You Must Have the Wrong Guy

AWESOME! “Ha ha, you say that now, but when you get older, you’ll just think it”

Right on man! I have no patience for close minded people who are not mentally strong enough.

Brilliant! Couldn;t have said it better myself. Some cold hard facts in there – the worst thing is, the people that need to read this stuff, are more than likely, the ones not viewing blogs like this. Oh well, at the end of the day – not your loss, and you or I ain’t going to lose sleep over it.

These are my favorite posts of yours…no bullshit. Stuff no one else has the balls to say. And you are 100% legit from my own experience at Renegade – you have zero tolerance for games, lack of effort, laziness and lack of commitment. That was clear from the minute I stepped into the gym. And I love it as you well know.

I will only disagree with you on one thing – I think you do inspire/motivate others often but in your own way. In the no bullshit way. You are not a rah rah guy unless someone is about to crush a new PR like you said but you lay out a very clear set of goals and expectations to all you train and that motivates us all to live up to the high standards you set. The environment you create and the people you have around you (Jen, etc.) make us all push to get better. Not wanting to let you and the guys & girls I train with at Renegade is a huge motivator. Keep up the great work…and thanks for the Matt Foley reference…Classic!

Amen to that. I refuse to be anyone’s personal cheerleader.

Every time I come over to your blog, it’s like you had been reading my mind a few hours before… got mad also, and wrote about it. haha!

Yea, It took me a while to figure this one out…. at first I thought I was SUPPOSED to be helping people. But that is NOT the case.

I can’t help anyone, you help yourself. I can support you, but if you don’t want to help yourself, then like Jay said, “I just don’t give a shit!”

Great rant!

Holy F#$%!!! ,

Right between the eyes. Way to cut straight to it Jay. I often struggle with this issue myself. Trying to motivate and encourage people that often aren’t really that motivated. It takes a tremendous amount energy and . . . well energy. I think its time I give’m a little squeeze and say “STFU and move your A$$!!!”. Thanks man for that insight. JP

Right on!!!

My bro and I say it all the time. We will create the workouts that will get you where you wanna go faster then anyone in our area, but you need to be willing to PUSH yourself!

Favorite quote, “And I’ll cheer a guy on during a grueling conditioning finisher, but if you are not internally motivated already, you’re looking toward the wrong guy for help.”

Perfectly put!

Thanks again bro! After the “What It Takes To Train at Renegade Gym” this is one of my favorite posts!

Keeping it real!

PS-Wearing the f#%$*@! Renegade Barbell Club T Today too – HAHA Perfect Timing!

I don’t enjoy motivating people who don’t get it in gear to do the things they should WANT to do. I hear many different people tell me that they should join me during outdoor strongman sessions… hill sprints… at the gym. And how many actually show? zero. One guy I work with showed up because I mentioned it to him and he showed up ready to go, because he already does things to stay fit. He’s motivated. That’s the kind of guy/gal I want to train with. Someone who KNOWS how it feels to just want. Not a talker and planner, but an action taker. Someone who doesn’t have to be prodded.. convinced.. encouraged.

Thanks for the words. It helps to hear that it’s not on me to make other people ‘want’.

Soooo…. how do you really feel about it? ha… you’re right though… no one is coming to save you. You’ve gotta save yourself.

KILLER post J, I might have to send this one to my list

Awesome article bro.

Great stuff Jay!

It’s something that everyone in the fitness industry should really think about.

If you try to please everybody, you please nobody…

HELL YES!! great article Jay.

After reading that I am pretty sure you are the “right” guy.

Love this! The reason people get mad and offended isn’t even anger at you Jason! That and the name-calling is them being mad at themselves because they know they don’t have the drive to do it, or it scares them too much to change for the better and put the effort into it. It’s also jealousy for some people. Very few people figure this out. I would love a gym like Renegade down here in Georgia with that mindset~

Massive bonus marks for the Matt Foley reference.

Great post! I agree 100%! I read your comment policy and do not want to post something off topic, but I cannot find your email. If you could email me, tell me how to ask you a question I would appreciate it.

Hey Jay:

Spot on as usual…I think you can definitely apply your views to really ANY area where folk want to do it, but don’t want to or refuse to because of hard work…

i.e. when people ask screenwriters or writers how to write…but balk at the idea of the number of hours they devote to writing said screenplay or book and the daily improvement of their craft so to speak, etc.

Like you said, people want to do something or they don’t..it isn’t your job to hold their hand and get them there. they have to do that themselves…

-R

Jason, awesome post! I can’t stand people who want all the benefits of hard work without doing any of the hard work. They always ask what supplaments they should take to get big and when you tell them to try a baked potatoe and a steak they get butt hurt.
People in the Army do the same thing. You get tasked with teaching some d-bag desk p.o.g. platoon how to do reflex and stress fire at the range and they all bitch when they find out you can’t rock like Rangers just because you have a gun!

Spot on brother!!!

Hello Jason that is the best blog you have ever post, I am a personal trainer in Australia and I have the same mentality and my wording to my clients is “Don’t tell me, Show me” from the inside out and if you think you got the guts to do it than hire me, otherwise I will fire you within seconds.

Keep up with the good work that you have done with your clients and thanks for the post.

Margarita (Australia)

Jason,

Well, that just saved me a trip to the therapist. After 26 years of hearing the same
B.S questions and excuses I thought I was just becoming callous and it was time to hang it up. It is amazing how little it takes on the “positive” side to keep us going. Take care.

tThats great i have no patience for people who dont want to help themselves

And this is why you are the best.

Sounds like you’ve been reading Larry Winget!

Well said

I lost 42 lbs of fat after “giving up ” on conventional “weight loss” cardio training and hit the weights.

Does my head in people who eat too much and think 30min in the gym easy cycling watching tv will undo years of damage.

That was awesome. People should not get to the point when they’re obese.

Thanks for saying what most people don’t want to hear. Trainers can’t make clients show up. Can’t make the customer work hard or stick to healthy eating patterns. And the endless excuses. Either you want it or you don’t. The continuous cheat days clients sneak in because some TV expert said you can have great abs in less than three minutes a day? Not out fault.

You want us to put together a killer workout routine? Can do. You tell me you can’t come in because you had to watch late night TV or some party was kickin’ it? Not my problem.

Keep up the attitude and hard edge. People need the wake up call.

I am in heaven.

Thank you for this.

Can you make this a Tshirt and sell it? I’d buy two.

This reminds me of the post I did on “it’s not my job to find you snacks you like”. I was annoyed with the constant shake down when really they wanted me to okay their desire for 100 calorie chips ahoy snack packs. OY!

Please…keep it coming…it’s good to know there’s others out there like this…:o)

First time to your site. Killer Post!

So true…

I work at a “regular gym” on weekends for some extra cash while I go to school (for Sociology). I started in April 2009. Since I then, the same ‘regulars’ who walk through the doors are the same fat ass, lazy, magazine/news-paper reading (while working out-including while doing sit ups…believe it or not!) slobs as when I started nearly a year ago.

It’s funny how stupid and uneducated people are. When I first started- people would come up to me and ask all sorts of questions about training and where to get the best information for gaining lean muscle and losing fat. I was so happy to talk about what I’ve learned in the weight room and the field to help direct people so they may achieve their goals. I would explain- this is how I would gain lean muscle –demonstrating numerous compound exercises. After I would explain that it would be best to follow up with what I said by reading postings by Jason Ferruggia, Joe Defranco, and Alwyn Cosgrove.

A couple weeks later- I see them and ask “did you check out those websites and have you implemented anything they said into you daily routine?”

Answers”Yah, There is some great information there but I dont have the time to change my entire diet” or “yah, but some of those exercise are really hard to do”

Fuck you buddy! I’m done with talkin to you–I will never waste another minute talking to you about anything other then acknowledging you when you walk through the door.

Sorry Jay, I try and promote your info as much as possible because I think it’s some of the most valuable, ingenious information, any athlete or average joe can implement into their lives. But I already know you appreciate the plug – and dont give a shit if people adopt your info or not!

Big Rant…but thanks for all the hard work you do -I’m now healthier and more athletic than I ever have been.

Andrew
Canada

that was f*ing epic…

One of your best ever.

Thanks

Love this post. Makes me feel not so bad about getting rid of a client who insisted that I call him multiple times daily to motivate him to workout on his days off from training with me. Motivation must come from a fire burning from within. No trainer can force someone to do something regardless of how much money the client is paying them.

Legendary Post – Can I Lean Out Living on a Diet Of Government Cheese?

You better tell it!

‘Just because a workout is hard doesn’t mean it’s effective’…. ‘Just because a coach yells loudly doesn’t mean he’s smart.’ I freaking love it!!!!! I only wish you would say what you mean. Why dance around the issues like that?

Keep killing us with this stuff!

AMEN brother. DAMN you are sooo right on man. I have been drained trying to figure how to better motivate people. I have always motivated the driven and motivated people that wanted to learn. you can’t be a dead horse. man I love this post so much. if you were here I would have to give you a big BRO hug buz you took the words out of my mouth and the stress off my mind.

Damn my like Elliot said you must be some kind of mind reader

PEACE MAN!

Spot on Jay!, having the honor of training at your old school facility for 2+ years taught me and all else I trained with, was cut the bullshit, crank the metal to 11 and push and pull weight!!! THAT’S MOTIVATION

Great stuff Jay! I use the “can’t out train a bad diet” quite often and get the same reactions. Like it’s my fault that that’s the way it is! Or the…”I’ll eat this shit right now and work out extra hard tomorrow and burn it off”! WTF over! Lack of discipline and desire is what it is!
Keep preaching the gospel brother iron slayer!

-Tommy T

Sums up my feelings exactly. Nicely done.

Cutting straight thru the crap. Amazing! keep it coming.

Facts are facts. You could eat 10 Snickers bars (say, 3000 kcals) and if your BMR is 2500 and you work off 501 kcals through exercise, YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT (FAT). A terrible diet, yes, but facts are facts. It’s as simple as this. So while I agree with your statement of you cannot out train a bad diet partially, I also disagree. Most of the time, the bad diet causes too many kcals above your maintenance, thus fat gain.

True motivation comes from within. Great post once again.
Very few people are accountable for allowing themselves to be fat and out of condtion.
Sweat more in training to bleed less in battle.
Thanks!

Damn dude, laying it down!

J, I know you’re being serious, but we are all laughing. Good post. Can’t push someone who won’t push themselves! The thing that is unfortunate is it seems like that is the majority of the demographic that is seeking a trainer! Lazy asses!

Spot on, Jason. I have said “I Don’t Know” to most of those same question for more times than I care to remember. I tell folks, if you are training with me, I can only speak in regards to what I observe during the time they are with me. What they do when they are not with me, is “their business” & only they know what they are doing, be it right or wrong.

I tell them it would be quite asinine for me to give them a straight answer about something that I have no clue about…(i.e. “Sincere, I need to do something about these love handles. Maaannnn, what should I do?”).

Other than “Hell-if-i-know” all I can say is maybe do the opposite of whatever the hell you’ve been doing. However, you and I know, that’s never enough for these type of folks. They want the “magic pill” answer, that doesn’t require any work.

Better yet, these type of folks are usually “seeking permission” to finally get off their butts.

Dude, are you serious? I have 3 kids to raise. I don’t need someone else’s. Why do grown ups need someone else’s “permission” to do something for themselves?

Haha. Thanks for the post, Jason.

That is some funny stuff. I love your attitude.

I’ve been puzzling over the comment box for a bit. I have nothing intelligent to add. I’m excited you have a new product coming.

And glad you’re still hardcore. YAY!

Best read in years!!! Jason you rule man! you almost stole that thought of my mind!

It’s good to know I’m not alone. These clients are a trip. They want your heart and sould to keep them motivated. How come people are so picky and expect so much from a personal trainer they’re paying chump change? They should be this picky and demanding when choosing their significant other.

Love it. Keep these blogs coming.

Right on brother, always someone else fault

The majority of the public join a gym to improve their social portfolio. They think that if your hard core then you must be a ” muscle head “, no brains with self Indulgence. These lazy backward ass pig f….ers have no idea what a workout needs to be, if they did they wouldn’t even be there. These people also hang out with others that have the same mentality, call it a support group. Blame the kids, the dog, blame someone just to take the responsibility off of your self. What does this teach the kids?. We know the answer and we need more guys like you, more honesty and less baby sitting. You my friend are right on the money, keep up the great work. The only exercise these people get is jumping to conclusions.

Jason, another awesome spot-on post. I enjoy your candor. You’re right, how did these people get here: Yesterday, I was buff. Today, oh, today, I’m fat. Can you help me?

Here’s a tip: If you didn’t notice yourself getting fat, it’s going to take you a long time to get lean, if ever. It can be done, but YOU gotta do it. Not me.

Make some progress by cutting the junk out of your diet and by eating smaller more frequent meals. Get on a bike. Or walk. DO SOMETHING!!!

Drop 50 of the 150 you need to drop to show me you’re serious. Then we can talk.

LOL!! Yeah, cut through the crap and get to the people that really want help, I see where you are coming from. I get those kind of responses from many unmotivated people, it is like they are trying to find a shortcut to losing weight without the needed effort we all know it really takes. Waste of time! Some get paid to hand-hold, I’m with you, send me the motivated people so we can get some good workouts in!

Yes-I understand this sentiment. Some people still think there is a magic trick that doesn’t involve hard work and a tight diet to get lean and fit. Oh well. There isn’t and I have found you usually are wasting your time and best intentions trying to “help” this sort of person.

You can’t motivate people….3 decades of intermittently instructing Tai Chi and Filipino Martial Arts have taught me that….every once in a while you can help someone find, or re-find, their motivation, but that is very different from motivating them. People have to learn to be self maintainers, and self-dependent. When I did triathlons (very mediocrely) I had to train by myself, due to time constraints. I had friends who belonged to Triathlon clubs, Master Swim clubs, porn sites (just joking, I hope), but I would beat them in our little mid-pack death struggles because they always trained in groups, and were dependent on group support for that extra inspiration. I trained by myself, and was used to depending on myself for that extra push, when the Inner Schweinhund (as Baron von Richthofen described it) is whispering slow down, don’t hurt yourself in your ear..

Amen on that, just now a friend asked what i was gonna do tonight, I respoded with: studying,trashing the weights, and hanging out and he was like “YOU WILL STUDY AND WORKOUT ON A WEEKEND?!?” There is no excuse to push your bodys limits and get smarter… And then he ask himself how I have been much more sucessful with my body than him…

WOW. If people still don’t understand after that, after all the posts you made , given to people effective way to train + cue points about nutrition + cue points about resting, then I don’t know what it will take.

I guess people want the easy-quick-now things without thinking about long term commitment and the joy you receive after all the yelling/sweating/bleeding/laughing you put in eating and training and resting right. That joy that’s telling you’ve earn it. You’ve got up, you did what needed to be done and you seized it by your own hands on your own feet.

HAve yoursel a nice day.

Love this blog! now i’ve just gotta get the guts to implement my “ah ha” moments! Thanks for youw work!

Damn and I was going to ask you which is better for you……ice cream or pizza! Shit where is my House DVD! Great article and soooooooooo true.

Excelente post , como abundan los gimnasios donde los socios en su mayoria solo van a socializar , instructores mas interesados en encamarse a cuanta mujer se deje, gimnasios donde casi ya no se conoce las sentadillas y que la mayoria prefiere el press de pierna o la maquina de extencion, ni hablar del pull up o el dead lift , es la educacion del menor esfuerzo .. por 4 años asisti a un gimnasio donde no importando si era de mañana ,tarde o noche siempre tenia que esperar más de 30 minutos para que se desocupara la jaula de potencia y utilizarla para sentadillas y no podia por que era usada por los ñoños que la ocupaban para curl de barra para biceps.. afortunadamente encontre un pequeño gimnasio donde abundan las barras y muy poco las maquinas y donde los socios no van a perder el tiempo.
saludos.
Ciudad de México.

I am 56 and have been pumping weights for years. I see people at the gym so often wasting their time. They move weights around, talk on cell phones, have no plan and wonder why they fail. Your article I tend to agree with. The fire has to come from with in, people have to want to learn to eat right and keep fit and exercise in the first place. I think it’s really hard to come back when you let it go for so long but some people do it. I was one who let it go but made it back motivating myself. I workout 4 times a week, focus on big compound exercises like squats, dead lifts and bench press. I an 5′ 7″ have a light build, weigh 168 and have a 31 inch waist and I am self motivated. Great article.

I know what you mean: I am an EXTREMELY disciplined vegan lifter who does full-body workouts three times a week. Also, before I go to the local Y, I do a 15 – 20 minute workout at home with free weights. Then I go the Y and work out with those free weights(plus three cardio machines).

Get this: I have also talked to some bodybuilders–who also compete–and they told me that they do absolutely NO LEG WORK!

Enough for now:)

FINALLY, someone with the guts to say what needs to be said, losing all the smooth talk and getting right to the point. Most of the sweet talk is a con to suck money out of ppl. I have a crew that I workout with and most important thing is discipline both in and out of the gym and once anyone of us start slacking then its time for that person to take a rest and come again cause the only dead weight we carrying is those on the bar. Continue to keep it real bro…

Duuuude,

So awesome. On the money. I am going to “borrow your saying”. You can’t out train a bad diet”.

Jason – thank you, I printed this off and gave it to my HR manager. She did not find it useful as I did, I have this employee who shows up 5-15 minutes late everyday, takes an extra 10-15 minutes at lunch everday, and is the first to leave each night. Every month this moron walks in my office and wants me to tell him what it will take to get promoted. HR keeps telling me to coach him and help him along. I keep telling them I have no use for him and I am not going to waste 80% of my time on the bottom 20% of employees. I prefer to spend it with my top 20% and still get twice as much done.

What are you talking about??? I was one of those lazy, fat people looking for the easy angle, trying to get everyone to motivate me so i would have as little as possible to do myself. Your book and your comments made me turn from a fat slob to a fit, ripped individual, that everyone in the gym wants to be like. You motivated me and in turn my transformation is motivating others. Yes i was that guy when i started that you probably see and say ‘he aint going to get where he wants to go’. But the others in the gym didnt have my secret. Muscle gaining secrets. The book motivated me because it says you can do it in a short time frame but yes you will need to bust your arse to get there. Speaking the bloody truth. No quick fix comments, no wonder drugs, and no bullshit fantasy talk. All i needed was honest, straight to the point direction. So to all you fat slobs out there who say that Jason is not the right person for you, think again you fatty’s and think what is the real secret to losing weight??? EDUCATION!!

Man I love the fact that you’re so direct. I got into my best shape a couple of years ago when I cleaned up my diet, stop drinking every weekend and focused on the big bang exercises. I love doing deadlifts, squats, chin-ups, dips, all kinds of push-ups. I hate when friends ask me how to lose their gut and then when I tell them how I did it they ask my about sit-ups, crunches, sidebends etc. That shit drives me crazy. I’m 39, will be 40 in May and I’m going for a six pack while maintaining my current weight and I can tell you right now cardio and ab exercise will not be the focus. I will be lifting heavy, eating clean except one day a week, doing complexes on my off days followed by HIT sprinting or stair work. I’m stronger than ever and will continue to follow guys like you, Elliot Hulse, Charles Staley. Love the shit you guys talk about. Unfortunately I like in Korea and don’t have access to the hardcore equipment but can make do with the free weight that are available. Gyms here are lame as hell for the most part.

Finally i can stop pulling my hair out, well put!!!

There are so many reasons for not train hard (bad wheater, tireness, no time, risk of injuries…) and all the excuses are well founded but some few people are creating the right circumstances in their lifes because their mind set up is programmed on success. Not having a room for my personal gym, I train outside on the balcony even in winter… no excuses. I get stronger every training session. MGS works very well and I’m so happy with it. Thank you very much Jason for sharing your secrets wit us.
Christian (Italy)

Hi Jason
I just want to tell you that I appreciate all the articles you have emailed,
keep up the no nonsence training.
God bless you
Joe.Grima

I totally agree with you…Stay that way bro…We love you for it!

Train Smart

Right on brother, work hard or be fat.

interresting…i question your not being the same as Matt Foley and (almost) all the rest!? you all preach and judge, each from a different mindset to followers of that mindset. this is not a good nor a bad thing, just in my opinion, a truthful thing!? it’s what we humans are hardwired to do, until we don’t!?

Jason …

This attitude is how I taught in the classroom for 20 years and how I raised my kids! It works … too many people have been way too coddled for too darn long.

Thanks for taking the PC-roadblocks out of direct communication!

saying that someone who is 150lb overweight shouldnt have got into that place in the 1st place and saying they are undisciplined and lazy is just down right insulting.

some people have so much sh!t going on in their lives and so much unhappiness that they turn to to things outside of themselves to make them feel better. food is often the choice. and once you get addicted to it you cant stop even though you know that you are getting 100+lb overweight

not being able to resist an additction has nothing to do with being lazy or having no disciplined. not being able to resist an addiction is HUMAN F@CKING NATURE you tool!!!!!!

also a lot of people who lack discipline and are considered lazy are actually not lazy at all. there are some genuinely lazy people out there but a lot of the people who are considered to be lazy are not. they actually want to do something but they procrastinate becasue they are parralised by an unconcious fear. its the fear that casues the inaction and ”laziness”.

and its extremely difficult to beat an unconcious fear if you dont know how

you are an insensitive tool and you chat a lot of sh!t mate

ALL OF THE ABOVE!

im puttin dis on my myspace about me section.lmfao. with your name abovit of course

I love this, this really made me happy at work!! Nice work

BRAVO, BRAV’O; can I have permission to print this and giveit to, 98.6% of the people I see around town.
Gotta go, I have to get the brownies out of the oven, LOL!

Completely disagree with the post above by McKenna. Cutting straight to the truth does not equal “insensitive tool” and the other rantings written above. Unhappy people who turn to food and gain weight will be even more unhappy, and the blunt approach here is what many people need to get themselves in gear!!!!!!!!!!!
It took me years of trial-and-error to figure out how to get in shape and I wish I had this kind of advice starting out. I am a female who loves to lift heavy and improve every week! Being healthy and fit is such a feeling of accomplishment, and if someone intially gets their feelings hurt but then gets motivated, then it’s WORTH IT!!

by far my favorite post

those people you speak of is whats wrong with our country and our world today

Hey McKenna…learn how to spell ya douche…then people might take your shitty arguments seriously.

Great post and some interesting comments. I have lost 65 pounds and become a personal trainer and the point about human nature is interesting. As humans we are genetically designed to fit and strong, we have survived hundreds of thousands of years and we are now destroying this work with TV, appalling food manufacturing and all out greed. I don’t know what this opinion is based on.

I won’t comment on peoples opinions but I have been overweight, smoked and drank a lot. My personal unhappiness was vast and I will never go back.

Whatever created us gave us one thing. The power over our own minds. Either use it or stop complaining.

Send all the fat lazy people to me. I like yelling at them. It’s kind of fun. It’s even more fun to see them actually clean up their diet and lose weight.

cate youve obviously never ahd to deal with a situation were your will power has been completely helpless against your unconcious habits and addictions , therefore i dont expect you to understand

andrew , whatever you fucking tool

Right on, man! I just got into it with another train at the gym I work out of because she didn’t think I was “friendly enough” to the members. The members aren’t my problem. I’m a trainer. The clients are my problem, and I have an application process to train with me.

I give my clients everything I have, but I don’t feel the need to waste my time on people who aren’t going to put in the work they need to in order to achieve the results they say they want.

Isaac

Agree with the overall tone/point: if an individual is not internally motivated, resources should not be directed to that person. In the long run, any such attempts at external motivation will fail; the lazy will remain lazy, the stupid will remain stupid. So spending any effort on these people is, in the long run, simply contributing to a pointless cycle and perhaps even encouraging their behavior, by allowing them to continue to believe that externalizing drive & motivation is successful, goal-oriented behavior.

Resources (like yours) should be targeted towards those who are sufficiently motivated, and who will actually benefit from your efforts.

“They thought that as long as they trained hard on some high intensity circuit type workout a few days a week they would get lean.” They sought everywhere for affirmation of what they wanted to hear. Eventually, somebody (who they probably paid) told them,

“Sure! You can still have pizza; lots of pizza. Just write me a check every month. Oh, and, results not typical. Did I mention I sell Diet Pizza™?”

Reality’s a bitch.

Now THAT was a fun read, especially some of the comments.

To McKenna’s comment of:

“also a lot of people who lack discipline and are considered lazy are actually not lazy at all. there are some genuinely lazy people out there but a lot of the people who are considered to be lazy are not. they actually want to do something but they procrastinate becasue they are parralised by an unconcious fear. its the fear that casues the inaction and ”laziness”.”

So then what? It’s still the conscious choice of those individuals to go out and get some kind of help or to fix things. Instead, you make it seem as if we have to just keep coddling them and telling them it’s OK to be in a miserable state of life. You somehow call Jason a tool or mean or whatever, but his attitude is not one of enabling… which I cannot say for yours. Who is really doing the more damage in the end?

Keep up the good work, Jay.

LOVE IT!!!! Go Jason!

I wish that the people that really needed to read this, would read it. But they’re too busy eating donuts and watching friends.

Off to train. Keep up being real, it’s a refreshing change.

That was good to read……the bottom line is that when the mirror is held up to a person, they can either accept whats in front of them, or SMASH the fucker, and remake themselves. Either you will do it, or you won’t. Save the sub conscious shit for people who dig that shit. In OUR world, you either do or you dont, and if you dont, 9 times out of ten, it will show.

Keep it rolling Jay!!!

This article about not being a motivator is in itself a motivational article, because it says the simple truth: If you want to do it, you HAVE to do it yourself. No two ways about it. Sure, others can be there to make sure you don’t hurt or kill yourself, or offer advice, but if YOU don’t do it, then no one fucking will. That’s the way it is with this, and that’s the way it is with anything in life.

Keep it up Jason. Keep “not” motivating us!

Yesterday someone texted me, “What’s the best detox?” I answered back, “I don’t know.” It felt very liberating. Haha!

jason – i agree with everything you sed about if you cant motivate yourself then no one can and its not your job to get others to take actions, thats completely true . but to be insenitive and claim that some people , who have real problems, are just lazy is uncalled for. and then to go one better and say they are stupid and weak minded just shows what a deluded person you are. you obviously havent been in the shoes of these so called lazy, undisciplined, stupid and weak minded people so who are you to judge

my 1st impression that you are a tool is definately true and your latest comments comfirm that you are also an immature deluded fool too

kevin – its actually not a concious choice because the concious choice is driven by your emotional state . and when you try to fight your emotional state with your concious will power its a 99% -1% battle, the emotions win everytime just like mike tyson would win a fight against a fly weight every single time

what’s in the mind will always show up in reality.

One day people will realize that success requires hard work. I don’t know when this will happen, but it ought to right?

@Bret That’s awesome man. “I don’t know” will be my next answer when one of my overweight family members comes and asks me for nutrition/exercise advise. I have sat through many thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings trying to explain to some of them that eating 4 pieces of pie after dinner will have negative effects on their insulin and cortisol levels. That ends now. Thanks for the post Jay.

@at mckenna What is the definition of sed?

My trainer told me at our first meeting that he has fired clients who didn’t put forth the effort because he would rather train people who actually do the work. Makes sense. Give your talents to those who utilize them. I’m glad I worked my butt off (literally) because I’m 30 pounds of fat lighter, 33+ inches smaller and several pounds heavier in lean tissue (1/2 way to goal on all fronts). Looking back, perhaps the reason he suggested just 3 sessions to get us started was because I was the one on trial???

Harsh but so true.

I have read all your blogs since you first started, but I feel quite ashamed to read this article. OK you don’t care- point made. Its obvious your annoyed at telling people the same things over and over again. But how would Uncle Rory or Big Joe have reacted?? They would have just given the person a stare, (thats all- and forgot it) not cry like a little baby on a blog, saying “I don’t care about fat people blah blah”

Your a top guy, but I once thought like u did, but realised there is a professional manner to behave. I studied neuro linguistic programming, and it really helped me, as a coach and as a person.

This is not supposed to be a negative comment, by the way, just a constructive one. I think you needed it said, instead of people keep kissing your ass. We are all equal remember that.

I understand your point and it is well taken. Here is another angle for you (us) to think about. . .
Yup, You ARE the wrong guy for a lot of people. Sad truth is that you probably COULD help a bunch more if you would not try so hard to be the big bad tough guy trainer that ONLY trains certain kinds of individuals. I accept the whole specialty area thing, but we will do well (as trainers) to be diversified (skilled)enough to relate to a wider group of clients. It is my first time by your site, I think I’ll stop by again.
Scott

Great! I love it but the money one can make in January to March off of the slow and lazy is too great to pass up. Hell, the economy is bad and yes I will scream and yell at them if that makes me a buck. However, I love it, your article that is. I do believe you have to want it in order to get it. Now, I have a bench work out in front of me…later.

YES! haha. But seriously, I need to lose 100 lbs! lol

McKenna. I have been in those shoes. Boozing and smoking. And the thing that woke me up was realizing that it was me that needed to take action and had to FIND the fire.. the motivation to want a better life for myself and those around me. Everyone is responsible for themselves, no matter how hard things are, because noone else will do things for them. If you don’t search, you won’t find. It’s very simple and almost everyone can be motivated to survive with a good kick in the ass. I have had enough of over-politically correct garbage everywhere when it steers away from delivering hard simple truths. Alot more people could use a ‘real’ , message that tells it like it is. And when they are done feeling sorry and sad for themselves (yes, I can say this, because I have been here too), they usually benefit from it. People are tougher and more relilient than they give themselves credit for, but they can never blame anything else for inaction. EVERYONE who is capable of making choices is accountable for themselves, period.

@andrew gerbers – u know what ”sed” means so ask apart from to just be a petty lndividual? last time i checked this was a message board not an english essay. i pressume you use propper words and full sentences when you txt friends right ?

@kelly m – i agree with everything you just SED. i also have already stated that i agree with the whole article too. i agree that its up to you to do it. if you want something done you are the only person who can do it. you cant rely on others to motivate you if you cant motivate yourself

my problem was simply that i didnt like people being ladelled lazy, undisciplined, stupid and weak minded becasue they cant find the drive to get things done. many people are weak lazy, stupid etc… but an awful lot of people are simple suffering from problems, addictions and unconcious self sabatage/fear that is causing their lack of motivation

and its very rude to label these type of people , who have real problem stopping them from taking action, as stupid and lazy etc…..

tom venuto actually has a new book out called the body fat solution, which is deirectly aimed at a lot of the probelms that people suffer from that prevents them being able to motivate themselves to stick to a nutrition and training program. an example is emotional eating. thats 1 problem that holds people back and makes them ”lazy” ”undisciplined”

and on the subject of tom venuto . now theres a guy i can take seriously and respect .

jason ferrugia you wouldnt see tom coming out calling people stupid. he is a giant of the nutrition world , your just a plain knob !!!

Sweet Post!!!! I totally agree!!
I’ve often said that to some of my clients.
Eat well and exercise…its not rocket science!!
Peter, Peter-Built Fitness
Ontario, Canada

Agreed. I’ve been telling people lately that “I’m not a part of the Jehovah Witness wing of the fitness industry.” If someone doesn’t want to get in shape, that’s not my problem. I’m not here to “save” anyone. If you want help, fine, let’s talk, otherwise, as you say Jason, I don’t care.

I completely agree with you Jason.

McKenna,

If you’re so against what Ferruggia is saying…why do you keep coming back to his website and posting on the forum? You obviously aren’t spending enough time in the weight room or on the track/field. Maybe that’s why you advocate for all the lazy fat asses out there because you’re one of those internet trolls who only cruises around the internet calling out seasoned professionals like Ferruggia when you’re just a little bitch who has no experience other than lifting a fork to your mouth.

Classic stuff Jason. As a facility owner and operator, I could not agree more.

Awesome post Jason – love it. I just opened a facility for combat athletes to train, but I also tried to “branch out” with ladies boot camps etc – I’m having exactly the same problem with one of my campers – underactive thyroid, carb addiction that type of thing…Almost had me questioning myself!!! I did a load of research in the hope of “over delivering” and just wasted my time…Lesson learned – find your niche and stick to it – great posts though mate – love your work!!!

Mckenna,

The main point you are missing is that Jason is trying to help you! Let me ask you a question. Who is the bigger asshole, Jason, or the guy who allows you to continue to wallow in your self pity? He writes this way to motivate and inform people like you! How many years will you let go by before you stop thinking about changing your habits and actually DO IT?

If you are overweight and unhappy (forgive me for assuming, but all that pent up anger is quite telling) THAN CHANGE YOUR FUCKING LIFE TODAY MOTHERFUCKER! NOT TOMORROW! RIGHT NOW! Oh, you can’t because you are inferior to a bag of potato chips. Good luck sleeping…

I was a fat guy, ten years back. Tipped the scales at 219, almost all of it in my gut. Yup – skinny-fat. Nice look for a 20 year old who couldn’t get laid on Conjugal Visit Sunday.

Was I lazy? Undisciplined? Yes and yes. I ate. A lot. Stress-ate. Boredom-ate. Loneliness-ate. Shame-ate. Just plain ate. Activity? Walking to class was too much of a struggle for me! Seriously – the days I would make it to class, if I had to walk faster to make it, my shins would start to hurt and I would be horribly out of breath.

Whose fault was it? MINE.

I didn’t know who Jason Ferruggia was back then. But I had a friend who was a Navy SEAL, 6’3″, 260, strong as a bear. He used to try to guide me into healthier habits… and then one day, he just stopped. No critique, no lecture, nothing. Why should he have bothered? For all he knew, I was a lost cause. Unfortunately, he’s been overseas for the last 8 years. I wish he could see how I worked to change things. Eating vegetables and fruit regularly; gallon of water a day; dropped over 40 lbs; hit the weights, conditioning, and yoga for a total of 10 training sessions a week; working towards my B.S. in Exercise Phys. – I think he’d be proud.

The point of all that? (Besides bragging about myself, of course…) I get where Jason is coming from. If a student slacks all semester, then comes to the professor two weeks before the final and asks for help in turning an “F” into an “A”, is the professor really supposed to drop everything and tutor the kid who couldn’t be bothered to help themselves?

I’m probably not as extreme in my view as Jason; I work with the general population a bit more. But I have developed my own bullshit threshold. People ask advice. I give it to them. They don’t do it. We’re DONE. Do not EVER come back for more advice. Go back to Planet Fitness; make sure you’re there for Pizza Night…

@eskow – its funny that in your post your mention things like ”jason is trying to help you” and ”he writes this way to motivate people like you”

its funny that seens as the whole point of the article , written by jason, was to tell people ”i am not here to help or motivate you” ”if you cant motivate or help yourself then dont come to me ”

jason was just being plain insulting by saying people who are over 100lbs overweight are stupid, weak minded, lazy and undisciplined.

its a persons own responsibiliity to motivate themselves, yes i get that but i dont get calling overweight people names.

and no you are wrong in assuming im overweight and unhappy. not right now but i was in the past. i couldnt motivate myself or stick to any diet or exercise programm, i used to quit all of the time , and sometimes procrastinate for years beofre i even got started

i was that way becasue i had a lot of self sabatage (which is a real probelm not a lack of will) no becasue i was weak, stupid, lazy so thats why i take offence at insensitvie comments like that

many people, McKenna, yourself excluded by the offense you take at insensitive comments, experience some sort of epiphany, regarding their condition. Many people, myself included, can sit back and say things like ‘man, I WAS stupid, fat and undisciplined’, or something of that nature. And after such a realization, even though they have reprimanded themselves, they choose to do something about it and realize that they don’t HAVE to stay in the same condition or mindset.

One definition of insanity is “repeating the same actions over and over, expecting different results”. We see it in the gym. At work. At life.

I’m not here to psychoanalyze you or anyone else, but there is a common mindset of the people that come to this blog. We have made a choice to be accountable and take action. I can call myself a stupidass for doing something stupid and not feel really bad and defeated, because I know now that I have become empowered by the knowledge that I WILL do something about it. This is growth, that everyone is capable of. And from what I read on these blogs, that’s what these people do. Take action. They do. They strive to overcome. This is a no BS site. Not sticking to a plan and procrastinating = undisciplined. Lazy = unwillingness to set forth a worthwhile effort to accomplish a task, big or small. Fat = 25 or 150 pounds. Fat is fat. Stupid = lacking the mental capacity to make good decisions or learn. Yes, no, and maybe. The availability of information these days is overwhelming. It’s all there and ready for everyone. ANYONE of normal intelligence has the capability to ask questions and seek answers. If children can ask ‘why?’, so can adults. I’d bet money, that in spite of the fact that many people are insulted by ‘insensitive comments’, those same, low esteem, self sabotaging people want the same fiery inspiration that is obvious at this site.

Many people NEED to hear these things, without the politically correct coat of paint. The truth is the truth. The ones that get offended just aren’t hearing what they want to hear. They don’t WANT to do the hard work. Broccoli doesn’t taste as good as a chocolate fudge sundae. Hill sprints aren’t as fun as playing Xbox360. I say to myself… tough shit. get off yer ass and get at it. People want to be ‘fed’ 3-minute abs. And until they take action, they’ll never ‘get it’. Those people need to learn to ‘feed’ themselves. And when they can, then they will likely come here too and finally understand this mindset. I think his last sentence sums up why he says the things he says though. The information found here is good, but it might not be the place for you.

Kelly you said it better than I ever could have.

I know how you feel i’ve been using your program for awhile now, and i’ve packed on some size and strength and all my friends wanna know my secret and wanna train with me and i tell them to come along but they never get their asses to the gym and it doens’t bother me in the least if they don’t wanna improve themselves.

Shout it from the hill tops !!! Great article and couldn’t be more spot on !! It’s sad but true, that these days there are far to many people who need to rely on others to motivate them (I wonder how they get out of bed in the morning??). It’s so bad where i’m from, one gym has made a killing by promoting “we’ll call you if you miss a session” and “rely on us to get you to the gym” WHAT THE !!! if you can’t get to the gym on your own – work out that tv remote thumb !!

Keep keepin’ it real, all these above comments attest to your great work !

V
(from way down under! Oz)

One word – Leadership

Mr. Ferruggia, you make me laugh. I have been working out with your hardgainer methods for a couple months now and am extremely happy with the results. All my maxes have gone up tremendously and I have gained over 15 pounds of muscle. I love it when I go to work out for football and out lift guys that weight 50 to 60 more pounds than me. I definitely got the right guy.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m just here to lead them to the water I can’t make them drink it, thats what I tell them when they train with me. It all rests on them and their will to want it. I refuse to act like a stereotypical trainer bouncing around hi-fiving people. F^(k all of that! Work son work, thats what gets the results. And stop eatting all the damn cheeseburgers.

One of the funniest/ most true articles I have ever read. Something every strength coach is thinking and it’s about time someone said it.

I can 100% see where Jason is coming from in regards to the fact that he only has a limited amount of time per day to train clients and he would rather train the hungry, motivated athlete type then someone with less motivation. There is nothing wrong with that as that is his market.

However to some of the people you simply answer “I dont know” too, do you think they ask you those questions because they clearly have very little knowledge about training and nutrition?? I mean some of those questions you posted

“How long should I do the stair climber for?”

“I know you’re into all that heavy lifting but I can’t do that. What can I do instead?”

“I’m a girl and I don’t want to get too bulky so how should I lift?”

I mean I really dont see what is wrong with answering some of those questions. The reason why people lack the motivation is because they are fed bullshit information from magazines and the media, have hired shitty personal trainers and have lost patience with the whole fitness idea.

It wouldnt take much to simply answer
“your better off doing weights than the stair master,” or “unless you have a medical condition I would strongly recommend you hit the weights if you want faster results” and “girls wont get bulky by doing weights unless your eating thousands of junk calories a day etc”

Maybe a simple answer with the right information would spark some serious motivation in some people to head out and change their lives. It might also be a complete waste of time but hey, if you can help that one person, why not??

Im not a trainer yet from time to time I get people coming upto me asking me questions about how to get big and lose weight. Now I know that 70% of them wont take my advice for the good reason that they have been brainwashed one thing and im telling them something different and since Im not a trainer its probably better to listen to the “legimate” source. However the 5 minutes it takes me to explain to me is well worth it if I can kickstart someone onto something better.

However I would bet that most of these people would take your advice knowing your background and history.

Extremely well put. As a trainer, I sometimes go back and forth on this topic when trying to get certain to do their homework outside of the gym. But the reality is, we need to invest our time in the ones that are willing to invest in themselves.

It really helps to hear someone else put this in to writing. Thanks again.

Awesome post. It’s hearing stuff like this that reminds me how I used to be, and how far I’ve come since then. Inspirational. Cheers Jason.

@McKenna- I think if you check other posts you’ll see that Jason has the utmost respect for Tom Venuto. As I’m sure everyone else who posts on this site does as well. Quit starting internet arguments….check this picture out to understand what I mean.

http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/gregelk/files/2010/01/Internet_argument.jpg

Jason,

I run a Wrestling school up here in North Jersey and felt an intense satisfaction to finally see a “real gym” around with a “real trainer”. I also work in a private school where I see the degradation of athletic ability all around our youth. Kids don’t even get tested on pull-ups anymore, it’s disgusting. One of my parents told me to check out your site and I just wanted to say that you are spot on with your training methods. For years I’ve been having my wrestlers chop wood, climb ropes, push sleds, and get off those regular gym machines. It’s time tested and exactly what the best in wrestling do to train.

Keep up the good work,
Mike

You mirror my sentiments perfectly! I’m so sick and tired of wasting my precious time on people over a certain weight… I’ve vowed not to work with another soul with more than 20lbs to lose and that’s generous.

Tired of the “I can’ts” and the million different excuses for not showing up. F’ning sick of the countless “OMG, this hurts” or “I need to get rid of my arms and stomach” AND the Whining…keep that shit for beginner trainers who are just so happy to have warm bodies in front of them.

Get fat. Get sick. And then spend the rest of your life nursing yourself back to health…

I’m done with your asses!!!

- And I’m a girl!

Good point “you either want to do something or you don’t” couldn’t agree with you more.

Shout it from the hill tops !!! Great article and couldn’t be more spot on !! It’s sad but true, that these days there are far to many people who need to rely on others to motivate them. If you can’t get to the gym on your own – work out that tv remote thumb !!

Great idea hehehe thanks for sharing your blog…

If this article doesnt motivate you to freaking work your ass off, and start eating what you should eat, you’re always gonna stay that way: a fat, lazy, unhealthy piece of…

I dont get it.. Healthy food isnt exactly discusting.. Its pretty damn good! You just have to get your finger out of your personal sewersystem, and change your diet. If you dont know what to eat, start getting yourself together and learn it…

Humans are probably the only species on earth who either doesnt know -what- you’re supposed to eat, or just simply ignore it… Seen many tigers eating bananas lately?

Great article, as always

I hear many different people tell me that they should join me during outdoor strongman sessions… hill sprints… at the gym. And how many actually show? zero. One guy I work with showed up because I mentioned it to him and he showed up ready to go, because he already does things to stay fit. He’s motivated. That’s the kind of guy/gal I want to train with.

All i can say is that They always ask what supplaments they should take to get big and when you tell them to try a baked potatoe and a steak they get butt hurt.

awesome, i couldnt have put it better myself, im a kickboxing instructor who makes a huge emphasis on strength and conditioning and often tell people after talking to them that they need to look somewhere else, the average person wants to say they train in full contact, but they dont really want to DO what it takes, so i shine them on

Its pretty damn good! You just have to get your finger out of your personal sewersystem, and change your diet. If you dont know what to eat, start getting yourself together and learn it, thanx ofr the posting.

People always think that hiring a trainer will give them the results they want, but they forget that THEY ARE the ones who train and eat.
Thanks for this great article.

I have been working out with your hardgainer methods for a couple months now and am extremely happy with the results. All my maxes have gone up tremendously and I have gained over 15 pounds of muscle. I love it when I go to work out for football and out lift guys that weight 50 to 60 more pounds than me. I definitely got the right guy.