The lesson of the Woodpecker and 3/28/11 training

Is it hard to believe that the Woodpecker is sacred to the Roman God Mars? What about this bird would be so holy to Father Mars? Mars is a grand deity of strength, aggression, and war. Mars is about fucking and fighting: however, long before Mars was the bronze, iron and steel, he was a fierce God of the wild and the virility of life. Mars is seen in the will to fight and survive in seedling struggling to break free from the frozen ground to bask and drink deeply the golden ale of the Sun’s rays. Yes, Mars is the sweeping and caustic change that war brings, the destruction by heavy weapons and the trampling force of a legion of marching boots. But, and maybe even moreso, Mar is the persistent force, the constant “pecking” away, the continual wear and tear, the slow break down that goes unnoticed over long durations of time.

We see the lighting of Mars strike down the strong Oak and we marvel at the force behind that wicked line of energy; however, the tree did not fall to one mighty stroke alone, no not one fell swoop, but a combination of the forces of destruction, one to weak it and then one to break it.

The woodpecker lives by driving its spear like beak over and over again through the bark; it must defeat the obstacles in its way to get to its food. The insects underneath wear the tree’s bark like an enemy wears armor. The woodpecker is persistent, it’s work is hard and goes unnoticed. One peck, one chip, one thrust at a time; again and again. A force of nature, small rips and tears in the fabric of reality that add over time.

To fell the great oak, to wear the powerful warrior down, the pierce the armor, to complete the grand task requires the constant application of your directed will force. All things can be accomplished; time and effort are the ONLY requirements.

In you training, you are like the woodpecker of Mars. Your goals WILL be met. To that there is no question. Why is there no question? Because you keep pecking away at it, because you sustain your will force and apply and apply and apply again. The great distance between you and your desires shortens every day; the colossal barrier that stands between you are your dreams is broken down a little every day, bit by bit, piece by piece. Like the woodpecker at task, working to get his meal, enjoying his rewards and then one day hearing that deafening and sudden crack of the oak tree signaling he has done his damage and now it’s time to find another tree and start anew the process.

Like the Woodpecker few will notice your work. They will just see the frightening flash of lighting when you do what seems impossible but yet is built on a solid foundation of super human work capacity and an ocean of sweat. People often see only the “big” they have no perception of the small, they see the whole beach but not the trillions of individual grains of sand that make the whole of the beach.

Determination, persistence, sustained effort and continual application of the directed will force is the key to lasting greatness, the lesson of the woodpecker and the true disposition of Mars.

Training

40kg Kettlebell one hand clean and press, 16/1 reps right and left with a goal of 20.

Front pull with triple red cables, 7 reps with a goal of 20.

Iron limb (Hercules Hold) 35lbs, 11 seconds before right and left, with a goal of 1 minute.

Iron limb (L-Seat) 45 seconds with a goal of one minute.

Ivanko Super Gripper setting 11/9, 6 reps both right and left, with a goal of 10.