Four Hard Lessons From Life That Build Mental Toughness

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Iron Resilience

Pity is Weakness

I have learned sometimes in life there are people who lack physical strength or the capacity to exert physical force against you as a means of control. Therefore they sell you a sob story to bring you down to their level and then use that as a way to prey upon or exploit you. A manipulation tactic of weak people who have no other way to gain control. And when we pity them they don’t usually hold us in high regard for doing so. It reminds them of their own unfortunate situations. Which sadly are bleak.

Misery loves company, and therefore you should avoid miserable people. Lest they make you miserable. When we pity ourselves we become trapped in the victim mentality.

No one respects an overgrown crybaby always sobbing and boo hooing about their problems in life. It’s a sign of disrespect to yourself and is disrespectful to others. Not only that but it is socially off-putting to people. And ruins relationships and prevents any new ones or close ones from forming.

People respect winners not losers. Nobody is going to have respect for a loser begging for a trophy he or she didn’t earn.

Happiness Isn’t Life’s Purpose

The purpose of life isn’t to be happy. In fact objectively life has no purpose besides the subjective meaning you give it. In life you cannot be a free agent chasing the phantasma of what reality ought to be or the reality you are told to accept. Instead focus on what you can control and accept everything that you cannot. Be formless and adaptable to the chaotic energy of the universe and reverse problems into opportunities.

Never Tie Happiness To People

A lot of relationships will be temporary. A lot of them will be bad. And a lot of the bad ones can be long term or life long if you let it. Therefore realise the beauty in impermanence and always when to walk away.

A lot of people will think that their own value is determined by being in a relationship and what that person in that relationship thinks about them. They are held back by the fear and uncertainty of not knowing whether or not without this person they’ll find love, affection, comfort or that spark they had. The truth is your value is determined by the amount of self worth you give yourself. And this negative self talk and doubt about being able to find a suitable spouse or partner is simply holding you back in that area.

The cycle of doubt and negative self talk keeps you in the wrong relationship which is the very thing holding you back from finding the right one.

Know your value.

Imitation or Duplication is Mutilation

You never want to meet your heroes in life anyways as then you find out they aren’t that great or heroic. Someone who is just a regular person like yourself who had a combination of natural talent and hard work then made the right sort of connections and a bit of luck and dedication making it out of a bad situation and into a rather fortunate or elite level figurehead of power is an inspiring tale to many. It motivates even the most uninspired and lazy to take action. And the unimaginative to try to be special forces operators, fitness influencers or the next Andrew Tate.

Greater men than me have said it far better and even they knew they were standing on shoulders of giants themselves. That was indeed their secret. Along with something most people don’t have not even the gifted or talented who often burnout and quit or get lazy and quit. That is they forge their own individual path in life based on their own individual judgement as the authority. Not by copying or emulating someone more successful who has often embellished about themselves and kept the humiliating failures or embarrassments in their life hidden. Usually you can do this by keeping your mouth shut about your private life online and keeping your clothes on online.

Do you want to be the Walmart Great Value Brand Andrew Tate just screaming at a phone camera about how great you are and how rich you are and how everybody else is fat and stupid besides you? All of course so you can sell some plagiarized or bullshit mindset coaching for an obvious cash grab.

That isn’t how Andrew Tate did it. He did it simply by hustling street style online. By the time he made all that lifestyle coaching stuff then he had his money already so he could work his alpha male gimmick. He already had fame and infamy he could use and leverage. Himself now exposed as a cash grab and associated with organized crime and human trafficking/pimping.

He didn’t do it by copying the online persona he created to sell scams and bullshit courses and coaching to naive young men online. Well educated but without means or opportunity to get a decent career. Seeing perhaps a glimmer of hope in being an influencer or alpha male coach. Those with daddy’s money at their disposal fail dismally and much to the amused laughter of your humble author.

Never copy another man or wanna be another man in life. If you don’t wanna be you then become a version of you that you do want to be. If you’re young and don’t know who that is then yes pick a suitable mentor or role model. But not some asshole online you don’t know who’s hungry for money and has the morality of a used cars salesman.

Never try to be another man. Period. Full stop.

The No-Nonsense Beginner Routine That Builds Real Muscle

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Iron Resilience

Introduction

This routine is meant for people who have either:

Been lifting for under a year and are new to the gym.
Been lifting for over a year but still look the same or aren’t as strong as they want to be.

First, let me state this isn’t your average “get in, get out” nonsense juicemonkey men’s health or lardass 5×5 routine. This is the real deal.

Forget about:

Stupid isolation movements that stimulate your imagination more than your muscles
Relying on dumbbell fluff and machines.
Training lazy and maintaining mediocrity.

We’re going to get back to basics and use the tried-and-true exercises that actually work.

These exercises will be: bench, deadlift, squat, barbell row, chin ups (pull ups), dips, press, barbell curl, and overhead tricep extensions.

The idea here is simple: Strength first, size later. You need a strong base before you start chasing aesthetics. That’s how the pros did it, and that’s how you’ll do it.

And here we shall be focusing on linear progression: add weight to the bar every workout until that stalls then every week until that stalls and build real power. No shortcuts. No magic bullets.

Progression

Lower body lifts: Add 5-10 lbs once you hit 3×6

Upper body lifts: Add 2.5-5 lbs once you hit 3×6

Simple as that.

Workout Duration: 30-60 minutes. Get in, lift heavy, get out. No fucking around.

Some days you will be stronger than others and some days you will be able to do more reps or work than others. The body isn’t a machine that plays by the rules all the time and we can’t get caught up in failing to increase the weight.

If progress slows down then start adding weight every week. When that no longer yields results it’s time to move on to a new routine.

If you want to be the strongest guy in the room then this is what you need to do.

Workout Duration: 30-60 minutes. Get in, do the work, and get out.

You will stick to this routine until you can successfully perform the following for at least 1 rep but ideally 6-8:

Bench Press: 225 lbs

Deadlift: 405 lbs

Squat: 315 lbs

Press: 135 lbs

Curl: 110 lbs

Overhead Triceps Extension: 105 lbs

Row: 225 lbs

Weighted Dip: 95 lbs

Weighted Chin-up: 45 lbs

Which you will be able to do depending on your commitment to the routine in about 6 to 8 months.

These are rough estimates based on proportional strength across lifts. Your actual numbers might vary depending on your leverages and specific training.

Cut out the fluff, stop wasting your time, and focus on what works. Lift heavy, stay consistent, and get stronger. That’s how you build muscle that actually matters.

The Routine

Monday/Thursday – Chest/Back + Arms

Bench Press – 3 x 6

Incline Dumbbell Press: 2-3 x 8-12

Barbell Rows – 2×6-8

Weighted Chin Ups or One Arm Chin Up Practice – 3 x 6

Overhead Barbell Tricep Extensions – 3 x 6-8

Barbell Curls – 3 x 6-8

Hammer Curls – 2 x 15-20

Finisher:

Rope Pushdowns – 25-50 total reps

Shrugs – 30-50 total reps

Tuesday, Friday – Shoulders + Lower-body/Abs

Seated or Standing Barbell Press – 3 x 6

Lateral Raises – 3 x 10-15

Back Squats – 3 x 6

Deadlifts – 3 x 3-5

Leg Extensions – 3 x 15

Finisher:

Calf Raises – 50 total reps

Hanging Leg Raises – 75-100 total reps

Why It Works

1. Builds a solid foundation of strength.

2. We hit every muscle twice in a week.

3. Is progressive.

4. Focused on the main lifts.

Do the basics. Progress will come, trust me.

30-Day Ironclad Self-Discipline Challenge: 7 Powerful Habits for Unstoppable Success

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Iron Resilience

In the popular style of many 30 day or 60 day challenges. I am creating one here for my valued readers. These are all simple habits anyone can start doing at any time and anywhere. No matter who they are or what they know.

For the next 30 days, you will live by and seek to internalize these habits for increased discipline, health, fitness and financial success. As well as getting enough rest and sleeping properly.

Habit #1 – Wake up 4 hours earlier than usual

While these babies are sleeping…we are either getting fitter or smarter or richer.

Most people start their mornings before work, college, or whatever else is on the agenda by waking up an hour or two before their day starts. Someone who wakes up 4 hours earlier than usual (for a 9-to-5 lifestyle, that means 5 AM, and for an 8-to-4, that means 4 AM) gains an extra two hours of time.

The key here is that you gain time to actually wake up, plan your day, and get a workout in during the quietest part of your day. Of course, all while everyone else is still asleep and probably making excuses to skip it later. The day hasn’t even started, and they’ve already called it quits

Research shows that the brain is most alert during the first few hours of waking up. Early risers tend to be more focused and productive because they aren’t distracted by the events of the day. This is due to the circadian rhythm, which affects cognitive performance.

Early mornings allow for a calm period to reflect, meditate, workout, or plan your day, reducing stress before it builds up. Or before you run out of time to do them. Instead they’ve already been done because you got out of bed and got to work.

Achieving something early in the day, such as completing a workout, builds confidence and momentum.

By taking advantage of the quiet early morning hours, you can build discipline, improve your mood, and enhance productivity, all while achieving better results in the gym and in life.

Finding it hard to achieve: gradually wake up 15 minutes earlier each day until you’re at your target time. Use those early hours to focus on your biggest tasks, whether it’s self-development, working on your goals, or simply getting ahead in your work. Ensure you get at least 6.5 to 8 hours of sleep.

Habit #2 – Get 8 hours of sleep every night

While a lot of people may tell you that you don’t need sleep any bodybuilder or professional worth their weight in salt knows the value of a good night’s sleep. Ideally you want to hit 8 hours a night. If you are going to be waking up at 5am, then you are going to be in bed at 9pm and certainly no later than 11pm.

Establish a consistent bedtime and stick to it. Avoid screens and big meals before bed. Make sure your sleeping environment is dark, cool, and quiet. Prioritize sleep over late-night distractions.

In other words, your phone, laptop and other gadget’s don’t go to bed with you.

Quality sleep benefits your cognition, improves your memory, and improves decision making abilities. Sleep is especially important for those working out or recovering from physical strain, or illness. Sufficient sleep helps regulate mood and emotions, therefore, decreasing anxiety and irritability.

Sleep regulates important hormones, including cortisol (stress hormone) and ghrelin (hunger hormone) all of which will affect your health and body composition.

Habit #3 – Complete a to-do list with at least 5 tasks daily

Every night, 15 to 20 minutes before bed you are going to take out a notepad and a pen. And you are going to write down 5 to 10 tasks that you can realistically accomplish and that need to be done or are even overdo already. No more procrastinating and no more bullshitting yourself. This is a solid but simple system for staying accountable and making real progress. If you commit to this every night, you’ll be miles ahead in no time.

This nightly habit is a powerful accountability tool that helps you stay focused, productive, and disciplined. By writing down tasks each night, you create clarity, direction, and momentum for the next day.

Waking up with a plan prevents wasted time and energy on deciding what to do. While it’s important to be flexible sometimes being utterly fucking clueless about what you need to get done in a run of a day will compound into weeks, months and then years of wasted time. You can’t sulk about what time you already burned away but you can recapture the time you have left. And most importantly no one is guaranteed any amount of time. Every second, every minute and every hour counts.

Priotizing what matters in life and needs to be done and then spending the day ahead doing them is powerful. No other word suffices. Only a powerful man or woman does that. They decide on what needs to be done no matter how big or small, write it down and they go about it task by task.

Do the most important tasks first and that means especially the ones you dread, the ones you hate and the ones you have been putting off for days, weeks or even years.

Knowing what you need to do fuels motivation, builds discipline and gives you purpose. Achieving them gives you confidence and life experience. And small positive habits compound over time.

30 minutes a day for a year is:

1 year = 182.5 hours (7.6 full days)

5 years = 912.5 hours (38 full days)

That’s over a month of nonstop work in five years.

If applied to skill-building, fitness, or personal growth, this compounds into mastery and transformation over time. Small, consistent efforts lead to massive long-term results.

Writing things down will give you more mental clarity and structure. Doing them will build confidence and long term results with even consistent small efforts.

Habit #4 – Answer yes or no without hesitation

A man of inaction is universally resented by most types of people. He can’t decide what he wants in life and doesn’t have the backbone to say no to the things he doesn’t want too. Instead, there has to be some sort of excuse given or reason given if he doesn’t want too. Or failing that he just says “yes”, does it, and isn’t satisfied.

Next time someone asks you a “yes”, or “no” question the answer from now on is a “yes”, or “no”. Without giving an explanation unless absolutely necessary. And when one is given it is a simple direct sentence.

Boundaries and limits are important to set. While compromise can be a part of life, it doesn’t mean being a doormat or a passive non agent in life. When someone asks you to do something you do not want to do then you are going to tell them: “no”. On the other end, you say “yes” if it is something you actually want to do. There is no more maybes. No more excuses. No more white lies.

“No I don’t want to do that.”

“Yes, I can do that for you.”

Your time is money. Don’t waste it letting others make your decisions for you and how to spend your time. Live with no excuses and no hesitation. You want it, it’s a yes and if you don’t then it’s a no. Simple.

Habit #5 – Always carry a notebook and pen

Genius can strike at any opportunity. So can ideas, thoughts, feelings, and anything else that pops into mind. If you don’t want to lose track of that momentum or line of thought then it’s best to write it down as soon as it comes to you. Even if in a short hand, messy, and jotted down format.

Get in the habit of writing things down as soon as they come to mind. Whether it’s a new idea, a task to remember, or something you want to explore later.

Ideas come when you least expect them. If you’re not ready to capture them, you’ll lose them. Your notebook is your tool for staying on top of your thoughts.

In today’s world everybody has a smart phone and usually that has some sort of notepad app or way to text or message yourself even. Use that time wasting doom scrolling gadget that keeps you up all night on pornhub for some good for once. Even that is a start.

In the military we were taught to always have a pen and paper to write things down. A notebook we could carry in our breast pocket and something to write in it.

From now on you are going to copy this lesson from the military school of life and write down any ideas that randomly pop into your mind. In addition to that you have a handy way to easily take down anyone’s contact information and other information. That doesn’t need a battery or plug in. And isn’t on cloud storage.

Habit #6 – Eat no more than 3 meals a day, no snacking

Assuming you don’t have any issues with your blood sugar and you aren’t burning over 2500-3000 calories a day doing cardio, then snacking is something that can add in excess calories and lead to excess unfavorable weight gain.

Calorie wise and macro wise it does not matter how you get your calories in or meet your macros as long as you reach your set goals. However, restricting or moderating snacking will help you further reach those goals.

Too many meals and snacks throw your energy off. Stick to eating 2 or 3 meals a day, and avoid snacking in between. Give your body time to digest and reset. Try intermittent fasting by eating lunch and dinner, but skipping breakfast.

Habit #7 – Do something every day that moves you closer to your goal

Every single day you should be working towards your main goal or goals in life. Towards your dream. Achieving the goal physique, goal career or business you want, the relationships you want to have with people socially and romantically, and whatever else you have set your mind too.

Too many people see only results and not the work that went in. They say it’s all gotta be luck, circumstances, genetics, and so forth. They are only spinning their weeks by going to the gym to look the same as they did last week, last month and last year. Likewise working the same dead end jobs with no room for promotion or growth.

If you don’t like the life you have then it’s time to stop being a crybaby, or lazy and time to get to work.

Final Words

These seven habits separate the disciplined from the average. Waking up early, prioritizing rest, staying organized, making decisive choices, capturing ideas, eating with intention, and taking daily action all lead to a stronger, more successful life. Master these habits, and you’ll gain an edge most people will never have.