Gunnery Sergeant Hartman said to the marines, “If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training... you will be a weapon, you will be a minister of death, praying for war. But until that day you are pukes! You're the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human fucking beings! You are nothing but unorganized grabasstic pieces of amphibian shit! Because I am hard, you will not like me. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard, but I am fair! Here you are all equally worthless! And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps! Do you maggots understand that?” (From the movie Full Metal Jacket)
If you believe you are a maggot before trying to change your life around, you made need a different type of coach. But if you came to boot camp to receive something, you won’t leave, you will adapt and push through.
According to the military, you don’t need self esteem to make a revolution in thinking. These tactics have been used for decades to push men to the limits. The reason is…because they work. Can you imagine trying to make a soldier with a soft voice and hugs?
What might work better: “Oh, you didn't finish the obstacle course in less than five minutes? That’s okay sweetheart, you’ll do better next time. You gave it your best shot and that is what counts…”
The most productive might be “You fucking lazy maggot, you get your ass over that wall in 2 seconds or else I will chop your fucking dick off…” chances are, you would get it done…
This week I came across a letter that was directed to Jillian Michaels from the TV Show “Biggest Loser”. For the letter, visit the website here. I have been thinking about this letter all week.
In a nutshell, Mr. Mohr makes an argument that people need to be essentially coddled into weight loss. He condemned Jillian Michaels for yelling denigrating comments to a nearly five hundred pound contestant on the show. For that, I have many thoughts.
Drill instructors (just like Sgt. Hartman) are in charge of moving soldiers through a rigorous training process. Self Esteem is not a concern; what matters are results.
In football, coaches are predominantly made of the same cloth. They yell and scream, and even demoralize players. Drawing from my own experiences, every coach I ever had, would frequently use ‘sissy’ or ‘pussy’ to describe an athlete at some point. Personally, I reacted by getting more pissed off, and more importantly, pushed myself to improve.
At Westside Barbell (a popular, but yet underground, gym), the coaches are known for their ability to, forcefully, churn out fierce competitors, and won’t exercise restraint when trying to motivate clients. The coaches there don’t allow excuses or complaints. These same coaches will mess with you until you are about to puke. They are known for making people push themselves to overcome sticking points. They cuss and scream.
Trainers/coaches are not supposed to be your friend. Plain and simple.
When you are over 50% body fat, then you need to get your ass wooped. You have made all the wrong choices with your eating, and now you have to learn a whole new school of thought. When you go from couch potato to a healthy lifestyle, you need a complete revolution in thinking. In the military, and in the same vein, you have to learn a whole new life philosophy. You need to get your ass wooped out of thinking for yourself. Sergeant Hartman suggests that the more you despise him, the more you will learn. This method works. This can cause a major evolution in thinking. It’s not personal either…just effective.
No excuses. If you want results, go get them. The biggest reason people fail at their fitness goals are the excuses. When the contestants get to the Biggest Loser Ranch, their life has been filled with one excuse after another. So why not allow Jillian Michaels to tear it up…and if you don’t like it you can quit and go back to the touchy feely way of pursuing your fitness goals.
I think Jillian uniquely helps people realize that you can’t get what you want out of life by making countless excuses. It is evident, that the Biggest Loser contestants dislike her while they train and then during the process, somewhere, they learn. When prodded with force, people will overcome their mental obstacles. The taste of success is what keeps people in the game.
I don’t feel as if Jillian Michaels is an icon of fitness training either. That’s like claiming that professional athletes are role models (a topic for another time). She is a trainer with her own style that resembles Sgt. Hartman. Your trainer may yell at you, but it is you that pushes yourself past the thoughts that tell you “I CAN’T”. Your trainer is not a life coach…there are therapists for that sort of thing.
My charter to you is: Go find a trainer that cusses at you like Jillian, train with them, and then go train with someone that is tender and cuddly…I will bet that you choose to work with the one that cusses the most. If you’re honest about how you arrived at your current situation, you will accept the punishment.
I am drafting a letter to Jillian too…
Dear Jillian, Thanks for having bigger testicles than most guys. If you get the inclination, could you call someone a maggot on the show…I just love it when other people get called maggots.
Sincerely,
Ntensity911
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