In any part of life that requires persistent action and genuine work people are always trying to find the quickest route with the least resistance. This most likely stems back to our survival instincts of wishing to avoid predators or hunt meals in the most effective way, but in modern society where these threats don’t exist, the path of least resistance is often soiled with dead ends.
I get it. You want to have huge biceps and you want them now. You want to be a towering pillar of muscle, and you don’t want to wait for it. But really, that desire is a fantasy. You’re in dream land, and as long as you remain in dream land you’re not going to make genuine progress.
You need to accept that:
- Strength training is hard.
- It takes time to see results.
- You will hit plateaus.
- Quitting will become very appealing.
- The mental side of things will hurt more than any weight lifting could.
And don’t mistake this for pessimism. This is realism. This is saying to the world “Yeah, I understand you, and I now I can work with you.” There’s no need to fight reality. In fact, if you fight reality you will fail. Not through lack of dedication or desire, but because of ignorance. Fighting the inherent nature of our existence is a fools battle.
But, once you accept reality, once you understand that life is difficult, strength training is difficult, and living your dreams is difficult, you suddenly transcend that state. You go from being trapped in a box of self-denial, to standing atop the mountain of life, able to see clearly and know what needs to be done.
Sure, you still need to lift the heavy weights, and persist, and eat more, and get plenty of sleep and do all that stuff. It’s still a lot of work. But it’s not difficult. You find that place where you understand what you want out of life and it’s just a matter of going through the motions, loving every minute of it, and embracing the joy of continual improvement.
Don’t live in a dream world. Acceptance of difficulty is the surest way to overcome it.
