The Rocky 4 Training Montage Was My Early Inspiration.
This article is about one my favorite movie scenes of all time, the Rocky 4 training montage.
The Rocky 4 training montage inspired me to train and improve myself even before I started lifting weights. This competitive drive was mostly applied towards bettering myself in the off-season for baseball.
Since I started training in 2006, this scene has played in my mind time and time again anytime I’ve tried to really bring it in the gym
If you have not seen Rocky 4 (or any of the Rocky movies), you need to do that.
It’s just one of those stories that I feel is crucial for any man to see.
Rocky 4 shows Rocky avenging the death of his friend Apollo Creed by fighting Ivan Drago.
The stakes are especially high because this is during the 1980’s and the Cold War is still going on between the US and the Soviet Union.
The movie is obviously packed with a lot of awesome fight scenes, but the one scene everyone remembers is the training scene where you see the two of them training their asses off.
It’s Rocky Balboa versus Ivan Drago long before they meet in the ring.
Here’s the scene I am talking about. Take a few minutes to watch it and then I’ll explain its significance:
The main thing that stands out to me is that both these dudes are training with heart and soul.
This is a dying concept because for the most part, people don’t train like this anymore. People don’t really become consumed by their fitness goals to the point where they will do anything to achieve them.
They simply show up, train and hope for the best. But you rarely see anybody in the gym absolutely killing themselves anymore.
It’s a shame because when it comes to building muscle or losing weight, this gives you a massive mental (and physical edge) during your early years. You have to train with your heart and soul.
You can’t just show up and do what you have always done and hope for the best. You can’t stay comfortable. You must bring it.
How does the Rocky 4 training montage apply to beginners?
The end depends upon the beginning my friends. If you start off your journey in the iron game with a just going through the motions mindset, you’ve already lost.
You’ll never reach your full potential and you are a prime candidate to become a future gym bro who resorts to the use of anabolics long before he is ready.
In order to avoid this, you must start your journey off right. Your competitive spirit must be on full blast.
You want to build muscle and get awesome results? Then you gotta be in the gym 4-5 days a week pushing heavy weight. You want to lose weight? Then you must be getting up early in the morning and doing your cardio on an empty stomach. You must also suffer through a strict diet.
The main thing you guys should see viewing the Rocky 4 training montage is that both of these guys “wanted it” and they were willing to put themselves through anything to get ready for the fight.
You clearly see this with Rocky in the clip where he’s pulling a sled through a blizzard. That’s what I’m talking about. You want results in the gym… you must go beyond the norm and train like an animal. You must claw for every gain you are trying to make.
My favorite memories in the gym throughout the years usually took place late at night or early in the morning, when no one else was around.
No audience… no spectators… just me and old iron chasing something. I can still see it.
I’m training with emotion, putting my heart and soul into every rep… chasing something. That something was (and remains) greatness.
That’s the type of mindset you need if you want true success in the iron game. You’re not just trying to get in shape… you’re chasing greatness. You’re chasing physical accomplishment.
You’re a warrior. You must be willing to do anything to attain greatness in the gym. This might mean training late at night. Or it might mean waking up and doing cardio early in the morning.
Although you don’t have an Ivan Drago to train against, you always have one opponent who you can always rely upon for motivation… yourself.
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2 Comments
Hey Sonny,
Have you heard if Rich Piana’s “Big as Fuck” program? What do you think of it?
My concern of doing it natty is I just get fat, because I eat too many calories and don’t progressively overload on exercises because the splits and exercises keep changing.
Johnny
Hey bro. Try it out and see if it works!
One of the biggest mistakes guys make is forming an opinion on a particular split or routine without even trying it.
Remember experiment experiment experiment….