This might be one dumbass thread but I don't give a shit figured I'd share with you my story.....

I'm currently an assistant strength coach at a Division 1, and as I've progressed along I feel my training has gotten smarter, my technical efficiency, and my programming has significantly improved. As I've worked at this institution for the past several months I have migrated towards the assistant director here who is about 7 years older than me and extremely intelligent in terms of the clinical aspects of movement. Today he taught me another lesson......my mentality NEEDS to change. We finished a workout with 16 sled pushes for 30 yards with :30 seconds rest in between...I completed 8, he completed 16........

Surround yourself with people that humble you, being the "top dog" is a waste of frickin time....I'm pissed and feel like I let him down for not being able to motivate and push him....find somebody who does this for you!!!!!!

Good call, that. There's a reason all the strongest PL people, biggest athletes, and best fighters hang around each other....when you don't have anyone to push you you start getting lazy....even if you try not to.

As a related note I think it's very interesting to watch guy who really have no peers in certain circles and how they work to motivate themselves to stay on top. It's a bit more tricky when nobody can match you.


Also, related to your story, do you ever feel like you let people down when your life goes crazy and your training has to take a backseat? I mean your "maintenance" mode is just all you can handle? Because I hate that feeling, I feel like I should be at my best all the time and sometimes it just can't be done.

"maintenance mode" is a horrible place to be, but I have also had a big move which killed my training for a month solid. It's never a bad thing to work with somebody that let's you know it's time for you to get your shit straight and back to thinking about getting better everday!

I don't know too many people that are in maintenance mode out of free will, with the exception to the older trainees at my gym that aren't worried about getting ripped or bigger. To the OP, yeah definitely the company you keep around you will either bring you up, or vice versa and just drain the will and energy out of you.

my motivation is trying to "catch" those in front of me and not being "caught" by those behind me...

it is VERY hard to be the only one powerlifting in a town of 7500 people with no one to catch and no

one to be caught by ; ( I would give my left nut to train for two weeks at westside/ elitefts/ lexen

et al to be pushed to a higher standard. and Yes to Dave Tate I have put on more than 100# on each of my

lifts by myself in the last 17 months ! My motivation and humbleness is there...somehow :-)

I started making good progress when I joined a gym where almost everyone was bigger than me. Previously I had been a big fish in a small pond.

Surround yourself with awesome people. Rise up to their level don't drag them down to yours.