Early Morning Dedication

This past Saturday I was reminded of a story I was once told.

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A young man used the walk around the gym aimlessly trying to figure out what he would do next. If he didn’t have a copy of Flex magazine, he was lost. Worse yet, the program always looked something like this:

1) Barbell Bench Press 3×12
2) Dumbell Bench Press 3×12
3) Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 3×12
4) Pec Fly 3×12
5) Pec Deck 3×12
6) Skull Crushers 3×12

But what was he to do? He didn’t know any better.

Then he saw the hulking guy across the gym. Always quiet, he only did a few exercises. He always used a lot of weight, and he always carried a shake with him. Gosh, I wish I knew what he knows.

“Excuse me, sir? Where did you learn all of that?”
“I’ve been doing this a long time, kid.”
“Do you… do you think you can teach me that stuff?”
“Sorry kid, I’m very busy.”

So the kid struggles, making minimal gains. Always working hard, but without any guidance.

Months pass as the gym veteran watches this until one day he confronts the boy.

“Are you still interested in my help?”
“Yes sir, I absolutely am.”
“Okay. Meet me back here tomorrow at 5 AM. Don’t be late.”

As is with most young men, this kid was not an early-to-bed-early-to-rise kind of person. He’s seen 5 AM before, but only when staying up from the night prior. But he’s determined.

Lying in bed incapable of sleeping, he pictures his goals for the future. He’s seen those bodybuilders in his magazines and wants to get there one day. Needs to get there one day. On stage with the lights as bright as the sun shining down on him as he is announced the victor. That is his dream.

3 AM rolls around and he finally falls asleep, but his alarm goes off an hour later.

He drags himself out of bed. As lethargy takes over, the door to the gym embarrasses him at 4:52 AM when he grabs the handle and the door pulls his face into the glass. He takes a wider step and manages to get past the obstacle.

But the gym veteran is nowhere to be found.

Well, I am a little early…

6:00… 6:15… 6:30… nothing. He sits there in silence wondering what went wrong.

But then he sees a car pull in the parking lot. Out walks the large man. The clock says 6:41 AM.

The large man approaches. The boy speaks nothing, but the excitement on his face says everything.

“Son, do you know what time it is?”
“Yes sir.”
“And what time were we supposed to meet?”
“6 AM.”
“Yes. That was forty minutes ago. Your training for the day is complete. Go back home and get some sleep.”
“But… we didn’t do anything.”
“Son, today we’ve done everything. I can’t spend my time working with someone who isn’t dedicated, but you’ve passed the test. I’ll meet you back here tomorrow at 6 PM. Go get some rest.”

—

When IFAST opened up at 8 AM Saturday, we quickly had about eight people squeezed in the warm-up area giving up their Saturday morning to come make themselves better. New interns learned how to coach, new clients learned how we do things, old clients pushed themselves, and I learned how to coach coaches.

That Saturday was the busiest I have ever worked. And I can’t even recall how many people told me they were expecting it to be dead. Instead, they got a supportive training environment from those around at no extra cost, and this is the biggest reason I support semi-private training. Your training environment is so important and, thankfully, every IFAST client is dedicated. Check out a snapshot below of the 8 AM clients.

 

Look at David Smith, our new dentist friend, showing us a solid deadlift! Very cool.

These clients are like the young boy. They woke up early on Saturday morning to come hang out with Brodie, Cody, Bryson, and myself. Those are the kinds of people I want to work with.

Start showing off your dedication now in preparation for the contest we’re running in February. More details to come…