Baby Baby Tell Me More Of Your Lies

 Ever done a workout that was so intense and powerful that when it's all said and done you just think to yourself "Holy fuck, did that really just happen?" Like it wasn't supposed to be THAT good but you come out of it not just smiling but feeling like you can take on the fucking gods. It has happened to me a time or two, those moments where everything is in place, you're locked in battle and when it's over, you're left standing with something beyond yourself.

Some workouts take us to another realm of what we can possibly achieve, others at times are just getting through and then walking out without thinking twice about it. The moment where it becomes epic is when in that point and time, it becomes an entity you didn't know existed. That rush of adrenaline, the feel of power surging and the awakening of strength that makes Zeus think "Glad he's on our side". We all have a power residing within us that we haven't let out yet. Could we achieve it on our own? Absolutely, it takes practice and guidance but once we understand where to unlock it, it opens the door to another world.

Certain things can trigger this power; it can be a memory, that voice in your head, your imagination, training with a friend or a group of people, listening to music, it can even be triggered by strong emotions. Unlocking it isn't the hard part, that's just the first step, the hard part is to consistently do it and be in control of it to the point where even in certain times of life, it's like flipping a damn switch. 

 It's like music, it creates vibrations and moves your mind. Not everyone is going to be hit with the same music, we all feel things differently. I'm an eclectic, I enjoy and feel things from different genres of music from metal to classical to 60's soul and/or rock and even Mongolian Folk Rock like The Hu. Now when I train, there are specific genres I put on or specifically songs that fire me up like from Miracle Of Sound, Ozzy, Godsmack, Peyton Parrish and others, closer to hard rock and metal. I don't put on things like ABBA or Hanson for that matter, I don't feel anything from those other than "switch to something else for the LOVE OF GOD". Some might be into them and get something but in my opinion, even Bud Jeffries has said to me while we were training that ABBA is the unmanliest music to work out to LOL. 

When I don't have music on, I can still go like crazy but something just hits me differently putting on a kick ass song or a playlist. I feel even more alive and have hit PRs listening to certain songs. The times I don't have a playlist or a song to start with, I use my imagination and think of either people beside me and telling me to keep going, or I picture something with the exercise I'm working on and make a game out of it or something epic to strive for. It works very but for me, music enhances all of those things. When I used to train with Logan Christopher from Lost Empire Herbs, we didn't use much music to do stuff, we had each other to push ourselves and learned things from one another that made us better in our sessions. Sometimes we used music and killed it with the things we did. Shit, his hand and thigh lifts at his height and weight were fucking unbelievable. The way he juggled a kettlebell was a sight to see, I can do a flip or two but he was doing things with as heavy as 70 lbs like it was baseball. 

You see, music brings vibrations that fires the neurons and takes us to places that we may not be able to do without it. I'm not saying you can't do great things if you don't listen to music while training, you sure as hell can, many have but a lot of us love music and use it to make our sessions look like we can take on the world by storm. Whoever tells you not to listen to music at all because it's distracting or just background noise while you train hasn't felt the true power of it and doesn't have a clue what it can truly do in a session. It's great that you don't and still have the power to make something incredible but don't you dare tell someone they can't and not experience something that can unleash something within them that turns a workout from going through the motions to something wild and epic. Music is power, music is a part of life and music can charge a person's strength to new heights. 

Be amazingly awesome and use that playlist you love or start off with a song that fuels you more than a Pre-Workout. Just an FYI, the title of this article is lyrics from a song I started listening to recently that is just beautiful, has a classic 80's rock vibe and gives me goosebumps. Although the story is about something else entirely but it still has a bad ass sound, great riff and vocals that are banging. 

Taste In Music Throughout My Life

 This won't completely be fitness related but it does give you a glimpse into certain things about me....

Growing up, when it came to music, it was quite the learning experience to when it came to songs, bands and other aspects of music I was exposed to. My parents are baby boomers so being teenagers and 20 somethings of the 60's and 70's, their taste varied from the Beach Boys to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jan & Dean, Boston, Kansas and many others. I remember as far back as the late 80's listening to my mom's mix tape in the car listening to 80's rock, Roy Oberson, the Temptations, Dire Straits, The Beatles and others that it just filled my head with music from many corners of various eras. 

I still listen to that stuff to this day, I'm mostly known for putting up metal, hard rock and their sub genres but that's just a piece of where my taste comes from. As a teenager listening to 102.5 KDON in Santa Cruz, CA, it was pop and rap from artists like Britany, Biggie, Michael Jackson, Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, Backstreet, Tupac and the likes. When you're in that phase, figuring out what you like and don't like. I got teased for my taste quite a bit which is something I rarely ever talked about.

By High School that was wear my metal and hard rock became a focal point in my life and it was Ozzy, Disturbed, Metallica, Godsmack and others throughout that time. I still liked some forms of rap like Eminem, Snoop, Ice Cube, Mater P but something about metal just hit me differently. When I got out of high school, I was going to concerts frequently at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz, watching my friends Archer (the drummer was Tyler Bramlett, my neighbor at the time) doing Battle Of The Bands, doing covers and their own stuff. Just being in that atmosphere, head banging, having a good time and either going home or hanging out with them after shows, went up to SF a couple times and helped set up the equipment. Did a night of bouncing for the bands and that was interesting. Even got to head bang and rock out with an American Idol contestant before he did all that.  

I didn't really use music as a tool to keep my adrenaline flowing during workouts until I was in my 20's and learning the aspects of Physical Culture. As the years passed by, some bands I enjoyed came and went, found others to listen to, go back to 80's and 70's rock. Expanded my taste to metal from other countries like Mongolia, Ancient Europe and others, some of my favorites these days is Peyton Parrish with his Disney Covers, The Hu, Alestorm, Hammerfall, Iced Earth, Norse Style bands and more. 

 There were aspects of music I missed out on growing up, like seeing my older brother play. Heard clips later in life but he was a traveling musician and did some really cool gigs. His band produced an album which he sings and plays on a couple songs. Played opening acts to some big names back in the day. Did a lot of Bar stuff and because I was too young, I couldn't go in to see him. When you got to two brothers from 2 very different generations (we're nearly 13 years apart), some things came around but we didn't get to be brothers the way we wanted even though we hung around from time to time. These days, he casually plays blues and does songs on his computer, got into bluegrass and plays small local gigs out in Oregon. When we went up to see him recently, we reconnected in a massive way that we both needed. Listening to his stories, hearing him play and built a relationship that meant a great deal to both of us, it's something that holds dear to me. He's talented and can do some pretty funny but also beautifully played songs. 

Music has always been there from the time my mom played those cassettes, to listening to stuff that had me in tears (both sad and happy) and just having a blast with Car Karaoke or getting pumped during a training session. Music is a kick ass part of every culture and we all have different tastes. Some things I just can't stand but others are like "holy shit, this is awesome." Even did Choir as a kid in middle school and traveled around Santa Cruz performing in various places like the Coconut Grove next to the Boardwalk. Because of Music, I got to meet the Surf Juggernaut Jack O'Neil when I was 13. Did musicals in high school, wasn't the best singer but it was fun doing choreography and being a part of the shows. 

So yeah, my taste is vast and the stories of bands I've heard and seen are priceless and although some weren't always pleasant, I had fun even for small moments.  

Hope you enjoyed this and have an amazingly awesome day.

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