I Have Nothing to Offer but Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

I Have Nothing to Offer but Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

-Matthew Cavalier

The work is finished. There is no more to do except to rest, recover and wait. For the last several months, you have all been working and training tirelessly. You have made great progress and found strength within yourselves both physically and mentally. You have learned a great deal and pushed yourself past limitations that you would not have ever expected. You ignored criticism and doubt. You ignored pain and weakness. You found resolve in your effort and sharpened your will and endurance with hard iron. Finally, here you all are. Ready, hungry and strong!

You ask, what is our policy? I will say, it is to wage war!

On August 14th, you will have the opportunity to compete in Alabama’s Strongest 9. You have been challenged by your peers and by yourself to showcase your own abilities and prove just how far you have come across these many months. It will not be an easy day. You will be met with difficult challenges, and you will be required to push yourselves farther than you ever thought possible. You will find within yourself the strength, courage and endurance to push on. You will show everyone who witnesses your newfound will power. On this day, lies an opportunity to represent yourself, your family, your friends and the comrades that have struggled alongside you. Together, as a team and as individuals, you will all strive for greatness. Suffering together under the sun, you will motivate and push each other to new heights and build upon friendships. I’m sure you are feeling some anxiety and feeling nervous about the day that lies ahead. But rest assured, when the moment comes, you will know what to do. You are ready.

You ask, what is our aim? I can only say one word - VICTORY!

The last two years have not been kind to us. There was much to be distraught about. At times, it may have appeared that we would enter a truly dark day, and it may still seem that way. There was and still is, much turmoil. However, before you lies an opportunity to show that we are still here. We will persevere and conquer. We will not give way to hate and doubt. We will not feel sorry for ourselves and lament on circumstances that are out of our control. We will fight with all the might and tenacity that we have forged. For those of you fighting to win your place on the podium or set your own personal milestones, there is nothing to stop you but your own self doubt. If you need it written out, you have express permission to unleash every ounce of anger, aggression and effort that lies within you to reach your goal. Leave it all in Alabama. All of the anger, doubt and frustration should remain on the stage. Take none of it with you when you leave, and you just may find yourself on the podium. For those of you who may fall short, do not feel contempt. The fact that you have chosen to struggle and endure is victory in and of itself. History is filled with stories of men and women who fell short of their aim but fought valiantly. If there is one thing that no one can ever take from them, it is the fact that they fought. The same will be said for you. For all the things that could go wrong, no one will be able to say that you were not in the fight. Maybe one day, you will be able to look back and say with confidence, that this was one of your finest hours.

We did not get here alone. We arrived as one.

Over the last several months, we have dedicated our free Saturdays to training together with the common cause of competition. We learned from each other and encouraged each other to push past fear and conquer what some might think is not doable. If you think that you have not made progress, you have. I have enjoyed the privilege of watching many of you become stronger and gain confidence in your own abilities. Some of you have even surprised me in ways I did not expect. It is difficult to put into words what would best describe the atmosphere at the Atlas Strength Shop on Saturdays, and I expect nothing less than the same in Alabama. The weather will be hot and the weights will be heavy, but we are used to it. We will be sweaty and tired, but we are used to it. We will feel pain and exhaustion, but we are used to it. We will feel like giving up, but we never will. We will show what the Titans of the Atlas Strength Shop are capable of.

If you think you might want to join our team and check out our awesome training facility, send an email to cameron@atlasstrenghshop.com to schedule your next visit. Be sure to like our Facebook page here, and follow our Instagram page here to keep up with all the happenings of the Atlas Strength Shop. If you need some high quality energy supplements to get you ready for your next competition, visit veteran owned strikeforceenergy.com and use promo code ATLASSTRENGTH at checkout to receive 20% off of your order.

On October 30, 2021, the Atlas Strength Shop will be hosting its second annual strongman competition, the Rougarou Classic. If you are interested in competing, visit the Facebook event page here, or visit ironpdium.com for registration information. If you are a business owner looking to expand your reach, send an email to cameron@atlasstrengthshop.com for sponsorship opportunities.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again; who spends himself in worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt