MUSCLE CHURCH: Our Father, the Iron

Not ashamed to be the worst and most infrequent blogger of all time. Life happens. My biggest problem is that deep down inside I don't like to brag or boast about things. My little accomplishments or things that I do well, eh, I tend to like to keep them to myself. People that know me would laugh at that because they see how much I like to make people laugh and how I'll puff my chest up and antagonize people. Guilty, guilty and guilty again. If I'm guilty of anything, it's that I like to make people laugh or I like to make them think. If I can ramble on about something and that makes someone think about their problem a bit differently, and it helps them, well that's time well spent. Otherwise, I don't care to talk much about myself-of at all, if I can help it. But, when there's an audience...oh man it there's a microphone...I just can't help myself! It's the ultimate dichotomy; I'm an introvert and an entertainer. I live and dream about b...

There's a good chance you've heard of DDPY or DDP Yoga by now if you're connected to the world of pro wrestling in any way. Success story after success story keep coming out of people who start the program and I gave it a shot. And I didn't like it. I thought going plant-based with my diet was dumb. I didn't want to give up weight training. I absolutely knew my flexibility was good-you know the drill, I was perfect in every way. Well that was a few years ago and since then I've been able to remove my head from my ass and I see things very differently now. Since the beginning of January I've been doing DDPY, thought not 100% like more adherents to Diamond's plan, but I've incorporated the workouts and a lot of the elements of planning and positive thinkings that accompanies the workout theories. I've also cut back on a lot of the bad elements in my diet. I've cut dairy back to an imperceptible amount along with sugar and while my meat co...

This week wasn't my best week and so far the month hasn't gotten off to a good start! Nothing crazy, but some unexpected turns in my personal and work life have squeezed me harder than normal and I uncharacteristically gave in to the pressure. And as I sit here writing this on the 13th, I'm battling a stomach bug and a sore back so I'm not the best company right now. I'm not getting my cortisol levels up about it though-shit, indeed, happens. Having a killer mentality is great, but sometimes you are human, and sometimes the accumulation of a lifetime's worth of nagging injuries and nonsense overpower you. Like a cheat meal on the weekend, just give in and make the best of it! This week, from the 3rd to the 9th for accounting purposes, I made two trips to the gym and a handful of DDPY workouts. I'm committed to a push/pull system in the gym and that's been working well for me. One thing I've had to come to terms with is that as I'm not training ...

Eric Thomas always says "THANK GOD IT'S MONDAY" and that has become something I identify with. It wasn't always that way for me and it's taken a lot of trial, error, anger and downright sadness for me to be the incomplete person behind your computer screen, but nothing starts without a plan! So, it's Monday. Maybe you're reading this on a Tuesday or a year from now, doesn't matter. #ItsMondayEveryday when you have goals. Take today and lay out a plan for yourself. Having big dreams is great and I wish everyone did, but think about how much easier life would be if you just had a plan to get dinner done on time. Or what if you had a concrete plan to get your meal prep done for the week? Don't get so lost in the clouds that you forget these dreams begin and end on the ground. Take today, right now, and jot down 3 things you KNOW you need to do this week and then write down 2-3 simple steps to ensure you get them done. That simple exercise takes abou...

Movement is...what? I like to say things are always in motion and either falling apart or coming together. Sometimes it's hard to tell which one, but it's always easy to tell when it's happening too fast. At least, I think so. Lately I've been worried that things can move so fast for so long that you either just used to the craziness and consider it normal or you acknowledge the craziness and give up. Movement...is really the opposite of giving up. Moving indicates that you are either in control or attempting to be and that really how you avoid falling down the drain in life most of the time. I live by the saying "you don't lose until you quit and failing is not quitting" and sometimes that's a hard pill for people to swallow because it's so easy to feel powerless in modern society, but once you decide to take control, it's hard to stop! Lately I've been really considering what are goals in life and what do they truly mean, in an object...

Kai Greene's tagline, "Thoughts become things" is something I think about daily. Before you can do, you must think you can. Therefore resolve everyday to think about what you are trying to accomplish and in time, you will get there because it's been at the forefront of your thoughts. Visualization is so powerful, it creates emotions and feelings inside of you that you wouldn't experience otherwise. "Thoughts become things" is not just a way or saying "plan for your success" it's a way of saying "see it, plan it, think about it, becomes obsessed with it" and then it will happen. You have to struggle a long time before you can be on top of the mountain, visualizing the view from the top will make the climb up seem a lot easier. No matter what-keep believing in yourself!

Mariusz Pudzianowski 5x World's Strongest Man Everyone jokes about carrying all the grocery bags in these days and yeah, a lot of people take it too seriously. Think of it a different way though...not trying to get a laugh, or be goofy or anything like that. You train all the time. You lift weights. You do cardio. You load up with protein and caffeine so you have fuel to perform as best you can. You stretch. You rehab. In short, you do everything you can to perform your absolute best! WHY DO YOU LEAVE IT ALL IN THE GYM??? Maybe carrying the groceries in isn't the greatest reason to train, but how often do you shirk away from exertion outside the gym? Flip the switch on that way of thinking right now. Do more. Carry stuff. Pick up awkward heavy things. Take the stairs. Park further away from the building. The gym is great but it's only a few hours a week, life happens 24/7 and the less you choose to do, the less prepared you'll be. Challenge yourself to perfor...