Are you watching greatness or striving for it?

I was in the gym last night breaking a sweat on the StairMaster when I noticed a young lady staring up at the TV. She was standing next 7 different pieces of cardio equipment in the gym, but wasn't using any of them. Her gaze was set on the television. She was watching the two best men's tennis players in the world battle it out.

Later I went to a different part of the gym to bust out some ab work and there was a guy sitting on a stability, watching the tennis match. He wasn't crunching, pressing, piking.....none of that. He was sitting still, taking it all in. I enjoy tennis. I could watch almost any sport. But I would not completely stop my workout to soak it all up, even if it's Ohio State football.

It had me thinking, what is it about these guys that's so important? Why stop a workout to watch them?

My 1st answer was that people love to watch competition. The intensity of a duel can be capturing. Two men, two players, two teams going all out for a championship....well the competition doesn't get much better than that.

My 2nd answer was that people love to witness greatness. Djoker (as one of my clients calls him) and Federer are tennis geniuses. The best two male tennis players in the world. They have spent countless hours practicing their serves, backhands and drop shots. They have better conditioning than 97% of people on the planet. You can tell by watching their play they have sacrificed many holidays, Friday nights, and happy hours to work on their game.

I wondered.....would people prefer watching others greatness unfold rather than putting in the necessary work to create their own?

In what ways do you want to be great? 

Are you trying to accomplish great career success? Do you want to build the best body you've ever had? Have great health? Earn hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars? Do you want to be a great spouse or parent?

Are you putting in the work necessary for that greatness? Or are you just doing enough to get by? Doing just enough to be comfortable?

This past weekend was perfect for me because it took me back to the roots. It made me think about my life goals and what I want to accomplish as a man, trainer, and entrepreneur. Everything I want to accomplish is possible but very little of it is "normal." I have to put forth EXTRA effort, EXTRA energy, and EXTRA focus because I want INCREDIBLE results, INCREDIBLE relationships, and an INCREDIBLE lifestyle. I do not want to be a normal trainer. I don't want to be a chip off the ol' block.

What do you want out of life? Are you putting in the work necessary to get it? If we had another market crisis like the one we had in '07 and '08, would you still be "comfortable?"

Go out and grab your greatness! It's out here for us if we are willing to get it. #IAMWILLING

Much love,

Q. McCohn

McCohn Muscle Client of the Month- June 2014

Jess DelRe's journey with McCohn Muscle Training has been like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy! It has been a 16 month journey that has included persistence, dedication, loyalty, patience, education, frustration, flexibility, focus, sacrifice, and good old fashion hard work.

Now you've probably heard several people say, "forget the scale. It doesn't mean anything." This is true in certain situations, but not all of them. The scale is a tool that tells a story. It also can be used to motivate people to make better decisions in the kitchen, and work harder in the gym. When Jess first started training, the scale said that she made some poor choices with nutrition, and was not spending quality time in the gym. By her own admission she lacked upper body strength, and from assessing her she also lacked core strength and cardiovascular endurance. So we attacked her training and nutrition with vigor. Training sessions 3x/week and homework on the weekends. Food journals were front and center every week. Jess did everything that was asked of her, however the scale was saying that there was not much change. So that dedication, focus, and sacrifice turned into frustration.

Anyone that knows me as a trainer knows that I have pride in what I do. I get results! So when someone is doing their part but isn't seeing results, it's a blow to my ego. A BIG blow. For a while, Jess DelRe was like the puzzle that could not be solved. Looking back on it now, it was just an obstacle we had to get through together. It required her to be flexible, me to educate myself more, and both of us to be patient.
After five months of training Jess lowered her body fat by 6.5% and improved her 1-mile run time by 4 minutes. She had also lost 8lbs, which isn't bad but we knew that more could be done. Jess began doing things she had never done before. Running 2-miles without stopping. Deadlifting and squatting over 100lbs in the same training session. Running 3-miles without stopping. Her performance was on another level. In the meantime I increased my service by generating meal plans courtesy of Evolution Nutrition. This was a game changer for Jess. She followed the plans to a T and the excess weight began coming off. Then Jess upped the ante. She wanted to get to a certain weight by her birthday at the end of May. Two weeks prior to her birthday we were 5lbs away from the goal. So we scrapped everything that had been working well, and implemented what I call the "Deadline Diet." Wouldn't you know......WE HIT THAT GOAL! I suppose I should add that she has lost a total of 23lbs and 12% body fat. This recognition of Jess DelRe is well deserved. It's also a testament to staying the course, even when it seems that what you're doing is not working. Great job Jess! Let's find another obstacle to knock down.