Lift Heavy!
“DIG! Bury Me! Underneath! Everything that I am!” – Mudvayne
“Heavy! I want it Heavy!” – Disturbed
“Yeah! You push it! Yeah! You push it!” – Static-X
We all love music. I find that some bands are better used as the soundtrack to my weight training than others. While my local pussyfoot gym spins tracks from the latest Britney Spears record, in my head I’m singing Mudvayne and Disturbed tracks over and over again, hell I even sing out loud sometimes (but not too loud). Yes, I do need an Ipod Nano, but I digress.
So what exactly is my point? My point is this: when you are in the gym you need to be in the zone. Too many folks saunter into the gym with Britney Spears’ intensity. They walk up to the dumbbells, sigh, lift off the same weight they used last week, and hit the same number of reps and sets as last week¦ and last month¦ and likely last year. These are the same folks that won’t squat because it hurts their back, they won’t run because it hurts their knees, they won’t use a barbell because it HURTS THEIR HANDS! These things can be fixed, worked through, or worked around, but instead it’s an excuse to sit around on machines doing the same endless reps, day after day.
Then later when I’m trying to finish up my super-set so that I can get in one more exercise before the gym closes, I have to listen to, “I like to exercise late because there isn’t really anyone here to watch me. Maybe if I was in a bit better shape I wouldn’t mind so much, you know?” NO! I don’t know, buddy! I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about! I like it when other people are working out around me. Guys like me start up unspoken competitions with other similar athletes. We watch intently to see if our rivals hit their deadlift max this week. We check out the shredded guy’s calves to see if ours are still bigger. But we don’t watch you.
In fact I don’t really care what you do because you add absolutely nothing to my training, but please move away from the decline bench so I can finish my last set of weighted decline sit ups!
If you want to make progress you need to DIG! You need to want it HEAVY! You need to PUSH IT!! Eat what you know you need to eat. Lift more weight every single workout no matter what. Get in that zone so you can block out the rest of your life, so that the only thing you see right now is that bar on the floor, and you know that today, right now, you’re about to lift 5 lbs more on this exercise than you’ve ever lifted before, and hell if you can get an extra rep you’ll do that too. Get IN that zone, because it’s time to DIG!
April 12th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Couldn’t agree more with this article, didn’t take me too long to start thinking like this. Also great site, keep it up!
April 20th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Hey,
I love what you’e doing!
Don’t ever change and best of luck.
Raymon W.
February 7th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I have been coming to this site a lot lately, so i thought would be proper to leave a note of appreciation here.
Thanks,
Jim Mirkalami
June 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 am
“Too many folks saunter into the gym with Britney Spears’ intensity.” ahah classic. Amen brother. You’ll get no results if you don’t push yourself and increase or at least try to increase the poundage / reps every week. Good luck to you in your bodybuilding journey.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Britney Spears’s music in a gym? I prefer dance music in bench press I think
July 19th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I ain’t gonna lie, man, this post motivated me. We give ourselves so many excuses, so many times. This is something to print out and read every day when you don’t feel like doing anything, you know? Good boost.
BTW, I kept thinking of that old Salt-n-Pepa song when you said “Push it”–LOL
August 12th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Britney is not my thing for sure
August 12th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Whoever said “No pain, no gain!” was absolutely correct. You can’t expect the body to change unless you have the mindset for that change. And having a limp attitude in the gym doesn’t get it done.
August 13th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Couldn’t have said it better Jason! “No pain, no gain!”
August 14th, 2008 at 7:21 am
I am totally with you on this one mate – I even prefer the hardcore dance tracks at the gym that pop music and R & B – and on Sundays its even worse – my local even plays UB40 and the likes! Not what you need to really get your adrenaline pumping!
Push It is a classic Static X, while a few of my favorites are Sick of Life by Godsmack and Kingdom of the blind by Dry Kill Logic.
August 18th, 2008 at 6:26 am
I regulary go to the sportschool myself and i know exactly what you are saying in your article! The people that come for: ‘i look better when i go to an sportschool and not really exercise but i have the idea that i did something’ are in my eyes weak and lazy people. That kind of people don’t want to change, they do not want to look better, they do not want to grow bigger. They only go to the sportschool because others do. They are sheep. For music i also like dance, club with a good beat better that pushes you to your next rep. Everybody got something else that triggers them to give that extra 1. Nice article, god attitude! Greetz, from another lifter
September 26th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I work out a lot and if I don’t have my music then the quality of my workout goes down a lot. Music helps you keep moving and the right kind of music gives you that extra boost when you don’t feel like you can do anymore.
October 7th, 2008 at 6:48 am
I plan out a lot and if I don’t accept my music again the superior of my conditioning goes down a lot. Music helps you accumulate affective and the appropriate affectionate of music gives you that added addition if you don’t feel like you can do anymore.
October 24th, 2008 at 1:23 am
Great songs at the beginning. I’m throwing in a vote for HateBreed: I Will Be Heard
‘Now is the time for me to rise to my feet
Wipe your spit from my face
Wipe these tears from my eyes
I’ve got to take my life back
One chance to make it right
I’ve gotta have my voice be heard
And bring meaning to this life
Cause I trusted for nothing
I’ve been led astray
I’ve been tried and tested
But i won’t accept defeat
Now I’ve done things I regret
And it’s time to reverse the roles
I just want to make good on
all the promises that I have made’
That’s Dig Music
Awesome.
November 13th, 2008 at 2:04 am
I love this site… I was on my way to become one of these people you get frustrated with (lol) no matter what kind of music was playing. living in Thailand, I now train in a muaythai gym where I get screamed at every day if I try to do lousy push-ups or punch like a girl, althouh I am one… It hurts, it works and i feel great!
November 19th, 2008 at 1:05 am
I just wish I had the will power and motivation. I start off good but that don’t last long, then I pretty much give up.
November 20th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Wow! Have to say the way you write is inspirational. To be completely honest i am a 40+ year old guy who has avoided excercise like the plague but i recently have dropped over 40 pounds (one for every year of me being a fatty I guess now I think of it) using the scarsdale diet which I listed above i anyone is interested to see how I did it. I am really motivated now to keep building on my success and now that I am getting trimmer time to increase my muscle mass. Pathetic to someone like you I know but I have been just doing some pushups lately and can do 15 for my first set. Yeah, I know, I can hear you all laughing but before I could not do 5 so baby steps I guess. i bookmarked your site. it really helps to inspire me further. Thanks for that seriously. And keep it up. Regards-
November 20th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Wow I admit your writing is really good. It is true that when you are in a gym it’s not the place for some girly songs… we want hard rock songs!
November 20th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Your right about people hitting the gym very lightly. It’s really funny too. I love seeing people come in one day, maybe two days, then you never see them again. Really good dedication there I guess.
No one is going to look at you any different if you got the 15 pound dumbbell in your hand and if they do that’s just their ignorance.
November 20th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I had a friend who I worked out with for a while who would do what was comfortable and never push, it used to drive me nuts because I wanted to go full steam on every press, squat etc. Eventually I just started working out on my own because he really slowed me way down.
StaticX and Disturbed are two of my favorites, also Slipknot, Godsmack and Deftones are great too for getting that “run through the wall” attitude going.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I’ve been lifting lately with headphones tuned to a workout tape I created. It’s a great way of forgetting the world and getting into a zone. Music gives me that “run through the wall†attitude, too!
December 8th, 2008 at 7:14 am
I agree that most people hit the gym with an escapist attitude who are afraid to take the tough path of exercising and rather sit comfortable in the comfort zone. What these people forget is that unless they have the proper grit and determination, they won’t be able to cut the flab and get in shape.
December 10th, 2008 at 1:28 am
I see a lot of people going to the gym, spend 30 minutes exercising and then 1 hour talking to someone. it’s funny.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:21 am
“I had a friend who I worked out with for a while who would do what was comfortable and never push, it used to drive me nuts because I wanted to go full steam on every press, squat etc. Eventually I just started working out on my own because he really slowed me way down.
StaticX and Disturbed are two of my favorites, also Slipknot, Godsmack and Deftones are great too for getting that “run through the wall†attitude going.”
same here
December 13th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Haha , I once spent an afternoon at my gym , the trainer had only the stereo going on one music and set it on repeat so I spent two hours listening to Shakira’s ” Whenever , whenever ” song and I nearly jumped out the window.
So the next day to help me get in the mood and also to zone out another one of those repeating singular songs they play I brought my Ipod with me ^^
December 18th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
You have a great blog here i am fast becoming a regular visiter. I fully agree with the article. Music really during my training. Thanks for the post keep up the good work
January 17th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
This is a truly motivating post. I can’t tell you how many times I plateaued (sp?) because I simply wasn’t pushing myself enough. You really can’t grow unless you’re constantly doing uncomfortable things…how about that.
February 16th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I 100% agree that weak music leads to weak training. Just thought I’d chime in here and add another great band – TOOL. I have a bunch of their songs on my ipod for my workouts. Really gets me going.
Good Luck to ya.