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Motivation is a psychological feature that arouses an organism to act towards a desired goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal directed behaviors. It can be considered a driving force; a psychological one that compels or reinforces an action toward a desired goal. - Wikipedia article of Motivation (Because looking on google for a definition of motivation lead to entries using the word to define itself)

It's hard to be dramatic when you use wikipedia, but you work with what you have.

It's also hard to be motivated. There have been countless times when I was just starting out in getting stronger that I have just lost the will to try. I would deviate from different goals easily, think what I'm doing is going to be good enough, and listen to Men's Health Magazine for programming. I didn't get the results I expected fasted enough and I didn't gain any kind of weight that mattered. I didn't get any stronger.


^TRUTH AT THAT POINT

When I started to 'work out' I joined a Snap Fitness 24 hour gym and tried to "modify" the Starting Strength program by Mark Rippetoe by using dumbbells instead of a barbell. This was not his program because you can't microload dumbbells (not easily at least). Heck, I tried thinking of different ways of using the Smith Machine so I could "squat" like the powerlifters online told me to and that went to shit. I was desperate and angry that I had a long way to go to get to the point I wanted to get to. GOMAD was also a part of my routine, to help gain weight, and I did. I just didn't get the strength I wanted.

That's when I switched to another program that was recommended to me, Westside For Skinny Bastards. That had dumbbell work. I could finally do a worthwhile program the equipment afforded to me at Snap.

I didn't get much stronger. And that is because of 2 reasons.
1)My goals didn't align with my habits. I was trying to cut weight while getting stronger, and that meant less calories.
2) I didn't push myself. I stayed at the same weight when using dumbbells.
(WFSB is a good program, I just didn't find the motivation with it)

One day before I was to trudge along in my routine that didn't show any gains, my roommate/friend offered too work out with me since she had a free month of Snap Fitness to use up. We traveled down University in Minneapolis from some Hall at the UofM to a Snap Fitness close to St. Paul. When I walked in, I was drawn to a particular piece of equipment, the power rack. It was beautiful and often abused. Meant for squats, presses and sometimes bench pressing, but used as a curling rack more often then not.


(A SIN, GODDAMIT, A SIN)

After seeing it, I decided to go back to Starting Strength. Finally, I thought. I can do the program correctly. I wasn't on GOMAD anymore, but I saw plenty of strength gains. However, when I got to 225lbs (or 2 plates), I stalled. Normally eating more would have helped, but I still couldn't do 5 reps of 2 plates for shit. I reset a couple of times, and de-loaded but still couldn't squat that damn weight. I once again, became depressed. Trying everything from pushing my knees out to just working through the worst squats ever, just to get used to the weight, I was lost when I just couldn't do it.

But then I got angry. REALLY angry. So angry at the weight that I decided to find a coach to show me how to squat right. If I had to fucking go from zero, I'd do it, because I'm not going to let 2 plates win. I found a place about an hour away from my apartment by bus and thought "it's going to be worth it". After talking with the coach, I signed up with my new gym and off I went. Every day I went in and every day I go in, my coach asks me things like "Hunter! How are you today bro?" or "Hey Hunter, how you feeling brother?" and my replies are either "I'm ready to be destroyed" or "POWERFUL", even if I was lying. Now if I'm feeling like shit, it's not because I can't get stronger. My mindset was changed by that place and I'm forever grateful.



The point is that 2 plates are a bitch weight now. No weight is going to be heavy to me for long. And if even if it was, I don't give a shit any longer, because this is something I'm doing for life.

I'm not exercising anymore. It's fuckin' training to me.

I hope that you guys, whoever reads the babble I write, find the motivation for whatever it is you do. I hope that everyday that you can't do it, you're so livid that people get weirded out by how much you want it. More importantly, I hope you go in no matter what you're feeling with the attitude "I'm fucking doing this today". Get angry. Get better. Do something. Be something.