Why Giving 120% is 20% TOO MUCH!
Posted by Blogger@ dsiiti.com on Thu, Apr 01, 2010 @ 12:00 PM
When people say “I’ll give it 120%”, am I the only one that wishes they’ll fail miserably? It just drives me bonkers when I hear that!
Here’s my thought! If you’re just going to pull random percentages out of your butt, why stop at 120%? Why not say, ‘I’ll give it 439 Gazillion Percent!’? (I didn’t know how many zeros were in a gazillion, so yes, I had to write it out!) All I know is if I’m going to live in a fantasy world with unicorns, leprechauns, the Little Mermaid, the Loch Ness Monster and overly exaggerated percentages...I’m going to dream big!
Let me break this down for ya! It’s only possible for someone to give 100%. 101% doesn’t exist! I mean, Superman can do some crazy stuff (i.e. stop bullets, jump buildings, fly, make the earth rotate backwards, date Lois Lane even with those nerdy glasses) but even Superman can only muster up 100%! If you think the ability to give more than 100% exists, then your definition of
100% must be my definition of 90%! If you’re still leaving enough in the tank to be able to do more than 100%...shame on you!
Tony Horton, whom I consider to be the ‘Godfather’ of working out, says ‘Do your best and forget the rest!’ It’s simple, but easier said than done! If you always do your best, you WILL get your desired results whether its weight-loss, muscle-gain, running faster/longer, or jumping higher.
So here are a few workout tips:
· If your goal is toning & gaining lean muscle mass, don’t stop at 10 repetitions just because 10 is a nice round number! When the Steelers are in the Red Zone with 17 points on the board, they don’t just kick a field goal on 1st down because 20 is a nice even number...they go for the endzone! Push it and fight for an 11th, 12thor even 13th rep! Give it 100% He-Man!
· If your goal is to gain mass and bulk up, lift heavier weights and low repetitions...no more than 6-10 reps. If you can get more than 10 reps, keep your shirt on because you didn’t transform into Hulk Hogan...you just need to add more weight! Don’t be doggin’ it, give 100%.
· Someone at the gym once told me, ‘If you want to get bigger, put more food on the plate & more weight on the bench!’ Yes, this concept is NOT as profound as rocket science, just keep it simple and use common sense! Though your brain is NOT a muscle, your brain does tell your muscles what to do so use 100% of it!
To summarize, quit living in a fairy tale sippin’ zero-calorie beer with Count Dracula & Big Foot! [Ed. Note: Can you imagine THAT party?] Drop these erroneous 100% references from your vocabulary! You sound stupid! Seriously, stop right now!
Please Note: From what I understand, scientists have conducted numerous extensive studies and have deduced that Chuck Norris does have the ability to give 101% but come on...he’s Chuck Freakin’ Norris!