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 By: Roger Lockridge
"To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are." Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, Roger Federer, Derek Jeter. Do you know what these athletes and celebrities have in common? They are all considered by a majority of the people around the world as the absolute best in their particular field or sport. There are thousands of people, in some case, millions that have participated in these same occupations. Why is it that these legends are considered the best? They played on the same level and had to follow the same rules. Why do those guys stand out?
  Click To Enlarge. Why Is It That These Legends Are Considered The Best?
-Michael Jordan, Six Time NBA World Champion and 10 Time Scoring Champion Although the name of the game is bodybuilding, this sport is about much more than human physical activity. If you want to succeed in bodybuilding, whether you are a competitor, participate on some other level, or everyday gym rat, you have to have the mind set that you will make it happen. You must know for a fact that you are going to meet every one of your goals. It has to be a formality in your mind that you are going to be a champion. When you look in that mirror, you can't just see your reflection staring back at you. That is a winner, a success story, and someone who knows where he is going not only in bodybuilding, but rather in life looking at you. It can be difficult at times to create that mind set for yourself. Trust me, I know.
These are not ground breaking suggestions. Some are old-school strategies. The reason that they stand the test of time is because they work and a refresher course never hurts.
-Arnold Schwarzenegger, 7 Time IFBB Mr. Olympia and Governor of California When you go to the gym today, what do you want to do? Are you going to bench, squat, or do you want to set some different type of PR? Whatever it is, before you get started, I want you to go somewhere that you can be alone. It can be in the locker room, a corner, or stay in your car if you need to.
I want you to think you are actually doing what you planned on doing that day right down to the pressure of the weight in your hands. See yourself succeeding. Count the reps in your head. 1... 2... 3... 4... on and on until you meet your goal in your mind. I want you to do this for every exercise you are going to do that day. Now open your eyes. It should just be a matter of going in the gym and doing it. You are going to be much more likely to accomplish what you want to do in the gym on that day. Your workouts are going to be that much more productive than they have been in the past.
-Derek Jeter, Four Time World Series Champion and 10 Time MLB All Star Have you ever said that you hope to lose so many pounds or want to lift so many pounds today? In this sport, hope doesn't get you very far. If you do not put in the necessary work and effort, then you can hope all you want, but it just isn't going to happen. Drop the word hope and replace with the word will. You will lose 20 pounds. You will bench press 315 today. It is going to happen. In your mind, there is no force that is going to stop you from doing what you want to do. You do all the work, you have eaten all the right food, and you have all the necessary tools to meet them goals so it will happen. If you have any less than 100% certainty, then you aren't being fair to yourself or the people that support you. One way of showing this certainty is writing what you will do down. Save them on your computer, keep them in your gym bag or your car.
 Click To Enlarge. One Way Of Showing This Certainty Is Writing What You Will Do Down.
"I've been training so long, it's second nature to push myself to the limit."
-Tiger Woods, 14 Time Golf Major Winner and 70 PGA Tour Victories Do you ever find yourself rushing to get something done at work because you don't want to be late turning it in? You have to meet that deadline or you don't get that bonus or worse, get fired from your job. To be truly successful in bodybuilding, you have to have that same intense focus on meeting your goals. It is one thing to say that you will lose 25 pounds. You cross a whole different line when you say this:
"I will bench press 315 by October 1." Now you have that extra pressure on you. You are on the clock now. You have to do it by the end of the year to be successful. You are a successful athlete. Failure is not an option. Tick tock, tick tock. You better get to work.
-Michael Jordan Although we want to think and conduct ourselves as we are successful, we are doing ourselves wrong if we thought we were perfect. There is no such thing as perfect. That means that unfortunately, we are going to fail at some point in our fitness journeys and our lives. It is how we handle failure that will eventually make us a success.
 Click To Enlarge. It Is How We Handle Failure That Will Eventually Make Us A Success.
Secondly, I want you to think of it not as if you failed, you just have not succeeded yet. It will not be the end of the world if you lose or miss your target by a couple of pounds. Your family will still love you, your friends will still support you, and you will not fail at everything else you try just because this didn't work out.
They may be richer, more famous, and shown on TV more times than you are, but there is no doubt that you can have the same mind set as the legends. You can do anything you set your mind to. Regardless of your goals, you can accomplish them and eventually surpass them. Think like a champion, train like a champion, live like a champion, and you WILL be a champion.
"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'" Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here!
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