Here’s why this works: by hanging out with them, you’ll copy their behavior and way of thinking. This is key because whatever it is that you want to achieve, it’s how you think about things that matters most — Think & Grow Rich.

A common mistake is to try to convert your friends, family or partner to your new lifestyle. This never works from my experience. In order to change, people must want change first. Letting your results do the talking has more impact.

Better is to seek people who are already lifting weights and eating healthy and who know what they’re talking about. But most of your friends probably don’t lift weights and don’t eat healthy. You’re on your own.

So the question is: where can you find these people?

StrongLifts.com Forum. Many readers told me that while StrongLifts.com’s blog is full of helpful info they wish they had found years ago, it’s its Forum that was crucial to get them the results they wanted.

This is because most readers are in the same situation you are: they train alone — often at home — and don’t know people who train and eat the way I advise.

Becoming part of an online community of like-minded people is a quick and easy way to make virtual friends who are working towards the same goal. This is the Master Mind Napoleon Hill was talking about. And it has many more benefits:

• Free Advice. Members who have achieved your goal a long time ago can give you tips based on their experience. We’ve got many knowledgeable members, several who are much stronger than me.
• Technique Review. You can post videos of yourself doing exercises like Squats, Deadlift, Bench Press and Overhead Press. Other members can check them out and explain you what you’re doing wrong & why.
• Personal Accountability. You can keep a free training log. Members can follow your progress and advice. Getting an audience will increase your motivation and make you more accountable.
• Build Awareness. You can look back at your progress to discover what works and what doesn’t work for you. Members can point out things that you may overlook by looking at your past workouts.
• Get Motivated. You can read training logs of people with the same age, gender & body-weight as yours. This allows you to see what is possible and to learn from their mistakes & success.
• Discuss Blog Posts. If something in a blog post wasn’t clear or if you want to share your experience/perspective, there’s a category where you can discuss articles. I’m committed to answer questions.
• 100% Free. The forum is 100% free: registration is free, keeping a training log is free, asking questions is free, everything is free.

Forum Rules. Members will tell you that the atmosphere on the StrongLifts.com Forum is different than that of other forums in the same niche. That’s because we have a strong moderatorship with a zero-tolerance for B.S.

• We do not want judgemental people.
• We do not want wise-guys and armchair specialists.
• We do not want laughing at people’s questions, mistakes or stats.
• We do not want confusion, myths and arguing for the sake of arguing.

I’m cool with you disagreeing with what I advise. I believe it doesn’t prevent us to be friends. And I’m always interested in feedback and different perspectives.

But share your opinion in a civilized & mature way. Your freedom of speech ends when you disrespect people and spread confusion.

If I invite you to my party and you start to be annoying, I’ll show you the door. Same thing on the forum: it’s my party and you’re invited to have fun with us as long as you behave as a proper guest. Read the forum guidelines.

Join The Free StrongLifts.com Community Today. The StrongLifts.com Forum counts almost 7000 members, including me. If you’re not a member yet, I’d like you to join us today. Here’s how you can get started:

1. Click here to register for a free account (if you’re already registered but forgot your login data, make a new account with a different email).
2. Read the forum guidelines so you understand the forum’s philosophy.
3. Get inspired by the training logs ordered by age, gender & body-weight.
4. Check out the different strength competitions to see what’s possible.
5. Introduce yourself in the first time here category.
6. Read how to create a training log and start one.
7. Contribute to the different discussions.

Here’s What People Say About StrongLifts.com Forum. Read the threads “How did you find StrongLifts.com and why did you stay?” and “What I like about this site“. Here’s a quote from member Pagangoddess:

I really debated about starting a log. This journey gets very personal at times. It’s hard to announce to the world things you didn’t even want to admit to yourself.

But that’s why I did it. It needed to be right in front of me so I could deal with it head on. And I needed support to get through it.

Who would have thought I’d find that here of all places. But I did. These guys have been a great help and encouragement through some tough times for me and they probably don’t even realize it. – pagangoddess

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

You can always learn a lot from someone who has trained for 20 years and who succeeded at increasing his strength to a significant level. The following quote comes from his book “Rock Iron Steel: The Book of Strength“.

Remember, consistency and momentum are the keys to success in the world of super strength. As it is in any pursuit, aim high with your goals and keep chipping away at the rock. Think of every workout you go through as a little chip off a big rock, and when you get that rock whittled down to nothing, you’ll know you’ve been someplace. In the art of super strength, you must think in terms of years, not months or days. And have fun along the way. Don’t get upset or discouraged if you fail to move a certain weight a certain number of reps. The main thing to think about is what you can do. Don’t worry about what you can’t do.

Persistence Is Key to Success. Whatever it is you want. Nothing can stop you if you put your mind into something and work on it systematically until you get it. Persistence will deal with any setback that comes your way.

• How many people do you know who never set goals? They’re doing the same exercises, lifting the same weights for years without progressing. And then they wonder why they’re bored or why they don’t see results.
• How many people set those big goals that they never achieve instead of setting mini-goals that bring them closer to their big goals?
• How many people think strength training, building muscle, losing fat or anything else in life that demands an effort from their part, is a sprint rather than a marathon?
• How many people get pissed because they had another bad workout instead of focusing on the fact that they went to the gym although they were sick, tired or didn’t feel like going to the gym in the first place.
• How many people don’t get what strength training is really about: that getting your Squat up to 1.5x your body-weight & beyond demands persistence, sacrifice and much more from your part. And that the place it brings you, is a place of increased self-confidence and self-knowing.

Share your views in the comments below.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

When it comes to diet & exercise, most of us are absolute geniuses at finding reasons why it’s too hard or “not right for us.” If you’re overweight but the picture of health, you may be able to get away with this.

If you’re not, there are no excuses for ruining your health. You need to stop making excuses and start making progress. Here are 7 steps to do so.

1. Start Small. The best way to do this is to start small. Don’t try to scale a mountain on your first day. By taking the time to gradually change your diet and add in short exercises, you’re setting yourself up for victory instead of failure.

While it may not seem like you’re doing a lot, you’re taking the first steps on the road to health. Those first steps are the hardest, but it will get a lot easier.

2. Remove Soda. Instead of going on a crazy starvation diet, start small by cutting out 1 useless food a week. For example, start with soda. You can easily lose 10lbs in 2 weeks by removing soda from your diet.

Look at all of the foods you eat or drink that have a lot of calories. Target these first and start removing them one by one. As you successfully get one out of your life, move on to the next one.

3. Exercise No Matter How Little. For exercise, starting small can really pay off, especially if you’re not in the best of shape. Start by taking one small lap around the block, walking at a slow pace. The next day, make it two laps, etc…

You may not be doing much at first, but again, you’re building that foundation. The key is to keep moving forward and keep adding more until you’re doing more than you ever thought possible.

4. Add More Exercise To Strengthen Exercise Foundation. Let’s look at your health like a building. It’s already been leveled and now you’re going to need to start from the ground up.

If you rush the foundation and sloppily put it together, the whole structure is going to come tumbling down effectively. By taking the time to lay those bricks one by one, you’re building a foundation that is going to last the test of time.

5. Remove Problem Foods To Strengthen Diet Foundation. The same applies to your diet. By slowly removing your problem foods, you’re putting down bricks that will help you change your entire lifestyle.

Instead of trying to quit everything at once and put your foundation together in a rush, take the time to do things one at a time. You’ll be much more likely to succeed.

6. Strive for 90% Success With Diet and Exercise. Why 90%? It is difficult enough to achieve to avoid avoid cheating AND it is lenient enough so that you can forgive yourself for mistakes.

7. Fix Your Foundation Before Building Your Skyscraper. One of the best reasons to start small is that if you do have a setback, it’s a lot easier to get back on track.

Returning to our building analogy, if you have a brick that crumbles, but you haven’t added on a new row on top of it, it’s a lot easier to fix that brick and then continue.

Lay your foundation the right way and look at every brick as your own personal victory on the way to building an impressive structure.

This article was submitted by Kevin, follow and encourage as he climbs down the Weight Ladder Weight Loss Journal (rss feed). See before and after weight loss photos of his ongoing journey.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I need some help getting motivation to hit the gym and the weights.

I don’t know why but I haven’t been there for a week. I feel extremely weak but at the same time I have no desire to regain my strength. I meant to go yesterday but I got distracted.

If anything I’m thinking about going today, Thursday, and Saturday and then skipping my two day off just for this week and re-starting fully on the StrongLifts 5×5 program (as in correct days and what not) on Monday of next week…

I’m scared I’m going to keep getting weaker but at the same time I’m just not motivated to go to the gym.

I was starting to stall on my overhead. I went from pretty much bar squat to 165, Bench to 115, Row to 105, Deadlift 205, OHP 95, 10 dips each set and like 7 pullups each set.

Then prom came and I got lazy. Now I have no motivation to do anything.

Turning Pro. In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield writes the key to overcoming resistance is to become a Pro. A Pro shows up everytime and does what he has to do. Quote:

There’s no mystery to turning pro. It’s a decision brought about by an act of will. We make up our mind to view ourselves as pros and we do it. Simple as that.

What I Do. Today was one of those days. Slept bad, woke up tired and didn’t feel like training. I did what I always do: go to the gym & lift the weights. Don’t let your mind play tricks on you, strength is always there.

• Set Goals. You Squat 165lbs. Put 200lbs as goal. Review your goals before going to the gym. Set new goals when you achieve them.
• Just Go. Don’t rationalize. Put your gym clothes on, check which exercises you’ll do today, drive to the gym, lift the weights, done.
• Deload. Lower the weight by up to 50% if you’ve hit a plateau. Add weight progressively until you’re back on track.
• Eat. You need food for energy. Eat every 3 hours, eat proteins, veggies & fruits with each meal, eat carbs for energy, drink plenty of water, etc.

Share Your Motivational Tips. How do you motivate yourself to go the gym when you don’t feel like it? How do you keep motivated to train consistently? How did you deal with similar situations in the past? Share in the comments.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

A wise guy’s always right. Even when he’s wrong, he’s right.

Wise-guys are everywhere: work, family, relationships (”Wise-gal”), friends, gym, Internet, … They always know better than you, even if they don’t. And some believe their stuff so much, they can make you doubt what you do.

How to Spot Wise-guys. The above definition probably already rings a bell. You’ve met wise-guys before or have some in your social circle right now. Wise-guys always display these typical behaviors.

• Give Unsolicited Advice. While you didn’t ask for anything. Can’t shut up. Always share their views instead of listening to other people.
• Nitpick. With the only intention of showing their superiority. Correct you on small things that don’t matter when looking at the big picture.
• Challenge. Without any intention to challenge their own beliefs. It’s all about showing they’re smarter than you.

Why Do Wise-guys Act Like That? Some Wise-guys are unconscious of what they’re doing. The worst cases do it on purpose: they’re well aware of what they do. In both cases Wise-guys act that way for 3 reasons.

• Ego. The ego’s natural defense mechanism is to attack. Wise-guys are driven by their ego. If their ego feels attacked by you, they’ll defend themselves by showing their superiority.
• Low Self-esteem. On the inside they lack confidence and have a low self-esteem. They’ll qualify to you by showing off with their knowledge, skills, belongings, achievements, … Anything that feeds their ego.
• Jealousy. They’re jealous of your accomplishments. Insecurity of dropping out, caused by a lack of self-confidence. Ego feels attacked. Instead of doing what you did to get there, they’ll try to stop you.

How to Deal with Wise-Guys. Philosophical conversations and constructive criticism are all good. But changing people’s mind or proving yourself is unnecessary. And trying to win arguments is wasting your time.

• Stop Caring. Let it become noise. You hear it, but it doesn’t affect you anymore. Don’t think or know this, become it. How? By acting in ways that shows you don’t care. Eat differently at work, train differently at the gym. The more you do things differently in public, the less you’ll care.
• Agree. Life isn’t like school where you get points for giving the right answer. It doesn’t matter who is right. Agree. Or say you’re free to think differently. Or tell them that you might be wrong, that you’re often wrong about things. What they think doesn’t matter anyway.
• Ignore. Focus your time & efforts on the achievements of your goals. Again: it doesn’t matter what they say or think, so don’t waste time replying to/trying to win arguments.
• Be Confident. Wise-guys can believe what they say so much, even when wrong, that they can make you doubt about your own stuff. Don’t rely on what people say. Do your own research. Read books.

Example. You’ll meet people who won’t agree with our philosophy. Who won’t agree with training for strength, using weight lifting exercises, to build muscle and lose fat. Fine. They’ll do what they want, we’ll do what we want.

Sometimes I get challenged. I’ve been challenged on the cardiovascular fitness post for example. Genuine questions: I have answers. Challenges: I don’t have time for you. You have the Internet, do your own research.

Sure I could be wrong. I’m often wrong. Anthony wrote my attitude changed since he started to come here. Expect it to change more in the future. Nothing is permanent except change. I’m in a constant learning phase.

Do you know Wise-guys? How do you deal with them? Share in the comments.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

This is a topic a friend of mine & me often talked about when I was employed. A topic he recommended me to write about on StrongLifts.com, but I hadn’t found a way to put it into words until now. The Crabs.

The Crabs story dates back to the days I spend hours surfing on SoSuave at work. I don’t visit SoSuave much anymore, but it opened my eyes on a lot of things. I wouldn’t be doing this today without it.

The Crabs story.

The thing about AFCs are that they’re a bunch of crabs in a barrel. Just as one starts to lift himself out of the barrel, the other crabs will grab him and pull him back in.

AFCs are average frustrated chumps: guys who don’t get girls and whine about it. If this sounds familiar: it’s curable. Check out Attract Hotter Women.

The Red Pill. If you watched the movie The Matrix, you’re familiar with the Red Pill. Once you take the Red Pill, you become aware of the system. The rat race, relationships, money, thoughts, feelings, … all start to make sense.

Call it consciousness, awareness, breaking social conditioning. Breaking thought patterns & habits you had for years takes time. Taking the Red Pill is the start, getting out of the barrel is the journey to “enlightenment”.

There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. – The Matrix

The Crabs. Tell your kids for 20 years they’re losers and they’ll become losers. Your environment influences your thoughts. Many of your friends, colleagues & family are crabs. And they’ll repeatedly try to pull you back into the barrel.

Crabs don’t realize what they do. Sometimes it’s jealousy because you have the guts to do what they can’t. Often it’s because they don’t want to be alone in the barrel. Example of typical Crab behavior I once got.

You’re in a very difficult business with many many competitors. You won’t make a living from this site – fact.

Translation: come back into the barrel. Ask crabs why they’re demotivating you or talking you down, and they’ll answer something like “I’m a realist” (which you can only be in the now, not in the future).

More examples of crab thinking you’ll hear daily once you take the Red Pill:

• “You should never Squat below parallel. It’s bad for your knees.”
• “You’ll never get that girl. You’re not ripped/rich/popular enough.”
• “Don’t start a business. Most businesses fail. Keep your day job.”

Dealing with Crabs. 1 reason people fail to achieve their goals is because crabs repeatedly tell them they can’t do it. Never listen to crabs. You are responsible for your future. No-one else.

• Believe. “Your only limitation is the one that you set up in your own mind.” & “You can do it if you believe you can” – Napoleon Hill. Remember these.
• Agree. Leave the crabs in their barrels. No need to get into arguments with them. Agree and focus on your goals.
• Remove. Your environment influences your thoughts. Remove crabs from your life. The more you do this, the better.
• Connect. You can find people who got out of the barrel or are trying to get out of it just like you. Look for them, they’re out there.
• Succeed. Success is the best revenge. Revenge should never be your motivation, but succeeding is the only answer you should give.

Self-Confidence. When I started StrongLifts.com, crabs told me that I was in a difficult business with many competitors. 11 months later this blog counts close to 10k subscribers. AFAIK only Dosh Dosh & zen habits did similar or better.

I’ve already seen the word “luck” popup. This has nothing to do with luck. I’ve NEVER doubted that I’d get 10k subscribers. And I’m confident I’ll make money out of this blog. Time will bring the non-believers proof.

You’ll NEVER achieve something with that kind of retard thinking that you need luck, genetics, money or whatever to get somewhere in life. You underestimate your own capabilities. You can do MORE than you THINK.

I believe I can get whatever I want out of life if I work hard. Sounds arrogant? I don’t care. I don’t care what you think of me. Caring about what people think, say or write is social conditioning and keeps you in the barrel.

Think well before you speak because your words may plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of some other person. – Napoleon Hill

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Reader Randy Hunt replied to what would you do if this happened to you?

There are only two options – either give up and accept it, or push, push, push until you overcome it. That’s really what strength training is about anyway. Every day is a mental challenge as much (or even more so) as it is a physical challenge.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “a strong body makes the mind strong.” But the concept is much older than him, and has been said throughout history.

Moreover, the principle of overcoming adversity is the single most important factor in success. You find the theme repeated throughout history by all the most successful people, and it’s really driven home in the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

Winners never quit. Quitters never win. The choice is simple.

Which condition do you have to master before you can get successful?

Failure.

Napoleon Hill experienced poverty before becoming rich. Lance Armstrong had cancer before winning the Tour de France 7 times. Steve Jobs made Apple big 10 years after getting fired out of Apple.

Napoleon Hill spends a whole chapter in the Law of Success about failure and the 7 failures he experienced before becoming successful.

Every failure will teach you a lesson that you need to learn if you will keep your eyes and ears open and be willing to be taught. Every adversity is usually a blessing in disguise. Without reverses and temporary defeat, you would never know the sort of metal of which you are made. – Napoleon Hill, The Law of Success.

You would never know the sort of metal of which you are made. Winners know failure is temporary. Winners know increasing your failure rate increases your success rate. Winners know the only answer to failure is persistence.

Rocky. Before Sylvester Stallone became a successful actor, he had to deal with many adversities. Much of the Oscar winning movie Rocky is based on Stallone’s life. Here’s a video of Anthony Robbins telling Rocky’s story.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Jamie Gillentine lost all feeling and movement from his upper-chest down to his legs. He had some arm movement but no hand dexterity. Here’s a video of his recovery which took several months.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What would you do if something like this happened to you? Would you flight or would you fight? Would you weep or would you get mad? Would you give up all hope or would you persist until you’re your old you again?

I know what I would do. Tell me what you would do in the comments.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

One of the best ways to avoid missing workouts is to go to the gym first thing after work. Leave for work with your gym bag. When your work day ends, eat your pre-workout nutrition and go straight to the gym.

Most work 9 to 5 and apply this trick. That’s why gyms are crowded between 5-7pm. So you end up losing time waiting for the Squat Rack to be free. Worse, you’re forced to drop exercises. Here’s how to deal with crowded gyms.

Make Them Hurry up. A lot of gym go-ers don’t have a plan. They spend more time resting between sets & looking around than working out. They’re wasting their time & yours.

“How many sets do you have left?” Euphemism for hurry up. The guy without a plan will answer: “1 or 2 more sets & I’m done”. Let him finish his workout, do some dynamic stretching, prepare your weights.

Workout in Between. But some will answer “4-5 sets left” or “just started”. You can’t wait that long. Answer: “I’ll do my sets in between as I’m short on time”. Be confident but friendly. They have to rest between sets anyway.

Even if it’s 2-3 guys doing different exercises than you. Say it. It’s good for your confidence. Make their life easier by (un)loading the barbell. Ignore remarks. As long as you get what you want, it doesn’t matter what they say.

Avoid Monday’s. “Monday is National Bench Day, Tuesday is National Bench Day Part II” – Guni, Forum member.

Monday & Tuesday are also the busiest days at the gym because of the feeling of guilt after a weekend eating junk food. If your schedule allows it, work out on We/Fr/Su or Tu/Th/Sa or Su/Tu/Th.

Use The Gym during Less Crowded Hours. You can leave towels, water bottles or alternate with your training partner. But people will complain if you do giant sets, using 4 pieces of equipment in a crowded gym.

Do those things when the gym is less crowded. Wake up earlier, workout in the afternoon or weekends. Gyms are calm between 5-6am, 1-3pm & 8-10pm.

Build a Home Gym. You’re motivated & have space? Build a home gym. No more driving to the gym & back, no more waiting, no more remarks. Best investment ever if you’re serious about your training.

I want to hear your tips on how to deal with crowded gyms. Share them in the comments below.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Reader Billy asked:

What do you do when life hits you square in the jaw? Where your commitment and focus is 24/7 at the bedside of a love one after a long illness and their recovery takes up your full attention?

What to do when you obviously can’t workout under these types of life’s blows and your diet is going to suffer as well?

Maybe you can offer tips on when life hits you square in the jaw and how to stay moderately fit until you get back to the routine.

The Real Concern. This isn’t really about how to maintain the muscles you’ve built or how to prevent your body fat to increase. This is more about your physical, and more importantly mental health.

Your environment influences your thoughts & actions. Being 24/7 with someone who’s ill will affect your mood. Some people stop caring about everything when life hits them hard, including their own health.

Your loved one getting your full attention is good, but don’t forget about your own health. If you get ill, who’s gonna take care of her? You don’t want to get into self-destructive situations of starvation & pseudo-depression.

When Life Hits You Square in The Jaw. Strength training is a great way to de-stress from life and forget about everything for an hour. Strength training also reminds you that life is hard, and that you’d better get used to it.

The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it’s impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you’re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black.

I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds. – Henry Rollins.

How to Stay Fit. You’ll have to cook for your loved one so she recovers. Cook for yourself too. If time is a problem, cook all meals in the morning or evening. Microwave the food when it’s time to eat.

Training wise you have 3 solutions:

1. Starting Strength routine. Same as StrongLifts 5×5, but 3×5. Replace Rows by Pull-ups/Chin-ups. Drop Dips.
2. 2 workouts/week: workout A Monday, workout B Thursday.
3. Worst case scenario: drop all exercises except Squats.

Avoid getting into this self-destructive behavior of stopping to care about everything. Get a change of mind.

What do you do when life hits you square in the jaw? Do you workout? What about your nutrition? Share in the comments.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.