Okay okay the last one ruffled some feathers for sure. And I get it! This is a very ego-centric sport, so if you think something applies to you, guess what IT DOES AND THE AUTHOR IS A JERK OMG TRIGGERED. Or, maybe you're just a little self absorbed (but it's okay because I am too!)
And that's what THIS blog is going to be about. Pride and the value you place on yourself as a being/athlete/nonbinary-creature/wtf ever. No matter who you are, I am of the belief that you need to have pride. And that's in disagreement with a lot of people that say pride will paralyze you, or pride will prevent you from being all you can and etc etc. I think pride is a useful tool, and a necessity for an individual looking to be the best that they can be.
There is a drastic difference between PRIDE and COCKINESS. Pride means having the objectiveness and willingness to say that your last squat was high, but at the same time KNOWING you can do better and WILL do better next time. Identifying you may not be how great you want to be right now, but believing with 100% of your soul that you can reach that point. Cockiness means you know you squat high, you know you get whites in backyard meets, and just doing it anyway cuz "fuck those haters"
I KNOW I can be one of the best in the world one day. I know I am not there yet, but I am doing everything within my power to make that dream a reality. Training in certain environments, leaving gyms due to neagativity, cutting time spent "out" down to a bare minimum. And I am PROUD of the progress I have made, and I will continue ot pride myself in competing in reputable meets and traveling to face other bests in the world because that is where I see myself. Nobody cares about a big fish in a small pond. And admittedly, social media increases the viewership and makes local meets seem appealing, but that's where pride comes in. If you are cool with that, go right ahead, you are the master of your own destiny and if you truly don't give a fuck how people feel about you then that requires a proper amount of respect.
However, that is where you and I differ. I care what others think. I care what I think about myself. And I hold myself to an incredibly high standard, that sometimes bleeds into my relationship with my wife, my clients, and my teammates! This is both a negative and positive attribute of my personality! I can use this to push myself to go beyond limits that others have placed on me, and limits I've placed on myself. At the same time, I can also come off as a straight up asshole or a dickhead when having conversations with people I would consider my friends. Despite that fact, I do indeed have some very good relationships with other people. The common trait between these people is something you should see coming..... they are prideful! They think they are hot shit, and do EVERYTHING they can to make themselves the baddest, best, and all around greatest motherfuckers out there!
Sometimes pride is not a bad thing when you apply it to the present AND the future. If you can use that pride to grow the sport of powerlifting into an ACTUAL sport, then I'd definitely say that's a good thing. Or, you can "not give a fuck" and talk about ego and elitism, and continue to fracture this sport I hold so dear into an amalgam of instagram videos and ATWR's that nobody cares about except for your Mom, Dad, and your girlfriend. It's our choice as the participants, that's the coolest thing. I just hope my words can encourage a level of PRIDE and a sense that being ELITE and proud of that fact isn't exactly a bad thing.
I squatted today too. Put everything into you're training and maybe you can be a cocky bastard too.
4x6 615 pause squats
Wife hit 355x6, 345x6 for 3 sets
Accessories till we couldn't