I realize that not everyone is exactly like me. And I understand that not everyone wants exactly what I want in life. I realize that the desire to be “so ridiculously strong for my size that it doesn’t make sense” isn’t everyone’s goal. But what I DO know is that whether or not you know it yourself, you want to be a better version of yourself. Like me, you want to out-do yourself, and you secretly (or publicly) want to know what you are capable of.
Most of the people that read this post are women. Some are men. This is because up until recently we were an all-women’s Boot Camp. Now that we have opened our doors to the opposite sex, i think that all of us will be kicking it up a notch. There’s something about training with the opposite sex that makes you want to not just beat your own records, but beat theirs. Guys feel like they can’t be “out-done” by a girl, and girls want the sick pleasure that comes with “out-doing” a guy! Admit it, you know it’s true!
I remember vividly working with Tabitha before she had become a trainer. I had her doing things with the bar that made the guys in the gym openly gawk at her. One day, a nice gentlemen in the gym walked over and offered Tab a pad for her shoulders. Before she could respond I said, “No she’s fine. She’s a beast.”
Many women would have heard this, dropped the barbell on my toe (that is, if I could have convinced them to even pick it up in t he first place) and walked out the door. Although Tab teased me about basically calling her a man, I KNOW without a doubt that she took it as a compliment. She is tough, strong, and ready to take on any challenge. I was in no way implying that she was any less feminine than the lady in the corner of the gym with her pink 3-pounders doing strange things with her arms, but unlike the lady in the corner, Tab is a “beast” in my book because she is constantly challenging and out-doing herself (and the meatheads). She never says no.
Being a beast, as previously stated, is NOT about looking like a beast. It is really a term to describe ones mental state. I am a beast because I am willing to try anything. I want to be a beast. I want to be CALLED a beast. If someone gave me a dirty look and said “You are a beast!” after doing something impressive in the gym, I would be more flattered than if I was asked to replace Heidi Klum as a Victoria’s Secret Model (Baaahahahahaha… hopefully you all just had a good laugh).
That being said, most of you Boot Campers are beasts. Just signing up for Boot Camp points you in the direction of Beast Status. Why? Because you could have chosen the easy route. You could have popped in some walking DVD’s at home and changed your eating habits. But Boot Camp is about SO MUCH MORE than that! It’s about the sense of accomplishment that you feel after each workout. It’s realizing that you can get lower in your squat, press heavier with your Kettlebell overhead, touch your chest to the floor in a push up. It’s the realization that you LOVE the burn after a workout, you smile when you have a hard time lifting your arms to wash your hair in the shower, and you keep coming back for more. It’s the change you’ve made to your LIFESTYLE as a whole, that has subsequently impacted your family, friends and co-workers (maybe you’ve even convinced them to join Boot Camp, too!).
I got an email from Rebecca (a current Boot Camper) during the Bi-week. She was in Florida visiting family, and faithfully working out at a gym as a visiter. She brought with her a stack of print-outs of “at-home” workouts I have created for you guys the past few months. After performing 3 circuits of one of the workouts and then finishing up with a few sets of sprints on the treadmill, a man came up to her and said “Man, that looked tough! If I had attempted what you just did, they’d have to take me out of here on a stretcher!” Rebecca took that as a huge compliment, and that pumped her up to do another crazy work out the next day. Why? Because Rebecca is a beast, and she knows it!
With that said, be a beast. Be a better version of yourself after each workout. Show up, get it done, and pat yourself on the back on the way out. Don’t dare say “I can’t” because if you do, you’re right. You can’t. But if you say you can, then YOU CAN. Be a beast. Mentally.
As many of you know, I’m currently training for the RKC Certification that is happening in a few weeks. I’m working hard and busting my butt to not just pass but to nail it. It has been likened to Marine Boot Camp by former Marine’s and “as painful as labor” by Mom’s who have attended. What draws me to it, though, is not just the fact that I’m pretty much in love with Kettlebells and want to be the best in the area at using/instructing them, but also because one of the goals of the RKC is to “make small women as strong as big men”. Also because there is a huge fail rate and I want to know I worked hard to pass. Because they mean it very literally when they say “you’ll pass with blood, sweat and tears.” Why? Because in my heart I’m a beast. I have no intentions of looking like a “big man”, but with mental drive and a strong heart, I know I can do anything.
BE A BEAST! And be proud 
Train hard, stay focused! To your success,
Emily
