Henry Rollins' Essay: The Iron and The Soul
I believe that the definition of definition is reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself.
Completely.
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When I was young I had no sense of myself. All I was, was a product of all the fear and humiliation I suffered. Fear of my parents. The humiliation of teachers calling me “garbage can” and telling me I’d be mowing lawns for a living. And the very real terror of my fellow students. I was threatened and beaten up for the color of my skin and my size. I was skinny and clumsy, and when others would tease me I didn’t run home crying, wondering why. I knew all too well. I was there to be antagonized. In sports I was laughed at. A spaz. I was pretty good at boxing but only because the rage that filled my every waking moment made me wild and unpredictable. I fought with some strange fury. The other boys thought I was crazy.
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I hated myself all the time. As stupid at it seems now, I wanted to talk like them, dress like them, carry myself with the ease of knowing that I wasn’t going to get pounded in the hallway between classes. Years passed and I learned to keep it all inside. I only talked to a few boys in my grade. Other losers. Some of them are to this day the greatest people I have ever known. Hang out with a guy who has had his head flushed down a toilet a few times, treat him with respect, and you’ll find a faithful friend forever. But even with friends, school sucked. Teachers gave me hard time. I didn’t think much of them either.
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Then came Mr. Pepperman, my advisor. He was a powerfully built Vietnam veteran, and he was scary. No one ever talked out of turn in his class. Once one kid did and Mr. P. lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the blackboard. Mr. P. could see that I was in bad shape, and one Friday in October he asked me if I had ever worked out with weights. I told him no. He told me that I was going to take some of the money that I had saved and buy a hundred-pound set of weights at Sears. As I left his office, I started to think of things I would say to him on Monday when he asked about the weights that I was not going to buy. Still, it made me feel special. My father never really got that close to caring. On Saturday I bought the weights, but I couldn’t even drag them to my mom’s car. An attendant laughed at me as he put them on a dolly.
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Monday came and I was called into Mr. P.’s office after school. He said that he was going to show me how to work out. He was going to put me on a program and start hitting me in the solar plexus in the hallway when I wasn’t looking. When I could take the punch we would know that we were getting somewhere. At no time was I to look at myself in the mirror or tell anyone at school what I was doing. In the gym he showed me ten basic exercises. I paid more attention than I ever did in any of my classes. I didn’t want to blow it. I went home that night and started right in.
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Weeks passed, and every once in a while Mr. P. would give me a shot and drop me in the hallway, sending my books flying. The other students didn’t know what to think. More weeks passed, and I was steadily adding new weights to the bar. I could sense the power inside my body growing. I could feel it.
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Right before Christmas break I was walking to class, and from out of nowhere Mr. Pepperman appeared and gave me a shot in the chest. I laughed and kept going. He said I could look at myself now. I got home and ran to the bathroom and pulled off my shirt. I saw a body, not just the shell that housed my stomach and my heart. My biceps bulged. My chest had definition. I felt strong. It was the first time I can remember having a sense of myself. I had done something and no one could ever take it away. You couldn’t say sh–t to me.
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It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn’t want to come off the mat, it’s the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn’t teach you anything. That’s the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you.
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It wasn’t until my late twenties that I learned that by working out I had given myself a great gift. I learned that nothing good comes without work and a certain amount of pain. When I finish a set that leaves me shaking, I know more about myself. When something gets bad, I know it can’t be as bad as that workout.
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I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. But when dealing with the Iron, one must be careful to interpret the pain correctly. Most injuries involving the Iron come from ego. I once spent a few weeks lifting weight that my body wasn’t ready for and spent a few months not picking up anything heavier than a fork. Try to lift what you’re not prepared to and the Iron will teach you a little lesson in restraint and self-control.
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I have never met a truly strong person who didn’t have self-respect. I think a lot of inwardly and outwardly directed contempt passes itself off as self-respect: the idea of raising yourself by stepping on someone’s shoulders instead of doing it yourself. When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in the worst way, as cartoon characters, billboards for imbalance and insecurity. Strength reveals itself through character. It is the difference between bouncers who get off strong-arming people and Mr. Pepperman.
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Muscle mass does not always equal strength. Strength is kindness and sensitivity. Strength is understanding that your power is both physical and emotional. That it comes from the body and the mind. And the heart.
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Yukio Mishima said that he could not entertain the idea of romance if he was not strong. Romance is such a strong and overwhelming passion, a weakened body cannot sustain it for long. I have some of my most romantic thoughts when I am with the Iron. Once I was in love with a woman. I thought about her the most when the pain from a workout was racing through my body.
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Everything in me wanted her. So much so that sex was only a fraction of my total desire. It was the single most intense love I have ever felt, but she lived far away and I didn’t see her very often. Working out was a healthy way of dealing with the loneliness. To this day, when I work out I usually listen to ballads.
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I prefer to work out alone. It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me. Learning about what you’re made of is always time well spent, and I have found no better teacher. The Iron had taught me how to live. Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it’s some kind of miracle if you’re not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole.
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I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron Mind.
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Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the Iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the Iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind.
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The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it’s impossible to turn back.
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The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you’re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.
ChildOfTheLostTribes 9y ago
More than pussy? I don't understand.
TooMuchToDoo 9y ago
I have been searching for this article for the longest time. Seriously, Thank you!
rizbiz 9y ago
I remember reading this for the first time a few months ago. I have it printed out and stuck to my wall. It is one of the most inspirational pieces I have read and whenever I feel down I will read it (sometimes quote passages by heart) and get my ass to the gym. Never fails to motivate.
MrHoman 9y ago
I think the first time I read this essay was about 3 months before competing on the world stage for the first time. I was 18 at the time and it unlocked something very primal with in me. These words carried a tone of compassion and understanding that I'd never felt from any councillor or psychologist in my short life of heavy depression and bullying. As a young boy I was so isolated from my peers I'd attempted suicide multiple times on the belief that I wasn't fit for society. I remember I read this right before a big deadlift session and broke down. I walked into that gym and didn't stop training until I passed out. All the depression and anxiety made sense, it was just fuel for a fire in me that could grow and become something bright and powerful.
This is really something every young man needs to read. It set me off on a path that has shaped me and taught me early that pain and obstacles are challenges, not curses, and that as a man we must rise above and beyond them with grit and determination. Be it with school, work, exercise, women, spirtuality, a man doesn't shy away from the chance to improve himself.
I'll always be grateful to Rollins for writing one of the most influential pieces I've had the pleasure to read.
blacwidonsfw 9y ago
"It was just a fuel for a fire in me that could grow and become something bright and powerful"
Fuckin amen
TehNameless1 9y ago
"In this world, the only thing we truly own is the body we shape every day."
AsianWifeHot 9y ago
The other thing we truly own is our choices and decisions.
clam61 9y ago
.
FUTBALAR 9y ago
This is EXACTLY what I needed to read. Thanks, mate.
e50000 9y ago
Normal. Normal is being mediocre. Normal is being happy, without being the best. Normal is happy to come second. Normal is happy to not break records. Normal is happy to just "Live" life. Normal will never feel the soreness we feel. Normal will never embrace all their fears, and beat them. Normal will always be less then the best.
Normal. Normal is most people. Normal people are nobodies. Normal is being nobody. Now ask yourself, do you want to be normal? Or would you rather be greater than any man to have ever lived before?
Do you want your name in the history books?
Then stop being so god damn normal.
Zagooda 9y ago
Craving for being non normal is not healthy. Ideas of what's normal and what's not or what's worse or what's better are subjective.
There are people who extract cacao but have never seen or heard about chocolate. There is a video about them. Watch it. You should see their joy when they first tasted chocolate and invited all their friends to come and experience it. It was crazy. They are living a life waaay below my "normal" life standards but I don't remember when was the last time I was so happy and joyful as they are in the video.
Don't hate normal people. Don't try to be non normal. Just fucking accept what you don't have and move your fucking fatty pasty ass if you want to get it. Because if you don't go and get it, no one will ever bring it to you.
(I am not trying to start up a fight. Hating "normal" so badly ended up me hating myself so bad. Luckily I had an accident which showed me I am not invulnerable and I started to accept what I don't have. Now I am pushing myself forward with a more peaceful mind. I am planning to tell about my story on its own post)
DannyDemotta 9y ago
To most people, calling them "normal" isn't an insult. They don't equate it with "boring" or with not living up to their potential - they think it just means fitting in, doing "just fine", being smart "enough"....just being "enough", period.
But if you call me "normal", it likely is an insult, because "enough" isn't enough for me. And because 96 times out of 100, the person calling me normal 1) knows nothing about me, finger snap, and 2) likely lives a pedestrian, boring life themselves and are projecting.
I'm living several measures above anything any member of my family has ever achieved. Last year, I made more than any member of my family ever has in a single year. And I can do more. I will do more. And I won't settle for just cashing a paycheck from my day job, either - I'll make money on the side as well. I won't just work out once a day - I'll do two-a-days if that's what it takes. I won't just go to Vegas for vacation, and get trashed and gamble; I'll go to Texas and ride a fucking bull, if that's where life takes me.
I'll get what I want and it has nothing to do with hating normal people, and everything to do with hating normal behavior. Normal behavior says one house should be enough; normal says your current car runs, why 'waste money' on a newer/better one?; why put on muscle, you're already in shape; and the list goes on.
I am not a normal person. I never will be. Many are like me. But don't confuse us with some anarchists/self-harmers who are about to hop off a stool with a belt tied around our necks. It's not like that. I don't give a flying fuck about how happy some cacao farmer is from eating chocolate. They can stuff it up their ass for all I care. Them going from 0-100 from chocolate isn't going to make my 50-100 from Deadlifting 400+ any less thrilling.
This is about ME, doing EXCEPTIONAL things. Not about THEM, doing NORMAL shit.
e50000 9y ago
I like your response because it gives me another point of view. I can see how it comes off as "hating" people that are normal. I look at it as a reminder just to strive to be greater than I am.
Aberrant1650 9y ago
Yeah. All I care about is my happiness.
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dr_warlock 9y ago
If there were ever sidebar material about lifting, this would be it. I've never seen such a poetic appraisal about lifting weights. This essay oozes with RP material that we attempt to teach here: Self-Improvement, self-respect, doing things for yourself, confidence, masculinity, goal reaching and many other topics other than inter-gender dynamics that are just as important, if not more in life.
RP-on-AF1 9y ago
And the major theme: self respect
FattestRabbit 9y ago
I think it does deserve to go into the sidebar, for all of the reasons you just said. 'Henry Rollins on Self Confidence' would be a fitting title, or anything related to self-improvement. I know I'd greatly appreciate easy access to this article when I'm on RP.
Ronin11A 9y ago
Just call it what it is: "The Iron and the Soul." It was originally written for Esquire Magazine.
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madrealworld 9y ago
this is one of the best posts ive read here so far. thanks alot man.
Patagonad 9y ago
"I'm cumming at the gym and then I go home and I'm cumming too" -Arnold
[deleted] 9y ago
Good shit, I read this on Tnation or something a while back. I remember thinking then that in this day and age, you have to be your own Mr. P
The Mr. Ps out there ain't in education anymore, they have been forced out or toned down. Unless you have a great football coach or something, you probably didn't have someone like that.
If you're in HS or even college, you have to just be that male role model that you didn't have. This is basically what TRP is; you were supposed to have someone who would tell you that the world is not pretty and to succeed, you have to be stronger, smarter, and tougher than the people around you. You didn't have that most likely or maybe you did and you didn't buy the fucking weight set and he gave up on you. Whatever the case may be, you have to be your own teacher, mentor, and Mr. P.
crimson-hound 9y ago
I saw this post and I came to share that exact Henry Rollins essay haha. Anyway, if it motivated me to start hitting the gym, I think it can help anyone!
edwardhwhite 9y ago
frustrated with a hamstring pull right now. As I work out at home with barbells, lowering myself on to the bench causes bad pain in the hamstring. Can't do much right now.
rRaptorJesus 9y ago
TrP - Trigger Points. Tight muscles and faulty neuro-muscular programming are the root cause of 99% of all injuries IMO. Check out Kelly Starrett on youtube.
For your hammies, set an oly bar about quad or hip height (squat rack or smith machine). While standing, put 1 leg over the bar and use your body weight to smash the full length of your hamstrings. Should feel like a deep tissue massage. Do this at least 4 days within a week for each leg.
edwardhwhite 9y ago
I don't have access to a bar. I work out at home with dumbbells. I do have tables at about that height. Will that work?
Also could you explain what you mean by smash the full length of my hamstrings? Do I do this before the pain goes away? Or do I wait until the hamstring has healed?
rRaptorJesus 9y ago
If u don't have a bar, then use a baseball or lacrosse ball. Sit on a chair and put the ball under your thigh (hamstring). Use your weight to "roll out" or "smash" your muscles. It will be somewhat uncomfortable, a bit painful but it will not cause injury. You can use this even while injured, it will only help recovery. Spend about 5-10mins on each leg.
fruit7 9y ago
I feel like you just unlocked something in my mind that I've been searching for, for quite a while.
FattestRabbit 9y ago
I felt the same thing after reading it. This article made me realize how young I am and how much I have to learn about the lifestyle I want; I've been treating the gym as a chore instead of a teacher.
soupermain 9y ago
A lot of my friends and I call going to the gym going to church, going to pray, or going to meditate
rpscrote 9y ago
Praying for reps at the Iron Temple
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blacwidonsfw 9y ago
Swoleacceptance is my favorite sub
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The_Choedan_Kal 9y ago
What's funny is that just about anything you can think of is a better teacher than any person we call a "teacher" today. I once watched the cars passing through a stoplight for an hour or so and gained more insight about our lives and civilization than any teacher ever taught me. Go out and stare at a waterfall, at the waves on the beach. Clear your thoughts. Let the self-evident insights come.
FattestRabbit 9y ago
The automoderator is
telling me to stop postinggiving me the newbie warnings (I'm fairly new here but have been reading a lot), but I just wanted to ask: do you consider the activity you just described to be a form of meditation? Can lifting be considered meditating?Several great posts make indirect mention of meditation or just directly say "incorporate meditation" but never go into the details. I'd like to understand more, but don't want to break the rules of this sub or derail this thread.
The_Choedan_Kal 9y ago
There's a lot of material out there and a lot of different techniques. Find what works best for you. The only overarching rule is to do it every day and give it a good 15 minutes. Two main concepts are presence and acceptance. To be present, focus on something such as your breathing while trying not to think, not about your life and certainly not about the past or future. When thoughts come into your head (this may be more like a storm of thoughts than clear, concise thoughts in the beginning) just let them happen, accept that they happened, and let them go. Trying to resist is simply battling thoughts with more thoughts. Most of meditating is just trying to clear an overactive mind which is quite daunting at first. Don't expect crazy epiphanies or anything because just clearing your head is the first step and the major hurdle.
dergenschmags 9y ago
Benched 200 pounds for the first time yesterday. Accomplishment feels good.
thedude122487 9y ago
Henry Rollins is the man, he is very wise.
LordPorker 9y ago
So was Mr Pepperman. Without his intervention, the kid may have stumbled through life, and tossed about like a ragdoll.
If another Mr P was seen doing the same today, he would no doubt be locked up and accused of child abuse.
RadioFreeNola 9y ago
Henry Rollins has almost no one in his circle who doesn't have a financial relationship with him or is being directly paid by him. Even his new podcast is with his personal secretary of 15 years.
He has no romantic relationships with women and is is serially alone. I guess that makes him alpha, but to me he's just a sad dude repeating trite SJW platitudes so that college kids will buy his spoken word tour tickets and audio books.
Other than his drive for the gym, not a life I look up to whatsoever.
rptyr 9y ago
I've read many of his books and they do contain wisdom and give a raw outlook on life. But I aggree Henry has some serious self-destructing tendecies as noted by his complete lack of relationships. No one should look up to his life even though we can learn from his writing.
thedude122487 9y ago
How do you know all of this
RadioFreeNola 9y ago
He admits he has no romantic relationships with women in his podcast. With regards to him only being surrounded by people that have a financial tie to him, just research the guy a little, it's pretty common knowledge. In general, he deflects this criticism by claiming to be a busy workaholic. Just a lame smokescreen IMHO.
I thought he was cool 20-30 years ago, but other than his gym drive, I've grown out of thinking repeating over-simplified SJW tenets through a microphone on a college campus makes one wise or special.
TL;DR, Thought he was cool in my punk rock days then I grew up.
thedude122487 9y ago
OK but that doesn't mean that I have to disagree with anything he actually says in his podcasts or youtube videos, just with certain subjective lifestyle choices he's made that are irrelevant.
blacwidonsfw 9y ago
Well, do you believe a person's words and actions are disconnected? I can't accept that.
thedude122487 9y ago
Yes because it's an ad hominem logical fallacy to say his words are invalid just because of his actions.
blacwidonsfw 9y ago
Maybe it's not as simple as his words being valid or invalid. Every word or action has some kind of truth associated to it. Sometimes the words and actions can be related, sometimes not. But to treat them as distinct events doesn't feel right.
Barely_Intrepid 9y ago
This is great and touches on something deeper.
Being a man is about more than pussy, it's a philosophy.
Lifting is a fantastic medium to teach these lessons. Iron is objective. Put a bar in front of a man and he either succeeds or fails. No excuses, bullshit, or shortcuts. Its masculinity condensed into its most raw and direct form.
rizzla453 9y ago
Going gym later. This is exactly what I needed
smokingmonkey420 9y ago
Calisthenics work too. 10 pull-ups is 10 pull-ups.
Soriq 9y ago
Alpha as fuck. This is why young men need mentors but this type of mentorship is way too politically incorrect for our time, even though this style of mentorship is very effective for young men. It's a shame.
ErasmusOrgasmus 9y ago
Absolutely. I had a football (soccer if you're from the US) coach when I was 15 - 17 who would have us running in the pre-season summer heat until we threw up. He would tell us we were weak. He would have us doing circuits and he'd come around while you were doing press ups and put his foot on your back. He would ask why you had stopped. If we ever put in a lacklustre performance in the first half of a match, at half time he would simply tell us that we weren't going to win the game because we didn't want it enough - then he would simply walk out of the changing room and leave us in silence and thought until the second half started. With more time I could come up with many more and better examples but you get the picture.
And guess what? It won't surprise anyone here to learn that that was mine and the team's most successful couple of seasons. We won everything. And everyone respected him because he taught us things that went far beyond football. He realised that in terms of skill we were probably the best team in the league but that we, like most other kids of that age, lacked true discipline, strength of will, perserverance. That was what made the difference.
The sad truth though is that if the parents (other than the really committed dads who watched us train every single week and understood) had seen his methods in action or heard the way he talked to us they would undoubtedly have kicked off and got him removed from his position. These days a truly alpha male mentor is a priceless rarity.
Movonnow 9y ago
This teacher did his job. He really taught him something.
Youbetripping 9y ago
Problem is some people would view this as abuse of a student. Even if there is an equal understanding between both parties.
Ties5o 9y ago
Excactly what wen through my mind when I read that. Nowadays they would hold a PTA meeting to discuss the recent incidents of "assault" and "child abuse".
Soriq 9y ago
This style of mentorship isnt favorable to young girls, and since the current thinking is to assume gender equality, it's literally unfathomable to many as to how this isn't abuse.
Mr. P spoke to his male need to rise to a challenge. Instead of guys like Mr. P, young men have GTA V, and other virtual outlets to meet that need, but it's not real
dr_warlock 9y ago
This was anything but abuse. This was not an act of ill intention to belittle or induce fear. You do not do this for someone you don't care about. Mr. P saw potential in Rollins; he knew he could handle it. What Mr. P did was the ultimate sign of respect.
absolucion 9y ago
This was an example of strength through sensitivity that Rollins spoke of. His mentor saw someone in dire need and gave him the tools he needed to succeed. People may see that one action as abuse but he only made him tougher. It was very a masculine way of tempering Rollins.
This was an exceptional read. Thanks for the share.
cntthnko1 9y ago
Discomfort is the best comforter because it helps you see the comfort in full, in all its possibilities; if someone keeps saving (aka hiding) you from it, it will be that much more difficult to recognize reality later on.
DirtJellyBeanz 9y ago
Dude... this iS fUCKING GOLDEN...
malandric 9y ago
I had a set yesterday on the bench press and as I went for my last rep I felt my muscles stop and shake. I just kept breath though and kept pushing. I finished my set and I felt amazing. Yea, lifting does wonders for you mentally.
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CrazyHorseInvincible 9y ago
/r/altTRP is that way ----->
TSM_Bjergson 9y ago
While this kind of reading isn't my cup of tea, I definitely agree with the message the article is trying to convey. Lifting for me is like a pillar; it's necessary for supporting the structure of my life. Without it, I'd probably be the mess that I was years ago both mentally and physically.
malditoduende 9y ago
Great read. The iron is indeed much more than people think.
Washedupoaf 9y ago
I've been lifting since I was 11 years old. I've read this before and it is amazing. Still gave me goosebumps reading it now. Everything here part and parcel is the truth. If you lift and learn to love it you will be paid dividends your whole life. The gym is my church, my sanctuary, the bars and dumbells my pulpit.
I know that there are other subs for it but we should consider a redpill focused lifting and fitness page. That way we could get real feedback from TRP types as opposed to going to r/fitness and whatnot. Just a thought
MetalliMunk 9y ago
The type of article that makes me want to go out and buy a bar and some weights right now. Thanks!
rizzla453 9y ago
Reading this in between sets
rpscrote 9y ago
For a while lifting was a chore. Now I look forward to it, I feel like shit if I don't go.
mstersmith 9y ago
That hangs in my wall walker at work. Everyday when I change into my uniform after my morning gym session I see this. I was that skinny guy for the majority of my life. It wasnt until I really wanted it and the gym truly became me time I put any meaningful weight on.
blacwidonsfw 9y ago
How did you change your eating? If you did at all..
mstersmith 9y ago
Actually it was a combination of age, hit 28 and I quit dipping Copenhagen. I was 180 pounds when I went out on a float and came back at 230. I was eating everything in site but that is normal and still is. I am 34 now and a cut is me still eating 3000 calories a day. I am in the Marines and as a young Marine we had to run a lot this wasn't very productive to gaining weight. When I finally bulked up I was on ship. Nothing to do but eat, sleep and lift. My advice to hard gainers is if you can do two exercises a week how many times are you going to dead lift and squat.
Ronin11A 9y ago
Uh, he likely ate more? 99% of all the people I've met who "can't gain weight" barely clear 2,500 calories a day when you make them actually sit down and count it all up. Force them to double it it, and, whoa, they gain weight.
JJGladiator 9y ago
Beautiful.
I am curious about which 10 exercises were shown.
[deleted] 9y ago
I can confirm. People notice changes in my behavior when I've been out of the gym for a while, even if they don't know that's the reason. It's especially difficult when I'm frustrated at work and can't release that in the gym.
But it's so nice to get a lift in before work or even a short one at lunch to get me going
ElderlyPossum 9y ago
Incredibly enjoyable and motivating article, especially the parts about kindness and sensitivity. A lot of the lessons taught on the sub promote distancing yourself from people and being solitary and while that is valuable I feel like it causes and lot of resentment and contempt if not balanced correctly. Independence is definitely the most important trait to learn but so is learning to enjoy your life and being close to people; sometimes you've just gotta have fun and enjoy yourself and sometimes it's good to open up to people and have intimacy with them.
Fetish_Goth 9y ago
God damn I wished I lived near a powerlifting gym. One can only do so much with typical gym that has machines and dumbells.
-Awake- 9y ago
This is exactly what I needed to read before I hit the weights in an hour. This whole essay is beautiful, and I want to send it to anyone who shit talks the gym
thetrenmademedoit 9y ago
Here's something for tomorow
http://youtu.be/vH0nP4NzS9M
fhghg 9y ago
Praise be to Brodin. Your strength is a testament unto him and I shall serve the dark lord of cardio no more.
rpscrote 9y ago
If thou pray for enough reps, a gaingel shall descend from heavens above, and grant unto thee swoley strength
errrzarrr 9y ago
Seems like there's something wrong about cardio for you.
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ChadThundercockII 9y ago
How dare you insult my lord,the dark lord of cardio !? You shall not be forgiven until you run 5 miles and skip rope for 10 mins.
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cereryman 9y ago
I can totally relate to what you're saying...
I recently starting lifting (in my late 20's) and it's changed a lot more then just my body; it's changed my mind. I think I always had low testosterone, which led to being beta, passive aggressive and afraid of confrontation. Just an all around pussy... raised by my mother and sister, with no male presence or role model.
Since I started working out, something's changed in my way of thinking. It's INDESCRIBABLE... it feels as though I've discovered my masculinity at the age of 27. I'm suddenly more competitive and less intimidated. I've started acting like a man... and it's liberating. This is why women can raise boys, but not men.
Lift, and work out your back and legs! The rise of testosterone will affect more then your body, your mind will change!
Geleemann 9y ago
Gave me goosebumps reading this
Movonnow 9y ago
One itis and long distance relationship. We all know how or ended.other than that, it was a great post. One could say the same, and more, about martial arts.
leodoestheopposite 9y ago
My interpretation of TRP is that nothing we do is about Pussy directly. Sure it is a sexual strategy, but the direct part is nothing more than a response to the pervasive direct addressing of female-to-male sexual strategy; everything else is about living a healthy and fulfilling life; pussy is a consequential effect.
Women are attracted to TRP man.
Betas waste a lot of time, energy, and resources trying to attract women.
[deleted] 9y ago
Dont be a gorilla, be a man. If you want to bed Asian chicks, a rich well dressed man with a baby face.