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BodybuildingPro.com  Training Database Advanced Training Tips What it Takes to Be a Champion
What it Takes to Be a Champion
Every so
often you meet a bodybuilder who is very different. They radiate a
mysterious strength, power, and charisma that is seldom seen. You
may not be able to put your finger on exactly what it is that is
that makes this person stand out, but something special is
definitely there; they are a champion.
Skeptics
would say that it is drugs that makes these athletes better than
the rest, but if you had the opportunity to study a group of these
exceptional athletes, you would find that every single one of them
has certain outstanding characteristics in common that the losers
do not. They all take specific actions every day. They all have
similar thought patterns and belief systems. They all talk alike.
They all have specific personality traits. They all have certain
habits. It is these traits that set them apart from the
failures.
What are
these qualities that make these people so exceptional? And why do
so few have them while most do not? This list of 12 traits will
describe what qualities separate the winners from the losers. If
you cultivate these traits in yourself, you too can become a
champion and you will grow with an aura of strength and power that
will set you on the road to bodybuilding success.
The
12 Traits of Champions:
(1)
Champions are positive thinkers; they believe in
themselves.
Undoubtedly the most important quality that all champions share
is an unwavering belief that they will succeed. Champions always
look for the good in every situation. No matter what obstacles they
encounter, they always continue to think positive. Without
confidence, faith in your abilities, and positive mental attitude,
you’ve defeated yourself before you ever step
onstage.
(2)
Champions visualize their successes.
Champions
understand the importance of positive mental imagery or
visualization. Champion bodybuilders visualize exactly how they
want their bodies to look, they see themselves standing onstage
accepting the first place trophy, and they mentally rehearse every
workout in vivid detail. They do this over and over in their minds
hundreds or even thousands of times before it becomes physical
reality.
(3)
Champions surround themselves with positive people and avoid
negative influences.
Champions
keep themselves in a "positive shell" and do not associate with
negative people, places, or things. Arnold Schwarzenegger put it
this way: "I have nothing to do with negative relationships. I stay
away from negative influences. I have no time for negative thinkers
and pessimists. Such people will suck you dry until you have become
as pessimistic as they are. Then you’ll have not just one but
two losers."
(4)
Champions are goal setters.
Champions
realize that if they don’t know where they’re going,
that is exactly where they’ll end up; nowhere! Champions
consistently set long and short-term goals. From day to day workout
goals to long term career objectives, champion’s have written
out specific, measurable goals with a deadline.
(5)
Champions have a burning desire to succeed.
Champions
not only have goals, but they ardently desire them. Robert Collier,
summed up the idea of desire beautifully in his 1926 self-help
classic Secret of the Ages." He said, "Very few people know how to
desire with sufficient intensity. They do not know what it is to
feel and manifest that intense, eager, longing, craving, insistent,
demanding, ravenous desire which is akin to the persistent,
insistent, ardent, overwhelming desire of the drowning man for a
breath of air, or a desert-lost man for a drink of water, or the
famished man for bread and meat." Champions have burning desire.
They want it and they want it badly.
(6)
Champions are disciplined and consistent.
Champions
live and breathe the bodybuilding lifestyle all year round. They
are committed and disciplined in training and dietary practices.
They know that in bodybuilding there is no off-season and success
does not come overnight. Champions never miss a scheduled workout
and never miss a meal. Champion bodybuilders are probably the most
dedicated athletes in any sport.
(7)
Champions are persistent
Champions
never, ever quit. Thomas Edison was the epitome of persistence: He
conducted 10,000 experiments before finally finding a filament that
would burn in the electric light bulb. Champion bodybuilders
approach their vocation with the same diligence of an Edison. They
know that if they persist long enough, eventually they must
succeed.
(8)
Champions learn from their failures
Champions
don't view losses as failures, they see them as learning
experiences. When asked how it felt to fail 10,000 times, Thomas
Edison replied, " I didn’t fail, I learned 9,999 ways that
wouldn’t work." Champions know that they haven’t failed
until they quit; but once they quit, then they have failed. A
champion finds a lesson in every apparent loss and finds ways to
grow from it.
(9)
Champions have incredible powers of focus and
concentration
Champions
set goals and then maintain a laser-like focus on them. They have
the ability to always keep the long term objective in their sights
while focusing 100% on what they are doing at the moment. If you
watch a champion train you will notice that they are completely
oblivious to their surroundings. 100% of their focus and
concentration is on what they are doing. They almost appear to have
slipped into a hypnosis-like trance. This peak physiological and
psychological state has often been referred to as being in "the
zone" or being in "flow." Champions can access this state instantly
at will. When it comes time to train they turn everything else off
and zero in on what they are doing.
(10)
Champions have a deep love and boundless enthusiasm for the
sport.
To a
loser, training and dieting is work and drudgery. To a champion,
training and dieting are a love, a joy, and a passion. Champions
are enthusiastic about what they do; they can’t wait to train
each day. Motivational speaker Tom Hopkins once said, "Work is
anything you’re doing when you’d rather be doing
something else." Champions are doing what they love, so to them
it’s not work at all, its fun!
(11)
Champions strive for constant and never ending
improvement
Champions
are never satisfied with the status quo; they never rest on their
laurels. Champions aim for small improvements every day in every
way. Champions are open-minded and are always looking for a better
way to do things. Although champions are always striving for more,
they also realize that success is a journey, so they enjoy each
moment and savor every step along the way.
(12)
Champions are hard workers; they are willing to go the extra
mile
Positive
thinking, goal setting, visualization, desire, persistence, and
enthusiasm are vital, but without action and hard work, these
traits are all worthless. Edison said, "Success is 98% perspiration
and 2% inspiration." Champions are hard workers. Champions take
consistent action and they are willing to do the things that the
losers are not. Champions make themselves go to the gym when they
don’t feel like going. Champions stay on the bike another 15
minutes, even when they are exhausted. Champions do 5 extra reps
after the losers have stopped. Champions are steadfast with their
diets when the failures break down and cheat. Champions have the
willingness to train through the pain barrier while the failures
quit when it starts to hurt. In short, champions go the extra
mile.
This article was provided
courtesy of Tom Venuto and www.burnthefat.com. Tom is a lifetime natural
bodybuilder, personal trainer, gym owner, freelance writer and
author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle" (BFFM): Fat Burning
Secrets of the World's Best Bodybuilders and Fitness
Models.
Take care,
webmaster@bodybuildingpro.com
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