In "The Riddle of Steel Part I" I discussed at some length "Strength of Mind", the first part of the triumvirate that makes up the first half of "The Riddle of Steel." The two remaining aspects of strength are "Strength of Body" and "Strength of Will." Strength is commonly defined in terms of physicality, and is thus something with which most people are familiar with at some level and won't be addressed in this entry.
Strength of Will
While being integral to a Brodinian, "will" is a rather ethereal concept, and is thus difficult to explain in concise and succinct terms, so it is usually best to provide an anecdote to help illustrate.
As an infant, Lou suffered a debilitating ear infection which resulted in an 80% permanent hearing loss which went undiagnosed until he was 4 years old. This, coupled with coming from a lower-middle class family, which often struggled to make ends meet, would likely be too much for most people to deal with.
Lou was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York during the 50's to a lower-middle-class family. Being a child with a disability in Brooklyn during the 50's sucked. Lou was teased and bullied for his disability by neighbors, classmates and even school faculty. Through his tormenting, Lou found strength and threw himself into athletics, and eventually bodybuilding. Despite his disability, or perhaps due in part to, Lou became one of the most recognizable Professional Bodybuilders in the "Golden Era" of bodybuilding, standing shoulder to shoulder with people like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu and Frank Zane. Here's what Lou had to say about his disability:
Kai, like Lou, Schwarzenegger and many of the other big names in bodybuilding, had a rough time growing up. As a child he became a ward of the state, and was shuffled around from various foster homes, had a difficult time making friends, had behavior problems, got in fights (from which the scar on the right side of his face resulted.) Kai's Highschool English Teacher motivated him to get involved with bodybuilding as a way to channel a lot of his angst, setting Kai on his path.
Kai is regarded as one of the 'holy men' of bodybuilding - despite all his success in competition, endorsement deals and whatnot, he still lives in the Bronx, and still maintains a very spartan lifestyle, and displays a philosophy and work ethic that put him more on par with Zen Masters than your average bodybuilder. Here's Kai's own words regarding thought (will) and accomplishing your goals:
With the exception of people like Lou and Arnold (discussed in Part I), most people have a hard time reaching their goals. This usually isn't because the goals are impossible (though that is sometimes the case,) usually it is because one lacks the will to succeed. Strength of Will is gained from facing hardship, and realizing that in all but the most abject and desperate of situations, you will survive, and you can overcome most obstacles, or at least circumnavigate them in order to reach your goal.
In the quest for strength and size, it is easy to become discouraged because some important milestones are seemingly insurmountable, whether it be 20" biceps or a 700lbs deadlift. When people plateau on their progress to these goals, many people become discouraged and sometimes give up. There are a few methods that help a lot of people accomplish amazing things in the bodybuilding community
"Big" Lou Ferrigno - Will tempered through adversity
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| Yeah, you're jelly. |
As an infant, Lou suffered a debilitating ear infection which resulted in an 80% permanent hearing loss which went undiagnosed until he was 4 years old. This, coupled with coming from a lower-middle class family, which often struggled to make ends meet, would likely be too much for most people to deal with.
Lou was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York during the 50's to a lower-middle-class family. Being a child with a disability in Brooklyn during the 50's sucked. Lou was teased and bullied for his disability by neighbors, classmates and even school faculty. Through his tormenting, Lou found strength and threw himself into athletics, and eventually bodybuilding. Despite his disability, or perhaps due in part to, Lou became one of the most recognizable Professional Bodybuilders in the "Golden Era" of bodybuilding, standing shoulder to shoulder with people like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu and Frank Zane. Here's what Lou had to say about his disability:
"I think that if I wasn't hard of hearing I wouldn't be where I am now. Early on, as a youngster it was difficult, but I’m not ashamed to talk about it because many people have misconceptions about hearing loss; like who has hearing loss and what it’s like not to hear, so I do talk about it,” he says. “I think my hearing loss helped create a determination within me to be all that I can be, and gave me a certain strength of character too...” - from disaboom.com
The Bodybuilding Monk - Kai Green
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| This is the most normal picture I could find of Kai |
If you don't know who Kai Greene is - just watch this and despair at how woefully inadequate you are by comparison.
Kai, like Lou, Schwarzenegger and many of the other big names in bodybuilding, had a rough time growing up. As a child he became a ward of the state, and was shuffled around from various foster homes, had a difficult time making friends, had behavior problems, got in fights (from which the scar on the right side of his face resulted.) Kai's Highschool English Teacher motivated him to get involved with bodybuilding as a way to channel a lot of his angst, setting Kai on his path.
Kai is regarded as one of the 'holy men' of bodybuilding - despite all his success in competition, endorsement deals and whatnot, he still lives in the Bronx, and still maintains a very spartan lifestyle, and displays a philosophy and work ethic that put him more on par with Zen Masters than your average bodybuilder. Here's Kai's own words regarding thought (will) and accomplishing your goals:
Strength of Will for the Brodinian
Adversity builds character, but in the Brodinian, adversity should also serve to galvanize the will, as it did with Ferrigno and Greene.With the exception of people like Lou and Arnold (discussed in Part I), most people have a hard time reaching their goals. This usually isn't because the goals are impossible (though that is sometimes the case,) usually it is because one lacks the will to succeed. Strength of Will is gained from facing hardship, and realizing that in all but the most abject and desperate of situations, you will survive, and you can overcome most obstacles, or at least circumnavigate them in order to reach your goal.
In the quest for strength and size, it is easy to become discouraged because some important milestones are seemingly insurmountable, whether it be 20" biceps or a 700lbs deadlift. When people plateau on their progress to these goals, many people become discouraged and sometimes give up. There are a few methods that help a lot of people accomplish amazing things in the bodybuilding community
- Break your main goal into 'related sub-goals' - If you're questing for a 700lbs deadlift, you shouldn't be questing for it in isolation, and there are many other lifts that will help you along your way. Deadlift benefits from a range of other exercises (squats, rows, farmers walks, etc.) so it would be worth investing time to bring each of those to a respectable level - for example, you might strive to:
- Squat 500lbs
- Pendlay Row 315lbs
- Farmers Walks 100yards w/ 120lbs dumbbells
- Perform a set of 10 pullups with 100lbs added
Each of these in turn, can be broken into sub goals too. This helps put things into perspective, and gives series of minor milestones stones which will help bolster and galvanize your will. When you reach one of your goals or subgoals, reward yourself. Other people most likely won't give a shit that you reached a 225lbs squat, but that shouldn't make it less important to you. Consistent progress is the main point.
- Research the problem, fix it with science - Many times, people falter in their quest for size and strength because they're not approaching it logically. Beginner lifters for example, strive to hit the coveted 3 plate bench while not paying attention to their form, diet, etc. We live in an era so rich with information that there is absolutely no excuse to not know how to properly perform an exercise, not know how to calculate your BMR/TDEE, and so on. There are a seemingly endless amount of forums and blogs talking about any given topic - seek out the ones that seem like they know what they're talking about and read everything you can about your chosen discipline. If you're doing Olympic lifting, find a coach that specializes in that. If you're a powerlifter, find a gym where people powerlift, and whatever you do. Looking for a beginner or specialized program? Fucking google it.
- Don't let perfect be the enemy of good - We fail more than we succeed. Period. The more you accept that, the easier it is to deal with. You will falter in your quest for strength and size. You will get injured, sick, plateau and just have generally shitty days at the gym. Don't beat yourself up over it, because it's all about progress - which comes at a variable rate. Instead, resolve yourself to do better next session. If your methodology and execution are right, you'll get there eventually.
- Exercising Will in turn Builds Will - Exercise your strength of will in more trivial matters, and watch your drive and willpower grow exponentially. Don't eat that 7th donut for the day; go to the gym even though you're a little worn out; prepare your food the night before, so you don't have to go out for lunch, and so on. Overtime, tasks that seemed insurmountable previously will seem like a walk in the park.
Final Thoughts:
Aside from some random trivia about great bodybuilders, there should be nothing in the above that wasn't blatantly obvious to most people. The secret to Will is that there is no secret - Will, like all forms of strength and skill, come from consistent practice, application and knowledge. The path of the Brodinian is not one of mystery - it is one of sweat, viscera and furrowed brows.
In the final entry discussing "The Riddle of Steel," we'll look at the yin side - Adaptation and Flexibility - without which, even the strongest tree can fall.
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