Earning Your Keep

            

            In order to get what you truly desire, you got to earn it. There are so many things people are just handed to, cell phones, ipads, a new car for your kid’s 16^th birthday, even in certain sports like Wrestling for example; they just want to learn takedowns, holds and escapes but they don’t want to put in the work to get there. Not everybody is like this and no matter how hard certain people work certain things won’t come or they get turned down for the things they want to get and it’s a shame.

            With training, a lot of people just want results at the drop of a hat but won’t put in the effort to get there. Some people are gifted and results come in very easily but for the general population especially those over 40 needs to put in a great deal of effort to make results come true. Now granted those who put in the effort but are unhappy with the results are so overwhelmed by it that they just quit and make excuses.

            You can enjoy what you put into it. It’s very easy to train like it’s a punishment and you just move along until you’re burned out and you just hate what your results look like. On the other hand, if you enjoy going after a goal even at times when it’s at its hardest, you can accept the outcome because you didn't quit. If your results didn't come the way you planned, that’s ok you still made an effort and might have to switch gears to make it happen next time. Whatever you put into, you have earned those results and you strive to be better.

            What’s the ultimate competition when it comes to getting what you want? It’s you versus the person you see in the mirror everyday. Comparing yourself to others is like comparing apples to oranges, it’s not the same fruit and neither is you being the same person they are. If you really want true competition, it’s going up against yourself. You started out with certain things you can’t possibly do at an advanced stage but you work your way up, as you get better you’re beating what you couldn't do before, you’re climbing that mountain when that part of you at first couldn't grasp it.

            Imagine this for a minute, you’re below a mountain that is so high up it just seems impossible to get there yet there’s someone else up there just having a ball, you grab the binoculars and you edge the lens to zoom in who’s just have the time of his life and out of all things to see, you see yourself and wonder “how the hell did I get up there.” He sees you and he has the power to zoom in without any help and waves at you. He wants you to come up and if you look closely you can read the lips “You can do it. I’m right here waiting.”

            You want to see how far you’re willing to go. You start to climb the mountain and there’s obstacles standing in your way and it’s tough for you to fight them but that part of you won’t let go of the fact that there’s someone holding your spot at the top. It takes a while and you are tested in ways you couldn't possibly imagine before and you struggle at times but there’s that piece of life left to keep going. Sometimes you have to take a break because let’s face it; this mountain has some crazy ass trails. There are times where it’s so overwhelming that you just feel like you can’t go any further and that’s when that person starts coming down the mountain with ease with a smile on his face, looks at you from a distance and says “you’re almost there, smile. It’s beautiful up there and it’s all for you.” You get that second wind and keep driving, seeing the top a little closer and closer, that last piece of the mountain is so steep it’s just begging you to fall but you climb it anyway come hell or high water you want to get up there so damn bad you can just feel the wind brushing you back and the air is at it’s best.

            You’re mere inches away and that last form of struggle won’t let you go but you fight it anyway. You have beaten it, you climbed up to the top and you see yourself standing right in front of you and he says “Welcome, I knew you can do it, I’m proud of you.” He disappears into the earth and you’re standing at the top just by yourself, you've covered more ground than you possibly imagined and only 5 words come to mind “Damn it’s beautiful up here.” 

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Animalize Your Exercise

 What do a tiger, a gorilla, a spider and a kangaroo all have in common? Every one of them is super S-T-R-O-N-G. Do you see a gym anywhere in the wild, no and so how do these animals stay fit and powerful? Simple answer because they have to be for survival and to take down what their food is for the next few days. They scratch, claw, climb, maneuver and have super strong tendons to boot. If there’s anything we should imitate it’s the strength of a wild animal.

 Am I saying weights aren't worth it, of course not they have their place but unless you have a truck, I highly doubt you’ll be able to travel with heavy equipment. Animal training is the type of fitness that can be done just about anywhere at any time. To get the best out your training, start where you’re at even if it’s taking little steps, you learn to progress. Once something becomes easier, challenge it at that level. People talk about doing 30 minutes of cardio and an hour of weights 3x a week and maybe throw in some of that aerobics crap that has god awful club music in the background.

 Want to know how many hours a week I train for the things I do, it’s not 10 hours, not 6, def not 4, it’s less than 2 hours and this goes on all week long. Training with this type of duration gives you rest, plenty of time to recover and still be able to do things you love to do, isn't it fun to gain than the average person?

 Kids today have it worse than when I was a kid. Back in the 90’s, there were issues like heart disease and such but obesity wasn't at a high level of concern, once I left high school, that’s when the obesity generation blossomed, it’s not on adults anymore, more and more children and teenagers develop bad habits. When I graduated high school almost a decade ago, Ipods barely were getting off the ground, ipads didn't exist, Myspace was the top social network and texting wasn't that big yet, today these kids have way too many privileges and don’t have the right sense of earning those privileges.

One of my biggest concerns for these kids is the way they socialize, half the time they’re texting friends but when their sitting next to them, they get bullied on Facebook and deal with pressures of having the newest cool gadget while trying to look cool for their peers. Damn sad if you ask me. Teaching the kids how to exercise not for punishment but for fun and learning how to push yourself productively and safely.

One of my mentors Matt Furey let his song Frank watch Winnie The Pooh but Frank had to earn that privilege so Matt tells him “Do your exercises first, pick ones you want to do an how many reps and when you’re done you can watch your movie.” Frank was hesitant at first but he did it and was proud of himself and was so excited to finally put on the movie. That to me is wicked cool because you’re not punishing your kid or forcing him to do it but if he/she wants something bad enough, sometimes they’ll have to earn it but encourage them to choose what they can do. It teaches how to accomplish something, it sets boundaries, rules and structure without making it look like you’re in hell.

 A child is already fit when it’s born, it’s very flexible and is learning on it’s own to strengthen themselves. As we get older, we lose sight of how we can stay fit and healthy; you start eating too much junk food, not enough exercise, no play time and rarely socialize anything with a pulse. Teaching the Way Of The Animal at a young age can set the tone for what they can develop, better brain power, strengthen muscles, define motor skills, productive competition, learning a sense of accomplishment, bring up self-esteem if you’re depressed, more relaxed if you’re hyper and create a better physical, emotional and spiritual state.

 Another component of training like a wild is something we've all striven to find, freedom. You’re out in the open and free to move and have fun while building your body to its natural state of muscular development and breathing deeply for a higher form of super endorphins. There are many ways to train like an animal, you can play tag, roll a dye, treat them as cartoons, train for 5 minutes or 1 hour it’s up to you that are true freedom. A key to freedom is to not analyze the workout hell don’t call it a workout call it going out and play, pick the way you want to do it and run with it, don’t worry how bad you are or if the other guy is better, just have fun and imagine yourself in the wild.

One of the beauties of being human is that we have a certain set of hormones. Men have Testosterone, Women have Estrogen and we learn how to balance these hormones for optimal results. As we get older, our hormones begin to go down by as much 5% a year by age 30, I still think its 25 but I could be wrong. In order to keep a balanced hormone levels we train according to our levels some people train hard and fast, others train mostly with for form and endurance but the principles still applies and because of Animal Training, it helps build those hormones we need to keep looking naturally young, have a spring in their step, live with confidence and happiness and if you’re looking to keep that spark with your significant other, it’s not a bad idea to train like an animal and fool around like an animal.

A lot of people look at exercise as a punishment or something they feel they have to or just don’t do it all. This type of thinking is why people hate to exercise and feel they won’t get results. Instead of thinking this way, shift gears a little just a little. Start with what you can do, instead of going through the motions like a robot, think as if you were that animal, you’re either running from a predator or catching your prey, picture as if you’re a gorilla defending your community, an ibex climbing the highest of mountains with ease, feeling graceful like a heron and one of my favorites a Mandrill just looking it was carved from granite with powerful washboard abs and the strength to break a man’s wrist if you grabbed it. Imagination is a beautiful thing to practice and using it with animalized training makes it that much more fun and exciting.

Last but not least about the great benefits of moving like an animal is that it’s very simple, just imitate as if you saw a wild animal at the zoo or on TV. Granted there are moves far beyond our limits but the ones we can use can give us strength that the average human can’t fathom. Never need to over analyze how you should move and which arm or leg goes where and if you can only move either straight or sideways, just do go with it, you’re learning to use muscles you normally don’t know that are there. Simple is better period. Give it a chance. Train with kids if you have them because whether they know it or not they crave structure and want to learn how to be better people and this can help that in ways that I can never explain. Have fun, be yourself and get your ass happy because nothing is more sacred than being happy.

Your Biggest Critic

 We learn as we get older who we are and what we become, sometimes it’s early sometimes late and very rarely at the right place at the right time. The bad thing about that is people will tell you what you can and can't do to be successful but in the end it’s up to you how your life is made.

There will be people who want to bring you down yet those same people should be your biggest motivators. You have dreams and goals and you either don't accomplish them or you do, one way or another the one person who’s going to criticize you the most is the one you're looking at in the mirror. Those same people who want you to fail not only got you to fail but made you fall for the things they said about you. They didn't really make you fail; it was you who failed yourself.

It’s not easy being motivated to go after something you want to accomplish. No matter how many excuses you come up with or how many people tell you can't do something the one person holding you back is you. If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to get there with or without someone’s encouragement. In fitness there are as many critics as there is in Art, Sports, Business and Politics, when you want to accomplish something, there will be some people who will hate you for it not because of your ambitions but because they're too damn scared or can’t understand so they radiate negative energy towards you. Never let this happen to you.

 I've had many setbacks in my life, I've cheated death a few times, didn't understand how my body worked when I was recovering from meningitis and I was told I wouldn't be able to very athletic and strong. It happens to all of us but the point I'm making it is if you want to go after something, you do it period. I can tell you stories about some of the guys who have overcome major obstacles in their life but it’s all just words, actions speak louder than words and it’s up to you who you want to become. Are you going to sit there and let people give you all the crap and let you fail, or you going to make things happen and show them that if you're going to fail or succeed, you're going to do it on your own terms?

 You've been told either your whole life or at some point in your life that you're either going to be successful or you'll fail so when is it enough for you? You are your biggest critique, not them not anything else, you are the one who will take a stand or just plummet like the others who just let themselves go and not get anywhere. Criticizing yourself can make you or break you which one is it?

 Look to where you want to go, feel that power of accomplishment before it even happens then set it to action, listen and learn how to make yourself better little by little. Build a foundation for what goals you want to accomplish, don't forget that 2 sided coin of those who encourage you and those that want you to fail, believe it or not they're both important because when you do accomplish something the ones who did encourage you will help you even more, the ones that wanted you to fail are the ones kicking themselves and feel even more crappier then they did before and might even give you a bit of a clap because you triumphed over your obstacles and did something they didn’t believe you could do. Get in the habit of making yourself successful no matter what the challenge is, I believe in you, there are others that believe in you, don’t let your goals and dreams die, they’re a key to making your life the way you always wanted.