Not surprisingly, a lot of people get offended by the fact that I am not in the business of promoting fitness. When I post something to this effect on FaceBook or Twitter some people get very upset and even call me mean names. (I have feelings, ya know)
Now I know this may come as an odd statement, considering what I do for a living and the fact that I am a part of the fitness industry. But I really don’t care to “give the gift of fitness” to people. I’m not going to be showing up at your front door dressed as Richard Simmons and telling you to pull your fanny of the couch because “it’s time to get fit!”
I don’t give a shit.
Before I go any further I should point out that I am not talking to most of my regular readers because, obviously you wouldn’t be here if you fit the description. Rather, I am pointing out the fact that people have often mistaken me for the wrong guy and I am trying to clear that up.
If you want to sit around and eat donuts all day why would that possibly bother me? And why would I want to motivate you? I’m not Jenny Craig or Matt Foley the motivational speaker who lives in a van down by the river. What you do is your choice. Sure I will make fun of you, laugh at you and encourage others to do the same; but it’s your life, not mine.
If you are too stupid to realize that regular exercise and a healthy diet is a necessary part of life I’m not going to waste my time telling you. Get on some prescription drugs, order a sausage pizza and watch another episode of Friends.
People ask me all kinds of questions when they find out what I do for a living.
“How do I lose this?” (grabbing a handful of a 48 inch waist)
“I don’t know.”
“How long should I do the stair climber for?”
“I don’t know.”
“I can’t give up carbs but I want to get lean. What should I do?”
“I don’t know.”
“I only have twenty minutes to train, twice a week. What should I do?”
“I don’t know.”
“I know you’re into all that heavy lifting but I can’t do that. What can I do instead?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m a girl and I don’t want to get too bulky so how should I lift?”
“I don’t know.”
“How do I get motivated to go to the gym?”
“I don’t know.”
You either want to do something or you don’t. I’m not in the business of motivating people. Sure, I’ll shout some words of encouragement to serious trainees before they attempt a new squat max, and may even question their manhood in an attempt to get them even angrier. 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. I just don’t care enough to waste my time on those types of people.
Often times people will tell me that they want to train with me and that I if they hire me or come to my gym I really need to push them. No, I don’t. You need to push yourself. You’re hiring me for my program design skills which are based on 16 years of experience. I am not a cheerleader. Any nitwit can yell at someone like a drill sergeant. Just because a workout is hard doesn’t mean it’s effective. Just because a coach yells loudly it doesn’t mean he’s smart.
If you can’t find it within yourself and are not driven to excel, there is nothing I can do for you.
I’ll give hard working, motivated, intelligent people everything I have. But for everyone else I have no time or patience. I know this offends many people. But it’s just me being honest.
If someone needs to lose 15 pounds of fat in order to compete at a higher level in a weight class sport I’m all for helping them. If someone needs to lose 150 pounds I don’t have a clue what they should do. All I know is they shouldn’t have gotten into that situation in the first place. And allowing themselves to do so shows me they are undisciplined and lazy. I have little tolerance for these types of people.
There’s nothing I like more than helping guys get bigger, stronger and faster. Taking a new guys squat from 225 to 455 is a lot of fun for me. I know how to do that. But I don’t know what fat people should do. I don’t know what lazy people should do. And it doesn’t interest me to find out.
I told some fat people recently that they couldn’t out train a bad diet. Some were offended. 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 won’t. Nobody gets lean from doing kettlebell swings and burpees. If you’re eating clean, these will help, but unless your diet is spot on you aint losing an ounce. All the exercise in the world will do you no good without eating properly. These are the cold, hard facts, my friends.
So before you send me another email telling me that I am discouraging fat, lazy people from even trying to get fit in the first place, please realize that I don’t care. These are not my kind of people and that is not my market.
You must have the wrong guy.
Please leave your comments below.
29. Jan, 2010
at 1:21 pm #
That is some funny stuff. I love your attitude.
29. Jan, 2010
at 1:23 pm #
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!
29. Jan, 2010
at 1:25 pm #
Best read in years!!! Jason you rule man! you almost stole that thought of my mind!
29. Jan, 2010
at 1:26 pm #
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.
29. Jan, 2010
at 1:27 pm #
Love it. Keep these blogs coming.
29. Jan, 2010
at 1:32 pm #
Right on brother, always someone else fault
29. Jan, 2010
at 1:55 pm #
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.
29. Jan, 2010
at 1:56 pm #
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.
29. Jan, 2010
at 2:04 pm #
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! ;-)
29. Jan, 2010
at 2:04 pm #
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.
29. Jan, 2010
at 2:35 pm #
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..
29. Jan, 2010
at 2:45 pm #
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…
29. Jan, 2010
at 3:02 pm #
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.
29. Jan, 2010
at 3:22 pm #
Love this blog! now i’ve just gotta get the guts to implement my “ah ha” moments! Thanks for youw work!
29. Jan, 2010
at 3:22 pm #
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.
29. Jan, 2010
at 3:50 pm #
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.
29. Jan, 2010
at 3:53 pm #
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.
29. Jan, 2010
at 4:48 pm #
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:)
29. Jan, 2010
at 5:49 pm #
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…
29. Jan, 2010
at 6:30 pm #
@ Nii, glad the post elicited the desire to hug me. It’s not often that happens. Unless my mom is reading. That would be after she gets upset about my affinity for cursing and yells at me first.
@ Iggy- Great to hear you’re still keeping the old school Renegade ways alive, wherever you train. I love it.
@ No- A calorie actually isn’t a calorie. If I fed two twins 2000 calories and one had them coming from vegetables, lean protein and nuts and the other had his calories coming from chocolate cake, cake boy would be fatter at the end of 12 weeks. I love to keep things simple but this is actually too simple. It doesn’t work exactly like that.
@ Jeremy- I am being serious but am always glad when I can make someone laugh.
@ Sincere- Good shit, man.
@ Claudia- Thanks.
@ Marco- Thanks for the huge compliment.
@ Yuri- Awesome post. Thanks, man.
Everyone else, thank you so much. I really appreciate all the comments. Keep them coming.
29. Jan, 2010
at 6:43 pm #
Duuuude,
So awesome. On the money. I am going to “borrow your saying”. You can’t out train a bad diet”.
29. Jan, 2010
at 6:44 pm #
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.
29. Jan, 2010
at 7:30 pm #
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!!
29. Jan, 2010
at 10:36 pm #
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.
30. Jan, 2010
at 3:23 am #
Finally i can stop pulling my hair out, well put!!!
30. Jan, 2010
at 3:38 am #
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)
30. Jan, 2010
at 4:35 am #
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
30. Jan, 2010
at 7:42 am #
I totally agree with you…Stay that way bro…We love you for it!
Train Smart
30. Jan, 2010
at 8:21 am #
Right on brother, work hard or be fat.
30. Jan, 2010
at 8:35 am #
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!?
30. Jan, 2010
at 8:44 am #
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!
30. Jan, 2010
at 9:58 am #
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
30. Jan, 2010
at 10:02 am #
ALL OF THE ABOVE!
30. Jan, 2010
at 10:36 am #
im puttin dis on my myspace about me section.lmfao. with your name abovit of course
30. Jan, 2010
at 11:05 am #
I love this, this really made me happy at work!! Nice work
30. Jan, 2010
at 3:50 pm #
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!
30. Jan, 2010
at 6:55 pm #
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!!
30. Jan, 2010
at 7:09 pm #
by far my favorite post
those people you speak of is whats wrong with our country and our world today
30. Jan, 2010
at 11:33 pm #
Hey McKenna…learn how to spell ya douche…then people might take your shitty arguments seriously.
31. Jan, 2010
at 1:01 am #
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.
31. Jan, 2010
at 7:13 am #
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.
31. Jan, 2010
at 7:44 am #
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
31. Jan, 2010
at 8:24 am #
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
31. Jan, 2010
at 8:25 am #
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.
31. Jan, 2010
at 8:34 am #
“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.
31. Jan, 2010
at 8:35 am #
Thanks again, for all the comments.
@ Jeff- Great work. Keep it up, man.
@ Cathy- I agree and you’re welcome.
@ McKenna- I’ll do you one better. Not only are they undisciplined and lazy but they are stupid and weak minded as well. And apparently not so good at spelling or using proper grammar or punctuation.
@ Isaac- Well put.
31. Jan, 2010
at 9:04 am #
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.
31. Jan, 2010
at 9:36 am #
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.
31. Jan, 2010
at 10:06 am #
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!!!
31. Jan, 2010
at 10:27 am #
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!