Positively Thinking

"Give me a lever long enough and a prop strong enough. I can single-handedly move the world." -- Archimedes

This is a new section on our site dedicated to those people out there who are doing really great things.  Spud's recent journey of losing 109 lbs. has inspired others to take on the quest and we have a bunch of e-mails from people who are accomplishing really huge tasks.  This will be their brag wall and hopefully a source of inspiration for others looking to take on any challenge and win!!

"If you put a small value on yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price." -- Unknown Author

Check out this awesome email Marc received from a lifter who has been following one of his programs:

I embarked on one of your lifting programs this summer with the goal of raising my raw strength to a better level. It was definitely trying at times (esp. with some of the squat workouts!), but I made it through and thought I'd let you know how I faired in the end. 
 
Bench: Our goal was 340-350, I hit 325. Not quite the goal, but a huge improvement for me, especially with my monkey arms! 
 
Squat: Our goal was 425, and I hit 425 with some left in the tank! I also, through your help, learned how to squat properly and realized the importance of proper form. 
 
Deadlift: Our goal was 475, and I hit 455. My grip was failing me towards the end, so I feel like if I improve upon that I can pull more.  
 
All in all, a 120lb. or so increase on my total! One of the most important things I learned through this was how to train myself. I'm no expert now or anything, but I think I've figured out some ideas for setting up cycles in the future, and I couldn't have gotten to that point without your help. I appreciate you always taking the time out of your hectic schedule to shoot me an email when I had a question or wanted you to look at something for me. Thanks a lot, Marc, and enjoy your holidays! 

The weeks Positively Thinking Corner is an excerpt from an awesome back and forth conversation between Dave Tate and Allwyn Cosgrove.  It mainly deals with business but they both have some great things to say about life in general. Check out the following process on how to descern your fundamental goal in life.  This is an awesome project:

Here are some quick and easy steps to help someone along the path of discovering their purpose or aim. Note: This is a path of discovery, not an exercise in answering questions. 

1. Determine your values: To start with, ask yourself what values you dislike in people. This is the easiest way to begin the process. Once you establish this, think of those people who you admire the most and why. Then look at the list of what you dislike and think of the exact opposite. You will be getting close. When you think of those people whom you admire the most and why, you will be locking into the exact values that you share with them (or would like to). These values make up who you are and what you will be. If you do not like what you see, there’s a very simple one word solution—change. 

2. Determine what you don’t want: What do you not want in life? What are you sick of? How much better would life be for you without X? For this exercise, just write down as much as you can without really thinking. This is one of the best ways to discover what you really do want. While this is a very negative experience, it does make what you do want very clear.

3. Determine what you do want: Now, write down all of the things that you do want. When do you feel great? When do you feel your strongest? When do you feel most free? While you do this, just write as fast as you can. If you notice that your list is all material things, dig deeper. Why do you want the new car? Why do you want a bigger house? If you ask why to the same question 3–4 times, you will begin to find the real answers. Make sure that when you do this, you keep in mind that limitations can be overcome. This world is FULL of negative people and a small percentage who prove them wrong. Knowing your limitations is not establishing a list of why you can’t do something. For normal people, this list would be known as excuses. For you, it will be known as your path to what you want. We all know nothing is easy. This is proof of it. To get where you want to be, you have to become better. It is that simple.

4. Once you do this, go back and circle all of the best things from your “do want” list and begin thinking about those things that are keeping them from happening. Think and write down all of them, externally and internally. Know and learn your limitations. This will help you to overcome them in the future.

5. Write your eulogy as it would be written today. Be brutal and honest and think of what it would really say. If you are like I was, you will not like what it says. Now, write what you want it to say.

6. Now that you have all of these things written down, start thinking really hard. This is not something you discuss with other people. This is something that has to come from you. At this point, write a statement of your purpose or aim. This should be one sentence or less. 

Getting back to your question, Alwyn, what is my plan from here? How do I live haply ever after? Simple, I keep striving to live the purpose of my life—“to live, learn, and pass on.” By this, I mean I want to live life. I do not want to have life happen to me. While shit happens and I understand that, I want to enjoy the time I have here. We are only here once so I want to take in all I can. There is a huge difference between living a life and letting life control you. For the record, this is a state of mind. Other people and situations do not make you happy or unhappy. You make this decision yourself. Now, you see why this is a journey that is not easy.

Read the entire article

This weeks (9-18-08) Positively Thinking Corner comes from a segment of Marc's training log. While discussing his weight lost he gave a nod to a new member of our gym and his unswerving desire to change his body:

"...You never know who will rise to the occasion. This is one of the biggest thrills in life. Right now, there is a guy who just joined my gym. When he started working out he was well over 400 lbs and is now around 275 lbs. The other day I watched him outside pulling the sled in the middle of the SC 100 degree weather. There was a look in his eye that was determined. I smiled inside already knowing the outcome of his success. When he came in from his sled training I yelled "You've got the eye of the tiger" across the gym. I know it's corny but it was great for the moment. This is the guy who will finish or fall out doing so.

Choice is the one of the greatest attributes of being human. Sometimes, we make bad choices, but more often we make a good choice and it opens any door we wish to walk through. This guy is an inspiration to me and the other members of SCB..."
 

9-10-08
Marc, just wanted to tell you man I cant believe your transformation, and it has been inspiring for me to say the least. I have pushed my cardio up quite a bit and I am now getting my nutrition together. I am going through your logs to see how your nutrition worked and how you planned it out. The weight is coming off pretty quickly.  All in all man, strong article, strong outcome. Just unreal.

 Hi Marc,

Hope you don't mind me emailing you at your private address but I just wanted to say thanks!

Since last summer I've been working on looking like I can lift weights in addition to being able to, and I've done fairly well, down from 310 to 260. Been stuck at 260 for a few months now but the mirror and pinch tests (incl caliper BF readings) so I think I've actually lost a lot more just gained back some of the muscle I lost (I think more than that, I'm sure I'm way more muscular than before, not just appearance wise).

Dave really inspired me with his transformation too. But what you did has given my somewhat stale sail new wind. I haven't stopped working hard but I have kind of stopped trying hardER. I've been doing 20 min cardio with high intensity intervals (on a elliptical, 20 seconds level 15 and 75 rpm and 20 sec at level 8 at 45-50 rpm and repeat) and
lifting 5 days a week. It's been working but I've been long since ready for more (cardio at least) but I haven't pushed it. I also allowed myself to pig out for a meal once or twice a week when I visited my parents.

Your story has made me jack my cardio to 40 mins on lifting days and an hour on off. It's been 2 weeks and there's already clear progress. It's again easy for me to deny big meals or sugary/fat foods. What's best is that it feels sustainable - I don't find myself dreading every session, having to draw on inspiration from you to make it. I just go
and work, and it feels great after I'm done. I never thought it could ever be this "easy" at this level. I've never been this fit in my life.

Anyway, thanks again!!! - D

"One of the redeeming things about being an athlete is redefining what is humanly possible." -- Lance Armstrong

"There is nothing that cannot be achieved by firm imagination." -- Japanese proverb