From the moment we are born we are this incongruous matter that is always seeking, seeking to build, refine, expand, and better our forms to continuously grow into something more than what we are in the present. While we don’t always have a say in what the world gives us, we do have the ability to work with it.
So we work, not just against the struggle, but for a dream. We are all visionaries in the sense that we see beyond ourselves, these forms with names. We have to earn it though, it's not just given and something not earned will not sustain the feelings of worthiness or contentedness for long. But what do you call that moment when you're working for something and it's so close that you can almost reach out and grasp it? You can't see it, but a few more moments (that feel like forever) and it'll be yours if you can hold on.
Grind /ɡrīnd/ - Sharpen, smooth, or produce (something) by crushing or by friction.
You’ve heard people say it, proclaim it, swear by it. They’ve been “grinding”. It’s most often used to portray an individual hard at work, near the point of breaking. Someone who is working so hard that if it were quantifiable, there would be no question that whatever task they’re facing would eventually be surmounted. In powerlifting we often find ourselves, knowingly or not, in the grind.
Throughout the year, across the globe, a small number will gather to spend a day sharing in glory and defeat. All with the same general goal of getting stronger, getting better. In that period they will all do the same. They will all grind. A weight will be placed before them and they’ll be asked to lift it. They will strain, they will grunt, they will push, pull, fight against a number, and they will either succeed or they will fail. Every lifter will grind because we are all seeking betterment and that does not come without challenge.
What follows are a few examples from the 18th of May at the Drug Tested Long Beach Metroflex Meet:
Christopher Rivas (@kilikarivas) finds himself in his first meet and with nothing to prove, has already put impressive numbers as he approaches the platform for his first deadlift. It drops. In the pit, the other lifters learn that he’s torn away his palm. He asks around for glue and is able to find some. By the time his second attempt has approached, he walks toward the weight with the crowd none the wiser to what has transpired. He pulls, his body strains, muscles bulging and face contorting as the bar bends and leaves its original position to slowly ascend. It is slow, it is steady, it is a grind; suddenly, the bar comes back down to the ground like lightning and reminds us of its weight. His hand is ripped even more now, but he needs to get this weight, he’s done it so many times before. Chris goes up a final time, but the bar fails to move at all, but he leaves knowing full well that they will meet again.
Joel Perez (@hoel727) is a calm man, but a quiet intensity surrounds him. Throughout the day, his squats have been deep, his bench has been fast, and his deadlifts soar. This is a man with a plan and he will not stray. It seems like he’s done this for a while, but it’s only his second meet in two years. He injured his shoulder and knee after the first competition and has been slowly rebuilding to get back into powerlifting. He’s rebuilt his form and spent plenty of time reading into different programs and articles to reconstruct the way he lifts. The calculated return has been just as efficient as his lifts. He’s been careful not to injure himself again and admits that he probably could’ve done a meet sooner, but lacked confidence in himself. Finally, with two weeks out from the meet he buys in, ready to get back into it. Ready to push his body. Joel goes 8/9 that day and increases his squat and bench.
Jason Oregel (@Jaysmyname) is warming up in the back. The plate jumping goes well, it is mechanical, but as he approaches his last warm up the weight is a struggle to get up. His mind begins racing, but even in the fog of adrenaline he is collected enough to realize that he must lower his opener. He’s recently dropped fifty pounds and as expected, it is having a toll on him. He can’t dwell on that now, the meet isn’t over. He chooses to fight another day and get on the board in the present. It is never easy to admit to our shortcomings, but it takes a wise individual to make the call. It’s the right one as his first deadlift goes up. He's in the game. He’s been here before, his third meet in three years, and as before he’s always looking to improve. He does so, not enough (never enough) but it leaves him hungry for more.
That day they knowingly or not shared in the growth that comes from a meet. They’ve changed from this experience and it might not be the biggest, but it sets a new dynamic going forward. They have learned that this will not be their highest high or their lowest low, because there is more work to do. They’ve already gone back to the grind, different goals and new ways to achieve them, but always committed to getting there. Best of luck in your next prep and thank you for allowing me to share your stories.
So while this article came from the struggle of powerlifting, it speaks moreso to the everyday. Times are difficult, days will be tough, moments seem to last forever, but if you grind, if you stand resolute and do what you can to see a task through, you will stand fucking tall. You have everything you will ever need, yourself, and that is enough. We’ve all heard “Iron sharpens Iron”, but you are more than that because iron does not have ambitions; iron will not move of its own accord. The bar only moves when we make it, and we toil away to make it so and if it will not bend now there will come a day. The bar will not stay motionless forever.
With that in mind, strain your bodies, overstuff your schedules, refine your diet to function better, push yourself and discover that you can squeeze out just a little more. It’s a struggle, but it’s one we freely choose. You will look back in awe, at the moments that shaped you and the challenges you bent to your will, and goddamn what a sight it will have been to witness, but even moreso to live through.
Crawl, Limp, Walk, Run, Fly. Struggle. Grow.
Grind.
