miked512’s BodyBlog

I’ve had a lot of training partners in my life.  Some that last for only a day, some I’m incompatible with, some I am and the like.  I think out of all of them, the one I’m incompatible with and mrlongisland1 are the ones who’ve gone on to do awesome things.  LMAO, training partners does not include the people I’ve had one or two workouts with.  Those people are awesome in their own respects but due to time constraints, distance, or what have you, they can’t be termed official training partners.  Now, back to the topic at hand, the majority of my training partners have been BLESSED with a myriad of bodybuilding talents.  A few were strong as oxen, others were able to easily put on slabs of muscle AND/OR stay lean as all hell at the same time.

Today, this really started bothering me when one, an ex-Marine, who is built perfectly for this wonderful activity of ours, cancelled the whole idea altogether.  Two weeks ago he calls me wanting to start train with me, become regimented, and get into some awesome shape.  I say sure and just tell him to join the expensive gym I’m a member of.  Of course, I bet he wouldn’t come through on it or stay with the program after 3 weeks.  Imsothemanxd and I talked about this when we worked out on monday but alas, he was supposed to start Tuesday.  Lets just say after having not joined the gym, signing up for a week pass, and touring the place he decided not to do it at all.  I was pissed but not surprised.  At that moment though, after having been bothered for two weeks about training and then not making it to the first workout or any altogether, I have a record for quitting training partners due to a lack of commitment on their part.  So I put some mudvayne on the phone, talked with One9One4  a bit and realized how the number of genetic gifts distributed to people go wasted on those who won’t use them.  This is of course after having talked about diets and how this crap really isn’t easy, but fun nonetheless.

It didn’t really hit me though until I get to the gym and there’s imsothemanxd doing his rack pulls.  We talk a bit throughout our workouts and about the troubles of growing lats, being young, how things will come to you and the like.  I think back on old training partners and how easy stuff like this was for them.  Then I think on these people like him that work for every ounce of progress they can get and feel, somewhat slighted.  A convo later after discussions about gains, bodybuilding, and other madness, I talk with infiniteblaq for a bit and then remember the videos.  The struggles this guy does and its like, "Damn, these people that don’t have these gifts don’t just sit and squander them but keep working at it."

And then it dawned on me.  I don’t know why these people quit.  Maybe they have good reasons.  Maybe they’re just quitters.  Maybe they don’t realize the possibility of their gifts and wander around aimlessly wondering "what can I do with my life" instead of taking advantage of talents they have in droves.  At this point, I don’t really think I care too much though.

You hard workers out there are my motivation.  Keep on getting whatever it is you’re after.  You’ll get there and through your efforts, others will get there sooner than they think possible.

You know what I hate about mondays?  Its not the fact I’m going back to work, the weekend is over, or that I probably have a new pile of crazy issues to diffuse this week.

Nope, its the fact that monday is "International Bench Press Day".  Experienced guys and newbs the world over, descend upon gyms across the globe to do the one exercise that is a small test of upper body strength.  The damned flat bench press.  You’ll never see one open.  There will be lines of lifters waiting on the mythical bench press.  I work out at a 24 hr gym and go when the crowd has gone down and you know there are still throngs and throngs of lifters waiting on the awesome, super duper bench press.

I shake my head and usually always design my training programs where legs or back come before chest.  However, sometimes I forget about that rule, go in and "BAM, the chest masters are on all of the bench presses".  Hhhhmmm, I wonder if I can start the international standing military press day.  At least then more people will be able to lift their bodyweight over their heads which frankly is a good thing.

Oh well, I’ll soon know if the bench press will be the first thing I see when I get over there tomorrow.  Later.