Do You Even Lift Bro?

    Apparently that's the new generational question for fitness nuts. It's practically become synonymous with the dying old "ancient" fitness question "How much can you bench?" To me, it's one of the dumbest questions these days. Makes people feel inferior, weak and unappealing. Funny I've never been asked it but thank god I haven't, it's a bit annoying and it's usually asked by macho, stuck up pricks who think there're better than others. It's not even a general question it's more sarcastic and unfunny. And those that answer shouldn't have to open their mouth, they got nothing to prove to anyone except themselves.

 
    What I'm wondering is when people ask that are they asking if you lift weights, odd objects or bodyweight because it seems to be way too general and not necessarily specific. It's become a bit of a downer and very tedious. Sometimes it makes me want to slap those morons. Do I lift? Here's an answer for you, no I don't lift much weights but I can handle a pretty damn huge sledgehammer, lift my entire body weight in both a pullup and a handstand, I can press up heavy cables, lift some nifty rocks but if you want to call me out on it I'd be happy to oblige but not for your benefit to prove anything but only because you asked so be careful what you wish for.

 
    The real question should be "Do you even train?" Who cares if you don't lift or look like a bloated bodybuilder, as long as you train and it makes you happy so be it. Anybody can lift a weight or pick up a thing or two but training is different, it's doing something for a purpose and what gives them results. Train for what you want to do not because someone asked you about it. You don't need to lift but believe in training, finding what you're good at and believe in it. Don't listen to those shmucks. Real people don't ask stuff like that, they help and show you how to draw your own path.

 
    What matters is not how much you lift, but how much you're willing to train. Making goals come alive, seeing the results that bring meaning to you and doing what makes you happy. Take chances, break a few rules and answer by doing and not using your mouth that would only stoop to their level unless you've got some good method of psychology on them. Don't be a jackass, be smart and be honest.

What Makes You Is You Only

    People these days want to defy others by what's different, what's wrong, or praise them by great efforts/deeds and tell them what they can and can't do. It's a vicious cycle especially when it comes to parents, teachers and politicians. Some like to play favorites and tell off that the other person is not good like that kid or that councilman, or defying a person's personality by the color of their skin or religion or whatever. It's like there's no neutral compromise of what is good, bad or different. Let me put it to you this way for you Twilight fans, you're either team Edward or team Jacob, that's what society is defied in today's world there's no middle. We are so consumed of what's different and fearful when there's a whole other door to be open that is beautiful, compassionate, loving and wholesome. To tell you the truth, I'm not a religious person, I'm not all about being a liberal or conservative hell I don't give a damn what color your skin is, to me you're another human being.

 
    What defies you is not what you are but who you are. You may not be a pro athlete or were in the top 3 in a spelling bee or won best debater but you have done something you must be proud of. Awards are only an object they are not what makes you a wonderful or awful person, it's who you become through experience, mistakes, triumphs, raising up and hitting rock bottom. I have won a few things in my lifetime, made a choice to fight back to walking again, I have exceeded people's expectations of me and I have experienced certain things in my life a kid should have no way of seeing yet I'm still here. I don't look for praises, to be someone's go to guy or to be the world's greatest writer. I've been told a lot of things some negative and some positive yet I choose to not to go with one or the other, I go for what works for me and learn about what I'm good at and what I can do to share my passion with the world. Don't ever let anything or anyone defy who you truly are, the only person or thing that can defy you is you and your passion. It doesn't matter if you're black, white, Jewish, Christian, Gay, Straight, rich, poor, comedy or action lover, writer, athlete or whatever if you're passionate about something and it's part of your personality and the way you look at life and those around you that defies who you are. I may have hidden who I really am around certain people but it's not because of what I think, it's about who truly deserves to see it because I've been judged, beaten up, ridiculed, told I would never make it somewhere yet I choose to not let that scare me away from my true self, it fuels me to want it more to become better and not do it for them but for me. Finding who you are is life's greatest adventure.

 
    Stick to what gives you the greatest benefit. If your heart is set on something and you're so passionate about it, there's a good chance you'll become great at it if you practice, see it, feel it, energize you and it helps others in a productive way. Some will drive you away from your passion not because they know you'll be good but apparently they have their hearts set at seeing you fail. It is sad to feel fear, to think that people have the nerve to tell something "you're going to fail" and it's not really you they're directing at, they're directing themselves in disguise because they don't have your passion, your strength to go for what's important to you and making something of yourself. Whatever makes you happy, brings you joy, anything that gives your soul and deep universal mind peace and warmth that's what you should be doing. I have known people who work at these jobs where they are just miserable and don't have any real life to them, no enthusiasm or passion it's "just a job", sure you may make good money to provide for your family or just you but if you have no reason to be joyful and inlove with what you do what's the point? For me when I get the urge to write I make it a habit to put passion into it and my soul with deep meaning and love for it because it's a part of who I'am and what I love in this world. I don't give a damn if you're a pizza delivery boy or a lawyer for some famous celebrity, if you truly put your passion into what you do it's no longer a job, it's getting paid to have a blast.

 
    Family & Friends may claim to really know the true you and maybe some do I'm not discounting that but for those that really know you don't reject your passion or tell you it's a hobby, they encourage you, want to help you because they believe in you with no agenda, no strings attached and no hidden bullshit. I have some friends and family that could care less about what I do and wouldn't have a clue on what encouragement really means and show they're care at all but you know what, I'm ok with that because there's another group of those two things that will learn about my passion and they will encourage me and they do believe in me because they know what I'm capable of and what I'm doing about it one step at a time. You can have all the people you want to have your back and give you love and affection and praises for what you do or believe in your passion but the only person that has your back despite all the trials, tribulations, failures, success and the choices throughout your life is you. You know the real you, you know what goes on in your head, you know what you're really feeling and you know what makes you happy or sad. No matter how many claim to believe in you or not the only thing that matters is if you believe in yourself.

 
     

The Gym Is Everywhere

    About 99.9% of the gyms out there today are horrible and I want to tell you why; they have no regard for people who truly want to get fit and strong. They have no class for showing fitness in a simple manner, they make it complicated by having too many gadgets and very little amount of free weights or they play their little con games to get you to sign up. Hell there's even a gym where they have pizza and bagels once a month and yet this same gym told a beautifully fit woman to leave because she was intimidating, what a bunch of crock. One gym I went to with my sisters, cousin and brother-in-law I got a ton of odd looks because I was lifting quite a bit of weight (apparently a partial press of 465 lbs. is a little odd to them). The reason most gyms today suck because they rather cater to people who are skinny as hell and feed them crap both physically and psychologically or to those who are overweight and put them on little baby weights while putting them on a machine feeding them celery. It is a travesty and I'm not surprised if the old-timers are rolling in their graves right now.

 
    What you deserve is to be healthy, fit, strong and vital. Now I realize some programs won't work and hey that's ok because there will be something out there for you to find that will have you glowing with energy, hormones are at their peak, your strength becomes stronger, you lose bodyfat and gain muscle. Most gyms don't deserve you because quite frankly if you look deep into it, they don't give a damn about you or how unfit or fit you are. What I don't get is, you have a gym that has some great free weights to use but yet the moment you start to show some real strength they give you shit for it, it's confusing isn't it? You deserve to be happy, challenged and cared about your progress, how can that be when your gym is making you do the dumbest stuff and yet you feel miserable. That's not real training.

 
    If you open up your mind and believe in possibilities, you can train anywhere you want, it doesn't have to be in a room full of (or empty for that matter) people that don't care or have any regard for hygiene and respect for the equipment; it can be in your home, backyard, park, beach, office, grocery store, restaurant even you're damn bedroom. Buy free weights if you want them, do sprints at the school yard, jump in the lake and find a rock or two to lift. We have become so narrow minded that in order to make us happy we have to join up somewhere that costs a ton of money or very little and not go plus wait for assholes on their cell phone to finish his set. Not every gym is like that, I've been in a couple that are actually worth going to and it's always awesome in the atmosphere and the amount of encouragement you actually get without pretending. Be open to do kick ass things without being crammed into a place that looks like the cysteine chapel or Bloomingdales and make something of yourself, flip a big tire if you find one, go do cartwheels, climb, run down the field, lift a heavy rock, swing a mace, throw a keg there are so many things to choose from. I haven't been to a gym since Aug. and only went just to get away from the complex for a while and spend some time with my sister and her husband; while there I made the best of it, lifted heavy, did a few exercises with a 53lb. Kettlebell, DDP Yoga, Arm Wrestling, one arm snatches for reps and other stuff and loved every second of it. At the time it was in Lake Tahoe but my gym was the lake, the rocks, climbing the ladders, push-ups, squats, bridging and more.

 
    The real gym is out there, you can create your own gym overtime in your garage or den if you have the space. No distractions, no bullshit gym politics and you're free to do whatever you want when you want and however you want with no judgment or someone telling you what to do. At the park you are free to move and do what your heart desires, practice your hand balancing, run sprints on a nearby track or the grassy field, dance if you feel like it, just getting out in the open air does wonders for your overall health. Go to your local beach either by the ocean or lake (if it's not too polluted, the cleaner the better) and go for a kick ass swim, if there are rocks around I'm sure there will be some to lift, carry, throw, curl, squat or toss that tickles your fancy. Why not do Isometrics while you're dining out, no one really looks at what you're doing so you can curl your fists under the table or press your arm down for a few seconds, squeeze your abs (maybe not while you're actually but between eating). How about while you wait in line at the movies or at your bank, sometimes those things take a while depending on what's going on so you can do things like circling your wrists to strengthen the tendons, open and close your fist, press your feet into the ground, work your shoulders. There are so many ways to do things that don't require those pesky piece of crap gyms. Do some research, experiment with a few things, find what can work for you and be flexible about it so you can go about your day and taking care of your responsibilities. Be bold and open up the possibilities instead of impossibilities.