I've Failed And The Lesson I'm Learning From It

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six 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

Failing is a powerful teacher that comes often in our lives. I've failed to do 100 Burpees in a row, I've failed to keep a program going for more than 6 weeks and most importantly, I've failed myself for believing that certain things whether from a fitness standpoint or personally would make me happier or fall in love with because others have told me to. One of the biggest things I've ever had to deal with in my life was letting others down because I didn't live up to the hype or the expectations. Most of the time, very few people give a shit what you do and the rest just don't care but want to spew how much of a failure you are. 

I've said it over and over again that when I talk about what I'm going to do or what my goals are and end up failing because I've talked about it just puts me in a dark state yet I've repeated it time and time again. Many get it, but many also just want to tear you a part for it because you're not what you're expected to be. I'm no fitness god or some perfect specimen, I'm just a guy, one of 7 1/2 billion on this planet who's had some success but plenty of failures like anybody else. Just a speck in the universe. If you don't like what I write or have an issue with what I say, than walk away. Don't read my stuff, no need to make asshole comments just so you can be noticed, the more you hassle somebody because you can't stand them, the more it says about you than the person writing. 

That's easier said than done because I've gotten caught up in the web of making snarky and negative comments towards people and have failed over and over to just walk away. I need to take my own advice on many things and learn to take things for what they are and pay attention more to who I really trust in this world. Very few in my life I trust and one of them isn't here anymore that I can talk to. I understand this article comes off as a pity party and I'm just begging for attention when the truth is; this is just me being human and sharing with you a side of me that is about as real as you can get until you've actually been around me and not just go by what I've written.

There is this fear people have of being open about their failures. I'm no exception but I also know who will tell me the truth, the real truth because they know me best. If you don't know me outside of the web, you have no reason to tell me the truth or have the faintest idea of what the truth is with me. So if you plan on making any comments good or bad, think twice about what you plan on saying.

Being happy in reality, is a mindset. I know this and it's a constant learning thing for me. Exercise and fitness makes me happy but very few methods I'm in love with. The type of love for exercise where I know regardless of how I do it, I never will have a movie star body or have heads turn from every other person walking down the street but I will bust my ass for the thing that I love and gives me joy. There's always going to be someone stronger, faster and far better looking than I'll ever be but that's ok. My expectations are from myself, not from somebody else and how I do things is not perfect, never will be and the way I train is what makes me happy. 

You'll never see me do the best looking pullup or the most awesome pushup, I don't have the patience to do 1000 or even 500 Squats anymore, I don't have a great looking set of Core Muscles but I know how strong they are, I move weird in certain animal exercises but that's what the universe gave me. I know what I can do and constantly learning what I'm capable of. What I can do has kept me strong and durable for the longest time, what I can do, helps others and what I can do, inspires a lot. I've also failed at doing things that weren't meant for me in the first place and tried to live up to others' ideas. 

I'm not meant to do someone else's program to the "T", I wasn't meant to live up to those who don't really matter and I'm damn sure I wasn't meant to be affiliated with a company that by all accounts, has a guy who thinks he's hot shit and acts like he's god's gift to fitness when he looks like Twiggy and can't properly set up a camera to get a good angle for exercises. If you feel the need to film yourself being in a dark ass room and nobody can see you but you want everyone to listen to you, you might want to just put out an audio. Anyway, the real lesson here is, failure is a part of life, the real success is how we break through it and keep fighting to get what makes us successful. 

Sprint 8 Without The Machinery And Summer Results So Far

Changing things up can be a good thing so you can stay interested and take on a different style of the training you're working on. Since about late May, I was working on Hill Sprints and up until now did around 60 Sprints in that time ranging from 4-5 per workout at 10-15 seconds each. I would take about a 20 minute walk to the hill, do my sprints and walk back 20 minutes. It was good for a while but was feeling burnt out and needed to change things up. Doing research and seeing what could work for me, I found the Sprint 8 Program.

Doing a couple workouts with Sprint 8 so far and it's tough but I have greater energy and the timing is better for me since I can practically do it anywhere and not always exhaust myself. If you ever read the course by Phil Campbell it's simply a workout where you do an exercise for 30 seconds fast and "rest" for 90 seconds for 8 rounds. The workout itself takes less than 15 minutes all together and only 4 minutes of intense training.  

The program itself is not really that new and the concept itself as I recall was originally "founded" by Dr. Lawrence Moorhouse who had athletes do this with Burpees or Step Ups (can't remember which one exactly) but it's a good program. Campbell updated this protocol in the modern age by using it for cardio machines that's actually pre-set to the protocol. There's a warm up period, the workout and a cool down which all together takes 20 minutes. This is to be done 3x a week which the trial run is 8 weeks. 

I don't use machines so I just do Burpees for this particular workout because as a bodyweight exercise, Burpees are the closest to the most intense, fat burning and weight loss exercise you can do next to sprint training. The rest period is just walking it off. I would start with a few minutes of Joint Loosening and than get right to it. When I'm done, I hop in the shower and do recovery work the rest of the day. The workout itself is less than 15 but if you include the joint loosening its about 18-19 minutes) and that is perfect for me. 

You don't need machines to do this workout (which I just showed), you can do this with slam balls, bodyweight exercises, sprints in place, Burpees, Step Ups, weights just about whatever your imagination can come up with, just do something fast for 30 seconds and actively rest for 90 for 8 rounds, that's it. With the Hill Sprints and this workout so far, I've lost 7-9 pounds and put on some muscle but it's still a work in progress and got a ways to go so I just need to trust the process. I didn't even diet that much if at all and the pounds were still slowly but surely coming off. 

Who knows where I might go with this but at the moment, I like it and it could lead to my best physique ever but I'm not looking for the beach body, just be in better shape and be in better health little by little. As of July 4th, I've gone from 267 lbs. to 258 lbs. (Pictures at 258), would like to be a little under 250 by the time I turn 38. Is it possible? We shall see.

Isometrics As A Recovery Tool

When we push ourselves, more than likely we will be sore the next day or feel less than 100% of what we can do the next day. Many of us have experienced this and sometimes it's because we do things our bodies weren't ready for yet or just went a little bit further than we should've but it happens. At least being sore means you're not dead but very often, being sore also means you pushed more than what you needed to progress. In reality, you just feel slightly worn down but not out. 

There are different kinds of soreness but the most common one is the muscles aching and you're feeling it the next day or have trouble sleeping. I've been so sore that when I was a teen, I couldn't get out of bed and felt like an 90 year old man just wanting to die. I've also been sore that although I can feel it everywhere, it didn't stop me from training and doing something else to stay active. Funny how things are as you get older and wiser.

Recovery is as important as the training itself and we sometimes forget that. It's the yin and yang and we need to find that balance. I do believe in doing something everyday even if its for 5 minutes regardless if I'm sore or not. Most days, I can just go and not feel sore at all but every now and then, one of those workouts that just rocks you and tries to tear you down. Recovery should be about resting, lower impact training and time to work on keeping the joints healthy as the body repairs itself. This is where Isometrics can be an incredible recovery tool.

Using Isometrics as a method of recovery is essential and we don't always understand that. It doesn't have any impact on the joints, doesn't take up much time and they can be just as cardio based as they can be strength based, just need to know which buttons to push for that. Overcoming Isometrics are amazing for this. Yielding can be just as good but Overcoming (from my experiences) harness a level of strength training without the fear of pushing so damn hard you'll be out for a week. Whether using a wall, a strap or yourself, Isometrics can work the body without overlapping what you're recovering from fitness wise. If you get injured, that's a whole other thing and it isn't the same as having sore muscles for a day or two.

Most days, I never feel sore and can go pretty hard but every now and then, one of those workouts that just knocks you on your ass and you need time to repair happens but it shouldn't stop you from training. That's what I love about Isometrics, I don't have to push myself hard to get in a good workout and I'm still getting quality recovery. They're a go to whenever I want to do them and get some awesome cardio benefits from doing 45 sec to 1 minute holds. Most of the time I don't go beyond a minute because mainly of my attention span otherwise it's just a boring hold and testing the "endurance" side of it. A minute may not seem like much but if you truly understood how Isometrics work, it can be the longest minute of your life (just try the hybrid push-up). 

You don't need to bust your ass every single workout. Some people can get away with it but if you push beyond the soreness, it can lead to injury. I'm not saying you shouldn't challenge yourself but to be efficient in your training and everyday life, you need to have quality "rest" and being active to the degree where you're giving yourself proper recovery without going gung ho all the time. Stay as active as you can but don't overexert so much it puts you in bad positions where you can't work or do what you need to do. The older we get, the more quality of training we must be able to maintain and at some point, Isometrics would be a godsend to have in your arsenal. 

Recover well guys and get the most out of your training with quality exercises and tools to stay in shape regardless of your age or sex.  

It's Not A Chore...It's An Adventure

Exercise was never meant to be easy because if it was, we wouldn't understand the meaning of the words Progression, Strength, Perseverance & Physical/Mental Conditioning. That doesn't mean it can't be fun or made interesting. Have we lost our sense of imagination to get the most out of our training? I don't think so, many have really just suppressed it and locked it up whether they knew it or not and don't know where the key is. When we do find it and use it to as much of its potential as we can do, it becomes in a sense "effortless" to reach for as high as we want to go. 

Take into consideration what gives us the greatest benefits and proceed to make it the most kick ass thing we can do. Training, in a realistic sense, teaches us to hone skills and build strength within ourselves to be the best we can be. Sure we go through phases and follow certain programs or protocols but in the end, it's up to us to make the most of it. Yeah we do stupid stuff sometimes but going through the stupid stuff helps us grow and understand what not to do yet for some, doing stupid stuff is all they know and don't know any better and that's a damn shame.

The adventure part is when we don't know what's out there on the horizon, but there is something out there for us to find. There's a buried treasure hidden and when you find it, utilize its contents to your desires or you can hang onto it for dear life and find a way to make the most out of that treasure. We all have a chest of precious gold and jewels hidden away somewhere (e.g, the best programs in our arsenal) but we can't always use them the same exact way as everyone else, there's spending and trading which is common but in this sense, it's about investing in what gives us great benefit to thrive and get back more in our investment. 

We may make mistakes on our adventure but we also learn what makes us work hard and play harder to have the time of our lives. Exercise really is an adventure but we must find it in ourselves, no one is going to do it for us. Be adventurous and be on the lookout as the sun sets and/or rises because you never what's out there in them open waters. 

Sprint 8 Protocol

Grind Style Calisthenics

Thor's Hammer Herbal Package

Overcoming Isometrics

Two Workouts, One Morning

At least that's better than 2 and 1 of something else (kudos to who gets the joke) but that's when you're just ready to go at a quarter to 5 in the morning and have some energy to burn. First workout this morning was 20-5 Yard Bear Crawl Sprints because that's what I felt like doing. That kind of workout will humble anyone and get those lungs firing like a mofo. This particular workout is great if you want to get in something quick and that'll kick your ass. 

I'm really not a morning person so if I happen to be up in the morning, I have to do something in order to get some endorphins kicking in otherwise leave my ass alone LOL. Training in the morning is actually one of the few things that puts a smile on my face. Hell on the day me and my girl left for Auburn, WA for a concert, I did Hill Sprints just so I can feel ready for the trip. Most days, I do one or two workouts during the day but rarely two in one morning so I guess I really needed to just let shit out.

The second workout wasn't as intense but it was just as good and that was doing some several Overcoming Isometric exercises for 45 seconds each. Been a while since I've done a full Iso Workout so I figured what the hell and just hold certain positions (Curl, Deadlift, Wall Sit, Dead Bug for example) for a brief period. Felt really good and really enjoying the flow it gives after a workout. The last exercise was the Hybrid Pushup for 45 seconds and that made me shake like leaf. It's actually not as easy as it looks and the longer you hold it, the more you'll feel it. 

Doing several workouts throughout the day can actually be a good thing because you're keeping yourself active and you're giving yourself plenty of time to rest. Short and Intense is the key but sometimes, those short workouts can kick your ass so hard that you'll need a nap afterwards. Not a bad idea since that will release HGH which helps put on leaner muscle and burn calories like Margaret Hamilton does to Water. 

Whenever I finish playing the animal dice game, I would kick back on the couch, let everything sink in and just feel relaxed and at peace, been known to fall asleep for about a half hour and waking up feeling like I just had a good night of sleep. It puts you into a better mood that's for sure. Every now and then, you might cough up a little since you put your lungs through the ringer, just be careful. It isn't uncommon to happen but that's basically giving your body a chance to release some crappy toxins and help you be healthier. At least that's what I've experienced. 

Train with a vengeance but also train with intent. Get the most out of it and have a blast.