# What keeps you motivated?



## scout200 (Jun 23, 2010)

Keeping up the habit of working out every day is tough for most of us.  What are some ways you keep yourself motivated to hit the gym on your  off-days?

-Scout


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## sassy69 (Jun 23, 2010)

How much it sucks when I let it go.... its a journey, not a destination - therefore there is no stopping .. just various potty breaks and time to stretch the legs or get a nap. Half the fun is just seeing where the road leads and pulling over to the side of the road to get some shots of the scenery!

In terms of "off" days - that depends on if its "off" because my body is telling me it needs a break. But usually I know I'll feel that much better when its over if I get into the gym when I'm just having a shitty day. Sometimes just being able to plug into 90 min of my favorite heavy metal is enough to make me feel better. If I can throw around heavy stuff too, even better!

Generally what got me in the gym & keeps me there is the fact that I can go in and always challenge myself and accomplish something every day - if its more reps, higher weight, different exercise I've wanted to try, or just the plain old physical exertion - esp given that I drive a desk for a living.


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## Zaphod (Jun 23, 2010)

Just a mind that doesn't let go of things.


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## PushAndPull (Jun 23, 2010)

I don't work out everyday. Guess i'm a slacker.


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## CaptainNapalm (Jun 23, 2010)

Design workouts that you enjoy rather than dread, and change them up from time to time.  When I use to do the same thing in the gym for months on end I found my motivation level diminish quickly.  When I started designing programs for 6-8 week intervals and set goals for myself on each program I never missed one workout.  I was always eager to hit the gym to see if I can better myself from last time and when plateau hit or just before a plateau.. time for a completely different program.  Plateaus cause lack of motivation.


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## conor_m (Jun 23, 2010)

I've only been working out for a few weeks now (3 weeks, I think) so I can't speak from boatloads of experience here. I'm just a stubborn sonofabitch and want results NOW. I meet with a personal trainer twice a week, then on the other four days a week I train I just mix it up as best I can.

I paid a fair chunk to have access to the gym, so that helps keep me motivated. There are also some pretty hot wimmen at my gym, so that helps too.


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## ceazur (Jun 23, 2010)

I ask myself if the world were to come to a screeching halt, and all but 20 people including myself were converted to the flesh craving undead, would I have what it takes as I stand here today, to be a strong sophisticated leader ,and defend and repopulate the world as we know it.


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## scout200 (Jun 24, 2010)

sassy69 said:


> *How much it sucks when I let it go.... its a journey, not a destination - therefore there is no stopping .. just various potty breaks and time to stretch the legs or get a nap. Half the fun is just seeing where the road leads and pulling over to the side of the road to get some shots of the scenery!*
> 
> In terms of "off" days - that depends on if its "off" because my body is telling me it needs a break. But usually I know I'll feel that much better when its over if I get into the gym when I'm just having a shitty day. Sometimes just being able to plug into 90 min of my favorite heavy metal is enough to make me feel better. If I can throw around heavy stuff too, even better!
> 
> Generally what got me in the gym & keeps me there is the fact that I can go in and always challenge myself and accomplish something every day - if its more reps, higher weight, different exercise I've wanted to try, or just the plain old physical exertion - esp given that I drive a desk for a living.



Wow sassy69,

You stated that it's a journey and not a destination.. I *REALLY* like your response! I also agree, it's about pushing yourself, dedication and hard work.  Very well written!!

-Scout


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## scout200 (Jun 24, 2010)

CaptainNapalm said:


> Design workouts that you enjoy rather than dread, and change them up from time to time.  When I use to do the same thing in the gym for months on end I found my motivation level diminish quickly.  When I started designing programs for 6-8 week intervals and set goals for myself on each program I never missed one workout.  I was always eager to hit the gym to see if I can better myself from last time and when plateau hit or just before a plateau.. time for a completely different program.  Plateaus cause lack of motivation.



That's great advice!  I fear (dislike) monotony... What method did you use to design your workouts?  

-Scout


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## scout200 (Jun 24, 2010)

ceazur said:


> I ask myself if the world were to come to a screeching halt, and all but 20 people including myself were converted to the flesh craving undead, would I have what it takes as I stand here today, to be a strong sophisticated leader ,and defend and repopulate the world as we know it.



That's an interesting speculation!!  So if that were to happen today, what would your response be?

-Scout


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## ceazur (Jun 24, 2010)

scout200 said:


> That's an interesting speculation!!  So if that were to happen today, what would your response be?
> 
> -Scout




OohRah!


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## CaptainNapalm (Jun 24, 2010)

scout200 said:


> That's great advice! I fear (dislike) monotony... What method did you use to design your workouts?
> 
> -Scout


 
I always find that changing my workout completely every 6-8 weeks works best in the "staying motivated" department and for making gains.  I don't use a specific method but have a few good routines/splits put together that I run for 6-8 weeks.  For example this year I have done the following training cycles:

1. Heavy compound lifts (deads/squats/bench/dips/rows/chins/press) with upper body / lower body split - did that for 12 weeks.

2. After that, decided to throw in some isolation, keep the compound lifts still for less sets and do some isolation movements for areas I felt needed work.  Also changed the rep range to higher reps with slightly lower weight.  Did that for 8 weeks.

3. Then moved onto the 20rep squat program, did that for 6 weeks, gained some good mass on it.

4. Now I'm executing the "destroy' and 'flood' routine, I'm in my second week and really enjoying this one.  Going to run this for 4 more weeks.

After that, I may move onto some strictly power movements (full body x 3days a week) for 4 weeks after which I might go back to my original "heavy compound lift" routine and see if my strength improved.  Perhaps, I'll test out to see if I can do some personal best records for major lifts.  Basically, I've been pretty successful alternating between these workouts so far.  After I complete each cycle I keep a mental note of what I did in terms of weights on that particular routine and when I come back to it I'm always excited to see how much more I can do.

Check out Gaz's website: getlifting.info he has some excellent programs put together on his website.  Incorporate them into your training and you won't be dissapointed.  They are very challenging but very rewarding.


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## scout200 (Jun 25, 2010)

CaptainNapalm said:


> I always find that changing my workout completely every 6-8 weeks works best in the "staying motivated" department and for making gains.  I don't use a specific method but have a few good routines/splits put together that I run for 6-8 weeks.  For example this year I have done the following training cycles:
> 
> 1. Heavy compound lifts (deads/squats/bench/dips/rows/chins/press) with upper body / lower body split - did that for 12 weeks.
> 
> ...



I really like your suggestion about designing your workouts.  I noticed that you changed it up in different intervals  (12 wks, 8 wks, 6 wks and 4 wks).  How did you decide how much time to spend on one particular workout?

-Scout


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## sassy69 (Jun 25, 2010)

scout200 said:


> Wow sassy69,
> 
> You stated that it's a journey and not a destination.. I *REALLY* like your response! I also agree, it's about pushing yourself, dedication and hard work.  Very well written!!
> 
> -Scout




I started my "journey" in 1981 on a dusty old Universal machine at our local YMCA in Northner Minnesota. It started with "Holy shit! I can leg press 100 lb! That is soooo cool!" and its just kept going from there. Going on nearly 30 years since then. Its still soooo cool (except now I can leg press 1000 lb)!


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## Captn'stabbin (Jun 25, 2010)

fucking up for a month or two gives me great motivation to stop blking out and get it back together.


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## Flathead (Jun 26, 2010)

The qwest of setting a new PB every week is what keeps me motivated. It's almost an addiction for me.


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## scout200 (Jun 29, 2010)

sassy69 said:


> I started my "journey" in 1981 on a dusty old Universal machine at our local YMCA in Northner Minnesota. It started with "Holy shit! I can leg press 100 lb! That is soooo cool!" and its just kept going from there. Going on nearly 30 years since then. Its still soooo cool (except now I can leg press 1000 lb)!



Wow, that's amazing!!

-Scout


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## scout200 (Jun 29, 2010)

Flathead said:


> The qwest of setting a new PB every week is what keeps me motivated. It's almost an addiction for me.



Understandably so!  It can be an addiction but it's one of the "healthy" addictions lol!

-Scout


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## Mark Sabino (Jul 2, 2010)

scout200 said:


> Keeping up the habit of working out every day is tough for most of us.  What are some ways you keep yourself motivated to hit the gym on your  off-days?
> 
> -Scout



Knowing that my gf is waiting for me after gym


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## Phineas (Jul 2, 2010)

sassy69 said:


> I started my "journey" in 1981 on a dusty old Universal machine at our local YMCA in Northner Minnesota. It started with "Holy shit! I can leg press 100 lb! That is soooo cool!" and its just kept going from there. Going on nearly 30 years since then. Its still soooo cool (except now I can leg press 1000 lb)!



1000!?!?!


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## Curt James (Jul 2, 2010)

scout200 said:


> What are some ways you keep yourself motivated to hit the gym on your  off-days?



I don't work out every day.  

But I work out _most _days and what motivates me is *a goal* and seeing that bit of progress.


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## Phineas (Jul 2, 2010)

Mark Sabino said:


> Knowing that my gf is waiting for me after gym



It's funny because my girlfriend isn't in to bodybuilding, but still always grabs my arms. I go "ya that's fine, but what about my quads and lats?" I strike a pose and she goes "ya that's nice BUT YOUR BICEPS".

I just sigh and flex my guns 

But, if more people were into bodybuilding they would appreciate the dedication it takes to get serious leg and back development versus arms. Any schmuck with a dumbbell and half-assed diet can make his arms decently big. However, my wheels scream painful squat sessions and forced lean meat spinach salads and olive oil straight out of the tub. I suffer for my legs!!! I don't think the non-lifters understand how dedicated you have to be to drink olive oil straight! At least I finally got out of the tuna phase. Down to like 2-3 cans a week, hahaha.

ANYWAY...what motivates me? Probably the surreal moments you get yourself into when you're in the middle of an intense session of squats and you're at the very bottom of a below-parallel squat and everything else in the world just goes away for those few seconds. All your stress and problems just melt away, and the pain becomes pleasure in a twisted way.

I'm yet to have an "out of body" type experience from lifting. I've had one in my life, and it was when I was a runner and was doing my second marathon and I just pretty much lost my mind and got into this state where pain no longer registered with my mind.


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## stepaukas (Jul 2, 2010)

its a way of life... no motivation needed at all really. in 1960 i  started in gymnastics, and did that a long time, then onto running, ice hockey and currently cycling. train hard and lift hard to get stronger for these sports...
and i made it high in these sports .. hard  smart training pays off.
i guess whats good motivation is lining up for a pro cycling race and ripping the legs off the guys with the college jerseys on.
30+ years younger..
lots of hard training to get results..
i love it and wont quit. 49 years of competing and hopefullly plenty more.


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## scout200 (Jul 2, 2010)

Curt James said:


> I don't work out every day.
> 
> But I work out _most _days and what motivates me is *a goal* and seeing that bit of progress.



Hey Curt,

How do you track progression?

-Scout


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## scout200 (Jul 2, 2010)

stepaukas said:


> its a way of life... no motivation needed at all really. in 1960 i  started in gymnastics, and did that a long time, then onto running, ice hockey and currently cycling. train hard and lift hard to get stronger for these sports...
> and i made it high in these sports .. hard  smart training pays off.
> i guess whats good motivation is lining up for a pro cycling race and ripping the legs off the guys with the college jerseys on.
> 30+ years younger..
> ...



Wow, that's extremely impressive!!!  What do the college guys say as you pass them by??

-Scout


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## scout200 (Jul 2, 2010)

Phineas said:


> It's funny because my girlfriend isn't in to bodybuilding, but still always grabs my arms. I go "ya that's fine, but what about my quads and lats?" I strike a pose and she goes "ya that's nice BUT YOUR BICEPS".
> 
> I just sigh and flex my guns
> 
> ...



I totally agree - it's like an escape.. And your right, bodybuilding does take a lot of dedication and it is not recognized as much as it should be!

-Scout


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## jmorrison (Jul 2, 2010)

ceazur said:


> I ask myself if the world were to come to a screeching halt, and all but 20 people including myself were converted to the flesh craving undead, would I have what it takes as I stand here today, to be a strong sophisticated leader ,and defend and repopulate the world as we know it.



I ask myself, "If the icecaps melted today, and the earth flooded...would I have what it takes to be the super-pirate captain that would be needed to plunder, rape and pillage effectively?"

Yarr says I.  Yarr.


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## fufu (Jul 2, 2010)

I enjoy weight lifting, so I like to be good at it. That is pretty much it. If I stopped enjoying it I would probably stop or severely water down my training.


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## SurfsideRyan (Jul 2, 2010)

I was unmotivated for a while, had the same boring routine I had been using for about a year. Was at a plateau and was considering AAS.

Then I came to these forums and Gaz gave me a killer workout routine, nothing but heavy compound lifts... 

Since starting the routine he gave me, I have been sore as shit every day and making visible gains on the scale.

Seeing fruits of my labor gives me enough motivation to keep going, to see my hard work actually making a difference in my body, makes me incredibly happy.

Always believed that bullcrap that I was a hardgainer and unable to gain weight, til I began to cram in as many calories as possible (healthy) and do all these compounded heavy lifts.


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## scout200 (Jul 7, 2010)

fufu said:


> I enjoy weight lifting, so I like to be good at it. That is pretty much it. If I stopped enjoying it I would probably stop or severely water down my training.



If you became discouraged, instead of quitting, what would you do motivate yourself to continue (or would you)?  

 -Scout


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## PushAndPull (Jul 7, 2010)

What keeps you motivated Scout? Let me guess, Force Factor?


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## scout200 (Jul 9, 2010)

PushAndPull said:


> What keeps you motivated Scout? Let me guess, Force Factor?



Ha ha!  What keeps me motivated is my family... I have 3 *young* children who are ALWAYS on the go!   Living a happy, healthy life is what I want for both myself and my children.  

-Scout


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## jmorrison (Jul 9, 2010)

I know you are eventually going to spam, but its almost refreshing to have an english speaking spammer.  Ni Hao!


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## unclem (Jul 10, 2010)

god sassy dont look that old. anyway i never need motivation, i need to stop wanting to train, i just love this beautiful sport. i cant wait to train everyday its been with me 32 yrs. like the beautiful built said some of us are " fossills " i love that saying. lol. the only other thing thats just as important to me is my dog zeus, i love that brat. my wife and son of course. but i dont know wat i would live for without bbing. aahhhh cant wait till legs tomm . " god made iron to move "


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## chesty4 (Jul 10, 2010)

Start with _realistic_ goals and timelines.  If you weigh 150#, for example, it's not very realistic after you've only been lifting for 6 mos, to think you're going to bench 300#by next month .
Keep your workouts fun/enjoyable. Change things up so you get in a rut, but don't get lazy or you won't reach your goals you set for yourself.


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## chesty4 (Jul 10, 2010)

Start with _realistic_ goals and timelines.  If you weigh 150#, for example, it's not very realistic after you've only been lifting for 6 mos, to think you're going to bench 300#by next month .
Keep your workouts fun/enjoyable. Change things up so you don't get in a rut, but don't get lazy or you won't reach your goals you set for yourself.
If you miss a goal, don't beat yourself up. When you hit a goal....treat yourself. Have a cheat meal or reward yourself with an extra day of rest so you're refreshed to go for your new goals.


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## scout200 (Jul 14, 2010)

jmorrison said:


> I know you are eventually going to spam, but its almost refreshing to have an english speaking spammer.  Ni Hao!



Hey jmorrison,

No, not spamming... I work for Force Factor and if anybody has any questions about Force Factor or our other Force Factor products, I'd be more than happy to answer them...   

I feel that the more knowledge I can gain from others, the better I can be, as a person... 

-Scout


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## kpwrestler4 (Jul 14, 2010)

Music keeps me motivated. I also love the burn during a workout and enjoy the soreness the next day, it makes me feel like I did a good job.


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## jmorrison (Jul 14, 2010)

scout200 said:


> Hey jmorrison,
> 
> No, not spamming... I work for Force Factor and if anybody has any questions about Force Factor or our other Force Factor products, I'd be more than happy to answer them...
> 
> ...



If that's true, then welcome to IM!


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## irish_2003 (Jul 14, 2010)

what keeps me motivated is staying sober from drugs.......so what if bodybuilding and aas have replace one addiction with another......i'm in much better health, i have "real" friends now, and i'm starting to build my finances/assets slowly so i have something to show for when i finally die......when i was getting high i was killing myself and didn't even know it.........so yes bodybuilding and steroids "saved my life"!!!


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## fufu (Jul 15, 2010)

scout200 said:


> If you became discouraged, instead of quitting, what would you do motivate yourself to continue (or would you)?
> 
> -Scout



I get discouraged all the time, but as a whole I enjoy weight lifting so I continue it. Everyone gets bummed out time to time with things they love. 

But if I stopped _really_ liking weight lifting, I would stop doing it seriously. Probably cancel my gym membership and do a couple quick total body workouts a week with light weights.


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## BigBadWolf (Jul 15, 2010)

Just thinking about my next workout motivates me enough to keep from slacking.


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## scout200 (Jul 15, 2010)

jmorrison said:


> If that's true, then welcome to IM!



Hey, thanks for the welcoming jmorrison! 

-Scout


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## N_I_C_K (Jul 15, 2010)

A lot of reasons. The main one is because I used to be fat and wasn't pleased with the way my body looked. I wanted to get ripped and the only way to do that is diet and exercise. I'm still not ripped and I want to get ripped so I'm going to continue until I do. Although once I'm ripped I'm not going to stop. My motivation will be to not get fat again so I'll continue.


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## Muscle_Girl (Jul 15, 2010)

My starting motivation was that I am attending chef school in September, and I was determined to not be the pudgey scholar.

I am not positive what has kept me going, but I guess feeling better about what I eat and the new definition I can see as I keep myself active. I eat better, push myself to keep goals and am on a better sleeping schedule (which is the best part of all).


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## unclem (Jul 15, 2010)

^^^muscle girl, dont forget what comes at the end of the rainbow. ever lasting muscle , peace and serenity. keep it up wont be long. just dont miss and ull be looking back to whatever you started at. good luck on everything in your goals.


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## scout200 (Jul 16, 2010)

N_I_C_K said:


> A lot of reasons. The main one is because I used to be fat and wasn't pleased with the way my body looked. I wanted to get ripped and the only way to do that is diet and exercise. I'm still not ripped and I want to get ripped so I'm going to continue until I do. Although once I'm ripped I'm not going to stop. My motivation will be to not get fat again so I'll continue.



Hey N_I_C_K,

You had mentioned that you were once "fat".. how much weight have you lost?

-Scout


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## SnowManSnow (Jul 19, 2010)

my training partners keep me going when its tough!  nothing like personal accountability and knowing if I skip there will be months of ribbing to follow.

b


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## N_I_C_K (Jul 19, 2010)

scout200 said:


> Hey N_I_C_K,
> 
> You had mentioned that you were once "fat".. how much weight have you lost?
> 
> -Scout



Well the most I ever weighed was 181 back in December and I recently got down to 153 so I lost about 28lbs. But with it being summer and all my diet has suffered and I've bulked up a little and now I'm at about 162. So as of now 19 pounds.


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## naters (Jul 21, 2010)

When ever i saw the movie of Arnold then i am so motivated after watching his movie and i wish that my body is look like him.


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## DiGiTaL (Jul 21, 2010)

When I can afford Dietary foods, supplements and a gym membership; no one shows motivation more then me.

Every month I have a fight with golds gym. I dont understand how my $50/monthly bill comes to $135 at the end over every month...


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## scout200 (Jul 21, 2010)

DiGiTaL said:


> When I can afford Dietary foods, supplements and a gym membership; no one shows motivation more then me.
> 
> Every month I have a fight with golds gym. I dont understand how my $50/monthly bill comes to $135 at the end over every month...



Wow!  Staying in shape is/can be very expensive.. I think that's one thing that keeps me motivated... With all the money spent on it, why stop now?

-Scout


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## MMAWannabe (Jul 21, 2010)

I track my progess and get pissed if i'm not continually going up!


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## brk_nemesis (Jul 21, 2010)

motivation......

Got a poster of arnold on one side of my bedroom and a chic in a thong on the other. Im motivated everyday of the week.


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## scout200 (Jul 23, 2010)

MMAWannabe said:


> I track my progess and get pissed if i'm not continually going up!




How often do you track your progression?  

-Scout


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## Bkhall79 (Jul 23, 2010)

Looking in the mirror keeps me motivated....


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