How do you know you're ready? Let me tell you something... You don't. As I'm lying here in the dark, alone in the gym and thinking about the next 18 weeks, I know this... You won't find answers anywhere. It's not written in any book. There's no guide. Nobody's gonna tell you it's time. Only one person will know... You. You just got to want it bad enough. Maybe one day you'll wake up and you'll know today's the day and you start your own journey. Just remember this... Making the decision to venture into the unknown, into uncharted territory--that's the hard part. You get over that, and your future will open up. Destiny will be within your grasp. That doesn't mean things will get any easier. Fuck no, they won't. But just getting to the edge, being able to look over--that's why I'm here. Listen, you can't wait until you think you're ready. I got news for you--you'll never be ready. You'll never be big enough. You'll never be lean enough. Your lagging parts will never catch up quick enough. So if you waited for that time when you thought you might be ready, you'd never step up. And if you don't step up, you're not in the game. I'm in the game. I'm gonna look and see what's on the other side..."
"In a couple hours, the sun will be up and the world will start buzzing. But for now, it's still dark outside and fucking cold. The gym is still empty, silent. I'm alone. I've got another set to do. I grip the bar, feel the cold iron in my hands. It's familiar, yet strange. How many times have I been under this weight, looked up, and tried to push the weight through the ceiling? I couldn't begin to count. But every time I feel the steel, I tell myself it's the first time--and the last. Never take anything for granted. Not a single rep. Not a single meal. That's what has kept me from getting stuck in a rut. What'll keep me fucking going for the next 18 weeks? It's a date circled in red. Soon, when I'm done here, I'll punch out and head on home. Is bodybuilding a job? Fuck yeah. The toughest in the world. And the gym is my office. When I get home, I'm not done for the day. Far from it. Shit, bodybuilding is a job, but it's much more than that. Bodybuilding... This is my life...
