I’m sure you guys are aware of my Unleash The Beast shirts, right?? Well there’s a reason for that slogan.
As an athlete you’ve got to have an edge, you’ve gotta be raw and get grimy…. well that’s what I believe anyway. You can’t be too nice during training. You’ve gotta rough the weights up a bit, like someone who owes you money, show them who’s boss. You’ve gotta own the weights, the weights don’t own you. But you have to always remember to respect them, always show respect to your craft.
When I train I am not Maya anymore, my alter ego comes out and we’ve named her “the Beast”. She’s raw and she’s not about the games. She doesn’t play around but gets right to business. She’s always angry, furiousand dominates anything that gets in her way. She doesn’t entertain doubt and she’s alwayson GO!
People already know that I don’t talk or smile much while training. I only chat when I’m on breaks or when I’m finished. If you’ve read my blog “Refocused” then you’ve heard this before. With my type of training I can’t be nice, I can’t be all happy go lucky while breaking my back every…single…day. I just can’t do it, its not possible. I really decided to let her out during training after I went to the Dominican Republic for the Pan Am Championships, because I saw how unapologetically fierce the other female athletes trained, and I was like “Oh, no way! This is how I’ve always wanted to train!” But held back because I worried how others might perceive me. However, right then and there, I left that fear on the training hall floor and found my Beast. If people don’t like it then that’s on them. Iknow what I’m working for.
I know it sounds a little weird or crazy to hear of an alter ego, like something from a movie. But art imitates life, it’s real. I’ve read of many Olympians, business professionals and entertainers who have created one to get through tough times, for example, Beyoncé, Bo Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, etc.
Unleashing my alter ego, my Beast, helps me through the darks days. Days when I don’t even want seethe gym. She’s got my back!