Opposition

     From the very beginning of my fitness journey, I've set the bar high for myself. I set goals that seemed nearly impossible for me to reach, yet at the same time, a little voice inside me said "you got this".  I joined groups and pages on facebook that had members that were far above my skill set and members that in some cases, intimidated the shit out of me. But I did this because I knew that to surround myself with people that were better than me, would be the best way to force me to get better. It was sort of a sink or swim type of situation. I could either continually look like an asshole for never posting any progress, or I could put in the work and start showing off what I'd managed to accomplish.
     The funny thing was, though, that as I listened to the guys bragging about their massive weights they were moving, or listened to them talk about some crazy ass stunt they did, I learned about techniques and forms and rights and wrongs. As I learned, I felt more confident posting things that I had done and those same guys that scared the bejeezus out of me, encouraged me to keep going. They shared more tips, more strategies, more "inside secrets". But they also weren't shy in telling me, as well as others, what we were doing wrong. That's the type of atmosphere that I THRIVE in.  
     Opposition, friction, tension, all these things can help shoot us to greatness. If all we are surrounded by is happy, fluffy bullshit, we'll never really progress in our talent. If all we ever have is someone stroking our fragile egos and patting us on our slumped little backs, we'll never have a true gauge of where we stand. I can't and won't be like that. For me, the most motivating people are the ones who are not afraid to tell you that you fucked up, or that you're slacking and not pushing hard enough. That's not to say that I think encouragement is a bad thing! It's essential for motivation, but it needs to be tempered with the truth. Always. I've found people calling me hard, or too tough when I voice my opinions. I realize I come off as very arrogant at times about my own accomplishments. However, I model myself on the people that motivate me and that's the attitude that does it for me. Maybe not everyone can stand up to that kind of sternness, but let's be fair here, if you can't, is this arena really right for you? If you're in the heavy lifting game, body building game, or strongman game, shouldn't you enjoy friction? These sports in themselves require you to push your limits and test your boundaries both physically and mentally to move weight. If you can't stand up to criticism from people around you, you may want to look at just hanging out at Planet Fitness or something easy like that.
     And let's discuss this whole idea of arrogance for a second. If we're presented with an overweight person showing progress pictures of how much weight they've lost, we cheer them on and applaud their confidence. Yet, when presented with a fit person showing progress pictures of new muscle development or striations that weren't there before, we label them arrogant and conceited. A wee bit of a double standard now, don't cha think? It takes enormous amounts of work to not only get, but maintain a high level of muscularity. It takes dedication and sacrifice every day. I'm nowhere near where I want or need to be, but I'm damn proud of the work I've done and the success that's come from it. I'm also proud of my failures and I've never been shy in sharing them too. Without those failures, I would have missed valuable lessons. I hope, too, that by showing the good and the bad, I can motivate someone else who may be struggling. Everybody screws up at some point, it's the great ones who acknowledge the worth in that screw up and keep pushing forward. 
     My own biggest critic is myself. Anyone who knows me or reads this blog can see that. But outside critics are essential to training. At least, that's my belief. Even critics who are nothing more than sideline haters; people who look as if the only things they lift are cheetos and coke. Accept the opposition, use it as a challenge to better yourself.