I have coached quite a few people over the past decade. At our California gyms alone, we have had over 1000 people come in for coaching, not to mention countless seminars around the country as well as our online coaching platforms. That experience combined with coaching Marines on barbell training since 2012 have allowed me to see all types of people from all types of backgrounds.
What I have learned is that most people do not last when it comes to barbell training. Most people give up, quit, and go do something easier. It is just the way it is, and it is usually not the only area in their lives where they are selecting the “easy way out.” The more I experience this, the more grateful I am that my dad taught me how to do hard things and see them through to the end. When it comes to lifting, if you will do hard things - yes, you will be a better lifter, but more importantly, you will also be a better human being. I know. Lifting is hard. Go do it anyway.
I’ve been in Texas the last two weeks conducting my Marine Corps Annual Training. If you’ve ever been to Texas in the summer, you know how it is. Pretty dang hot, extremely humid, and full of cowboys telling you how the state of Texas is actually a country. When conducting Artillery training, you spend most of your time out in “the field” shooting Artillery. You wear your marpats plus gear, you don’t shower, and when you sleep you do it out in the open air. It is real L-I-V-I-N.
After a couple days everyone looks and smells the same. Hair goes from greasy to just a crumpled mess, cammies turn into almost cardboard-like material, everyone has large bags under their eyes, and you even become numb to the stench of your fellow Marines.
Lunch of Champions pic.twitter.com/Tbd4VLWoFw
— Grant Broggi (@GrantSSC) June 9, 2023
There was one day in the field that was particularly hot and humid. I had drunk what seemed like 50 gallons of water that day and was about to chow down on a Chili with Beans MRE to stay nourished. As I kneaded the cheese spread and wished I was eating South Carolina Texas Chili instead, I thought about how good discomfort is for people, even me. No one wants to sweat all day, not take a shower, and then barely get any sleep. But, if you do hard things regularly, day-to-day life does not seem so hard… even in the Texas heat.
As I looked around at some of the younger Marines, I wondered how they got to where they are. Clearly they are not all barbell trainees learning how to grind under the iron, yet they seemed unphased by the heat and conditions. This is what they signed up for. Hard things. They embraced it and carried on.
My parents came to visit me in Greenville when I got back from training this past Friday. When I came in the door they could see I was visibly tired and wanted to get some rest. We ate dinner, chatted for a bit, and then went to bed. After coffee on Saturday morning, I asked them if they wanted to go lift. They said yes, “we assumed you would drag us to the gym so we brought all of our stuff.”
As we drove to the gym, no one really wanted to go train. I was tired, my parents were excited to be in town visiting and there were lots of weekend activities going on. As I trained with them yesterday, it dawned on me that much of learning how to do “hard things,” I learned from my dad. Most of it from him just setting the example.
Happy Fathers Day to my dad! @cjbroggi pic.twitter.com/4TpxVe3sR4
— Grant Broggi (@GrantSSC) June 19, 2022
When we finished lifting, we all felt better. We all felt accomplished. No, lifting is not going to combat or even surviving a humid Texas summer. What it is, is deciding to better yourself even though it is hard, and even though you may not want to. It’s ignoring your feelings on training, your mood, your recent circumstances, or maybe even a minor nagging injury. It’s realizing that if you want to get strong and maintain your health, then this is what you signed up for. Embrace it.
This Father’s Day I’m grateful and blessed that I learned a lot of these concepts from my dad, I am not surprised at all that he has not missed a training session since starting barbell training three years ago.
If you’re new to barbell training, prove me wrong. Stick with it. Do not take the easy way out. If you’ve been slacking… go, get under the bar. You’ll be glad you did.
I got to lift with my dad (and mom) yesterday. Hope you enjoy the VLOG