Through the Eyes of a BEAST- Entry #3

My best portrayal in scribing down the chaos that goes through my mind on paper. My personal thoughts and muses with simple and complex notions on an ever long journey to become Big, Strong, Fit, Healthy—to become a Beast. Entry #3 Luck I was in the midst of my workout the other day and I saw a friend of mine.  Good guy, healthy, in shape.  He’s been lifting for a while and I’ve got to know him through work.  I took my earbuds out and talked to him for a couple of minutes in regards to the usual “what are you working today?” jabber. He had just got done with his workout, so as I finished telling him what I had planned to run through that day, he started on his way out. As I was about to put my earbuds back in and go back to finishing my warm up, I heard him say “good luck with the rest of your workout.” I know he didn’t really mean anything by it—I’m sure it’s a common phrase that’s passed through the gym, following the cordial “see ya around” or “have a good one,” But it got me thinking… how does luck plays a role in training? And by the end of my warm up set, I quickly narrowed it down to one answer: it doesn’t. When you’re training or working towards a goal in the gym, there is no luck. You do your work and at the end of the day, you either succeed or you fail at that certain point.  It’s black and white—there’s not much of a middle ground. You don’t get lucky and sweat more during cardio. You don’t get lucky and become “big and ripped”. You don’t get lucky and PR on a big squat. Sure, you might have the best workout of your life, or it might be the worst that you’ve managed to get through, but luck didn’t have anything to do with it. Whatever the case may be, progress is about taking a step forward each and every day, or in a worst-case scenario, learning why there was a set back. It has nothing to do with “luck”. It has everything to do with your mentality—it’s your work ethic. It’s the intensity, time, and heart you want to dedicate and sacrifice. Take control of what you’re training—this isn’t the lottery or the casino; there’s no gambling when it comes to achieving goals. At the end of the day, it’s you vs. you. Put in your work and you won’t have to leave anything up to chance. Danny Quach is a senior at the University of Georgia and he’s studying Health Promotion and Behavior.  He’s a powerlifter at heart and has done it for over six years.  He just competed in his first bodybuilding show in Summer of 2011.  For powerlifting, he holds some Georgia records.  In his first bodybuilding competition, he placed 2^nd in Novice in INBF Southern States.  On his spare time he’s a part of the University of Georgia’s cheerleading co-ed squads; his favorite past-time? Throwing girls around and catching them.