Environment

Training environment is HUGE...A vastly, vastly underrated component of training. I am only going to ever train in a commercial facility again if I:

A.) Am out of town.
B.) Want to get really, really depressed and unmotivated to train.

Tonight we had one of the best lifts I have ever witnessed. Chalk lathered the floor. Guys had their shirts off, proud of the work they have accomplished over the summer, and were screaming their hearts out in support of each other. A bunch of rap music and Linkin Park blared in the background, and I could not have been more proud. 17 college football players, under one roof, many of them from rival schools, enduring the pain, putting forth the effort...EARNING a spot on the travel squad, or the starting lineup, or the special teams unit.

Our guys have gotten stronger, and it doesn't have a thing to do with me, they MADE an environment where anything other than 100% intensity was unacceptable. Jim Wendler of Elite FTS said it best, when I heard him say that it doesn't matter what program you are on, it is what you put into the program; basically he was inferring that a crappy program performed with 100% heart and effort is better than a great program that is half assed.

And you know what? I couldn't agree more. The next time you go to work at Gold's, ask yourself, am I REALLY getting stronger? Bigger? In better shape? Get OUT of your comfort zone, and find a place to train that has some actual training environment; trust me, you won't regret it!

Get after it,

Matt