Zero to Hero....

The platform is not Hollywood.  You won't go from "Loveable Loser" to "Ultimate Champion" in a short, sweet 90 minutes.  Weightlifting is not all glory and triumphs summed up in a 3-minute video montage of all the hard work.  Behind all those triumphs are ninja kicks to the face, train derailments, and mental implosions.  You will not go from Zero to Hero in a matter of days, weeks, or months. 

Sit down, buckle yourself in, and get ready for the long haul.  My goals are lofty and start with breaking into the top ten in my weight class.  I'm currently sitting somewhere in the low 20s right now and I would LOVE to be that girl that came out of nowhere.  One of those triumphant TA-DAHHH moments, cue cheesy inspirational music.  As a competitor I understand the desire to go from Zero to Hero in 0.5seconds, especially when you get on a PR train.  It's that euphoric feeling of being unstoppable every time you touch the bar.  It's ridiculously addicting. 

Now as a coach, I have a new lifter that I've only been working with for a couple of months.  Every week I hear some version of the following: When am I gonna start lifting the really heavy weights...why can't I be strong now....I want to start lifting really heavy weight and then go back to work on skill.  That's a Zero to Hero complex if I ever saw one.  Every week I continually remind him that without working on the skills and becoming consistent/efficient/effective, those heavy weights are going to stay glued to the floor.  Now I know what Yoda felt like dealing with Luke Skywalker. 

Strength is not linear.  Improvements are not linear.  Seemingly unstoppable PR Trains will magically morph into Struggle Buses and Keanu Reeves won't be there to save your ass from that speeding bus.  The only way to go from Zero to Hero is put in work, accept that there will be setbacks, battle thru, and come out fighting.  It might take months or even years but that ride is definitely worth it.