October 28th: Friday Boulder Shoulder Day

Today was de-load day for Military Press. This meant higher reps which I hate when it comes to shoulders, but what has to be done has to be done. I've always hated working pressing, but I'm learning to love it.

Log Press: I definitely overestimated my max with this. I had it at 165 but it’s more at about150.

40%-5 (58lb)

50%-5 (72lb)

60% -16 (88lb)-harder than I thought it would be but that’s my own damn fault for practicing handstands all day yesterday!

Ring Pull ups (32kg)-4, (BW)-15

Incline Barbell Shrug (265)-8 (225)-20

-90 seconds between sets

Lateral Raise (40lb)-6 (30lb)-20

Double Clean and Jerk (16kg)-2

sets of 2:00 minutes with 1:00 minute rest. My hat goes off to all those Kettlebell Sportsters out there.

Finished with Tabata Ropes (double slams, alternating waves, side waves, etc)

This was a surprisingly fun session. My pull-ups are going up. My pressing is getting better (which has always lagged) and my cardio is awesome. I can’t WAIT for this next cycle.

What’s funny is I’ve never been so consistent with tracking, my plan, my diet, etc. Here’s the secret:

You don’t think yourself into a new way of acting, you act yourself into a way of thinking.

IT’S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

So many people look for the “perfect plan” and while I’ve written extensively about this it bears repeating. There is no perfect training or diet plan. There is only the plan that you can follow. I’ve tried many. I happen to enjoy this one A LOT. It quenches my thirst for strength as well as my quest for better conditioning for Jiu Jitsu and any sport I attempt. Not to mention body comp.

Here's a recent progress pic from this (Saturday) morning compared to 3 weeks ago all while enjoying Yogurtland and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Not bad for about three and a half weeks. Can't WAIT for the next four and half!

Yes the hair is awesome. I know.

12:00-2 cans tuna, 8oz sweet potato, spinach, ketchup

3:00-HPN P(3)

4:00-Train

5:30-Flame Broiler Beef with White Rice (my next business may be opening up a Flame Broiler. Save some money)

8:00-1 cup white rice, 8oz pork chop, salad, Maduros (fried bananas Cuban-style), 3 bites Tres Leches cake (amazing)

11:00-3/4 cup brown rice, 3oz beef

The weekend is now upon us. Good luck my friends. Stay focused!

Push or Be Pushed

You get one of two choices in life. Choose well.

I have the pleasure of training an ideal client. On a weekly basis she was dropping body fat, lifting heavier and heavier bells, and basically just kicking ass and taking many, many names.

Well, after months of this she hit a wall. The wall wasn’t in the form of a plateau or anything like that. It was in the form of life. Changes at work, family problems, and a few other things stopped her dead in her tracks.

She asked me for advice. She needed anything to help her get through this tough time. This wasn’t my first rodeo as I’ve seen this before. Fire gets lit and burns everything in sight only to dissipate into a mere glow.

You can remind yourself of your goals and why you’re doing what you’re doing. Why you put yourself through extreme conditions and eat the way you eat. You could have the best reasons in the world but sometimes it isn’t enough.

So what is the key?

The key is to know there is only one of two ways this will play out.

1. Life will push you around as you get tossed like a seal being attacked by a Great White. In your eyes there is nothing you can do about it. You become helpless.

Or…

2. You man/woman up and say no. Say no to being pushed around. You take care of yourself first (sorry, but a little selfishness is in order here). You say no to excuses, no to people that don’t matter, and no to anything in your way.

The first option you are being hunted, but in the second you are the hunter. You are in pursuit of what you need. This means saying no to performing endless favors for people, putting too much on your plate, and ultimately putting yourself last.

That’s what my client was doing. Putting herself behind her job, her family her boyfriend, everything. She was putting herself last in her own life.

When you do that what do you think will happen? Of course things will come up. Things will ALWAYS come up and get you off track.

When you simplify it to one of two options it becomes painfully obvious what choice needs to be made. There is no leeway. There are no asterisks.

Push or be pushed.

This doesn’t mean you have to be an a-hole pushing people over to get to the front of line or cut people off in traffic.

It just means your priorities will be met. Now, I’m not a single guy who only has himself to think of. I have a wife, two kids and a growing business. I have my fair share of “Calls of Duty” but I have also made a pact with myself that in order to best serve my family, friends, my clients and society in general, my needs must be fulfilled.

That is no one’s responsibility but my own.

Ask yourself if you’re happy with where you are. If not, and you’re doing something about it than more power to you.

If you aren’t and you feel like:

a. There’s no time
b. There’s no point
c. There’s too much to be done at work, home, etc

Then, my friend, you have chosen Option #1 most likely without realizing it. Put simply, there is ALWAYS enough time to do exactly what is most important.

There are many people that exemplify this kind of living. One of which is my friend Mike Mahler. To quote him, you must “live life aggressively.” Perfectly put.

Aggressive living is the only way to get the most out of your life. You don’t see a passive defense in Champion basketball teams or a weak offense in dominant armies in history. Why would it be any different in your life?

Last chance. Will you be the seal getting tossed around like a rag doll only to end up in the jaw of Jaws or will you be the one making the calls in your life?

Choose well. Your life depends on it.

Be happy with what you've got?

We’re taught as children to be “happy with what you’ve got.” While this is a good thing for those spoiled kids who are never happy with anything on their birthday it is self-limiting to those who strive to be successful. I don’t care who you are you want something better. Whether it’s a better body, job, more money, an improved relationship, etc. It’s important to remember that this is not a bad thing.

The most frustrating case of “be happy with what you’ve got” is the movement that is causing larger men and women to be “proud” of their bodies. Should they be self-loathing people full of despair and sorrow? Of course not, but they should not be proud either! Fat is not healthy. Being overweight has many health risks and it doesn’t have to be 100lbs for someone to feel them. Try wearing a weighted vest of 15lbs for a day. When you see your sweat-drenched shirt after 30 min you’ll see what I mean.

I know this sounds a harsh, but a life of mediocrity sounds far worse in my opinion. I have dedicated my life to constantly improving and bettering myself in every area of life. From my body to my business, from my family to my internal self, there is always something to improve.

Make the same commitment no matter how difficult it is too look at your self. It’ll be more fun as you practice it. I promise.

Where’s the balance though? This is a difficult question to answer and very subjective. To be happy with life and where you are yet constantly striving to be better may seem like opposing forces or at the very least going in different directions.

Instead, choose to be happy and enjoy life as an ever changing, always improving set of experiences. Be happy with the process of becoming stronger, leaner, and more athletic. Be happy with the daily communication and time spent with your significant other and children to develop great relationships. Be happy with the discipline and effort you put into your career to build it to something you only dreamed was possible.

That’s something I can be happy about. What are you going to be happy about? Instead of simply being content and satisfied with life be content and satisfied on a daily basis because of the work you’ve put in to the different areas of your life.