Don't You DARE Tell Me You Can't

Tell me you can't do something... Go ahead...

  I hate, no, I abhor it when people tell me they can't do something when there is absolutely nothing wrong with them.   I see it and hear it all the time, not only in the gym, but in everyday life.  99.7% of the time the truth of the matter is, they don't want to do something.  Welcome to the fast-track to becoming weak willed, weak minded, and as a result weak bodied. 

  I was squatting a while back, someone walks up to me(young guy) and says, "I used to squat that much, but I can't anymore because my knees can't handle it."  Horseshit!  We have a guy in the gym that has been bodybuilding since before I was born and when he tells me he's got bad knees I believe him, not some 20-something year old who has lifted on and off for maybe 3 years.  You just don't want to lift, not to mention that you are not squatting 600+lbs at 165lbs unless you are an Elite Level powerlifter. 

  It infuriates me because I was told by everyone and their brother that, "You cannot ever train heavy again" or "You can't compete anymore without debilitating injuries".  When I see or hear someone who is healthy say they can't do something, my blood immediately boils.  The human mind is much weaker than the body. 

  If you want something go after it.  It is easy to make excuses, because they require no effort, but producing results takes hard work and determination.  Whatever your excuse is, trust me, I've run into it. 

  I work too much already and I don't have the time to go to the gym. 

Translation:  "I don't know how to properly manage my time".  While I train 30-36 sessions each week I am working much more than that.  I have a team to manage, programs to write, meetings to plan, not to mention keeping up on my own education and the education of the entire department.  Yet, I still make the time to train at least 4 days each week. 

  You have to make the time, not find it.  If something is important to you, you should have no problem going to the ends of the earth to make sure that something is taken care of.  Last time I checked, your health should be one of those "somethings" that should be important to you.  How many people's dying thought runs along the lines of, "I wish I didn't have so much time on this earth", or "I'm okay with this, I lived too long anyway".  Unless you lived into triple digits I'm sure that would be the last thing crossing your mind. 

I'm hurt and I can't train.

Translation:  "I'm not willing to work around my injury".  I was watching some footage of a powerlifting competition called "Night of the Living Deadlift" a few months back.  A young woman is called to the platform.  She hops to the bar, sets up and yanks that barbell off the floor.  Here is the kicker, the reason she had to hop to the bar was that she only had one leg.  With one leg, she performed an exercise that most people have a hard time completing with two legs.  When is the last time you showed resolve like that?

 

  In the end, we need to learn how to wipe the metaphorical sand out of our lady parts.  If you want something don't wait for someone to give it to you.  Take a plan of action, work that plan of action and see it to the end until you have reached the goal.  Don't ever tell me you can't again...