How to Build a Massive Back

Lately people have been asking me what it takes to build a large back.  I thought about it a bit, and now, I've constructed this article with a free back workout at the bottom.  The main issue I see with people's back training nowadays, is the lack of heavy rows and dead-lifts.  When you dead-lift heavy your body just starts to look different.  This is even more true when you add heavy barbell rows.  These two exercises are my go to for back training. 

Now, since both take a lot of energy to get done, you can do what I do and dead-lift on your first leg day, or dead-lift on back day.  For me, back day is always the most brutal.  I do bent-over barbell rows, weighted chin ups and chest supported hammer strength rows.  On other back days I'll add dead-lifts.  

There are several ways you can program back days.  You can do back and biceps, back and chest, back and rear delts.  The point is, pick a style you like and start training back hard.  Here's what back and biceps should look like.

Back and Biceps:

Dead-lifts: 3 x 4-6 reps

Weighted chin ups: 2 x 6-8 reps

Barbell rows: 3 x 12 reps

Barbell curls: 4 x 8 reps

Preacher curl machine:  3 x 12 reps

Reverse ez curls: 3 x 20 reps

Back and chest:

Dead-lift: 3 x 6 reps

Incline bench press super set with chin ups: 4 x 8 reps

Flat bench press super set with bent over rows: 4 x 10 reps

Dumbbell pull overs: 2 x 15 reps

Back and rear delts

Bent over barbell rows: 4 x 8 reps

Chest supported hammer strength rows: 4 x 12 reps

Dumbbell pullovers: 3 x 12 reps

Rack dead-lifts: 3 x 12 reps

Rear delt rows: 2 x 20 reps

There are several different ways to train back right there that I just outlined for you.  What I would recommend is picking one of those workouts and doing them once or twice per week to train your back.  This doesn't mean you have to do it this way, it's just a thought.  Here's how I program dead-lifts, and my own back workout.

Snow's Leg Day:

Squats: 3 x 6-8 reps, 1 x 20 reps

Dead-lifts: 2 x 6-8 reps

Lunges: 2 x 20 per leg

Romanian dead-lifts: 3 x 12-15 reps

Vertical leg press: 3 x 20 reps

Snow's Back Day:

Barbell bent over rows: 3 x 10-12 reps

Weighted chin ups: 2 x 6-8 reps

Snatch high pull: 2 x 6 reps

Chest supported hammer strength row: 3 x 10 reps

Barbell curls: 3 x 12 reps

Preacher curl machine: 3 x 12 reps

As you can see, I sometimes like to throw in dead-lifts on leg day.  If I do that, I don't have to worry about them on back day, and I can focus on rows and chin ups.  Ultimately, it's up to you.  You don't have to do it my way.  My way is a simple idea.  As long as you're dead-lifting at least once per week, you should be able to make gains.

Dorian Yates back training

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How to Build a Massive Chest

It seems that people have forgotten what to do to grow their chest.  The pecs are an easy muscle to train and grow for me.  While I always had a naturally big chest, I have consistently flat bench pressed and incline bench pressed over 350 lbs on both lifts.  I understand that your chest can grow from heavy training.  I train like a power lifter and bodybuilder.  By using both in my approach, I am able to grow my chest.

I always go with the incline press for 6-8 reps.  I use more of a guillotine style.  This is where you lower the barbell to your throat, just lower it right below your chin.  The movement is to be done slow and under control.  Use a pinky just inside the rings grip.  Then you lower the barbell the way I described. https://goo.gl/images/NWfDSQ

The reason to do this is because it will recruit more muscles in the upper chest area.  This is what will allow you to recruit the most chest muscles.  Stick with 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps for the incline bench press, this will produce the most gains. 

Afterwards, go to the flat bench press.  This is also a great chest builder.  The form on bench press is less complicated than the incline bench press.  Stick with 3 sets 6-8 reps here going slow and under control.  The flat bench press allows you to contract the whole entire chest.

The next chest exercise I recommend is the dumbbell pull over.  This exercise will build a thick chest that expands as well as your serratus and the lower lats.  The pull over is a complete exercise and has been used by many classic bodybuilders.  https://goo.gl/images/eYKEpR

This exercise is to be utilized more for bodybuilding purposes, that means to do 8-12 reps at a slow tempo, controlling the eccentric and exploding on the way up.  This should be the 3rd exercise in your arsenal.  You need to actively let the dumbbell pull you back and let it stretch you completely, this will build the most muscle and will produce the best gains.  By adding this in, your chest training will be complete.

Recap:

• Bench press heavy early in the workout
• That means incline barbell or flat bench should be your first exercise
• Then focus on lifting the weights under control and focusing on a slow eccentric
• Make sure you're lifting heavy enough
• Add dumbbell pullovers towards the end of the training to make more gains

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Leg And Glute Training

When you step into the gym, I guarantee you'll see guys who are completely lacking in lower body development.  This is due to the fact that guys are way too obsessed with upper body training.  Usually what happens when you do this is that you lose all proportions with your body.  Without further ado, this article will cover how to grow your legs and glutes.

Legs:

When you're training legs, the most important exercise will be the squat.  The squat is the best exercise for leg development if done correctly.  Most guys avoid squats like the plague, this is because you suck at them.  Once I started squatting properly my leg development became much better.  You need to do enough to tear down those muscle fibers.  Forget about the pump and focus on tearing down muscle fibers.

Squats:

I recommend low bar back squats for most people to start out with.  The low bar squat will add mass to your whole leg, and your glutes.  To properly execute the low bar squat, you need to put the barbell on your rear delt muscles.  Then you will have a slight forward lean.   Afterwards, you will breathe out and down and squeeze your core as tight as possible, this is what will protect your spine.  Then push your butt slightly back and down as you spread your knees out and let them travel forward, then you pop back up, and stand up explosively.

Squat recommendations

2 x 4-6 reps

1-2 sets of 20-25 reps

Front squats:

Once people have properly mastered the low bar squat, I show them how to front squat.  The front squat places more emphasis on the core and on quad strength.  This is good because it'll help you add muscle in the teardrop area, which is also called the vastus medialis.  For front squats I'd keep the reps between 8-12 basic rep ranges work best here.

Hack squats:

For my own leg workouts I always do hack squats after low bar squats.  I keep a close stance with the toes pointed slightly out, this allows the lifter to target the outer quad sweep.  The quad sweep is also called the vastus lateralis.  Doing these correctly will allow you to have proportional quad development.  On hack squats, you need to go down slowly 2-3 seconds down, and 1-2 seconds up.  This controlled tempo will take the momentum out of the movement and help you grow your legs faster.  Momentum kills muscle gains.  For hack squats I generally keep the reps between 8-20.  Depending on the weight, make sure you're doing heavy sets on these as well.

Low foot leg press:


The low foot leg press is great for targeting the quads.  Now, this exercise has a more limited range of motion then a hack squat or low bar squat.  To execute this place your feet at the bottom of the sled, or leg press machine.  Then use a close stance, again to target those outer quads.  Go down slow and controlled and perform 20-30 reps on these.  For leg press, higher reps work best.  Do 2-3 sets of 20-30 reps.

Now that completely covers quad training.

The next part of the article will go over hamstring and glute training.

Hamstring training

The most effective mass builder for hamstring is the Romanian dead-lift.

This is different from the stiff leg dead-lift.  A Romanian Dead-lift starts from the top, and ends around the mid shin, and sometimes slightly higher.  Start from the top and push your butt back and lower the bar slowly to mid shin.  Keep your back arched and use a controlled pace, keep your attention on feeling the stress in the hamstring.  This is what will help you make the most gains.

For this exercise keep the reps between 8-15, and go slow.  Control the movement for the entire set.  2-3 sets done correctly is more than enough for this exercise.

The next great hamstring and glute builder is the reverse hack squat.

To do this movement, go to the hack squat machine and put your forehead against the machine, then get a slightly wider than shoulder width stance.  Squat down as low as possible under control and then explode up after a slight pause.  Reps of 10-12 here with a heavy weight are most effective.  This exercise changed the game for my own hamstring training.  Not to mention the glute gains you'll get from this are great.

For glutes I recommend doing Romanian Dead-lifts with a slow eccentric.

Eccentric is the when you lower the weight.

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Comfort Is Your Enemy

When you want to build muscle, or do anything in life, you have to kill your desire for comfort.  Comfort is the enemy of muscle growth, and overall growth in life.  You have to do what's necessary in order to accomplish something.  That means you will be uncomfortable sometimes.

Get comfortable with discomfort.  It's easy to say, and yet, so few people actually do it.  Change is violent and uncomfortable.  In order to become the person you want to be, or have the body you want, you will have to be comfortable with discomfort.  This is a must, if you can't accept this, you won't achieve anything you want.

You need to learn to put yourself through the fire.  That's the fastest way to change and make gains.  If you do this consistently you will make progress and advance through life faster.  The more comfortable you are the softer you will become.  To continually progress and move forward you will need to be willing to sacrifice comfort.

Consistently keep yourself uncomfortable, or at least become comfortable with discomfort.  That's the easiest.  You have to convince yourself that you're an unstoppable force that can annihalte anything in your way.  This is the mindset and focus that you need to have.  If you're focused on winning, and positive forward momentum, you will crush life and the odds.

The universe, or nature, has no mercy for anyone.  You need to remove mercy from your mind, remove it from your actions.  You are where you're destined to be.  The stoics call this amor fati, that's latin for a love of fate.

This principle is useful.  If you fight where you are, you'll have no acceptance and can become a delusional jackass.  That will turn you into a failure, you definitely need to learn to love where you are and to not fight fate.  Being comfortable all of the time destroys your desire to conquer and crush whatever is ahead of you.  Any badass MMA fighter will tell you that a comfortable fighter is weak.

Comfort makes you weak.  Always keep that in mind.  Now, this doesn't give you a reason to be an angry jackass and never relax.  I want you to be calm during discomfort.  When I squatted 500 lbs I was surprisingly calm.
https://www.facebook.com/duke.snow.1/videos/vb.1129171193/10212176744550369/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

I was grunting sure and giving all of my effort, yet there was no nerves.  If I would have stayed comfortable I would have never made the lift or even attempted it. 

I make this point about discomfort because there are too many people who want to live life or go to the gym on cruise control.  If you cruise through every workout and don't push yourself, you'll never grow or make any real gains.

Comfort always has and always will be your enemy.

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10 Reasons Why Your Diet Isn't Working

If you are like most people you have started a diet for the summer.  Every year, people start and quit their diet before seeing their desired results.  This article is going to help you understand why your diet's not working and you're not losing fat.

As someone who has lost weight and gained weight consistently, through trial and error, and through reading different materials on diet and nutrition, I have been able to learn how to lose fat.  These are the 10 reasons why your diet isn't working.

1: You're diet has no structure

When you start a diet you need to have a plan.  Once you pick a plan, you need to make sure you are executing it to the best of your ability.  This means, if the diet says 6 oz of chicken breasts, that's what you need to eat not 10 oz.  You need to learn what proper portion control and food measurements are.  After that you need to understand calories.  If you're on a keto low carb diet, you need to stick to high protein and moderate fat.  If you're on low fat, high protein, moderate carb, you need to stick with that.  The whole point is to execute the diet.

You need to stick to it and see it through the end.  If you're diet's not working it's because you have no structure.

2: You're starving yourself

While it's true that you need to be in a caloric deficit to lose body fat.  That doesn't mean that you need to starve.  When you're in a deficit, I recommend keeping it at 300 calories under maintenance.  You might be wondering, well how do I do that?  Multiply bodyweight x 15.  After that you subtract 300.  That's a proven way to lose body fat.  I would recommend eating as much protein and good fats as possible.  Fats are great for hormone production.  They also promote satiety, which means you'll feel full while dieting.  Remember, this doesn't mean eat 1,000 calories per day.  Eating 1,000 calories means you will start to tap into to your hard earned muscle.  During a diet you want to keep every ounce of muscle on your body.  Or at least as much as possible.

3: You yo-yo diet


These people are the best.  That's sarcasm, they are the people that bulk one week, and cut the next.  When you start to diet you need to stick to it for 90 days.  I recommend dieting for a full 90 days.  That's the most effective way to go.  You can try longer if you have to, but you won't know if a diet is working or not if you don't stick to it.  Eating correctly for two weeks, won't change 10 years of bad eating.  This means you need to be consistent.  Stay on your diet, meaning in a calorie deficit, for a minimum of 90 days.  Program your cheat meals, and don't eat them when they're not on the schedule.

4:  You pick diets you can't stick to

When you start dieting you need to be 100% confident in the diet you picked.  You need to believe that you can stick to the diet.  If you believe it you will achieve it.  It's cliche, it's corny, and it's true.  When you believe you can stick to the diet you will.  Unfortunately, most people overestimate the amount of discipline and will power they have.  If you love eating red meat and eggs, why would you start eating tilapia and egg whites?  Sounds silly right?  Yet, I see way too many people doing this.  This is a foolish mistake.  Pick the diet you will stick to, that's the best one.

5: You're over training

Yes guys, contrary to popular belief, it's very possible to over train.  Most overly ambitious people will try to work out every single day when they are dieting.  This is simply unnecessary.  You need to use the minimum effective dose here.  What do I mean by that?  I mean that you need to work out as little as possible to create the desired result.  This means that you need to be efficient and train hard.  You won't have as much time for talking and shooting the shit with your buddies.  You need to be on a mission and get out of the gym in less than 1 hour.

If you keep your workouts shorter than 1 hour while you're dieting it'll be easier to not over train.  Also, your workouts are longer than 1 hour it can have a negative effect on testosterone production.

6: You're eating too much

Just like starving yourself, eating too much is also hurting you.  You need to change your mindset, food is not a reward, food is just fuel.  You need to feed the machine that is your body.  Don't feed that weak inner child inside.  That weak inner child is holding you back.  The simple way to know if you're eating too much is if you're feeling hungry.  If you don't feel hungry during a diet, you're eating too much.  That's a simple way to see if you're eating too much.  You should be losing 1-2 lbs per week.  Any more than that will mean you're losing water and muscle too.

7: You have no discipline


If you lack discipline and mental fortitude, you'll never be in shape.  That's a sad reality.  Luckily discipline can be developed.  It will suck and you will suffer but you will get the prize of a new attractive physique.  You need to remember that you won't be motivated every day.  Any one can do something when they feel like doing it.  You need to learn to diet whether you feel like it or not.  That's what discipline is.

8: You make excuses

When you start a diet, you can have results, or you can have excuses, but you can't have both.  You're going to have to suffer and just barrel through the diet.

9: You are too restrictive

If you stop eating certain foods that you like cold turkey, you will fail at dieting.  Now, this is within reason.  I assume you're not counting ice cream and cookies as foods you like.  I'm talking about, cutting out red meat when you love beef.  If you love beef, keep it in your diet.  Very simple and to the point.

10: You think it'll happen overnight

No diet will work over night, I would say that you need a minimum of 60 days to see real changes.  If you diet and train correctly, you will be able to see results in that time period.  That's how long it will take to make lasting changes.

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How to Stop Being Skinny and Weak

When you started training in the gym, I'm sure your goal wasn't to be 165 lbs and ripped.  If it was, my god you're a loser.  The whole purpose of training in the gym, at least for me was to be huge and freakishly strong.  You see if you're a 135 lb weakling, you'll never develop the strength necessary to build muscle.  To build muscle you need to lift heavy weights for a good amount of reps.  This means when you can squat 315 for 20-25 reps, you'll have some big quads and a nice ass.

Truth be told, my favorite body part to train is my ass.  Fellas, every girl I have been with has liked the way my ass looks.  This website isn't about seduction, but girls love a thick masculine ass.  Coming in close second are my legs.  I always new from playing football and baseball that these muscle groups were the foundation.  When you decide you want to get bigger and stronger, you will do squats, dead-lifts, bent over rows, and maybe power cleans, all of these muscles either recruit the glutes directly or act as stabilizers.

If you have the courage and the commitment to learn how to power clean, you can make big changes in your strength and size.  Keep your mind on the barbell exercises that give you the greatest return on investment.  You see, I see way too many skinny guys in the gym, that are worried about drop sets, mind muscle connection, and other bs.

This is what keeps the skinny guys skinny.  Those big bodybuilders who are incorporating this training, are on massive amounts of drugs, another crucial detail is that these bodybuilders got big through lifting heavy weights and eating as much protein as they can handle.  Yes, there are genetic elites out there, Paul Dillet for example can grow from mowing lawns.

None of you skinny guys out there have Paul Dillet's genetics he did play in the NFL.  Now, you may not be in the NFL, but if you follow this guide and do exactly what I say, I guarantee results.  Luckily for the skinny scrawny punks out there, I can guide and steer you in the right direction.

Do 3 barbell exercises for every 1 isolation exercise.

If these skinny clowns would actually focus on improving their barbell lifts, they'd be able to actually grow and get stronger.  The solution is to do 3 barbell exercises for every 1 isolation exercise.

Here's an example

Legs:

Low bar squat: 1 x 8, 1 x 20

Romanian dead-lift: 2 x 20

Barbell lunges: 2 x 20 reps per leg

Lying hamstring curls: 2 x 20 reps

If you train that way as a skinny guy you will grow at a faster pace.  That heavy set of 8 on the squat, will help you grow faster, than skipping it.  Don't skip the 20 rep set either.  20 rep squats are proven mass builders.  The only thing I left out was calves.  If your calves are lagging do a few sets of seated calf raises, again I recommend 20 reps, going slow, and using zero momentum.

I see skinny guys constantly using momentum to get the weight up.  This is fine on the last 2-3 reps, but it can lead to disaster if you do it, every rep, every set.  Control the weight as much as possible, muscle and strength respond to controlling the weight.  That is if you want to build muscle.  If you just want to lift as much weight as possible just start power lifting.  Power lifting is fun, and I used to power lift.

Some skinny guys would benefit immensely from power lifting training.  That doesn't mean all skinny guys will benefit from it.  I find the sweet spot for growth to be in the 6-8 rep range.  For legs I'd say it's between 15-25.  Quads have a lot of slow twitch muscle fibers, which is why they react well to higher rep training.

Next, what you skinny guys need to do is get your diet in check.  Learn to eat.  It sounds simplistic, and yet, I see guys who go from 150 lbs to 140 just because they suck at eating.  Eating food isn't hard, I promise guys.   I was 160 at one point.  I ate everything in sight and got up to 185 lbs.

That's not because I'm better than anyone either.  I just wanted to be bigger, and I made myself bigger, nothing out of the ordinary here.  The problem is that most people want me to tell them that pre-workout of what the perfect steroid cycle is.  None of that stuff matters if you can't execute the x's and o's of bodybuilding.  This is what people fail to realize.  I can't make your body grow.  I can make you stronger, and I can help with diet, it's ultimately up to the individual to see his results to the end.  If you're less than 200 lbs, bulk.  Absolutely, bulk and eat to grow. 

That was one of my biggest mistakes, I should have consistently bulked, for 2 years.  People seem to think that they can bulk for 6 weeks and cut for 3.  That doesn't work, that's called yo-yo dieting.  Yo-yo dieters never make gains.  Bulk for a long time and then slowly take the fat off with diet.  If your diet is trash you will be too.  You need to take your nutrition seriously and don't let anything get in your way.  When you start eating properly and training with enough intensity, you'll see changes in your physique, I promise.  The problem is when people look for the shortcuts or miracle drugs.

This website doesn't promote that and it never will.  I want guys and girls to master diet and training.  You should want to eat properly.  If you're in a bulking/lean mass phase, sure, it's okay to eat a snickers here and there.  Just keep junk food to a minimum, and stay focused on the body you want in the future.  This is something everyone seems to struggle with.  When I tell people that they need to eat big, they think I mean taco bell xxl everything.  While you might gain weight, trust me you will, the excess fat accumulation isn't worth it.

How bad do you want to change your physique?  Most of the time it's will, and it's mental.  I can't teach you the will to win, and the will to power.  Read Nieztche if you don't know what I'm talking about.  I can teach you x's and o's, I can't teach will.  Your will must come from within.  The will to power is everything.  Seriously, read Nieztche.

You need to learn to associate pleasure with success, and massive amounts of pain with failure.  Unfortunately, skinny guys do this is reverse.  They associate massive amounts of pain with eating to grow, and therefore they stay skinny.  Most of the time they get in their own way.  Just remove the mental door and succeed.  Don't focus on the struggle, focus on the success.  This is what will help you improve your physique.  Bodybuilding, and strength building is much more mental than it is physical.

Now, if you're a scrawny 135 don't expect to squat 600+ because you believe in yourself.  You still need to stay in touch with reality.  When you're training, there shouldn't be any doubt that you're going to lift the target number of reps, or weight.  I don't program 1 rep maxes.  If you want to know your 1 rm so bad, go do a power lifting meet.  Seriously, if you're that obsessed with it, go do a power lifting meet.

I'm here to teach you to build strength, not test it.  Even elite power lifters rarely if ever max out.  They know the difference between building and testing your strength.  You too, need to learn the difference.  They've gotten to their level for a reason.  Ed Coan, the greatest power lifter of all time even said that he never missed a lift in training.  There is no reason you should ever miss a lift.  Too many people fall into the trap of showing people in the gym what they can do.

https://youtu.be/ktDvrxWJzi0

Do the opposite

Focus on yourself, and the lifts you want to improve.  Don't worry about lifter a or lifter b.  Lift with control and focus on technical cues.  On squats, think knees out, butt back and down, core tight.  On dead-lifts, think chest up, press floor away from you.  These simple cues will keep you focused and will help you lift safer.

A safe lifter, will be training for a long time.  I hate using the word safety, because usually the people who are obsessed with safety are pussies.  However, to make gains, you need to train as safe as possible in order to keep increasing total weekly, and monthly training volume.  Be as safe as possible, while being as intense as possible, if that makes any sense.

Also skinny guys need to focus the bulk of their energy on training their legs and back.  Most people just want to train the show muscles.  This is okay, the problem is that it can lead to long term injury, since you will develop muscle imbalances.  You could however choose not to listen to me, that is also an option.  If you want the physique to show for it, you will need to develop the back and legs to round out your whole body.

Another reason, is because that will help you add raw weight and size.  Your legs and back muscles weigh a lot more than chest, shoulders, and arms.

Get good at these 6 exercises and watch your physique transform.

Flat bench

Low bar squat

Bent over row

Dead-lift

Weighted chin up

Power clean

If you master these 6 exercises and consistently get stronger in the 6-20 rep range you'll be a god in the gym.  You'll be a beastly badass that makes panties wet and makes other men envy you.  Maybe not, but I have seen it happen before.

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Stop being a skinny weakling and apply what I wrote in the article.

Why Having a Chip on Your Shoulder is Ruining Your Life

My whole life growing up, I would watch sports games and listen to the commentators talk about, how this player x had a huge chip on his shoulder coming out of college.  I would always wonder why, then they would go on to describe what the athlete went through, or how far he dropped in the draft.  The biggest mistake was thinking that this would somehow make me better by having a chip on my shoulder.

I then researched the term, and looked up the athletes, who claimed that they had a massive chip on their shoulder.  What I discovered next was laughable.  These athletes let someone else's opinion, affect their whole personality and character.  This chip on their shoulder did nothing but give the other person power over them.

When you have a chip on your shoulder, it doesn't make you tough, or edgy.  It makes you an insecure punk, who cares way too much what other people think about them.  I even remember a lot of the quotes.  "I'm gonna show them, I should have been drafted in the first round."

"I'll show them they never should have traded me."

When you think this way, you are living your life for other people.  That's the first mistake of having a chip on your shoulder.  You're living your life for other people, and you're making yourself weaker and more insecure by the day.  This is what people fail to realize.

The I'll show you mindset

People that embody and carry out this mindset are deeply insecure.  They are so desperate for approval and recognition that they'll go through anything to prove it to you.  The problem with this is the payoff.  What do you get out of showing someone else?  They don't care!!  Most of the time, they say things like you can't do it to tease you.  They don't care if you actually do.

I remember one time, I told a guy he couldn't squat 225, when he actually did, he asked me if I saw it.  Obviously I didn't see it, you see I didn't care about the other guys workout at all.  In fact, his workout meant nothing to me.  When he offered to show me his 225 squat, I told him that I wasn't interested and didn't care.

He spent his whole workout thinking about me telling him he couldn't squat 225.  He was demoralized when I told him I didn't care.  He squatted 225 just to prove it to me.  Why not prove it to himself?

He was more concerned with my comment, than his own workout.
That says a lot about his lack of drive and character.  He was more driven to prove me wrong, than he was to make progress.  That's the issue with trying to prove people wrong.  What if they don't care?

There lies the problem, he busted his ass to squat 225 all for someone, in this case me, who doesn't care about him at all.  When you focus on what you're doing, that's when you'll make the most gains.  Focusing on other people, will keep you weak mentally, and physically.  You can only be the best you.

It doesn't matter if someone thinks you can't do something, all that matters is what you think.  Stay focused on what you want to do and do it.  Don't let any distracting thoughts get in the way.

When you carry a chip on your shoulder, your purpose is to prove people wrong, that means you are living for other people instead of living for yourself.  If you wish to live that way fine, what I'll never understand is why people think it is helping them.  Learn to live for yourself, I'll admit that I've been called names I didn't agree with, cocky, egotistical, self-serving, prima donna, especially when I was an athlete growing up.

Now, I never went out of my way to prove those people wrong.  I allowed them to have their own opinion.  If you're an American, you understand that we have free speech and so do other people.  They have a right to think you suck, and you have a right to not care what they have to say.

IDGAF

Honestly, if you want to be a success you need to learn to let go of other people.  That means, that you need to stop caring about what they're doing and about what your opinion of them is.  Stay 100% focused on yourself.  If your girlfriend dumps you, get a new one.  If you hate your training partner get a new one.  Yes, this is definitely common sense, which unfortunately isn't so common anymore. 

It's simple advice, yet most people would rather wallow in self-pity, or show their girlfriend or boyfriend that they made a mistake.  My question, is why do you want them to admit that?  It's because you still care about them.  The new approach is to train yourself not to care.  I've been dumped before, I accepted reality, I never tried to show my ex, or any other woman that they made a big mistake.

I just moved on, I focused forward.  I put my attention on the present day and how I can live it to the best of my ability.  Focus on today, that's all you can do.  Sure you can daydream about the future, yet, that doesn't mean you can forget about today.  A lot of people struggle with this.  Stop caring, who cares about tomorrow.  Don't check what your ex or current girlfriend or significant other is doing on social media, live your life.

The key to not caring is to just live your life.  Again, it sounds overly simplistic, sometimes that's what you and I need.  Keep your life simple.  If you want to build muscle mass, focus on big barbell lifts, eat 2 grams per pound of bodyweight in protein and stay in a calorie surplus.  Nothing revolutionary.  You don't have to reinvent the wheel to be a success.

Thank you for reading.

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