Tom Izzo said, "You play real good, you start. You don't play as good, you work your way back in." "That's the American way except America has gotten soft." You don't get what you want, you get what you earn. It starts with hard work. (@CBBonFOX)

"Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they're making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that's the difference." -- Lou Holtz

Coach K once said, "You can either lower your goals to match your effort, or you can raise your effort to match your goals." No Deposit - No Return. Everything is earned.

Check out Daily Dose of Denzel💡's video! #TikTok tiktok.com/t/ZTF1sowLM/

“Show Me Your Crowd And I’ll Show You Your Future”

Congrats to Andy Medina on squatting 500 lbs. today!!! @LPCavFootball

The #1 skill missing from today’s athlete is mental toughness. Refusing to hold oneself accountable to individual and team goals. Blaming others for circumstances. Not fighting through adversity. Pouting and poor body language. Physical skill can only take you so far. Get tough!

Congratulations to Reegan Kellett for breaking the pull-up record today with 33. Geno Harmon is now 2nd in pull-ups with 26 and broke the plyo push-up record with 45!!💪🏽💪🏽

The weight room does more than just build your body. It builds character & mental toughness. It strengthens weaknesses & reveals assertiveness. It shows who has drive & who fakes it. Through grit, it reveals who’ll quit & who won’t. Ultimately, doing hard things create leaders!

Fake Toughness *Cheap shots *Talking trash *Taunting *Handshake line scuffles Real Toughness *Practicing hard every day *Playing for your teammates instead of yourself (overcoming selfishness) *Doing the dirty work *Playing through aches and pains *Cheering on your teammates when you’re on the bench *Playing through fatigue *Making winning plays

"Lazy people do a little work and think they should be winning! Winners work as hard as possible and still wonder if they are being lazy!"

The weight-room is special because it only rewards those that work. It values tenacity over talent. It doesn’t care about ⭐️’s or playing time. It’s a sanctuary where athletes aren’t subject to scrutiny from the outside world. The weight-room is a equal opportunity equalizer.

My desire to be the best started in the weight room. It was the catalyst for reaching my goals as a Football player. Nick Bosa

MIKE LEACH ON EMBRACING HARD "Nothing is really fun unless it's hard ... You're pushing yourself. All of a sudden you're making great plays. You're doing things that you've never done before... Never hope that it's easy." ~ via @WSUCougarFB and @DrewMaddox

Check out Kevin Keating's fundraising page - support.soill.org/fundraiser… I'm raising money for Special Olympics by jumping into freezing cold Lake Mendota on February 24th. Please consider donating to my fundraising page.

The difference between good & great Effort and energy level are two things that great players never have to be coached on.

A great quote for young players. If you just attend practice , you’ll get what everyone else gets. You want more… do more.

Why do some programs struggle year after year? There are many reasons. Here are 5 Common Reasons Some Programs Struggle Year After Year... 1: Bad Habits Teams and individuals never 'Rise to the Occasion.' They always sink to their habits. Bad habits lose games. Good habits win games. Most teams that lose have sloppy habits in practice that carry over to games. Details matter. 2: Poor Culture A Coach's #1 job is to create a Positive, Team-Centered Culture. Culture can win you a lot of games. Culture gets you through the tough times. When you do not define your culture, it defines you. Culture is: - What you allow - What you emphasize - Every day Bad cultures can become toxic. Focus on building your Culture each and every day. 3: Poor Leadership Player leadership is critical to Team Success. Player-led teams win. Poor player leadership can destroy a team. Coaches need a systemic way to build and grow their leaders. I have developed my Team Leader OS for this reason. 4: Unrealistic Goals Set reachable goals. Then, tuck them away and focus on consistent habits. Focus on the process. Trust the process. If your goals become too difficult to reach, then change your goals. Unrealistic goals can create a losing mindset. 5: Entitlement Mindset Entitlement is a guaranteed loser for a team. Create a culture where "Everything is Earned." Create a 'No Deposit, No Return' mindset. Teams lose when players feel: - They are entitled to PLAY - They are entitled to LEAD - They are entitled to BE THERE Eliminate entitlement on your team. It will ruin your culture. I have created many resources to help coaches build their Team Culture and develop their Team Leaders. Check my profile for more details. _____ Follow me @gregberge for Actionable Ideas on Coaching, Leadership, Culture, and Teams. Join 8600 others and subscribe to my free weekly newsletter, Great Team Better Leaders 123. Check my profile for the link.

WINNERS KNOW WHY THEY WIN 💯 “Cool does not win. We have to be willing to do the uncomfortable things that go into winning.” (Mick Cronin)

Championship teams love the weight room. They are the hunter. Not the meal.