?!). 

-          So what’s it got?

o   4 different kinds of creatine

§  Creatine Monohydrate

§  Dicreatine Malate

§  Tricreatine Matrix (consisting of Creatine Gluconate, Creatine AKG, and Creatine Orotate)

§  Magnesium Creatine Chelate

o   INOXsulin-7 (wtf?)

§  A blend of supplements that help speed up the absorption and helps keeps insulin maintained during and after a workout for proper nutrient absorption (your “window of opportunity”).

·         L-Taurine

·         Betanine Ahydrous

·         Citrulline Malate

·         Arginine AKG – Nitric oxide enhancer

·         Beta-Alanine – inhibitor of lactic acid

·         Aplha Lipolic Acid

·         4-Hydroxyisoleucine (20%)

Ok cool, a bunch of scientific mumbojumbo and a bro flexing on the container; who cares right?  How is the experience?

The flavor I had was grape and was about as awesome as any grape Kool-Aid will get.  The mixability leaves a minimal amount of grit but considering this is a creatine based product some can be expected.  Keeping the formula simple allows for a modestly small serving size as well and the 9.4g scoop doesn't require a ton of water to take in and goes right to work.

Where the Beta-Alanine "tingle" side effect is not as present as some other pre-workouts (i.e. Cullucor's C4 or Muscle Pharm's Assault), it makes up for in an unbelievable swelling and engorging of your trained body parts.  Most notably, for myself, was the incredible swell in my legs for leg day.  I was impressed at how much swelling my legs would contain considering it is a rather large muscle group to work and yet the muscular stamina induced was top notch.

"Well I see you get a great pump... but it's not as awesome as Assault of Jack3d!" is what a lot of kids might be saying but here's where it gets good.
-No Caffeine in exorbitant doses (which is a nitric oxide inhibitor anyway!) but can be supplemented additionally and in your desired amount if need be.
-80 servings per container (More than that big ol' jug of whey you have!)
-An unbeatable price!  This can usually be purchased for around $30 or less making this less than $.40 a serving!

Why is this not a more popular pre-workout?  Could it be that it doesn't feature a bunch of gritty and maniacal pictures of Frank McGrath in a dungeon of a gym?  It could be.

Cheer up Frank!  I love this stuff and will recommend it to any beginner who may be sensitive to caffeine, a more advanced level lifter looking for a pure nitric oxide enhancer, or a fellow bro who can't afford the sky rocketing prices of other name brands. 

So go ahead and pick up Storm and make Frank McGrath smile a little (he's so sad looking.)

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/univ/storm.html

-Pq

Fitness... it's maddening

If there was any profound quote that carries into my training as an adult, from my childhood, it's "Don't get upset, get mad."  When you're hanging around the age of ten this has a profound effect on you when said from either your father or master (tae-kwon-do or otherwise) and you get pissed.  Even at the fact that it's even said, you feel something drive you.  But I digress....  At one point or another, you've been asked to push yourself  and it might have pissed you off somehow; then what?  Did you curl up into a ball and stop or did you want to prove to yourself (or even someone who pushed you) that you were better than that.  This is what I would call "constructive rage" and it's the most important tool, above anything else, that comes along with me when I train.

People who might know me in my day-to-day life might not expect it because there it a time and a place for it while in the gym.  It isn't when you're driving to the gym and running people off the road to pump up, or standing in line at the grocery store, or at your job; it's in the gym and you call on to push yourself harder when necessary.

Go ahead and watch that clip with the big black guy in the hoodie, he's IFBB professional bodybuilder Kai Greene (2x Arnold Classic champion and 2011 runner-up Mr. Olympia).  Watch it.... I'll wait.....

Intense right?  But absolutely true and essential.  This doesn't mean that you have to be a hot-head in the gym or an angry person in the day to day life, but don't take for granted the ability of your mind.  Everybody has been hurt at some point in their life and when you're getting down to the nitty gritty of your workout and it starts to hurt, is when you start to try and hurt it back.  It becomes about being able to call on your anger and frustrations in order to use it as energy.  Whether it's about a traumatic childhood or running over your toe while wheeling around an incline bench, everyone's been angry at least once (Finals anybody?).

Whether it's pressing 15lb dumbbells or 450lb rack pulls there comes a time and a place to realize what your goals are, let go and push harder than your body will let you.  One point I must add is that this this doesn't mean be reckless or get to the point where you might make others uncomfortable or upset.  This is about you and the place you need to go in order to get done what is necessary. 

Out of the 168 hours in a week you might spend 6-8 in the gym while the rest is your normal and maybe boring life (sleeping, eating, school, work).  All I'm saying is you don't spend a whole lot of time in the gym in comparison, but when you're there harnessing this "constructive rage" is sometimes essential to get work done.  This isn't a powder you mix or a pill you take but we all own it, so call on it.

-Pq