When I was going to the gym between 2003 and 2005, I only went to just lift and see what I can do. I had no aspirations for bodybuilding and wanted to be big and lift heavy. Unfortunately I did get hurt a few times and at 19 I once woke up so sore that everything ached and I felt like an 80 year old man trying to get out of bed it hurt so bad. After my accident, everything changed.
In life, certain things happen to you that just remind you of what you were meant to do. No one intentionally wants their legs broken and to this day, I have no real reason why I jumped off that cliff the way I did it and although it's become a joke to many people, in some twisted and messed up way, the universe made me learn a massive lesson. Everything changed the moment my bones broke. I was no longer this kid that loved lifting, I wasn't going to turn into somebody that gave up or just not do anything after he "gets better." Being in that much pain and nearly mentally broken, I hated myself for the entire duration of those near three months. I hated the fact that I had to be in a wheelchair, I hated that I had to have people help me in that state and I hated that being so young that I questioned my very existence.
Even writing this it has gotten me a little emotional because it is something I can never forget no matter how I try or want to block out. I forced myself to endure and face my demons head on. A lot of people got on my case about not going to rehab even before my last surgery. Got sick and tired of being told what I had to do to heal, the way I was told to take care of myself and having to take things for the pain I was about to endure when I walked again. If anyone should tell me what to do it's going to be me only. When I started out with Combat Conditioning all those years ago, all I cared about was healing myself, just doing Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups & the Bridge.
As I started learning more about the type of training I was doing and the history behind it, it became more and more clear that this is what I was meant to do with myself. Bodyweight Training did more than just made me stronger, more flexible and far more conditioned than I could ever imagine; it made me appreciate and value the ability to endure day after day, week after week and year after year of consistent training. I became more than what I was at 20 years old. I love being able to keep going and although it was tiring, I only stopped when I felt the need to, not because I had to.
I had learned from hearing guys like Karl Gotch, Matt Furey, John Peterson, Bud Jeffries, Tyler Bramlett & Logan Christopher that conditioning is your greatest asset not just through a sport but through life and conditioning the mind to endure even when it is at its worst. That's why I have become such a fanatic. It makes me want to punch someone in the face when I hear or read about how some of these courses are crap and the person writing them or making a DVD has no business selling or showing people how to get fit. News flash guys, I don't give a rats ass if a course is original or refurbished from the past, if it gives me something to look forward to and brings me great benefit than I'm damn well going to use it. You can mock these guys all you want that's not in my control but don't you fucking dare tell me that their stuff is crap and have no benefit. These guys saved my life one way or another, they gave me tools that have not only made me the way I Am but gave me opportunities to help people and earn a living. I'm in debt to each person I have listed in this paragraph for different reasons but all with the same ending.
I don't have 6 pack abs, I don't have 5% bodyfat and I damn sure don't have 20 inch arms but here are the things that I do have or can do....Respect for athletes who are very well conditioned, the ability to do 500 Hindu Squats, create any workout I see fit without thinking about it, still lift pretty good weight, knowledge on fitness and certain sports not many know today, swim well at my size, enduring legs, a strong core, a solid and powerful neck and so much more. What I do is not impressive nor do I really care to try to impress anyone but I have fought for what I believe in, endured ridicule and bashing of my lifestyle, being called all sorts of names and even being told what I can do is impossible yet I'm still here and doing what I love and conditioned my mind and my soul to keep going every single goddamn day. That's the true mark of conditioning.
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