Yesterday you were a fatso or a skinny boy. Yesterday you couldn't do 10 pushups. Yesterday you sat in your bedroom and read comic books about super-heroes or played video games and pretended you were the character.
Yesterday you were invisible. Yesterday you dressed like a slob, you dressed the way you felt on the inside. Yesterday you were disgusted when you took your shirt off. Yesterday evening you had a thought.
You thought I am going to change. The thought hit you so hard that you stayed awake all night, there were too many thoughts and plans in your head.
You'll sleep when your dead, you thought. You made a plan. Something inside your brain finally clicked and you realized that this is all of your making, and you can change it if you wish.
You can metamorphosize like the caterpillar metamorphosizes into the butterfly.
Today you got up as the sun was rising. Maybe the first time you ever did it. You had a shower. You shaved your face. You went and got a haircut.
Then you went directly to the gym and you bought a membership. The salesman said they could give you two weeks free to try it out and see if you like it and you said no. You will be there every day from now on. And you're a man of your word.
In the locker room before your workout you had a vision, as if the ghost of bodybuilding future came to pay you a visit and show you your future.
This is what you saw.
Your eyes have changed. Now there is a fire behind them that was absent before. Your eyes can now burn a hole into anything they see. You can see more clearly.
You can see more clearly because you are only looking at one thing. You see things with tunnel vision, if it is outside the tunnel you don't see it. It doesn't even exist for all you care.
Your walk has changed. Your walk now has purpose. It isn't aimless like so many others. You are at point A but you will get to point B and it doesn't matter who steps into your way.
Your ears have changed. You have gone partially deaf. You cannot hear discouragement. Discouragement may as well be spoken in Chinese. When they gave you silly advice you mouth sounded out “uh huh” but your ears didn't even hear.
Your speech has changed. You don't spend time explaining. You don't spend time asking permission. You don't spend time fishing for encouragement. You don't spend time mouthing excuses. You make statements of purpose and fact.
Your body has changed. You were once weak and soft and now you are strong and hard like the Farnese Hercules.
You have transformed. Now you are a butterfly in a world of caterpillars. And it all started with that small decision.
Your transformation happened because you saw the change clearly in your mind. You visualized every step you took. You knew what was going to happen before it happened. You had a plan. You had a vision. And you followed through with it.
Your friends, family and co-workers all had grand plans. Each of them told you of their plans and each of them gave up before too long. When the going got tough they stopped going.
You never bragged about your plans, you didn't volunteer information about your metamorphosis and you didn't care if others understood or didn't understand. You just did. This is your fire and it never needed to be shared or explained.
The ghost of bodybuilding past left you, you woke up from the daydream and said this to yourself:
Yes I will change. Yes I will do this. I will start right now.
Easy as 1, 2, 3.
Great post. I have found lifting weights to be the easiest step to improving your life but it seems to carry over into ever other aspect of your life.
True true. Discipline, self-respect and the desire to constantly improve and develop.
For anyone who’s going to question the photos.. I remember B&D in it’s earlier days and Victor used to have an avatar in which his haircut was the same as pic number 1. He also used to pout, but that’s beside the point ;)
Still with you here Victor, great post.
After devouring the archives for a month, this content glutton is famished for new posts. Thanks, Victor, for feeding the animals! These posts taste like fresh, juicy slabs of butter-seared steak!
I think nowadays its harder for the younger generation to get into building a physique than it was for me when I started in the mid 90’s. We had actors we looked at who had muscles. Guys like Schwarzenegger, Sean Claude Van Dam, Stallone, we had cartoons in the 80’s such as He-Man and G.I. Joe. It was basically engrained in us that muscles and testosterone was what we needed to be a man. Also, the work ethic was different. There were alot more ballbuster jobs out there, and an older generation that were hardasses to work for. Needless to say they were assholes, but they knew how to work hard. I did alot of manual labor growing up, split firewood, landscaping, construction. Fuck, I had a job once helping this old bastard tear out a barn foundation so he could haul it off and plant grass and make a yard. Here was what I did for about 2 wks…..sat there with a sledgehammer watching this guy try picking up pieces of concrete barn foundation and drop them onto another to break them. When they wouldnt break that way, it was my job to take the sledgehammer and pound the fuck out of them and break them. I gained about 15 lbs of muscle that summer just working for that asshole, not even touching weights yet. So needless to say when I got in the gym, I already had the work ethic.
Now your dealing with kids who have never worked a day in their life, and they are transitioning from xbox and Doritoes all day, to working out. I feel bad for them actually, for having been born in a bigger pussy era of time.
Word.
I was born in the bigger pussy era.
Transitioning from pc games (fuck consoles, tell ya that much) to being a man of the world is, simply put, just a little more work.
See you on the flipside though, I love a challenge.
There’s a quiet rage that comes with this metamorphosis. It’s that “out of my way!” attitude building up inside with each rep. It starts as a low growl when the sweat beads first break out, and builds up into a hair-raising roar as the earth quakes below you to get that last rep out. When the owner of that sissy gym asks you to keep it down, you give him your best Hyde grin, kick the door down on your way out and put the word out. “WE’RE COMING!!!”
Victor,
Have you done any kind of military service? Why/why not?
No. I don’t fight to make other men richer.
I respect that. Butt, you learn skills in the military that you don’t learn anywhere else. When the time comes for us(the people) to fight for ourselves, I will be better prepared.
Have you ever felt the urge to become a warrior?
Who haven’t?
you can learn as much skills as any military soldier, without being a clone and a pawn in the military. you sign on that dotted line you lose your rights as a man.
Many teenagers nowadays are pussyfied (as Victor likes to say) because of all the technology that makes them lazier. Think about this, 50 years ago a kid did not have to worry about the TV shows or movies that are on HBO. Instead they played sports and did homework,also they obeyed their parents (most of the time) and kept the traditions alive. Today I look at my classmates who are 16 maybe 17 and they like to drink beer every night and smoke pot. Many North Americans are so fucked up most of them do not know what to do with their life. And lets not forget what media is doing to people today.
My motto :”Amat Victoria Curam”
This is so true and works so well. Cudos for how well written this article is as it really captures the feeling of transformation.
Victor I admire all the work you done in this site…….and I want to achieve a metamorphosis physically and mentally and it seems I have a problem in the physical area.But the problem that the last 1 year whenever a pick up a weight or seem to make progress in the gym something starts to hurt.For example this past septmber i started doing 5×5 type programm and one day in the squat I felt my right knee making weird noises….BOOM….meniscus tear.now I am 1 week waiting to get an MRI
so the doctor can make an accurate diagnosis for the extention of the damage.Because of this I cannot box(I am a boxer)cannot run,jump rope,ride a bike.In the mean time despite the injury in my leg I didn’t stop lifting weights(upper body only movements)or doing calisthenics(pull-ups,chin-ups,push-ups,dips,)and now after 1,5 month of training I’ve reached doing 30 pull-ups,150 push-ups 40-45 dips in a rowbut my left elbow feels numb,it hurts,and makes a clicking sound(feels like tendonitis)So I decided to reduce volume,increase rest.Nothing still hurts.I have the discipline,I have the work ethic, that one guy refers to in an upper comment,but my body seems to be giving up or trying to tell me something…I don’t know I am really frustrated.I am in the verge of thinking to start swimming in pool 6-7 days a week and give up the weights or calisthenics for a while(say 1-2 months) just for recuperation and recovery.I really don’t know what to do,what action to take.For me sitting and waiting to heal is not an option cause my mood is going to collapse and I am going to be miserable(and then down goes testosterone).I really would appreciate your advice on this one,I really need some guidance…I am a proud man and I don’t wanna back down from being a complete one…
I had a chiropractor fix my leg that was sore and tight, but I’m sure any good massage therapist could help your tennis elbow. I use a tennis ball or baseball and massage my sore/tight arms/back/chest against a wall. I use a foam roller on my legs if they start to feel tight.
Try cutting down on your carb intake, it can cause inflammation. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-is-inflammation/#axzz2COilXYFT try his diet, you might like the way you feel on it, i know i do.
awesome post man, can’t wait for part 2
I’m thinking about buying your book, Body of a Spartan. The money is inconsequential. The sales page seems to be targeted to guys like me, but the claims seem too good to be true.
ASF, it comes with a full guarantee. If it’s poop then request a refund. I believe the refund period is 60 days. Good luck.
It’s worth the money, great program , I’m making great gains on it and I’m 17 and been training for about 12 months, but I made the best gains in the last 3 months on this routine
I must say i agree with this post 200%, really looking forward to part 2
Hey Vic, just a quick question. How would you compare your “success” in the ladies department when you looked like you did in the first pic (skinny) to how you look now?
Same same, really.
Will you ever write a part two to this?
Part 2 coming anytime soon Victor?
Amazing. Describing 30 days of discipline.
Wow…this is what happened exactly last night and this morning! Its been 2 hours since my first ever Body of Spartan work out (bought the book last week) and my body is still shaking with adrenaline. While I was doing my squat singles, this sort of muscular guy, which sat the entire time I was working out, was looking at me with this weird look. It almost seemed he was thinking to himself, “why is this fatso guy so fucking motivated and doing heavy squats so early in the morning” I’ll tell you why bitch….its because I am a man and you are a pussy……can’t wait for round two!!!
Fucking amazing post man, I’m 18 and I feel that fire inside, fuck everyone else, I know what I want to do and I’m working for it, I’ve started my own blog.
Get your money and fuck em all.
I actually stood up and clapped after reading this article. Bless you, sire.
What an article. What a fucking motivating dope ass article.
Thank you
“Your ears have changed. You have gone partially deaf. You cannot hear discouragement. Discouragement may as well be spoken in Chinese.”
That awkward moment when I’m fluent in Chinese…
Gold.