Built M&F tough

Muscle & Fitness, August, 2009 by Chris Lockwood

If you're younger than about 25, you're not going to like this much: Grow some brains before you act. It's nothing personal; just basic neurophysiology. The prefrontal cortex--the area of the brain that's involved in reason and logic--continues to develop through your mid-20s, which makes it difficult to put things into perspective. Combine this natural neural immaturity with a rush of dopamine receptors and their heightened sensitivity, and you're essentially a risk-taking Molotov cocktail waiting to be ignited. It's the reason teens and 20-somethings are more prone to addiction, depression, sexual experimentation, reckless aggression and making poor voting decisions. (Okay, so the last one I may have made up.)

Mixed with the typical adolescent insecurities, this tendency toward irrational behavior lays the foundation for every a--hole punk who acts tough but in reality is far from it. Conversely, the male allure to mixed martial arts and boxing probably has a lot to do with the very fact that the best fighters not only look and act tough but back it up fisticuffs-style.

However, make no mistake: Great fighters, like great men, are both physically and mentally tough. It's why the gym is one of life's best arenas for building the toughest of men. Not because you learn to experience success, but because you've been forced to accept failure and identify your flaws. You gain confidence in knowing you have the resolve to face and overcome what has previously stopped you short of your goals. You also learn to accept that you have limitations, which, sadly for guys who've never learned their limitations, makes life for the rest of us a total pain in the ass--they over-compensate, resorting quickly to intimidation and violence. Paradoxically, though, the toughest opponent is the one smart enough to know when not to fight--both literally and figuratively. By containing his anger or tongue, he can recognize and walk away from a situation that's only attacking his ego or hurting his pride. In other words, the real-deal tough guys are those tough enough to put life's many punches into perspective and evolve as a man ... not some punk!

In strength,

C

By Chris Lockwood, MS, CSCS