The way I see things, there are only 2 choices you have when it comes to getting in shape.
Let me just start off by saying that this article is going to seem a little harsh and I honestly don’t give a fuck.
When someone hires me to train them they are hiring someone that will give them a recipe to follow.
If they follow that recipe they’ll get results, if they don’t follow it then they won’t get shit!
Just because you hired someone doesn’t mean anything if you’re not going to do the damn work!
I know who does it and who doesn’t because the ones who don’t I stop hearing from after a couple weeks.
But one thing I will not tolerate is for some lazy pussy to turn it around on me like he just wasn’t pushed enough to take his fat ass into the gym!
Fuck off with that nonsense, I’m not your damn babysitter! Let me give you some REAL LIFE 101 here; there are 2 choices when it comes to shit, you can either do it or you can sit there and cry about it!
Those are your options and there isn’t shit in-between those 2 options besides people lying to you.
“Oh it’s ok, it’ll get better” they say. “Everyone has bad days, you just need a break.”
Yea, perfect solution assholes; go take a break from self-accountability and discipline and turn into a complete sack of shit. Awesome plan!
The ones I like even better are the ones who tell me that the results are steadily rolling along, but then when I ask for photos they immediately go MIA.
Those results must be absolutely shocking!
Here’s a little newsflash for you….
If you hire me and I stop hearing from you…
YOU FUCKING QUIT!
YOU FUCKING QUIT!
YOU FUCKING QUIT!
It’s not my fault that YOU FUCKING QUIT!
The ones who stay in contact are the ones that I know are killing shit regularly!
They gladly send progress photos, talk about their wives wanting to get banged all the time since their husband has been getting yoked, and we just talk about life shit!
They don’t talk to me like I’m some God damn counselor who has been tasked out to deal with shit they can’t get under control.
Yea, we all have issues and it’s nice to have someone there for us when we need the support, but let me talk about that for a minute here also…
When you fall down believe it or not, most people don’t give a shit and some people actually enjoy seeing it happen to you!
You aren’t special, get that self-righteous nonsense out of your fucking head because most people DO NOT CARE that you’re having a tough time staying away from beer and doughnuts!
Half the shit going on in my life I don’t even talk about. But for the record, I’m not someone who is this perfect little fitness guy with this perfect little life.
You see, I’m writing this article based on my own bullshit and something I realized recently.
I was in the gym a week ago and I tore part of my pec doing an incline press. I knew something had happened because I felt it and sort of heard something through my headphones.
The next day, as expected, my left pec was bruised up. I knew something had torn and to what degree I had no idea. So I went to the orthopedic doc the next day and was scheduled for an MRI 2 days later.
That MRI was one of the most miserable experiences of my life! I was probably in the tunnel of the first fucking MRI ever invented and I barely fit in the thing!
I had to lay face down with 1 arm out in front of me and one behind me like a swimmer, with my head turned to one side.
What I was told would only be a 30 minute MRI took an hour and 10 minutes! I was covered head to toe in sweat when I got through.
I’m not claustrophobic until I cannot move my damn limbs and there is sweat running down my face that I cannot itch!
During that MRI all I could think about was how much beer I was going to drink after I get out of that fucking thing! I went home and got loaded.
The next day I went to my chiropractor for ultrasound (I figured I’d get a jump on the recovery process myself) and he got access to the MRI and told me that he thought I would definitely need a surgery to repair it.
What did I do after hearing the news?
I drank again…only this time A LOT!
You see, when you’ve done something over half your life and shit all of a sudden happens, you start questioning everything.
You begin to ask yourself what would you be into if you weren’t able to lift weights like you’re used to doing. You begin wondering if you made the right choice to even do this in the first place!
You begin wondering how long you’ll be down for, will your body look the same after the repair, and what will you do in your downtime.
Now, keep in mind that this shit was right after a tricep tendon surgery this past summer, so it was like someone pulled the rug out from under me!
Everyone who wasn’t into bodybuilding had told me shit like, “Maybe it’s time you give up the weights” or stuff like “Well you’re getting older now and you can’t be doing this stuff anymore.”
The only ones that understood my situation were the few friends that I have who understood the importance of training in the gym and what it meant to them and what it must have meant to me.
These guys didn’t tell me “Everything will be ok.” They didn’t tell me that I fucked up and that maybe it was time to quit doing what I loved. Nah, that wasn’t what they said to me at all. They suggested ways to continue forward.
One of them said to me, “Well, you can either cry about it or get your ass n the gym and work on getting some big fucking quads!”
My best friend and old training partner said to me, “Put the fucking beer down, go drink a big glass of water, and when you wake up tomorrow start the process of reinventing yourself. Work your legs so fucking hard that it’s impossible to lose size over the next few months! Work them so hard that your entire body has no choice but to grow again!”
Luckily I went back for my follow up this morning and found out that the injury I sustained WILL NOT need a surgery to repair, and that it’ll heal with time. Fuck yea! I was (and still am) on cloud 9!
While under the impression that I would require a surgery and after talking with my buddy last night, I woke up and messaged him this morning at 7am…
“Thanx bro, you’re the only person I talk to that can motivate me to keep training through injuries like this.”
His response to me was…
“For sure brother, you’ve been my friend through 4 divorces. I’m happy to help you keep your Spartan warrior attitude and continue to drive forward.
Just remember that we aren’t like them, we are hardcore motherfuckers!
We never stop!
If we had both legs amputated at the knees then we would just add more fucking weights for the lack of distance it would now take to do a single rep!
We are the motherfuckers that if our bodies were torn in half we would drive forward, pulling ourselves across the ground to victory!”
You know, sometimes hearing messages from the right people is what it actually takes to get your ass in gear!
When you hear bullshit from people that don’t understand you it doesn’t matter what they say. But when it’s someone you can relate to it’s different!
I just want you all to know that I’m human like everyone else. I’m not someone that hides my flaws just because I’m on the internet.
There are times when I’m down and out like some of you.
But I don’t quit! I may be off on a given day, I may fuck up and drink sometimes.
But I know if I can keep going and find ways to do this stuff then you can find ways too! I love bodybuilding and when you love something you can’t just let it go!
There will always be a fucking way. Not everyday will be spot on! But if you think you’re done then you’re done.
I KNOW I’M NOT DONE. THERE IS STILL MORE TO DO!
And if you’re reading this right now then you didn’t come here just because you were looking for new ways to become a slob!
So remember, there are only 2 choices… CRY ABOUT SHIT OR EXECUTE IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE! -JD
PS – If you’re tired of the same old shit and looking for a kick ass workout program then be sure to check out my newest ebook, Let the Blood Spill, scheduled to release very soon!
Let the Blood Spill is totally different than your traditional workout routines and it’ll push you to new levels both physically and mentally!
Fuck the mainstream; I talk about my favorite cycles, lay out a diet that you can fine-tune to your own stature, and explain the workouts in a breakdown that reads as if I was talking to you in the gym!
-JD
P.S. Let the Blood Spill is now here and if you think your workouts are intense now, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
Thanks for that article, JD. I needed it. For the past year, I’ve been working through a right shoulder torn rotator cuff with partial retraction into the bone and a few weeks ago (probably because I was compensating for that injury), I royally fucked up my left shoulder rotator cuff (I haven’t gone to the doctor yet but it feels like another torn rotator cuff) so much so that I can’t raise my left elbow above shoulder height.
Mind you that hasn’t stopped me from hitting the weights 3-4 days/week although I’ve reduced my max bench by 50% and stay away from any exercises that really stress the shoulders (even if it means that I can’t sleep on my side on gym days because of the pain). But I have been in a funk thinking about what I’m going to do if/when I have to go for rotator cuff surgery (almost certainly on both shoulders).
This article put everything back in perspective for me: Who gives a shit if I show up at the gym post-surgery with both arms in slings? As long as someone can load the plates for me, I’ll just keep beating the hell out of my quads, hamstrings, calves, etc. Thanks again for the reminder that there is ALWAYS a way forward.
I was on the elliptical today for my post workout cardio and was watching a guy I see in the gym all the time. He has his left arm amputated just below the elbow. He’s not the biggest guy or most ripped, but he’s in better shape than most Americans now and has decent chest and shoulder development. I see him doing front delt raises with a barbell and today he was doing walking lunges with a kettle ball on his stump. This guy doesn’t quit because of a handicap, he finds ways to work around it. It’s not about what he can’t do, it’s about what he CAN do. When I whine about getting up early to hit the gym that day, I remember him and realize I’m just being a wuss. This guy executes in any way possible. He’s an inspiration to me.
It should be said that those 2 choices must apply to every area of life as well.
Or as i put it for all matters of existence:
Improvise
Adapt
Overcome
Life will give you troubles. Its how one deals with the shit that makes one who they are.
For the record, your so-called ‘harsh’ articles are ALWAYS your greatest works. They are only harsh to bitch boys and they dont matter in the least.
thank you! -JD
I was just telling my massage therapist that I still lift when I have an injury – I just work around it and compared to doing nothing, I recover faster. People seem to think that getting injured means you need to stop. Bullshit. You learn, you work around it, you rehab, and you do things smarter. You find alternatives.
Anyone who has done any serious pursuit of bodybuilding for a few years knows their own body better than anyone. Or should. I have a pre existing back injury but I am proud to say I never quit.
Sure, I could do back squats, but I have to do different moves now. I had to adapt. Does that suck? Yeah, but it would suck much worse to throw up my hands and give up. But I never want to go back to being a skinny fat pussy again. Fuck that!
I see guys like Ric Drasin, injures and surgeries, and they still lift. Why? Because it feels better than not lifting. And like you said, people who don’t do this aren’t much help because they don’t understand.
Keep up the awesome work, JD!
thanks a bunch for your input and reading! You are correct 100%!! -JD
I’m 60 yr young been training for 35 yrs , I have a crushed my left forearm at work had ri take three months off, suck , but after three months back in gym, separated my left shoulder 3 times, right shoulder 4 times , pop
a quad 3 weeks before nationals, stayed out of gym 2 days and back in even though I could not lift my arms so much pain everyon thinks I’m fucking nuts ,I am lol ,but only a few knows the gym and my Lord Jesus Christ save me from destruction, I had sciatic nerve clip ,worst pain ever ,I mean ever ,never stayed out ,yes stupid, maybe ,it my drug of choice, GYM, WEIGHTS, IRON in my hands nothing like it and this year and until may 9 npc bodybuilding contest I will be competing in masters 60 and over for the first time on stage, really stoke , dedicating it to my 5 yr old grandson who died 2 1/2 yrs ago by two dogs that tore him apart , his death crushed me and I live daily with a fucking broken heart ,where I do i go the gym and I’m busting my ass to look as awesome as i can ,so yes all those fucking wine ass can go and kiss your and my fucking ass , bust your ass and don’t ever quite because of injury or circumstance, remember it not how we start it how we finish ,life short so live it to the fullest, my grandson wishes he could ,peace
Sorry to hear about your Grandson, some ppl don’t understand that the gym is a way for us to get out anger or try to focus anger and confusion on something more positive rather than self destruction. I have not been in your situation but I understand it as I have a few friends who have experienced similar unfortunate events in life. Good luck and keep going, thank you so much for reading! -JD
Awesome article, having to tear myself away from it halfway through to go into a meeting…
Hyped already!