Are You Humble Enough?

OK, folks. I'm going to give away a HUGE secret here. Are you ready?

What is the single most important quality you need to reach a goal?

HUMILITY!

I took 2 years of my life to improve my movement patterns before I ever seriously competed in lifting and NABBA Figure/Fitness. Step back. Hire a trainer (or become a trainer). Trust me. Your movement patterns suck.

Movement: To be athletic, you need to be able to move well, without restrictions. If your body does not move well, you will never reach your goals. As a Master Trainer, I can tell you that a commercial gym provides a professional trainer with some of the ugliest movement patterns ever seen.

Coordination: To be athletic, you will need to develop incredible coordination. Can you jump rope in many patterns (180 jumps per minute minimum), do complex ladder drills, perform compound movements with ease, etc.? If not (here we go again): Hire a trainer. Trust me. Your coordination sucks.

Strength: Being fast and/or agile is pointless if you can't lift heavy things. The best choices for building strength are full-body movements like the deadlift or the squat. Think about your workout. If you think biceps curls and abs is lifting. Go home. NOW! Can you deadlift, squat, bench press, shoulder press, row, perform pull-ups and chin-ups, lunge? Do you know what a "the bear" is? Do you know what a "clean and press" is? Chart your lifting. Try to PR during your workouts.

Speed: You can't go wrong with uphill sprinting. Time yourself. Chart your progress. Success is not serendipitous; it takes exact planning. Try more complex lifts: power snatches, KB swings, box jumps, etc. Don't get cocky here. If you can't squat correctly with your own body weight, then you are not ready for any of this for many years to come.