Facing Death & Fighting the Good Fight

          When Nordic people believed in their pantheon of gods (Odin, Thor, etc.), they believed that if you fell heroically in battle, you would go to the great shield hall in the sky where you would party and drink mead with the All-Father until Ragnarok. During Ragnarok (the end of all things), the demons would escape their hellish prison and besiege the great shield hall where all of the gods (and those lucky enough to be with them) would fight to the death… and they lose. Strangely, they know they are going to lose before the battle even begins but they fight the battle anyway because it is not about winning and losing. It is about putting forth that noble and heroic effort.

           I rarely talk about this but when things were really bad for me, I just hated myself. After I would eat, I would need to stretch out by lying on my stomach to alleviate pain. I was winded from minor physical exertion. I rarely took pictures. I never took selfies. I have very few pictures of me and my kids to pass on to them. I just didn’t like who I had become.  So I started my process to turn things around. I want you all to keep that in mind.

           I just finished watching GENERATION IRON, which is a 2013 documentary about the Mr. Olympia competition. The movie focuses on some of the biggest bodybuilding champions of this era; names like Phil Heath and Kai Greene. If you Google Image search these guys, you see the top of their class.

           But even I look at it say, “Man, that is too much.” I am not alone in this opinion. The greatest bodybuilder of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has commented on how now the sport revolves around how big you can be and we are losing the aesthetics of someone like Reg Park or Frank Zane. You want to see a beautiful man? Google Image Search Frank Zane and you will see what I am talking about. My ideal goal is to have something similar to Chris Evans as Captain America. Or Vin Diesel in Riddick. That is who I named my program after and what I am pushing towards.

          In the documentary, these pro bodybuilders talk about how they have to crush their competition, even if it means playing head games and such. (And, yes, I know. Arnold did that too.) In order to achieve their dream, they have to crush everyone else’s. I know I am never going to be a bodybuilding champion because I do not have that mindset and I do not want to compete against other people.

          I am not an athlete. I will tell you that straight up. Even in my 9-to-5 job, our product is so good that we are not competing with other agencies. There is more than enough business to go around. So we are not trying to be better than this company or that company. We are just trying to be the best company we can be. And I have embraced that philosophy completely. I am infinitely happier for having done so.

           For me, they gym is the same way. Maybe this is why I have stuck to my program for as long as I have, because I am not competing against other people. When I walk into the gym, my opponents are me from yesterday, complacency, laziness, fat… and – my greatest enemy of all – death. I hit the gym because I am fighting to ward off death. Like so many Nordic warriors, I know I will not defeat him. In the long run, he is always going to win. What matters is that I put up the biggest fight to stave that defeat off for as long as possible.

          See, with physical fitness, there is enough success to go around. My success does not hamper anyone else’s and vice versa. There are more than enough seats at the table. And if people see what I am doing and that inspires them or gives them new ideas for their own training, I treat that as a win-win. A rising tide lifts all ships.

           Back several years ago, when things were really bad for me, I don’t want to say that I was suicidal but if Death would have shown up on my door, I wouldn’t have gone kicking and screaming. I would have pulled a Newman and asked, “What took you so long?” Today, I have turned my life around. I have a great job. I have a little money. I try to be the best father I can be. And I am trying to shape myself into something healthy and strong. Furyan Strength has brought me confidence and I feel better about myself.

           I have no delusions. I know I still have a long way to go. I do not have six pack abs or veins showing in my legs. I see myself and I see that I am not where I want to be. But I think about where I could potentially be if I would NOT have started down this road. What if I was still shame eating and stress eating? I had a hard day. Why don’t I deserve that Little Debbie? It’s the only thing that brings me joy now! And that just fed the shame spiral… and that is difficult to reverse course on.

          I may not be where I want to be… but where would I be if I hadn’t started this journey at all? And that is what keeps me going. But somedays… somedays, people, it is very damn hard…

Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday

Food for thought...

Motivation Monday

It might not be readily apparent (yet) but I am a huge comic book geek. The more you get connected with Chris Pratt (aka Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy), the more motivation you can gain from him. The persona he projects is simply fantastic and his advice that he Instagramed last week went viral. And understandably so. This motivation has less to do with fitness and more to do with life. Although one could argue that Pratt’s transformation from Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation to Peter Quill for GotG and his role in Jurassic World is equally amazing.

 

Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday -- Dr. King Edition

           In honor of the holiday, I am going to go a slightly different route for this edition of Motivation Monday. Now, I am quite certain that Dr. King never imagined his quotes would be listed on a fitness blog but I want you to keep something else in mind. The tag line of this blog if you will is “Creating a Better You Through Bodybuilding.” This is not just an improvement of the physical. One cannot grow simply within that one area. One should seek to obtain enlightenment in mind, body, and spirit.

           So with that said, let’s look at some quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King on today of all days.

 

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

           This one is difficult to master but if you have faith in your plan, sometimes you just need to put your head down and focus on the task at hand. Don’t look around too much at the big picture because the enormity of your task may be defeating. Just put the work in and climb one step at a time.      

 

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

           Disappointment is always going to be there but you need to nuture the goal to be slightly better than you were yesterday. If you did a mile yesterday, go for 1.05 tomorrow. Get one more rep. Even if you try and fail, know that you can be successful tomorrow.

 

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”

           I am amending his quote slightly here in that I am not listing the other two sentences of the quote. However, I found that this is very true. It takes hard work for improvement and all your thought must be bent upon it. As a wise man similarly said, “No pain. No gain.”

Motivation Monday

 

          Well, we are officially into 2016. What I have found that this is the inevitable time where the gym becomes crowded from all the “resolutioners” that are there because of their “New Year, New Me” mantras that last for about three weeks or so. If you are just finding this blog, maybe you are at a time where you are wondering where to move forward with your fitness goals. If so, I hope that this blog can help you.

           I don’t want to sound like I am downing resolutioners. I really am not. If that 01/01 date helps you move forward, then by all means use that as motivation. Working out consistently is something very difficult to do. But you move forward and continue to put in the work, eventually you are going to turn a corner. Then your workouts start to become a habit and suddenly you feel worse for skipping a workout than the pain you experience while working out. If you can turn that corner, you will no longer just be a resolutioner.  

          There are going to be times where you are going to experience setbacks and failures. Don’t let that stop you.  Take note that this weekend, the playoffs began for the NFL. All the teams work hard all year to get to the playoffs. But for all of those team – with the exception of one – are going to lose their last game. That is a huge kick to the gut because it can be one and done. We saw a loss from the Houston Texans. Now, I am a New York Giants fan but I appreciate the work ethic of one Mr. J.J. Watt. He took the loss very personal and a certain motivator that I idolize even more took to Twitter to give Watt his support and remind him losers stay down.

          Getting knocked down is not a loss. Staying down is. Happy Monday!

 

 

Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday

Rise & Shine...

          Rise and shine.

          6 a.m. and your hand can't make it to the alarm clock before the voices in your head start telling you that it's too early, too dark, and too cold to get out of bed. Aching muscles lie still in rebellion, pretending not to hear your brain commanding them to move. A legion of voices are shouting their unanimous permission for you to hit the snooze button and go back to Dreamland. But you didn't ask their opinion. The voice you've chosen to listen to is one of defiance. A voice that's says there was a reason you set that alarm in the first place. So sit up, put your feet on the floor, and don't look back because we've got work to do.

          Welcome to The Grind.

          For what is each day but a series of conflicts between the right way and the easy way. 10,000 streams fan out like a river delta before you, each one promising the path of least resistance. Thing is you're headed upstream. And when you make that choice, when you decide to turn your back on what's comfortable and what's safe and what some would call "common sense," well that's Day 1. From there it only gets tougher.

          So just make sure this is something you want. Because the easy way out will always be there, ready to wash you away. All you have to do is pick up your feet. But you aren't going to are you? With each step comes the decision to take another. You're on your way now. But this is no time to dwell on how far you've come. You're in a fight against an opponent you can't see but, oh, you can feel him on your heels can't you? Feel him breathing down your neck. You know what that is? That's you... Your fears, your doubts and insecurities all lined up like a firing squad ready to shoot you out of the sky.

          But don't lose heart. While they aren't easily defeated, they are far from invincible. Remember this is The Grind; the Battle Royale between you and your mind, your body and the devil on your shoulder who's telling you that this is just a game. This is just a waste of time. Your opponents are stronger than you.

          Drown out the voice of uncertainty with the sound of your own heartbeat. Burn away your self-doubt with the fire lit beneath you. Remember what you're fighting for and never forget that Momentum is a cruel mistress. She can turn on a dime with the smallest mistake. She is ever searching for that weak place in your armor, that one tiny thing you forgot to prepare for. So as long as the devil is hiding the details, the question remains. Is that all you got? Are you sure?

          And when the answer is yes, that you've done all you can to prepare yourself for battle THEN it's time to go forth and boldly face your enemy, the enemy within. Only now you must take that fight into the open, into hostile territory. You're a lion in a field of lions all hunting the same elusive prey with a desperate starvation that says VICTORY is the only thing that can keep you alive.

          So believe that voice that says, "You CAN run a little faster," and that "You CAN throw a little harder," and that, for you, the laws of physics are merely a suggestion. Luck is the last dying wish of those who want to believe that winning can happen by accident. Sweat, on the other hand, is for those who know it's a choice. So decide now because destiny waits for no man. And when your time comes and a thousand different voices are trying to tell you you're not ready for it, listen instead for that lone voice in dissent, the one that says you are ready. You are prepared. It's all up to you now.

          So rise and shine.