Intensity Refresher

Off Topic
1

This is mostly for newbs that are hitting plateaus but also for anyone else that is feeling like they’re getting a little “soft” in terms of pure T.

These are some of my earliest thoughts on improving training intensity which I personally believe supercedes technical skill in importance re: hypertrophy, mainly because its the most prevalent and irritating flaw I see in my shitty “fitness center”.

This stuff shouldn’t be new, but hopefully my specifics might help w/ FOCUS.

Try this: sit down for 15-30 min before your workouts and start your mental preparation. You have to:
DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO TAP YOUR AGGRESSION AND FERAL NATURE.

For me, I use a lot of mental imagery.

Imagine this:
you have a large metal cage chained to a metal table. Inside you have a vicious wolverine that you repeatedly STAB with a long, thin, metal spike. It starts bleeding, spasming, growling, screeching and slamming its body against the cage trying to get away while simultaneously counter-attacking in futility. Let yourself hear the ear-splittng screeches, banging and crashing noises of metal on metal.

Now, imagine YOU are the wolverine.

Try and feel the sheer volume of intensity, pain, terror, anger, noise and primitive instinct that is being released in both your fight and flight responses as you are stabbed again and again.

Can you FEEL that? claustrophic pain, fear and agony that you are unable to release.

Now…take this intensity and FOCUS it into a physical movement such as a weightlifting technique. Growl if you have to, but let it all out.

KNOW that you have this same potential for intensity. Everyone does. You just have to KEEP PRACTICING your ability to tap this resource. I believe everyone has the ability to TOUGHEN THE CNS over time.

You hear people use cheesy lines like “Free the beast”, “Let the animal out” and other macho slogans but I don’t believe they are truly tapping those instincts as well as they need.

FIGURE OUT HOW TO GENERATE INTENSITY FOR REAL! THINK HARD!

Fuck posturing, fake yelling, bullshit back-slapping and whatever else people are doing to look cool or tough.

You have to put your mind in the right place first and all the other distracting environmental stuff will disappear.

You have to enter the gym, FERAL, snarling, virtually foaming at the mouth…ready to bite the ass off of a bear. The aggression just HAS to be there.

If some faggoty personal trainer gets in your face, you should feel like TEARING HIS THROAT OUT WITH YOUR TEETH and performing squats in a pool of his blood. I am NOT kidding. If you’re physically able to articulate anything beyond a growl, you’re just not ready to lift.

Obviously, I’m not advocating physical violence, uncontrolled passive aggressiveness or anti-social behavior but I do propose you learn to embrace and combine:

RAW AGGRESSION and FOCUS

and apply it to reach your goals.

Ronin

btw:
If you want to socialize or chase pussy/dick, then this stuff doesn’t apply because you end up too intimidating and dangerous to approach…just be sure to stay out of the way the real lifters.

2

Damn.

I just take three breaths, dip, grip, ‘n’ let it rip.

No need to stab a wolverine with a rusty screwdriver.

Dan “… oh … kay.” McVicker

3

I, and assume atleast 90% here, totally agree with you that your mind has to be right to truely achieve your goals…but honestly, you are fucked up.

I personally feel your self-mutilation, pain, torture, agony, etc. is counter productive to your CNS. Imagining yourself getting hurt all the time and getting bettered by others? Really?

Take your same wolf, have him run down and capture a deer with sure speed and power. Something that you not only succeed, but stand alone and master. Dont have him run down the deer, get stabbed several times by the deer antlers, then get a flesh wound from a nearby hunter’s rifle and then take the deer.

My (cents cents).

4

That’s damn funny. Thanks for the sunshine.

5

I guess I wasn’t clear enough on reason for imagery. This is a psychological TECHNIQUE for newbies and intermediate lifters to FAMILIARIZE their minds with their own instinctive emotions and eventually gain more control over their CNS… in this case, more emphasis on your body’s “flight” response… control that is beyond what can be achieved by positive thinking.

Damn, this is hard to articulate. I guess I’m trying to get people to STOP TRYING and STRIVING for neurological improvement with their fingers crossed and instead FOCUS and FORCE their bodies to respond to known stimuli.

I wrote another post on darker stimuli on the same topic and my msg is the same.

As distasteful and dangerous as these emotions are, fear and anger are EXTREMELY POWERFUL motivators. Get your head on straight FIRST, then learn how to use your emotions as tools to TRAIN your fight/flight response and develop a TOUGHER CNS.

Learn to control and EXPLOIT your emotions, don’t let them control you.

Ronin

6

I don’t flight from anything.

I control my destiny.

7

Ahh yes… the gift of fury. Whenever I’m lifting, and I start to lose my focus, I just think of all the women that broke my heart (and are breaking it now) and it’s like magic. Hey! I got another three sets left in me all of a sudden! :slight_smile:

8

If some faggoty personal trainer gets in your face, you should feel like TEARING HIS THROAT OUT WITH YOUR TEETH and performing squats in a pool of his blood.

this is the coolest thing i have ever heard! i feel like this quite often actually. i get quite agressive in the gym.