Dear Beast Mode,
Today I bench pressed 100 pounds! That’s more than half of my body weight. Yeah! Get some! I see your status updates, Bro! You’re so hard core. Beast Mode, you rock can we be friends? Can I follow you, tag you, cyber stalk you, and wear your sweaty t-shirts!? I love you, Beast Mode. You know that manly man crush sort of love. There’s just one thing, you’re not real. You don’t exist. Beast Mode, you’re a frame of mind. When people get into you they tend to transform into these grunting, shouting, hyper, well… beasts. Why do you make people do that? What’s your ulterior motive, Beast Mode? Why must people become aggressive when they get into you just to do something that requires skill. Take lifting weights and boxing for example, both of these are skills, yet when people get into you they tend to put you in the driver’s seat and skill becomes a silent passenger. What’s up with that, Bro!
When asked why he chose Gospel music to be played as his intro into the ring (as opposed to something with more aggressive lyrics like his opponent) Evander Holyfield responded with this, “I don’t understand why you have to get mad to do something that requires skill.” That’s real talk. Beast Mode, I can get mad and get into you to make that ONE rep max happen. But, it takes skill to reach a new SIX rep max. You might be unimpressed at my 100 pound bench press. That’s cool, BM. Can I call you BM or is that too much like poop? I mean, you are the shit, Beast Mode… even if you aren’t real. Any way, I’m proud of my 100 pound bench press because I decided to hit the reset button on an exercise that hasn’t been a part of my regular training program since high school. Back then, I kept track of how much I could press. I walked around with that number on the tip of my tongue, ready to tell anyone that would listen. Eventually I stopped caring about my bragging rights and I was getting into you to lift all of the heavy weights and manage my anger. Many of my clients talk about what they “used to” be able to do. I remind them of the importance of starting that specific skill over from scratch and that’s what I’ve been doing with my bench press (and squats and a number of other exercises).
Beast Mode, the funny thing is that I don’t have to get into you to lift weights any more. My temper is under control. I’m lifting weights that are light for my level of ability so that I can focus on proper form and I’m increasing weight based on my form by the end of the fifth set as opposed to increasing weight based on my ego. I’ve embraced humility as a reminder that just because I used to be able to bench press (who cares how many) pounds doesn’t mean that I need to reintroduce that movement with the same weight.
Beast mode, I think that you’re bad for people. Even though you don’t exist, people keep you alive in their thoughts, t-shirts, blogs, and GymBroSpeak. If everyone stopped believing in you the possibilities would be endless. I can imagine a Beast Mode free world. Fewer injuries because people would stop lifting with their ego. Bros without Beast Mode would stop dropping dumbbells that were too heavy for them to pick up in the first place. Without Beast Mode, people would be able to steel their minds and listen to Mahler or even Tibetan chants while lifting. There would be no need to thrash about to metal just to get hype and lift that weight one time. Without you, Beast Mode, people could find their own identity instead of getting into you. Goodbye, Beast Mode. Leave minds alone.
Peace,
Jet
After reading that letter, ask yourself what you need to lift, run, row, etc. Do you need to get into Beast Mode? Do you need to have a specific genre of music or even a specific artist? Do you need your Fitbit, heart rate monitor, run keeper app, WOD generator app, etc.? Figure out what you need and ask yourself if you really need it. (Hint: You need an able body and proper clothing/shoes. The rest are all wants/habits.) Do you want to get the strength you once had? Don’t be afraid to start over. Figuratively and literally rebuild your strength. Here’s your challenge for the week. Listen to some music that you’d never consider for a workout playlist and play it on your run or during your next weightlifting session. Try Mayer Hawthorne for Squats. Try Vivaldi for a long run. Try Little Dragon for Dead Lifts. Try some Fela Kuti or Antibalas for Barbell Rows. Try Tool for Pilates. The goal of the game is to focus your mind no matter what the soundtrack. I used to work with this cat that said, “repetition is the mother of all skill”. I’ll take it one step further. A skill is something that you can accomplish repeatedly regardless of your surroundings. Skilled dancers can dance any place, any time. Skilled sharp shooters can hit their target despite audible distractions. The next time that you think about inviting Beast Mode to your workout, try being yourself and working out with focus and attention to detail. Don’t give the keys to your body over to false frame of mind. Your brain (and your personality) are capaple of helping you to get stronger. You are not a beast. You are not a slobbering animal that is all instinct and no reasoning. You are a human. Become a stronger human by remembering that your brain and body deserve equal respect.