…and is that a bad thing?

We all go through it from time to time. That feeling that all you gains will be lost with just one missed trip to the gym. It happens to the best of us, no doubting it. In the mission to get cut and shredded, there’s no denying that obsession plays a key factor in obtaining success. No one has ever gotten ripped by hitting the gym once or twice a week with low intensity. If there was, then please introduce them to us so we can: A.) ask them what their secret is, and B.) kick their ass for saying they were just born that way. It’s sad to say for us mere mortals, we’re simply going to have to put the work in. But does that mean you must be obsessed?

We’ll make it short and simple. Yes. There’s no way that you’re getting massive muscle, cut and shredded like as superhero unless you’re working your ass off in the gym. The whole point of having a gym membership is to workout and workout hard. Take advantage of the money you’re spending, unless you don’t mind it getting flushed down the toilet.

Now, a lot of people would say that obsession is a bad thing, and in some instances they’d be right. For some of us, there’s a tendency to get so obsessed – so much so in fact that we begin to lose our humanity in the journey to, well, lose our humanity. We don’t want to look like the average Joe, we’re out to be the 1%, the people that are looked on with admiration. The problem with losing your humanity is that you get disconnected from everyone and everything else in your life. Bodybuilding can be a 24/7 deal where your entire life is so focused on building a ripped form and shedding body fat that alienate friends and family, maybe even miss out on other golden opportunities that present themselves.

This is the eternal struggle for greatness. It’s not just shared by fitness nuts and bodybuilders – but by any make or model of person who can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t relax until they’ve become a new breed. Until they accomplish something no one has ever done before – or reach a new level that becomes the new #1. Many people won’t understand it. They might find it unhealthy. But if you look at any champion, any hero, any historical icon – they all shared one thing in common: unhealthy dreams for a new world. Their odds of success incredibly stacked against them. And suddenly when they finally did succeed – it all suddenly doesn’t seem that unhealthy. It seems amazing.

So what’s your take on the subject? Can obsession be healthy for you gains or ruin your social life? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.