The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. If you were to apply this definition to the legions of bodybuilders who have dedicated years of their lives pursuing the perfect physique, then you could appropriately call every single one of them insane. Bodybuilders are creatures of habit, and most of us have our favorite exercises and routines that we constantly use week after week, year after year.
With that said, perhaps it is our insanity that brings us to the gym each day. Or perhaps it is the intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors that we employ that keep us coming back to the gym day in and day out, utilizing the same exercises and workouts, expecting a different result and seeing a different result. Yes, bodybuilders break the mold of insanity and make use of and intelligently harness the motivation that surrounds us to fuel our workouts even when our actions seem mundane to others. Let’s take a look at five intensity fueling reservoirs you have to help annihilate your workouts.
- Internal Drive: Everyone has a degree of intrinsic motivation that helps get them up in the morning ready to tackle the world. In bodybuilding, the long road to success follows a path that seems to have a constant landscape; train, eat, sleep, wake up and repeat. For this reason, bodybuilders have to dig deep to find that inner strength to persevere. Those who truly have the determination to be successful will stop at nothing to be better each day and using techniques such as visualization could help you tap into that inner intensity you need. This is the one factor that will ultimately determine your days in the gym.
- Inspiration: Think back to when you were just starting out in the gym. Something appealed to you enough to get you there in the first place. It could have been looking at some old muscle magazines you found at your friend’s house, or it could have been an older sibling who was already well into the iron game, and you thought their muscles were awesome. Whatever it was you were inspired. Eventually, you caught up and surpassed that older sibling and maybe even found yourself in a magazine or two. So what inspires you now? It could be past or present champions, a personal story that has affected you or even the loss of a loved one in which you do this in memory of. Inspiration is a powerful tool and ranks second on my list of motivating factors.
- Dedication: Committing yourself to establishing a goal and then seeing it to its end is not always easy. Bodybuilding takes the idea of dedication to a whole other level as without it you have nothing and will fall far short of your goals. There is great pride associated with being dedicated, and that pride will give you the strength you need to be successful. Knowing that you never cheated on your diet, never missed a workout and did everything you were supposed to do going into a competition is the fuel that you need when you get onstage to show off the fruits of your labor. Hit those poses with intensity knowing you left nothing to chance.
- Environment: Many top amateurs and professionals will train at a few different gyms. Why? The answer is simple; a different environment can and will stimulate your intensity levels depending on what you need at any given time to pump you up. For some it could be the music that is played over the sound system, for others it is the attitude of the members who train there; regardless of the reason, your environment plays a major factor in your intensity levels. Do you think a hardcore bodybuilder is welcome at a family fitness facility? Not likely and for good reason. Find a place where you are comfortable enough to let loose and train like an animal while fitting right in.
- Supplementation: A great pre-workout supplement is a must have on every bodybuilder’s intensity stimulating list. Dymetadrine Xtreme is a no-brainer. It’s formulated to give you unparalleled intensity needed to tear up the gym and send the weak home in fear.
Rather than reiterating what I have said above (because that would be crazy), gather your resources and kick up your intensity a few notches. It is simply not enough to just complete your workout, you must kick its ass, and nothing will get you there faster than the factors mentioned in this article. Train hard, train intelligently and train insane!
