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Fitness

You Gotta Want It More Than You Don’t Want It (Athlete Journal 114)

Whenever you’re about to perform a difficult physical task, a big part of you will want nothing to do with it.

Written by Charles Staley Last updated on November 7, 2014

Let’s be honest: when you walk up to a bar loaded with a weight you’ve never lifted before, there’s a big part of you that wants nothing to do with it.

After all, the best-case scenario is, lifting that weight is going to require an immense amount of concentrated effort. Worst case? Well, it’s kind of obvious that amount of weight has the potential to do significant harm to your body.

That’s the way it always is, right? Whenever you’re about to perform a difficult, potentially harmful physical task, it’s a given that a big part of you will want nothing to do with it. In fact, not wanting it is most certainly our default stance toward any significant challenge. The part of you that wants nothing to do with lifting that weight will always show up.

“Very simply, you’ve got to make the part of you that wants it bigger than the part of you that doesn’t want it.”

So the only real question is, is there another part of you that does want a part of it? In other words, you’ve got to find a way to make the part of you that does want it bigger than the part of you that doesn’t want it.

If that makes sense to you, the only remaining issue is to figure out how to do it. For me, it’s a matter of reconnecting to my goals and imagining how great I’ll feel once I’ve tackled the challenge. For you, it might be something else, but whatever it is, you’ve got to find it. Very simply, you’ve got to make the part of you that wants it bigger than the part of you that doesn’t want it.

RELATED: Athletes Have More Mental Toughness: In and Out of the Gym

This Week’s Training

For the first time in a while, I think I can say I had an excellent week of training. Lots of volume, but nothing daunting. Everything’s feeling healthy and productive at the moment.

You might notice that I’m doing a lot of military presses as of late. In the past, I’ve had a bit of trouble with these in terms of shoulder health, but for whatever reason, they’re feeling great for me at the moment. I’m not pushing them hard, as you can see by the weights I’m using, and that’s probably the key to making these safe and productive.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy the videos, and please leave your comments and questions!

Weekly Training Volume: 62,316lb (Last Week: 48,898lb)

Significant Lifts:

  • 315 High Bar Squat
  • 205 Power Clean
  • 455 Block Pull

Monday, October 27, 2014

Bodyweight: 200lb

Volume: 9,950lb

High-Bar Squat

Set 1: 45 lbs × 8

Set 2: 95 lbs × 6

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 185 lbs × 5

Set 5: 225 lbs × 3

Set 6: 275 lbs × 2

Set 7: 295 lbs × 1

Set 8: 315 lbs × 1 (Video Below)

Set 9: 275 lbs × 3

Notes: Triple ply sleeves. Seemed fine on knee.

Deadlift

Set 1: 135 lbs × 3

Set 2: 225 lbs × 3

Set 3: 315 lbs × 1

Set 4: 365 lbs × 1

Notes: Lifting shoes and Velcro belt

45-Degree Back Extension

Set 1: 100 lbs × 10

Set 2: 100 lbs × 10

Set 3: 100 lbs × 10

Notes: Good hamstring fatigue

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Bodyweight: 198.8lb

Volume: 17,716lb

Bench Press

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 185 lbs × 3

Set 5: 205 lbs × 2

Set 6: 225 lbs × 2

Set 7: 225 lbs × 2

Set 8: 225 lbs × 2

Set 9: 225 lbs × 2

Set 10: 205 lbs × 3

Set 11: 205 lbs × 3

Set 12: 205 lbs × 3

Notes: No belt or wrist wraps

Chin Up

Set 1: 8 reps

Set 2: 8 reps

Set 3: 8 reps

Set 4: 8 reps

Military Press

Set 1: 45 lbs × 10

Set 2: 65 lbs × 10

Set 3: 75 lbs × 10

Set 4: 85 lbs × 10

Set 5: 75 lbs × 10

Bicep Curl (Dumbbell)

Set 1: 80 lbs × 6

Set 2: 80 lbs × 6

Set 3: 80 lbs × 6

Set 4: 80 lbs × 6

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Bodyweight: 200.4lb

Volume: 16,075lb

Power Clean

Set 1: 65 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 115 lbs × 3

Set 4: 135 lbs × 3

Set 5: 155 lbs × 3

Set 6: 185 lbs × 2

Set 7: 195 lbs × 1

Set 8: 205 lbs × 1

4″ Block Pull

Set 1: 135 lbs × 3

Set 2: 225 lbs × 3

Set 3: 315 lbs × 3

Set 4: 365 lbs × 2

Set 5: 405 lbs × 1

Set 6: 455 lbs × 1

High-Bar Squat

Set 1: 275 lbs × 1

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 185 lbs × 3

Set 5: 225 lbs × 3

Set 6: 275 lbs × 3

Set 7: 300 lbs × 1

Set 8: 225 lbs × 5

Double Kettlebell Swing

Set 1: 106 lbs × 15

Set 2: 106 lbs × 15

Set 3: 106 lbs × 15 (Video of this complete session with commentary below)

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Bodyweight: 199lb

Volume: 18,575lb

Bench Press (Dumbbell)

Set 1: 100 lbs × 10

Set 2: 140 lbs × 10

Set 3: 180 lbs × 8

Set 4: 180 lbs × 8

Set 5: 180 lbs × 8

Set 6: 180 lbs × 8

Hammer Isolateral Low Row

Set 1: 180 lbs × 8

Set 2: 180 lbs × 8

Set 3: 180 lbs × 8

Set 4: 180 lbs × 8

Military Press

Set 1: 45 lbs × 10

Set 2: 65 lbs × 10

Set 3: 85 lbs × 8

Set 4: 95 lbs × 5

Bicep Curl (Dumbbell)

Set 1: 60 lbs × 10

Set 2: 60 lbs × 10

Set 3: 60 lbs × 10

Set 4: 60 lbs × 10

A big believer in practicing what he preaches, Charles Staley trains and competes just like his clients. Every Friday you can read what Charles has done in his workout sessions.

About Charles Staley

Charles Staley's primary interest is providing inspiration and education for older guys looking to reclaim their physicality and vitality. At age 56, Charles is leaner than ever, injury-free, and in lifetime best-shape - a few of his recent bests include a 400-pound squat, a 510-pound deadlift, and a set of 17 chin ups.

Charles Staley's primary interest is providing inspiration and education for older guys looking to reclaim their physicality and vitality. At age 56, Charles is leaner than ever, injury-free, and in lifetime best-shape - a few of his recent bests include a 400-pound squat, a 510-pound deadlift, and a set of 17 chin ups.

Well known in the U.S. and across the world, Charles is recognized as a innovative coach and a thought leader in the field of human performance. His experience, reputation, and self-effacing persona have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show and The CBS Early Show, along with numerous radio and podcast appearances. He has penned more than a thousand articles for major publications and online websites in the industry.

Often referred to as a visionary, an iconoclast and a rule-breaker, his methods are leading-edge and ahead of their time, capable of quickly producing serious results.

Charles is not only a thinker, but also a doer: currently, he competes at the national and world level in weightlifting and powerlifting on the master’s circuit and holds three World Championship titles in the sport of raw powerlifting. Find Charles online at Target Focus Fitness, or follow him on his popular Facebook page.

Charles has had a successful online coaching service in place for several years. This is a way people to train under his direct supervision even if they aren’t local to him. If you’re ready to invest in yourself, Charles would love to be on your team!

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