I am often asked “what motivates you to train David, you have been at it for 56 years, aren’t you sick of it, why aren’t you bigger? Are you stronger? You do not look like the modern body builders, what do you get out of it ?" It goes on and on. There are only some people such as Bob Whelan my mentor and coach, who gives me inspiration. So they are the people you look forward to talking to and listening to with the greatest of concentration and listening powers. You not only listen and read, but you also put this knowledge into practice, and you do it repeatedly. Repetition is the mother of skill.
Why? Because they are true to you and want the best for you. Surround yourself with people who want the best for you, that is one of my major philosophies in life. Not only do we talk and listen to people who want the best for us, we also surround ourselves with reading and listening knowledge from those who want the best for us weight trainers and strength athletes. Share knowledge and gain wealth which improves your health.
Read all you can by such great writers as Brad Steiner, Peary Rader, John Christy, Brooks Kubik, Bob Whelan, Jim Duggan, Ken Leistner, Jocko Willink, Stuart Mc Robert. Also young blokes such as RJ Hicks who has learnt off the drug free natural weightlifters, and body builders. These men preach the truth they are true to themselves and to you the reader. They are drug free trainers, who remain healthy throughout their lives.
So above is just a small portion of what has motivated me for 56 years, it is not so much the motivation to keep training, it is the discipline one has acquired to keep training, repeatedly, because the results far outweigh the failures. Results such as internal and external strength and wellbeing, we not only strengthen the muscles one can view we also strengthen muscle tissue which holds our organs in position. When you do a hard set of abdominal crunches, barbell squats or weighted side bends think of the amount of blood you squeeze into the abdominal cavity area and muscles which support the lower body.
What about your heart muscle, it is also strengthened. The connective tissue is strengthened, which holds the joints together, stabilizes us and supports us if we fall and are injured. If you play sport and weight train you will get less injuries and the ones, you get are less traumatic. I played Australian Rules Football from the age of 10 till the age of 33, never damaged a knee, or an ankle, never pulled a hamstring or quadricep muscle. I once damaged my right shoulder playing football. Immediately after the football match, I applied wet heat to the shoulder area, and pressed a dumb bell overhead all week for rep after rep and played the following Saturday.
That is why I am not sick of weight training and what motivates me to continue it twice a week, workout after workout, month after month. Training gives me results, some hidden and some you can see. As I get older it is more beneficial to me.
You will get as big as your genetics permit you to get naturally. Once you reach your genetic potential in strength and size, it is then only a matter of maintaining it. This may take you 3 to 4 years of consistent progressive training, sometime times longer. It is not so much the result it is the journey along the way. The mental strength you gain, the physical appearance and the feeling of being stronger than most. Also being equipped to handle most physical situations if necessary.
Every time I train, I write 3 or 4 short sentences in my training diary alongside my workout. I have the discipline to get to the gym, which makes me feel great, these short sentences motivate me to improve and keep going back.
Below are some of the short motivational sentences I have used this year:
Strengthen the body, use good form, keep your muscle, be strong, believe in yourself, do it today, improve your health, strong body and mind, tough times never last but tough people do, improve strength and stability, focus on your form, challenge yourself.
So there you are, all by yourself with the iron, just you and all the above motivators, and the discipline you have instilled into yourself. All this has given you physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing and health, that you can never acquire from anywhere or any other activity.
The God father of fitness the great Jack LaLanne was once asked the following question:
“What motivates you Jack to get up each morning and train “
Jack said.
“God doesn’t knock on Jack LaLanne’s and say get up Jack.”
“Jack LaLanne gets up and does it himself.”
