Mark Twight Says Put Up or Shut Up

Mark Twight is an accomplished alpinist and elite endurance athlete. He is also the personal trainer who whipped the actors in "300" into the phenomenal condition they displayed on screen. I don't know him personally, but my sometime Coach, fulltime inspiration and great good personal friend Dan John has worked and played with him a great deal. Anybody that Dan John will vouch for is okay in my book.

Anyways, Mr. Twight goes off in this essay on his site about the ignorant and hateful comments that have been made about the reality of the physiques on display in 300: some say they were CGI, other people blame drugs, very few people on the internet want to acknowledge hard work, discipline, and careful diet.

Gym Jones: 300 Opinions
It appears everyone has an opinion about “300” and how the actors and stunt crew achieved the level of fitness – and consequentially, appearance – for the movie. I have read that it was all CGI, make-up, steroids, etc. However, no one has come right out and said, “those guys worked really hard and had the self-discipline to control what they put into their mouths.” Which is what I suggest: have the self-discipline to control what comes out of your mouth, especially if you are ignorant about the topic being discussed.

Now, people at the top of their field of endeavor don't normally lower themselves to dignify the nattering of anonymous haters on the internet. I doubt Lloyd Blankenfein really cares what anybody in the blogosphere thinks about Goldman Sachs. However, what you probably don't know is that Twight has been the subject of a smear campaign waged against him by a fitness and training business that resents his success and wishes that they were in the spotlight. I won't get into it here, but if you are interested a quick trip to Google can help you connect the dots.

My point was, once you get past the invective Twight hurls at detractors, there are many valuable lessons in his essay about being successful. Whether you want to be a superb athlete or a successful businessman, the lessons he lays out are pretty much the same thing. If you really want to achieve something, you will do the things that you need to do to be successful. Lots of people say that they want something, but they really don't, and will make an excuse instead of a commitment. Getting what you want is hard. It takes work. Sometimes, it's easier just to bitch and complain. Those that can, do. Those that can't, whine about it.

Anyway, if you are committed to your success, and need a wake-up call, read Twight's essay.

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