I remember first walking into a GNC when i was maybe 15-16 years old, some ass-hat with a toothy smile gleaming to me behind the counter waiting to rob me of what little money I had. I think one of …
0
Sunday Introspection
My daily worries seem trivial in the grand scheme of things. Mostly because they are. I’m healthy, have a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and I have awesome people in my corner. Everything else should just be details. It’s funny when you’re tested in life(whatever it may be), no matter how much it sucks it’s needed to make you realize what you truly have and how much you’ve learned (or haven’t learned) to apply from your past mistakes. It also sheds light on what you may be missing. Sometimes being tested is surviving and overcoming some form of adversity, but in other cases it’s maintaining composure and focus through some form of required monotony. Somewhat paraphrasing but truly knowing is knowing that I know nothing, this always requires a reminder. In remembering this I’m better equipped to let go of any predispositions that can drag me down. It’s pretty easy to get carried away by your own ignorance and shortsightedness. This is the state of the average man/woman, and this is not what I wish for myself or for anyone really. So with that I’ve resolved that what I view as stressful, is truly inconsequential, what I view as difficult is merely a test of will, and what I view as right is merely a matter of perspective. Finally a little overused but always true; your reality really is what you make it. So I end this day and weekend on that note and focus on building a better tomorrow today. Make your week awesome, I plan to.
0
I’m back
It’s been a long time, how the hell are ya?! I think I’m well beyond late on a new years post… So we’ll kick this posting year off with some random thoughts in no particular order.
Anything great that’s worth doing in this life takes atleast one of these things; effort, consistency, love, and respect. The greatest take all.
Jen Thompson, 300lbs bench at 132lbs body weight (vid below) is crazy. This is some no gimmicks straight up strength. A 300 bench is beyond most men, never mind a girl who weighs half as much as most men. In short, fucking awesome. It can either serve to utterly depress you and you can throw in the towel, or to man up and realize that someone out there is working way harder than you and you need to grind harder and smarter.
I’ve backed off my blog reading for a few months now, but I’m thankful I took the time to read this one by Jim Smith over at Diesel Strength; You Don’t Want It Bad Enough . In short it’s fucking fantastic, read it and read it again. This is one of those timeless pieces, one that you can come back to when you need a little grounding and direction.
Diet supplementation for the average person should be pretty much non-existent. I’ve talked about what I feel is essential to me, if you’re struggling though to keep a consistent eating and training schedule this is well beyond your current level though. I would argue that 90% of today’s ailments are caused directly or indirectly by what you eat and what your parents ate. Think about it, why do you think we have so many more children with not-so-unique-anymore allergies, diseases and other various afflictions. The human body is an incredible thing, it’s pretty tough and can take alot of shit. It can only do so much though. You can’t control environmental pollution to anywhere the same degree as you can control how you pollute your body. If you don’t suffer for it (though I guarantee you are or will) then you may have your children suffer for your “sins”, think about this.
Fat people worrying about how much sodium, fiber and fat content is in their food annoys the living hell out of me. You scrutinize the nutrition on a box of crackers(which you should know are shit anyway) but 2 hours later you’re jamming some fast food down your gullet. WTF? seriously.
Another awesome blog post from Paul Carter; Getting your man card back Part 1, 2. I know alot of guys out there who need to take into consideration some or all of these points because their balls are locked in a drawer somewhere and their relationships suffer for it. Here’s an exerpt but seriously, read the whole thing;
A great relationship is in fact, all about equality. But men who get owned up and bossed around by their women, are not in an equal relationship. In an equal relationship there is not a dictator. If you want to hang out with your buddy, and your significant other pitches a bitch about it, and you cave and don’t go, you’re pussy whipped. That’s giving in to her wants, even though they run counterclockwise to yours. And so long as your wants aren’t violating the trust in the relationship or she’s not dying of cancer (you get what I’m saying), then you are being dictated to, and you are allowing it. You sir, are pussy whipped and are a “bitch enabler.” That is, you enable these bitches behavior.
These same women, have no problem going out all day shopping with their friends while you sit at home, or even keeping other men in their life to spend time with. They call them their “guy friends.” The truth is, these guys are just orbiters who want to fuck your girl. You know this, and you’re just too much of a pussy to tell her to stop hanging out with these guys. Especially when she dictates to you what you can and can’t do, and when you can and can’t do it. When one of said guys fucks her brains out, you don’t have anyone to be mad at but yourself for being a spineless little bitch, and not laying down some rules that every woman should respect. She banged him because she doesn’t have a man at home, she has a dog on a leash.
I solemnly believe the people you surround yourself with determine the direction your life takes. If your life doesn’t feel it’s going in the right direction you have to look at who’s in your inner circle and possibly do some shuffling.
I’m on the homestretch of my preparation for the CPF Raw Nationals which will be held here in Ottawa in May. I’m feeling good about where I am and my knee finally moves pain free. I plan on releasing a post soon discussing some of the things that I feel have helped me regain full function. There is very little useful information I find out there concerning patella-femoral pain that can be used by those who still want to stay active in their discipline (ie. working around the pain). So if you have issues, keep an eye out.
Ok that’s it for now, more to come more often. Enjoy the last remnants of the weekend.
0
Five supplements you can’t go wrong with
I remember first walking into a GNC when i was maybe 15-16 years old, some ass-hat with a toothy smile gleaming to me behind the counter waiting to rob me of what little money I had. I think one of my first purchases were packets of some Muscletech MRP formula. Ronnie and Jay got hyooge off this shit right(sarcasm)? I had to get it! These things were so expensive to me at the time that I would split them up and ration them. What was suppose to be a two week supply would become a two month supply. Placebo is a pretty powerful thing, imagine my surprise when I actually started to use things that worked? Eventually I straightened myself out, and stopped being susceptible to overpriced snake oil peddled by douche bags with invisible lats. There was a lesson learned though, the BS meter is pretty sensitive now. There are no magic supplements and what most people expect out of supplements is unrealistic. What you should aim for when buying a supplement is bolstering your health and filling in a nutritional gap not otherwise taken care of. So I thought I’d share with you 5 supplements I feel you cannot go wrong with.
Fish Oil – This stuff does much for your health, I don’t think I need to ramble about how good it is for you there’s enough out there that can be found with a simple good search. Inflammation is one of those things though I notice it works well on, post exercise soreness is mitigated especially for those who train often and it can help with some joint issues/tendonitis/arthritis. My personal dose 3.6G of EPA/DHA per day in two doses(six pills morning, six in the evening).
Vitamin D – Vit D is another one of those well publicized supplements, the main things I notice immediately though are improved mood, energy and sleep especially in the colder months. It can also bolster your immune system. Personal dose 2000IU
Vitamin C – This one is debatable from a research standpoint, I feel it does make a difference in immune function though and also again in training recovery I feel it plays a significant role. Personal dose 1000IU.
ZMA - Most hard training individuals are deficient in both zinc and magnesium(our food doesn’t contain enough or we don’t eat enough food containing these), this applies to both men and women. This stuff can help you sleep, boost your immune system, and aid in hormone balance(possibly more test in some). Personal dosage as recommended on the bottle usually 3 pills.
BCAA formula – When I first used Xtend I fell in love, really it’s just well dosed BCAA’s and citrulline malate. I religiously drink this stuff during training. It’s not magic but helps with training recovery, prevents muscle wasting and because of the citrulline dosed high enough can up your lactic acid threshold depending how hard you’re training. Personal dose 45G per workout(3 scoops).
Supplements aren’t magic but over the long haul if you give them a fair shot will make a difference in your health and well being which will help you train longer, harder, and perform better. I’ve had a really good run using Trueprotein.com for my stuff. Their shipping is expensive and slow to canada (two weeks) but the price can’t be beat overall and it’s good quality stuff, just no fancy label. I don’t get a penny for endorsing them, I just think they’re top notch.
That’s it for tonight, I’m off to bed I’ll leave you with something to mellow out too.
1
Life is a sum of decisions, let them be yours
I’m going to hit you with some random Sunday introspection. This was kinda spurred by some conversations I’ve had throughout the week which I’ve been mulling over. Generally I’m pretty happy and content person, I like where I am in life and where I’m heading but it hasn’t always been like this. Alot of that has been based on the choices I decided to start making. Decisions are hard, because they imply and usually result in direct change. Change affected by us, which can be intimidating. It’s the age old fear of the unknown(think of any crappy relationship you’ve stayed in for too long). It’s odd in a way because alot of the time it seems for the majority we’re content letting decisions be made for us by others or circumstance. I’m guilty of this too, I’m not just pointing fingers. We look to our partners, friends, twitter, horoscopes, and whatever the fuck else to try to figure out the “right decision” (you know, the one that doesn’t exist till you make it?). This way we then have a scapegoat if things don’t work out. Sometimes, especially when faced with hard decisions we need to make, the not usually committal will choose the easiest/safest option(ie. safe career options based on peer valuation). Consequently especially for some of life’s greatest decisions we’re left with the regret of not knowing what taking our own chosen risk would have yielded. It’s been “the only decisions you will ever regret are the ones you didn’t make”. I know enough people who seem haunted by this principle to feel it couldn’t be more true. In order to truly make a decision I’ll add that you need to take responsibility for it. So what am I trying to say right? The point is the whole process is like navigating street signs, sometimes you might turn down the wrong street but it doesn’t mean you can’t eventually find another route or turn around if your heading in the wrong direction. Eventually you’ll get somewhere, and that may be where you wanted to be and you might discover some cool stuff along the way you didn’t know was there. This seems alot better than being stuck nowhere. Enough analogies, you get the point I’m sure. I like being in charge of my life, I hope you are too.
Thought provoking track of the evening, the Radiohead TKOL rmx 1234567 album is awesome for the record;
0
Training Update: Holding it together with a little duct tape
Haven’t done one of these in awhile. It’s been a rough few weeks as far as injuries go, my left knee and my left shoulder have been complaining quite a bit. I haven’t been able to squat without pain for a bit over three weeks. It’s not all bad though as it’s giving me time to really hammer some “weak points” and try new things. It’s also putting into perspective how important the pre-hab stuff is, whenever I slack on it I tend to break down shortly after. Foam rolling, mobility work, icing is really important, it’s f*cking tedious but important. As long as I stay diligent with it I’m pretty confident I’ll be 100% in a couple weeks and probably stronger for it. Worst case scenario atleast by the time I start my next meet prep cycle for the Battle of Montreal meet January 14th. I have the bar set pretty high for this one, aiming to hit a 1300+ total at 242lbs. It’s nothing close to record breaking but it’s a step up closer to where I feel I should be right now in my training development/career.
Otherwise right now everything is just coasting along, my weight has stayed a consistent 241-245 lbs but I’m slowly getting visibly leaner which I’m happy about. Gotta keep the diet in check though especially with winter coming, I’m not actively looking to actually lose weight but neither do I want to gain it. Especially since my mom kills it in the kitchen during the holidays it’s hard avoiding getting some serious bloat on when I go home lol. After January’s meet I’m going to focus on dropping some fat to put myself in a better position to put on some more muscle in the next year to be a bigger leaner 242.
So that’s the progress and plan for now , I’ll leave you with a vid that really sparks something in me every time I watch it.
0
Recipe – Oatmeal almond protein pancakes
Thought I’d share a recipe I dig for weekends or whenever. I love pancakes but they usually make me feel like crap, I don’t react well to flour. Pancakes in the traditional sense are also hard to mix into a diet as they’re usually devoid of any true nutrition. So I decided to make these because they taste good and have a good macro profile.
What you’ll need:
Mixing bowl
Blender/Food processor
a Pan
1/2 cup Almond Meal Flour
6 large Egg White
1/2 cup Oatmeal
1 scoop Myofusion Protein
1 tsp All Natural Baking Powder
1 tbsp Cinnamon Ground
1/2 cup Almond Milk – Unsweetened
Steps:
- Toss the dry oatmeal in the blender, blend it till it becomes powder
- Beat your egg whites in a bowl till they become fluffy and frothy
- Toss all the ingredients into the blender and mix till smooth consistency
- Heat your pan to medium and grease it, i like coconut oil for this gives the pancakes more flavor
- Blob some mix in the pan, flip when the edges start to bubble
Serve and Enjoy
Macro's are just for the mix, it doesn't include oil/butter to fry it
2
Even when the chalk settles, there’s more work to be done
I’m two days removed from my first powerlifting meet in Belleville, the Ontario law enforcement games powerlifting meet to be exact. Being as it was my first time, I have nothing to gauge it by but I felt it was well put together and the people were awesome. As far as my performance goes I have a tendency to set the bar pretty high for myself. I didn’t hit the numbers I wanted but I still walked away with some PR’s and an awesome experience which I’m grateful for. I will probably almost always feel like I could have done better, but I’m content and happy I went. The main thing I think competing offers me(other than experience) is perspective and focus. I know now what I want out of myself and my training much more-so than before. I know what I’ve done, and I think I know what I need to do to get better. I also know how I react under pressure. These are invaluable lessons that can’t really be learned otherwise. It’s funny how much has changed in the relatively short time since I walked into Dynamo, I know that I would not have come this far this fast. I can’t thank Willie and Jay enough for their guidance and support. I can only really work harder and hopefully prove to them one day that their work was worth it. I definitely plan to compete again relatively soon probably around January.
That’s it for now, the past month has been hectic so my posting has been sidelined but more to come soon.
1
5 Lessons in life born in the weightroom
I first stepped into a gym 11 years ago. Everyone is shaped by the events and people in their lives, for me many of my most defining lessons have been found lifting iron. I won’t presume I’ve got shit all figured out, but there’s many things in this life I’ve had to learn the hard way for which I feel my saving grace has been steel plates. So I just thought I’d share some;
Success requires failure – You’ve probably heard something like this before. If you learn what not to do, then what you should do will become much clearer. The most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve failed the most, what separates them is every time they fall down they get up, brush off and keep moving.
“‘I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan
Be ambitious with your goals and realistic with your actions- Never be afraid of setting the bar high, aim to be average and the best you will ever be is average. Ambition doesn’t have to be trumped by “reality”, you’ll always have someone in the wings telling you what you can’t do. Ignore the haters and figure out what you can. Accomplishments are built with persistence, time, planning, and hard work.
You always have more in the tank than you think you do - Spending less time thinking about failure and more time thinking about the task at hand can go a long way. You always will have more to give than you think, keep pushing especially when you think you can’t. If you can’t push yourself, then find someone or something who will.
Learn from those who came before, aim to be better – Experience is the greatest teacher, but also the most hard won. Regardless of what you want to accomplish in life, learning from the experiences of those who came before can greatly bolster your chances of success. The key is being able to put aside your bullshit and truly listen.
No-one is going to do it for you, so best figure out how you will- If you’re standing in front of a speeding train, which do you think is likelier to save you? Attempting to jump out of the way or praying for it to stop? I’d place my bet on moving. Learn to rely on yourself first, it’ll also make any help you get along the way alot more valuable.
8
Respect the Journey, eventually get where you’re going
Pictures say a 1000 words, and nothing tells me I’ve made progress more than my pictures. I’ve talked about the impact and worth of taking pics before but here’s an little example of the preacher practicing.
276lbs vs 243lbs
It can be difficult to really take a hard look at yourself, I can tell you it was really hard for me to post this. I’m withholding a little mouth vomit as I write, but horribly disturbing and embarrassing pics are a good motivator and for me they’re also essential. Why? Because it gives me perspective, no matter how beat up, unmotivated, or defeated I feel it reminds me that I’m heading somewhere and I’ve done something right. It also reminds me how far I can fall if I’m not careful.
“Success finds a way; failure finds an excuse” – stolen from Rich Gaspari’s twitter and probably stolen from somewhere else
I still have a long way to go to achieve what I want. I’m no fitness model nor do I plan to be, but I plan to be healthy, strong and fit and that has an image to me. I also want to help those willing to listen avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made along the way. So I’ll say this, decide to do something. Then start moving. Doesn’t matter how fast or slow just find a way to move towards your goal. Take it a day at a time keep things in perspective, appreciate the knowledge you gain along the way and be careful not to obsess over the end result. This to me is respecting the journey, taking time to enjoy it, appreciating it for what it brings into your life. I know If I didn’t do these things I’d drive myself mad and not get anywhere.
Take pride in your accomplishments, keep perspective on where you’ve gone and remember where you’re going…onward and upward. Respect the journey.
0
Don’t just breath, live
I just love TED talks because they (as I guess is their purpose) really make you think. Being conscious of your mortality isn’t a bad thing, rather to me it’s just a way of being accountable to yourself to live the best life you can right now. There’s so much out there that wastes our lives and potential. You are going to die, and by realizing this I feel it allows you to truly live . Ditch the negativity and procrastination, take care of the people and the things that matter and realize nothing else does.
Shoutout to the Hero Handbook.
0
Training Update: Holding it together with a little duct tape
Haven’t done one of these in awhile. It’s been a rough few weeks as far as injuries go, my left knee and my left shoulder have been complaining quite a bit. I haven’t been able to squat without pain for …
0
Sunday Introspection
My daily worries seem trivial in the grand scheme of things. Mostly because they are. I’m healthy, have a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and I have awesome people in my corner. Everything else should just be …
1
Feeling stiff? Prehab Basics – The foam roller
Let me be the first to say that I adore my foam roller. It’s the thing that keeps me feeling good with some seriously rough luvin. If you haven’t foam rolled before initially it’s somewhat painful but in the long run it’ll probably save you alot of pain.
Follow me!