A guy saw me stretching today after my workout. I’ve always worked at my flexibility and as a result I’m very flexible. He said to me “you must have always been flexible” I told him I’ve been stretching as long as I’ve been lifting. Is this a surprise? Why do people think that great accomplishments come easy? How come they don’t assume hard work was involved?
assuming your from America…
Because American’s are lazy and want to take a magic pill to be everything they want to be. No one here wants to work anymore, they want everything handed to them.
Well you’re average individual that is…
I guess its easier for them to assume that they are not good at something because of “bad luck” and not because they are lazy and stupid.
sour grapes. Anyone who has any notable accomplishment(s) that I have failed, or have yet, to attain, must have gone through considerably less adversity than I have. It has nothing to do with the fact that I suck.
This has nothing to do with being American, its a worldwide phenomena.
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
assuming your from America…
Because American’s are lazy and want to take a magic pill to be everything they want to be. No one here wants to work anymore, they want everything handed to them.
Well you’re average individual that is…[/quote]
It’s not only in America, it’s spread throughout the entire western culture.
[quote]Tatsu wrote:
countingbeans wrote:
assuming your from America…
Because American’s are lazy and want to take a magic pill to be everything they want to be. No one here wants to work anymore, they want everything handed to them.
Well you’re average individual that is…
It’s not only in America, it’s spread throughout the entire western culture.
[/quote]
Sweet… It’s like swine flu… spread throughout the world.
I hate comments like that. Especially the “you’re going to fail like I did” comments. For instance:
“Have fun doing weighted pullups while you can, you’ll probably get tendinitis eventually like I did, and then you’re screwed.”
I’ve had tendinitis a few times already in the past from swimming in high school, and was never out of the pool longer than a few days. And my joints (especially shoulders) feel better than ever now that I’m lifting.
^^ Joe Mauer? Oddly enough he’s with the Twins.
[quote]younggully wrote:
A guy saw me stretching today after my workout. I’ve always worked at my flexibility and as a result I’m very flexible. He said to me “you must have always been flexible” I told him I’ve been stretching as long as I’ve been lifting. Is this a surprise? Why do people think that great accomplishments come easy? How come they don’t assume hard work was involved?[/quote]
I have had the exact same thing happen. when i was really young my mom, a judo black belt, got me into taekwondo because she wanted me to know self defense and because i was a really fat. and when i started i was terribly inflexible.
i used to get made fun of for it in those classes. but in time i came to be able to do a full split and can still do it. when guys see me do the splits to stretch they always say to me, you must just be naturally super flexible, and i always think it took 4 years of a special stretching machine to get to where i am you dick. lol.
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
Because American’s are lazy and want to take a magic pill to be everything they want to be. No one here wants to work anymore, they want everything handed to them.
[/quote]
Genetics have replaced the magic pills. When I was fat, people said it was genetics, and I couldn’t do anything about it. When I was skinny, it was genetics, it was because I was meant to be skinny, not years of exercise and success/failure at dieting. When I put on some muscle, same thing.
This is probably because the average person is too stupid to understand genetics so it takes the place of “magic” in their barely functional brains.
its not just flexibility either. Its strength, stamina, speed, and that’s the athletic side of things.
People do that for academic, mental, even social achievements as well. Hell, I catch myself doing it at times; Just the other day I was commenting on how a friend of mine maintained such a lean physique through his 2 years in the army, despite the crappy food, the fact his job entailed sitting around a ferry terminal, and him never stepping foot in a gym.
I pinned it on his genetics, his high metabolism or whatever, but I stopped myself. Maybe it was true, or maybe I was just a little green at not having his clearly defined abs and pecs, and bullshitting myself into feeling a little better about being a pig at dinner.
We don’t like giving people credit for being better than us. Its human nature. Rather than accept the fact and do something about it, should we feel driven to do so, we make up excuses for ourselves. Call it a coping mechanism, whatever, I think its a little bullshit.
[quote]FightorFlight wrote:
younggully wrote:
A guy saw me stretching today after my workout. I’ve always worked at my flexibility and as a result I’m very flexible. He said to me “you must have always been flexible” I told him I’ve been stretching as long as I’ve been lifting. Is this a surprise? Why do people think that great accomplishments come easy? How come they don’t assume hard work was involved?
I have had the exact same thing happen. when i was really young my mom, a judo black belt, got me into taekwondo because she wanted me to know self defense and because i was a really fat. and when i started i was terribly inflexible.
i used to get made fun of for it in those classes. but in time i came to be able to do a full split and can still do it. when guys see me do the splits to stretch they always say to me, you must just be naturally super flexible, and i always think it took 4 years of a special stretching machine to get to where i am you dick. lol.[/quote]
Are you talking about that machine with a hand crank to do the Jean Claude Van Dam splits? They had that thing at the dojo I used to train at.Always a line up to use it lol.
[quote]Sharp4850 wrote:
I hate comments like that. Especially the “you’re going to fail like I did” comments. For instance:
“Have fun doing weighted pullups while you can, you’ll probably get tendinitis eventually like I did, and then you’re screwed.”
I’ve had tendinitis a few times already in the past from swimming in high school, and was never out of the pool longer than a few days. And my joints (especially shoulders) feel better than ever now that I’m lifting.[/quote]
Yeh I hate those just as much. Funny thing is I look WAY younger than I am. Guys always say to me…“wait til your 36 you won’t be doing that no more” Little do they know I’m already older than that…LMFAO
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
countingbeans wrote:
Because American’s are lazy and want to take a magic pill to be everything they want to be. No one here wants to work anymore, they want everything handed to them.
Genetics have replaced the magic pills. When I was fat, people said it was genetics, and I couldn’t do anything about it. When I was skinny, it was genetics, it was because I was meant to be skinny, not years of exercise and success/failure at dieting. When I put on some muscle, same thing.
This is probably because the average person is too stupid to understand genetics so it takes the place of “magic” in their barely functional brains.[/quote]
Very true and people do the same thing on this site. How many times have we heard that someone was probably “always big”? I got the same crap until I posted a high school pic. I guess it is a shock that people actually work hard to get big and that every huge guy you see wasn’t born big.
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
assuming your from America…
Because American’s are lazy .[/quote]
shut the fuck up
I agree, I have nothing but disdain for this type of mentality. Sure, some people’s natural body type is mesomorphic, and some people are just born very flexible. It always has to be assumed, though, that whatever great accomplishment wasn’t achieved through hard work.
Some asshat at the gym said that I was “soooo lucky that I was born being so strong” when he saw me squatting 265lbs (as if that’s even a whole lot). I responded, “sure, because it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with all the squatting I’ve done over the past few years, asshole.”
I studied Hapkido, so I can sympathize with what it takes to get flexibility and keep it. It does bristle ya when people minimize your labors.
How many of you have someone shrug off what you can do as “old guy strength”? WTF…I still work my ass off (5-6 days a week right now) under the iron plus my cardio/MA on light and off days.(yeah I’m single obviously)
I’ve also had to come back from several injuries over the years. lol
Not to sidetrack too much, what is this split machine you people speak of? Sounds like somebody had a privilege that I didn’t have as a child, which is why I’m not as flexible. LOL. I also like the sour grapes BSers that assume giant accomplishments are so easy that they’re a waste of time. The whole “I don’t want to get too big” crowd. I don’t want to sing , I might get too busy with my Metropolitan opera role to be with my family. That boils down to an overemphasis on the “You can do anything if you put your mind to it”. That statement assumes you have a mind.
[quote]Sharp4850 wrote:
I hate comments like that. Especially the “you’re going to fail like I did” comments. [/quote]
I love those.
“all of that muscle will turn to fat”
“I used to be big like that…but you’ll see as you get older you will lose it”
and
“Why do you want to be that big and strong?”
I really do think people who stand out physically just make normal people feel bad.
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
assuming your from America…
Because American’s are lazy and want to take a magic pill to be everything they want to be. No one here wants to work anymore, they want everything handed to them.
Well you’re average individual that is…[/quote]
That aint just America thats the whole fuckin world,when people ask how much weight Ive dropped and I say 2lbs for the last 10 weeks they say 'I wish I could do that’IT AINT FUCKIN EASY ITS COMMITMENT YOU FAT FUCK!!!
Its not easier for me I just get off my fuckin arse and do somthing about it!!!