I had an epiphany the other day as I was walking out of the gym.  When I tell you, at first you might think to yourself, “Yeah, I know that, so what?”  But, when I really thought about it for several days, I truly realized how profound it was…YOU CAN’T BUY STRENGTH, IT MUST BE EARNED!!!

Here is what prompted the revelation.  I was walking out of the gym and I almost got clipped by some jackass in a Jaguar while walking to my car.  As I looked to see who the person was who was enjoying their last seconds on Earth, I recognized the guy and started laughing so hard, the thought of bludgeoning him became a distant memory.  Come with me and I will tell you a story…

Last year I was training my back and needed to do Weighted Chin-Ups.  I waddled over to the Chin-Up Bar with a 45 LB plate hanging from me, trying to not have it bash into my knees.  I had to wait b/c there was a guy struggling to get his 4th and then 5th and final rep.  He had a full head of gray hair, looked to be in his late 40′s and had the muscle mass of a stick figure.  So, when he came down, I was pretty pissed when he looked at my 230LB frame and stared at the 45 LB plate hanging from me and uttered the following, “Wow, that’s pretty ambitious!!!”  It was in a very wise ass tone, like, “I can only do 5 and I am in great shape, but you will probably only bang out a couple at best.”  I got onto my tip toes and wrapped my hands around the bar…I DID 18 REPS!!!  When I came down, this clown’s jaw was dropped and I stared him right in the face as if I was ready to decapitate him with my bare hands and I walked away.

5 Chin-Ups? You talkin' to me?

In light of that experience, it was ironic that the same punk almost clipped me on the way to my car.  As he got out, he looked around, as if to say, “Yeah, it’s a new Jaguar and yes, I am awesome.”  Look, I don’t care if you drive a Lamborghini or a Nissan Altima, but it’s hard to deny that when you drive a “luxury” car that you are not trying to convey your worth to other people.  Warren Buffett, the richest man on the planet drives a Cadillac with the license plate THRIFTY (note: he auctioned off his Lincoln Towncar in 2006, giving the money to charity, and bought a Cadillac to show his support for GM).  It is hysterical that he is driving such a modest vehicle, but that’s because he doesn’t drive it as a representation of his self-worth.

Warren Buffett's car is a sign of practicality NOT his net worth

As I sat in the driver’s seat in my car, that’s when it hit me, you can buy almost anything in life that you want:  Cars, Houses, Botox, Liposuction, Hot Chicks, Nice Clothes, A Spouse, Children, etc.  One thing you can NEVER buy is STRENGTH.  If you don’t put forth the effort and go through the pain and gut through those extra reps when your mind has told you to stop then, you will not grow and get stronger.  When the average person looks at Jay Cutler or Ronnie Coleman, they say, “Those guys are huge, but they take Steroids.”  What???  Are you Serious!?!?!  You can take anything you want, Growth Hormone, Testosterone, etc., but if you don’t go to the gym and train you ass off, you won’t get huge.  Your muscles only grow in response to the need to adapt in order to handle a larger force exerted upon the body.  Your body adapts because it has to in response to the activities that you put it through.  Money can get the best trainer, best supplements, best diet and perfect program, but ONLY INTENSE EFFORT is going to EARN you SIZE and STRENGTH.  So, the next time you finish hitting a Personal Record in the Deadlift and you see some pompous dope running on the treadmill looking down at you, just smile because you know that he can’t afford what you have.

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