What really makes you angry? Maybe it's the straightforward expression of doubt that others have had no qualms expressing towards you. Maybe it's all of the social and political injustices over which you have no control. Perhaps it's a relationship in your life that isn't exactly going as planned, a disappointment in someone, or a depression turned into animosity as it often is. No matter what it is that makes you angry you can be sure of one thing. Bodybuilding is a positive outlet for that anger.
You can always tell those that have deep rooted emotional problems in the gym. If you don't know what I'm talking about then chances are you train at a fitness center. That is not exactly the same as a gym. Gyms have their own breed of people they seem to attract. Just look at the word: GYM. It demands attention and respect. Undoubtedly the toughest three-letter word you'll ever see.
What Makes It So Tough?
It is what lies behind it; the meaning, the associations and connotations that are related to it. One of those connotations is the angry lifter. Every gym has at least one but most have many. He is the one beating himself up in the locker room before coming out with bloodshot eyes and sweat pouring off his face; a true warrior on his way into the middle of a battlefield surrounded by complex machines and tons of iron and steal.
He is the one speaking quietly to himself at times and screaming at others. The one you see under 1,500 pounds on a leg press machine struggling with every last myofibril in his muscle to move the 3/4 ton of overwhelming iron plates hovering above his angry body and not giving in until his blazing soul gets that last part of his rep with the help of his fierce and passionate desire.
How Do You Become An Angry Lifter?
Well many hypothesize that it is something you are born with. However, I believe it is something that can be acquired through the process of learning how to channel your emotions. Of course then it would help to have an abundance of emotions. Angry lifters have no room for apathy on the shelves or in the closets of the brain. Realize the awesomeness of life, and the fact that you have never been on this earth and never will be again. Get passionate about everything you come in contact with, read about, and do.
Love life, live it with a wide-eyed wonder and an unmatchable excitement for all of its challenges. By viewing the world in this way you can create an abundance of emotions. Happiness will be generated from things that in the past have yielded nothing. Sadness will come three fold from something that wouldn't have made you bat an eye previously. You will feel more remorse, more frustration, more joy, more passion about life and your existence.
In addition, you must have a purpose in mind. It is easy to fall into the monotony of another training session if you don't keep in front of you exactly why you are doing what you do day in and day out. What do you have to gain from your training? What will it feel like when you get it? What will people say to you and how will you act when you get there? On the other hand, you have to keep in mind what it will cost you to not follow through and live out your dreams and to not train your absolute hardest each and every time your in the gym.
Do you want to be stuck in the stagnant pond of mediocrity all of your life? No, there's nothing more unfulfilling than that. The thought of that alone should make you fearful, anxious, and angry. By keeping your purpose in mind, you can go even harder and learn to take all of those emotions that the previous questions provoke and use them to benefit you in your workout.
Among its other benefits, bodybuilding has an often-unseen function. It is a way to take all of the negative energy in your life and channel it into positive energy. You see, the power of positive energy is much greater than that of negative energy. You can take a days or weeks or even a months worth of negative energy and channel it all into one workout. Instead of letting that negative energy fester inside of you and eat you up, secretly breaking down your health and tearing up your vitality and well being, you can let it work FOR you!
What? Negativity in my life can work for me? MOST DEFINITELY! But… ONLY if you let it! This is not to say go out and create as much negativity and frustration for yourself as you possibly can so don't go intentionally locking your keys in your car or anything like that. When a negative, troubling, or frustrating situation or circumstance arrives, acknowledge it for what it is and then make the conscious decision that YOU have more power than the situation and you can CHOOSE how to respond to it.
Emotion is a choice, how you use it is up to you. CHOOSE to let that situation or circumstance work for you by not letting it control you at that moment but rather by controlling it and using it for your benefit at a later point in time.
Do you want to help up the intensity level of your training drastically while further improving your health more than exercise can do alone? Then become the angry lifter. How? You have to learn to channel all of your emotions into your actions while in the gym. When you can do this, you will notice a new person emerge inside and outside the gym.
Inside the gym you will be a ferocious whirlwind of intensity propelled by your own passion and emotional power. Outside the gym you will be happier, healthier and more satisfied, gliding through life easier and living in reaction to your own choices rather than life's circumstances. BE STRONG, GET ANGRY!
Thanks,