The Difference Between What You Do And Think

Last Monday I talked about Arnold Schwarzenegger, and how his mindset was his real secret to success in his lifting, acting and political career. Today I want to talk about how to develop the same kind of winning mindset.

I already alluded to this a couple of weeks ago when I said that changing your habits is easier than changing your thinking. There’s what you do on a day to day basis, and then there’s the way you think.

The overwhelming majority of self-improvement and success books focus on the thinking. Common advice is to think positive, think abundance, think confident and similar utter nonsense. Now I’m all about positive thinking and I hate crabs and whiners, but I’m also a pragmatic – I do what works.

It’s like the guy who is kinda shy with women and who gets the advice “just be confident”. Well duh, if he knew how to be confident, he would already be doing it. Even worse is if the guy now starts faking it, trying to be James Bond.

Most methods to gain confidence and success focus on this – the thinking. But after helping thousands of guys to gain muscle and strength, and going myself from a skinny-fat 120lbs who couldn’t do a single Push-up (I was so weak I even lost at armwrestling to a girl) to a muscular 170lbs with a 400lbs Squat, I’ve concluded that it’s really the doing that matters.

It’s not rocket science – when you dramatically transform your physique and skyrocket your strength, people will notice. You will get compliments and gain respect. This positive feedback combined with the courage you develop from overcoming your fears daily in the gym, is where true confidence comes from.

The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character.

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

In fact, several of my StrongLifts Members have confided to me that they used to be shy around women and/or with people before they started SL5x5, but that this radically changed once their strength started to increase, almost always very quickly. Heck, often the women are now shy around them!

Meanwhile those self-help gurus will tell you to just sit at home, think confident and visualize your goals. To the guy who is too lazy to go the gym 3x/week and who doesn’t understand that the way life works is that you get what you put into it, this blather is cocaine. And it’s at least as dangerous.

You should think positive and I’m a firm proponent of visualizations, but you do have to take action to get somewhere. And when you take consistent action towards your goals, the thinking will automatically take care of itself. Fact is, increased competence boosts confidence, and it does it amazingly fast.

I’ll talk more about taking action next time.

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9 Responses to “”Mannix says: December 1, 2010 at 2:44 pm

“God helps those who helps themselves first.”

That is what comes to mind after I read this blog.

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One Thing All Successful Guys Share

Wednesday I talked about the difference between what you do and what you think. Today I want to talk more about the doing – taking action.

The most important action you should take to develop a winner’s mindset, is to look for guys who have achieved your goal, study them, and then copy. Forget about the way they think, focus on their behavior and mimic it.

Think about it – why does every top athlete have a coach or mentor? Tiger Woods and David Beckam have one. So does almost every Olympian. Arnold Schwarzenegger also had a mentor – Reg Park, 3x Mr Universe. Even I had a mentor when I started lifting and who introduced me to Squats.

Notice how the apprentice often becomes more successful than his teacher. Arnold won more titles than Park, yet that doesn’t make Park a know-nothing. I also got stronger than my mentor, but he was no know nothing either.

The guys who look at successful people like Arnold Schwarzenegger and claim that “it’s all about steroids” they miss on key lessons like these. Again – why do you think all successful people have a coach or mentor? I’m not trying to sell you my coaching program here – I’m full until next year. I want you to think really good about why the heck these guys choose to have a coach or mentor.

Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed in his autobiography “The Education of a Bodybuilder“, that he did heavy Squats and Deadlifts from the start because Reg Park could Squat 600lbs and Deadlift 700lbs. Arnold looked for a guy who had achieved what he wanted, studied him and then copied Park’s 5×5 method.

Inside my StrongLifts Community I have long noticed that my most accomplished Members follow the training logs of other SL Members who are in most cases stronger than them. They subscribe to their logs to automatically get updates, examine what they do, and then copy. This is the closest thing to mentorship.

The true benefit is of course the thinking that you acquire by hanging out with these Members. Most guys’ biggest stumbling block is their own thinking – what they believe they can and cannot do. There’s no better way to eliminate those limiting beliefs than by seeing a guy with your age and body type doing it. And that’s one key ingredient of that winning mindset I referred to – no limitations.

Who are you studying?

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4 Responses to “”Maslow says: December 3, 2010 at 3:36 pm

I’ve got a mentor. He was my professor in college. I noticed he was super jacked so one day I asked what he did when he worked out. He invited me to “train” with him. The first time I did so I puked 20 minutes in, which earned me a high five and slap on the back from him. He taught me to workout with extreme intensity. He played football in college and then moved on to Olympic lifting, eventually training with the Canadian National team. He’s an adherent to the squats and milk, old school training methods. He knows that gains are made when you push your limits, and he’s taught me that. His grandfather was a “strongman” with the circus, so I suppose it’s in his family and blood to go all out and get brutally strong. He lives far away now but being able to ask him the occassional question and seek advice is incredibly helpful, and motivating since in the back of my mind I want to prove to him that I have what it takes. The simple social pressure of having a log and updating friends on training really helps when I’m debating doing that last squat set because I know it’s going to suck. He and I have plans to compete together in a USAPL meet next spring.

Vivek says: December 3, 2010 at 3:37 pm

I am studying the weight on my bar and you.

Ken says: December 3, 2010 at 5:01 pm

I have observed through the years that successful guys, no matter what their endeavor is, is that they share at least4 traits; 1. Drive- Successful people are driven people. They are driven to achieve their goals no matter what happens. 2…. Goals- Successful people that I try to emulate don’t do things haphazardly, they write down both immediate, and long range goals.

3. Discipline- they forego immediate gratification for long term success. 4 Knowledge- they study their endeavor, their opposition, and themselves- Always striving to improve.

Jamie says: December 3, 2010 at 6:47 pm

My biggest inspirations around here are SL Members maroon, tyrone, and bluestreak. Those are the guys who are where I want to be at.

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Here’s The Deal

Author, lecturer and strength coach Jim Smith CSCS USAW has just released his brand new AMD 2.0 System. And to celebrate that, you can claim your copy for 20% OFF until midnight Friday December 10th 2010.

Click here to grab your copy at a special 20% discount.

I’ve written a  review of Smitty’s new muscle building program which you can read by going here. You can also discover the full details about the AMD 2.0 System on his website by clicking here (pay attention to the success stories).

Try AMD 2.0 Risk-free for 20% Off and Get 6 Free Bonuses. On top of the 20% discount, Smitty is also giving away the next 6 free fast-action bonuses when you claim your copy of his new AMD 2.0 System today…

BONUS #1: Deadlift Fundamentals Manual – 200 pages manual about my favorite exercise – the Deadlift. Technique, shoes, belts, grip, variations (like sumo) and assistance exercises are all shown here.BONUS #2: Deadlift Instructional Video – step-by-step video that shows you how to master the Deadlift technique in real time – this video is quite frankly worth the price of the entire package alone.BONUS #3: AMD Top 5 Fat Loss Strategies – discover how to shred stubborn fat off permanently (without spending hours on the treadmill) so you get the body you’ve always wanted once and for all.BONUS #4: AMD Explosive Upper Body Muscular Growth. Real-time video of an AMD workout so you can see for yourself how quickly you can get an effective muscle building workout in less than 35mins.BONUS #5: AMD Explosive Lower Body Muscular Growth. This is the same type of real-time video of an actual AMD Workout, but this one is aimed at your lower body (how to put muscle size on your legs).BONUS #6: Premier AMD Videos Youtube Channel. Smitty will show you how to master the technique of all the most common and advanced exercises, not just the ones of AMD but also of StrongLifts 5×5.

That’s really lot of stuff that you get for free when you try Smitty’s brand-new AMD 2.0 System for 20% off. To claim your copy today at special discount before his offer expires click here right now.

Talk Soon,

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How to Add 1 Inch to Your Arms Without A Single Curl

Last Tuesday I wrote that heavy Squatters almost always have bigger arms than non-Squatters. I want to talk more about this today.

First, let’s put things straight: if you want to build really big arms, then you’ll need direct arm work like – yes – biceps curls. There’s no way around this.

Second, if you only do heavy compound exercises like Squats, Deadlifts, Presses and Rows, without direct arm work, then your arms will increase in size.

Think about it – do you really believe that if you increase your Squat by 150lbs and gain muscle as a result, that your arms will somehow remain skinny?

As an example, consider StrongLifts Platinum Member Tom (21, USA). When he joined my private coaching program, he was Squatting 145lbs, weighed 130lbs at 5’10″ and had 10.6″ arms. Today he is well on his way to reach 300lbs on the Squat at 156lbs BW (a 26lbs weight gain so far… in just a few weeks).

What about his arms? From 10.6″ to 11.6″. A 1 inch gain… without a single curl. Just heavy Squatting, Deadlifting, Pressing and Pulling.

I challenge you to find a non-Squatting curl monkey who achieves the same kind of arm gains in just a few months. Few non-Squatters will ever get anywhere by just doing biceps curl inside the Squat Rack. Even fewer skinny guys understand they can NOT build 18″ arms unless they also start eating more.

Before I reveal what the secret is here, I’ll tell you what it’s NOT: compound exercises like Squats and Deadlifts do not unleash more muscle building hormones than other exercises like Biceps Curls. Research clearly shows that the hormonal response is just too little to make a significant difference.

The real secret here is that heavy Squatters are by definition training at a higher intensity than non-Squatters. Everybody knows that the guy who trains hardest will achieve the biggest gains. Well you can train hard more easily with exercises like the Squat because they allow for heavier weights.

More important: Squat and Deadlifts are challenging. It’s the guy who does them, consistently, even though he may not always enjoy it, that develops the strongest mindset. And this is the most valuable asset you can ever gain.

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13 Responses to “”Burke says:November 26, 2010 at 1:26 pm

“Squats and Deadlifts do not unleash more muscle building hormones than other exercises like Biceps Curls. Research clearly shows that the hormonal response is just too little to make a significant difference.”

I really misunderstood this, then. Any citations we can look at to understand it better?

Riley says:November 26, 2010 at 2:23 pm

This is one I’m going to have to say doesn’t apply to everyone. I’ve been doing squats, 5×5 as heavy as I can go, for years. I’ve been ramping up my bench press, overhead, press, pulling, and you know what? My arms have gotten stronger, but nowhere near as quickly as my legs and core, and even my chest. Maybe I can blame genetics, maybe I can blame a poor starting position (I’ve always had a weak upper body) but I don’t care what to blame, I want to fix it. I started doing more isolation – curls, skull crushers, flies, pulldowns – and so far it seems to be improving things. The gains should translate well back to my bench press, and should just help me get stronger.

Don’t write off curls. Some people need em.

Stevo says:November 26, 2010 at 3:33 pm

“Squat and Deadlifts are challenging. It’s the guy who does them, consistently, even though he may not always enjoy it, that develops the strongest mindset. And this is the most valuable asset you can ever gain.”

Couldn’t agree more.

Vivek Sood says:November 26, 2010 at 3:59 pm

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To Guys Who Think That Arnold Got Big with Steroids

I’m a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger, not just for what he has done as a strength trainer first and as a bodybuilder later, but also for what he has done as a successful entrepreneur (direct mail marketing and real estate) well before he became the Terminator and now the Governator.

Frankly, I’m not fully aware of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s political program, but since I’m a right wing liberal living in Communist Belgium and burdened by an outrageous 57.3% income tax thanks to those frigging socialists, I could probably find myself with Arnold’s Republican ideas.

That said, it always amuses me when someone claims that “Arnold just got big using steroids”. Steroids 50 years ago were nothing compared to what they are today. Compare Arnold to today’s champion, Ronnie Coleman…

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Squats

Last Friday I talked about how every strength trainer, no matter how strong he is, will always experience some kind of fear when facing unfamiliar weights.

Today I’m going to reveal you 2 techniques to overcome your fear of Squats.

The first one is called Walkouts and goes like this: after your Squat sets, pick a weight that is about 45lbs heavier than your work weight. Now get under the bar, unrack the weight, walk backwards to where you normally Squat and stand there for 10 seconds. Then walk back to the rack and set the bar down.

Walkouts will strengthen your joints and ligaments while getting you used to lifting heavier weights. Make sure you do them inside your Power Rack, with the safety pins high and ready to catch the bar would anything go wrong.

There’s another technique to overcome your fear of Squats that I’m about to share in a moment. First, in 2005 I did indoor climbing for a few months. Was pretty good at it, could climb 5c’s within weeks without even using climbing shoes or chalk. If I would ever quit lifting I’d probably get into climbing.

The funny thing is that I actually have some fear of heights. This turns out to be quite common and the usual advice is to practice falling. Here’s why: there’s knowing you’re safe, and there’s experiencing it. Once you experience it, then the psychological barriers are removed and you can really go all out.

The same method applies to Squats. Set the safety pins of your Power Rack so they can catch the weight, then Squat and let yourself drop on purpose. The pins will catch the barbell. You no longer know it’s safe, you’ve experienced it. This is how you can overcome the fear of injury on Squats, and this is also why you absolutely need a Power Rack (or Squat Stands with saw horses).

Most of the things you fear will almost never happen. Keep that in mind.

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9 Responses to “”pboonnao says:November 22, 2010 at 1:24 pm

True.

Dan says:November 22, 2010 at 1:27 pm

I wish my gym had power racks.
they only have squat stands with a pretty low catching frame. if you’re over 5’9″ / 180 cm you’re pretty much trapped under there I imagine

Vishal Verma says:November 22, 2010 at 2:42 pm

Quite similar to walkouts strategy for squats, I do rack lockouts before bench press every time I am feeling a bit diffident about heavy weight. Yes sometimes it works. Not always though. But it’s still better than sticking to the same weight for the fear of failing. At times when you are scared of failing, all you can do is put your best foot forward. And little tricks (walkouts, lockouts etc) like these give you that little confidence you need.

KevinT says:November 22, 2010 at 3:22 pm

Interesting that this article should come out today.

Last year I didn’t back out far enough, clipped a plate on the side of squat rack on the way down, stumbled and fell backwards onto the pins. Nothing hurt but my pride so I just laughed, re-racked and finished my session.

After a summer spent sprint canoeing I am working my way back to some semblence of strength (week 5) and backed 122.5kg of the hooks. It felt oddly heavy and my back was playing up, but its only 122.5kg! In the hole of squat 2 my back went (history of SIJ issues) and there was no way back up. I collapsed it onto the pins, crawled out, swore, stretched and put the plates back on the tree. that was me done for the day and probably the rest of the week as well! But, although as I write there are beads of sweat on my forehead from the pain, I know it could have been a lot lot worse.

That’s twice the equipment has proved its worth and I know beyond doubt that if I can lift it I will lift it and if I find I can’t then the rack WILL protect me – nothing to fear!

Don says:November 22, 2010 at 4:23 pm

The walkouts are an idea I had not read before–great tip. I will definitely add these to my squats (which really are improving and I’m going to hit my 1.5xsBW within the next 6 weeks. SL5x5 is so darned sensible compared to most of the nonsense I see people doing in our Navy/Marine Corp gym.

Vivek says:November 22, 2010 at 5:24 pm

Nice idea!! You got really practical ideas not only theoritical! This is the best part about you Mehdi.

rere says:November 22, 2010 at 9:14 pm

Sensible advice. I think a lot more gyms need to invest in power racks. I stopped doing walkouts, thanks for the prompt Mehdi

Steve says:November 22, 2010 at 9:18 pm

I’m gonna give it a try tonight.

Hilts says:November 22, 2010 at 10:24 pm

Great idea so next workout I’m gonna try walkouts! I’ve already experienced dropping the weights within my power rack. Thanks for the tip.

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What’s Your Excuse?

HomeAboutBlogCommunitySuccess StoriesCoachingContactStrength Training and Nutrition StrategiesThis is "The Place" where Men seeking
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What’s Your Excuse?Nov 25th, 2010 by Mehdi

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