I go a little bit mental in the gym whenever a plate gets put in the wrong place, when a mat gets left out or when some other random piece of equipment isn’t put back exactly where I think it should go.
I harp on about the negative connotations of some words and phrases and how I don’t like them being used by myself or our coaches in the gym.
I moan about time keeping in sessions; whether that’s too much rest, not enough rest, sessions starting too late or finishing too late.
And I groan about exercises not being regressed soon enough and over coaching.
I don’t do it because I don’t think my team aren’t good enough. In fact, it’s the opposite.
I believe my team are second to none in Glasgow. Wholeheartedly, and without any shadow of a doubt, in my mind.
I do it because the wolf is always scratchin’ at the door.
The Rock made a statement recently when asked about how he can keep getting up at 4am to workout and put in 16-18 hour days on set, despite the fact he’s already the highest grossing and highest paid actor in Hollywood.
He said:
“I was evicted at 14 and completely broke by 23. Every day I wake up as if that eviction notice is right around the corner waiting for me, which is why I always say: ‘the wolf is always scratchin’ at the door’.
He’s scratchin’ cause he’s hungry and never satisfied. We embrace and respect our past (even if it was f****d up), but we never let it define our future. Let’s stay hungry and chase that greatness.”
For me, my goal was simple when we opened Improve Glasgow: become the best Personal Training & group training gym in the city.
It’s taken over a year, but we’re there now. I’m 100% sure of that.
Thing is, this is the time I look at being the most difficult thus far.
There’s gyms opening up all over the place, at a rate like never before. There’s courses churning out Personal Trainers faster than ever.
So there’s always people gunning for my/our spot.
We’ve got to be better. We must do better. And we must not ever stop, because – like the big chap says -the wolf is always scratchin’ at the door.
For you, the crossover/appliance of this phrase is simple.
Getting in shape is fairly simple…you eat less and move more. But staying in shape is tricky.
It’s easy to take your foot off the gas, indulge more and stop training/moving as much. Sooner than you’d like, you’ve slipped up and gained weight and/or lost fitness/strength.
Likewise, If you’ve just a achieved a promotion or finally got the job you wanted, it’s also easy to slip into a comfort zone and kick back.
“I’ve made it” is a dangerous statement to think and even more dangerous to believe.
We never make it. There’s always more to achieve. There’s always further to go.
Keep pushing forward and be relentless in your pursuit of your goals (and greatness), because the wolf is always scratchin’ at the door.
