Have you ever been watching a movie, and felt so motivated by that second-half speech, that you literally want to turn the film off, head on outside and seize the world? Some film pep-talks are so rousing, it effectively transports you to that mud-soaked battlefield, as you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your blood splattered comrades, primed for a battle that they will no doubt sing about through the ages. Unfortunately, the reality is that you’re most likely slobbed out on the sofa, beer in one hand, while the sticky salt of that family-sized packet of crisps glazes the other. But that doesn’t mean you should let the surge of adrenaline go to waste...
Instead, take that emotion, that passion, that fervour, and release it in all its fury on the gym. The rowing machine is your enemy. The dumbbells are your foe. Stand tall. Mop that brow. Bend those legs, and lift like your life depended on it.
Before we get too carried away, here are seven snippets from the most motivational speeches in film and movie history. If the words alone aren't rousing enough, check out the links for the full blown monologue. Either way, prepare for a workout of epic proportions...
1. Al Pacino - Tony D'Amato, Any Given Sunday
'All comes down to today, and either, we heal as a team, or we're gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play. Until we're finished. We're in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And, we can stay here, get the sh*t kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell... one inch at a time.'
2. Mel Gibson – William Wallace, Braveheart
'Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you’ll live — at least a while. And, dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take....OUR FREEDOM!’
3. Gerard Butler – King Leonidas, 300
'Children, gather round! No retreat, no surrender; that is Spartan law. And by Spartan law we will stand and fight... and die. A new age has begun. An age of freedom, and all will know, that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it!'
4. Keira Knightley - Elizabeth Swan, Pirates of the Caribbean; At World's End
'You will listen to me! Listen! The Brethren will still be looking here, to us, to the Black Pearl, to lead. And what will they see? Frightened bilge rats aboard a derelict ship? No. No, they will see free men and freedom! And what the enemy will see is the flash of our cannons. They will hear the ring of our swords, and they will know what we can do. By the sweat of our brows and the strength of our backs, and the courage of our hearts. Gentlemen. Hoist the colours!'
5. Brad Pitt – Achilles, Troy
'Myrmidons! My brothers of the sword! I would rather fight beside you than any army of thousands! Let no man forget how menacing we are, we are lions! Do you know what's waiting beyond that beach? Immortality! Take it! It's yours!'
6. Viggo Mortensen – Aragorn, The Lord of the Rings; Return of the King
'Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!'
7. Russell Crowe – Maximus Meridius, Gladiator
'Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!'
Let us know which film and movie speeches rile you up before a trip to the gym. And now that you’re feeling fired up for the workout of your life, it’s now time to look fired up, too, which is where we, Be An Athlete, come in....
Title Image Credits - Massimo Valiani, Flickr
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