Negativity: The Good The Bad and How to use it.

Negativity is usually thought of as, well, negative. A lot of the time this is definitely the case. We miss a lift that used to be easy before an injury and we get down on ourselves. You don't get along with a coworker and all you do is bitch about it. The list is endless, but if we put our thinking caps on I bet we can figure out how to leverage this destructive mindset. 

Let's take the first example. You were squatting four slabs of beef but hurt your back and had to take a few months off. Now you are stuck at 225lbs. That sucks compared to where you were without a doubt but what if you used how pissed you are about your situation to drive progress? Instead of saying, "Geez! I'm a weak sack of crap!" And stopping there, you could follow this thought up with, "I am going to work my tail off and crush my former PRs!" The first thought is short term wallowing. We need to realize that if you were off for months it may take months or more to get back to where you were. That's okay. What's a few months or even a year in the grand scheme of things?

Always have the long game in mind while taking the steps now that will let you hit your smaller goals now in the near future. It's the same in all of life's circumstances. Take your negativity and strangle it to death while achieving your goals. Use it to motivate you. Don't let it be a crutch or an obstacle. No excuses. Just incremental progress until you have achieved what you were shooting for then find a bigger better goal to pursue. Do some research and you will find that the most successful people typically had big set backs and short comings. The difference between them and the people who are still failures is hitting the grind again harder than ever and time.  Dedication and time breed success.

Talk soon,

Dan is a top 10 ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb and 275lb classes and a pro powerlifter in the RPS 275lb class. He is also an Elite level lifter in the USPA/IPA. He holds instructor level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been training people for strength and martial arts since 2004.

You can follow Dan on Instagram @RoninStr
For training and nutrition advice and tips email roninstr@gmail.com

Be a Sore Loser

Back a few months ago it became apparent that grit and focus are huge weaknesses for me in competition. Others may not see it but I can feel it in my bones festering like a disease. I always start strongman shows feeling like a monster and this one was no exception. It probably doesn't hurt that press events are usually first and that's the one thing I am somewhat decent at. Then at some point an event or two down the road I get smoked and I just can't get it into my head that it's not over and I still have a shot if I just stay focused and perform well on the rest of the events. After all, I have trained hard for this show. It's not that I get down on myself and act like puppy who just got booted. I just joke around more and appear to be "having fun." That's total horse shit though. Inside I am pissed. I didn't drive to Kentucky or Illinois. to get second or third place and have fun. I came to win whole damn thing. I usually have some friends and family there and it's embarrassing to lose in front of loved ones. Call me what you will but there is no second or third place only first and second loser. So why the heck am I putting up a front that says, "this is fun," when inside I am seething and ready to explode? How do you get in there and harness the rage? Is it that I don't know how to or is it that I have always been told to be a good sport and play nice. To not be the crazy guy in the corner yelling at himself like a schizophrenic. Even if that same guy is the one who comes back and wins it all. Who cares if he is a bit of an attention whore and too "intense?" Since when is intensity a bad thing? If that's what it takes for him to get his head on straight then so be it. Who is anyone to judge. I've decided that the next show I go to will be different. If I'm not winning I will not shy away from my emotions. I won't get distracted or light-hearted. I will focus in, buckle up, and press on like the damn juggernaut I am trying to be. Call me a poor sport. Call me a jack ass. That's fine but I'll be the one with the gold. If not today then tomorrow. Some people are born with drive and grit. Others have to be intentional and practice it every day. 

Train hard. Compete hard.

Talk Soon

Dan Mason

 Dan is a nationally ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb

and 275lb classes. He holds instructor

level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai,

and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He as been

training people for strength and martial

arts since 2004.