Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Motivation Monday: 6 Lessons for Training Hard Like a Motherf&*$er

Episode Date: August 14, 2017

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.” (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. So, if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Hey, this is Mike from Muscle for Life and welcome to another episode of my podcast. This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed Motivation Monday. Yes, I know. So creative of me. What can I say? I'm just a genius. Seriously though, the idea here is simple. Every Monday morning, I am going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else

that you have planned for the week ahead. Because it's one thing to know what you want to do, but it's something else altogether to actually make yourself do it. And I hope that this series gives you a jolt of energy and encouragement to go ahead and do all of those things that you want to do. So if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. Let's face it. The fitness game is difficult. Sometimes it's very hard to resist the allure of the snooze button in the morning. Sometimes it's easy to sit in the parking lot and procrastinate waiting for our pre-workout to give us the will to get going. Sometimes we have to just fight tooth and claw to get through our workouts. And while some of that may never change,

I think that the right mindset can make all the difference. If we can just stay focused and motivated to succeed in the face of adversity and setbacks, then we're already halfway home. And that's what this episode is going to be all about. I'm going to share six lessons that I've learned over the years that have always helped me keep the flywheel turning, so to speak, both in the gym and just in life in general. And trigger warning, these lessons are going to feature a lot of unladylike language, inappropriate metaphors, and crass vulgarity. And inevitably that means that at least a few someones are going to say, you know, you didn't have to use so many violently offensive and psyche rending words. And yes, I do know, but that leads me to the first item on my list, which is number one, say it with me.

Fuck it. I am doing it anyway. You see, throughout this powerful and transformative and occasionally miserable fitness journey, you are going to meet a lot of people that are going to tell you a lot of things. And many of these people will have so much advice that if you scribbled it all down on pieces of paper, you would probably single handedly decimate entire swaths of the world's forests. So while you should keep your eyes and ears open, you don't want their moonshine to move you off target. You shouldn't do that. They're going to say wheeling out a litany of reasons why it's not going to work out, why you should put your time and effort elsewhere, and why you're going to regret it if you keep going. And then you're going to say, fuck it, I'm doing it anyway. Fuck it, I am going to count my calories and I'm going to lose those 20 pounds. Fuck it, I'm going to follow that workout program for a couple months. Fuck it,

I am going to clean up my diet. You're probably going to be afraid too. You're going to be anxious. You're going to be uncertain. And all of that is completely normal. I mean, just think back to the first time you rode a bike. You remember that? This is really no different. You move past all the head trash by just getting to work, by saying, fuck it, I'm just going to do it anyway. You put in the work and you get better. You get better, you build confidence. You build confidence and you want to do more. It's a virtuous cycle that starts with saying, fuck it, I'm just going to do it. If you do that, then the hobgoblins of fear and doubt,

sure, they're always going to hop around in your head and maybe sometimes more noisily than others, but that's okay. Some of that is probably even good. That's what keeps you moving, keeps you doing, keeps you working. It reminds you that the way out is the even good. That's what keeps you moving, keeps you doing, keeps you working. It reminds you that the way out is the way through. Number two, stop giving so many fucks. Life doles out enough pressures and stress. So why should we allow fuck faces to carve out pounds

of mental flesh as well? And that's right. We shouldn't. That's why we need to learn how to not give a fuck. You see, you only have so many fucks that you can give at any given point in your life. And if you give them out too freely, you're going to make everything else harder than it has to be. You're going to constantly feel victimized by everyone and everything, including trivial pissers like that snipe that one bitch made about how your dress fits or the smelly asshole in the gym that sweats on everything and the shit bird in the squat rack that's curling. However, if you learn to reserve your fucks for the things that are actually fuck worthy, you gain a tremendous freedom. It's almost like a superpower. You become one of those singular superb individuals who simply doesn't

give a fuck. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about apathetic indifference here. It's not who gives a fuck, but who gives a fuck about that? You see, I'm talking about caring about the things that are worth caring about. The big, important things like your health, your fitness, your family, your future, and otherwise not having two rat fucks to rub together. For example, being liked, being accepted, being admired, being comfortable, being comforted. None of these things really mean shit if your goal is to live a happy, healthy, fulfilling, and satisfying life. Your strength of character and integrity, your personal, emotional, and spiritual growth, exemplifying your values through your behaviors, building meaningful relationships, helping others,

those are the things that really matter. Those are the things that deserve your fucks. So your secretly jealous and self-loathing little quote unquote friend says that you are such a party pooper because you don't get wasted and binge yourself into oblivion every weekend. Who gives a fuck? Fuck that fucking fuck. Your fucking fat ass coworkers say that you should stop body shaming yourself and just be fat as fuck too. Yeah, zero fucks given. Those people fucking suck and they just want you to suck as well. All right, you have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn and snort a pile of caffeine so you can drag your butt into the gym.

Who gives a fucking fuck? The ants wake up every day and go to work until they die too, The ants wake up every day and go to work until they die too, and I don't hear them complaining. Hey, quickly, before we carry on, if you are liking my podcast, would you please help spread the word about it? Because no amount of marketing or advertising gimmicks can match the power of word of mouth. So if you are enjoying this episode and you think of someone else who might enjoy it as well, please do tell them about it. It really helps me. And if you are going to post about it on social media, definitely tag me so I can say thank you. You can find me on Instagram at Muscle for Life Fitness, Twitter at MuscleForLifeFitness, Twitter at MuscleForLife, and Facebook at MuscleForLifeFitness. Number three, stop fetishizing future you. One day we say we're going to live a beautiful life,

the best life. We're going to wake up at the best time every morning. We're going to do the best workouts. We're going to eat the best foods and do the best things with all the best people. One day we say we're going to lose that belly fat. We're going to learn that instrument. We're going to eat the best foods and do the best things with all the best people. One day we say we're going to lose that belly fat. We're going to learn that instrument. We're going to get that corner office or write that poem about the goat that fucked the pumpkin. The kicker though, is that that day is never going to come because it's always tomorrow. It's always next week. It's always next year, next lifetime. So fuck one day you have today. always next year, next lifetime. So fuck one day. You have today. Now. Don't let it go to waste. Four, make time, not excuses. Whenever someone says that, oh, I would do X, but I can't because Y, it's almost always bullshit unless Y is, I don't really want to. That's what most everything

in life really comes down to. Necessity. The mother of all invention, right? I mean, that's what people say, and there's a good reason for it. There's just very little that we're actually incapable of. There's only our sense of urgency. Now, when we lie to ourselves though and say otherwise, what we are really saying is that we find alibis more attractive than achievements, that we find excuses more seductive than excellence and comfort more desirable than challenge. However, when you refuse to believe that it's okay to give up, if you refuse to take the easy road out

to look for reasons to be weak or to blame anyone or anything else for your circumstances, you can tap into something primal and powerful, something that sets extraordinary people apart from everybody else. And I really think that's one of those big secrets in life. So think twice before you say, I can't. I can't get to the gym a few days per week, or I don't really want to. I can't make a meal plan work, or I don't really want to. I can't make a meal plan work or I don't really want to. I can't stop eating sugar or junk food or I don't really want to. And number five, stop looking for ways out.

So do you want to know one weird trick for being more of a badass? Here it is. Stop dreaming up exit strategies. So when you say that you're going to do something, whether it's losing 10 pounds of fat or gaining 10 pounds of muscle, or maybe challenging your fruity neighbors to some naked badminton, which is definitely one of my personal favorite pastimes, the thinking should stop there. No second guessing, no maybes, no loopholes, no if, or, or but. In your mind, you should see it and you should really visualize it, feel it as already done. All that should remain is simply going through the motions of manifesting it physically. When you can do that, you really can do anything.

And last but not least, number six, laugh when you fuck it up. So I have a newsflash for you. You are going to fuck shit up. I am going to fuck shit up. You, me, everyone we know, everyone we love, we are all going to fall on our faces now and then. It's just how life is. Fortune's wheel is always spinning and it brings ups and downs, highs and lows, peaks and valleys, such as life

How we respond to this wonderful mess is up to us And for my part, I choose to laugh and learn Sometimes a fuck-up just confirms your suspicions and helps you realize that your instincts are sharper than you thought Sometimes you gain a new perspective. Sometimes it broadens your horizons. And sometimes you just get a chance to chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Remember that a great life isn't always pleasant and in fact is often difficult. Sometimes we just get kicked in the crotch and we have to learn how to take that in stride. Hey there, it is Mike again. I hope you enjoyed this episode and found it interesting and helpful. And if you did, and don't mind doing me a favor and want to help me

make this the most popular health and fitness podcast on the internet, then please leave a quick review of it on iTunes or wherever you're listening from. This not only convinces people that they should check the show out, it also increases its search visibility and thus helps more people find their way to me and learn how to build their best bodies ever too. And of course, if you want to be notified when the next episode goes live, then just subscribe to the podcast and you won't miss out on any of the new goodies. All right, that's it. Thanks again for listening to this episode, and I hope to hear from you soon. Oh, and before you leave, let me quickly tell you about one other product of mine that I think you might like. Specifically, my fitness book for men, Bigger, Leaner, Stronger. Now, this book has sold over 350,000 copies in the last several years and has helped thousands of guys build their best bodies ever.

And that's why it has over 3,000 reviews on Amazon with a four and a half star average. So if you want to know the biggest lies and myths that are keeping you from achieving the lean, muscular, strong and healthy body that you truly desire. the lean, muscular, strong, and healthy body that you truly desire. And if you want to learn the simple science of building the ultimate male body, then you want to read or listen to Bigger, Leaner, Stronger today, which you can find on all major online retailers like Audible, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, and Google Play. All right, let's get to the show.