"There Will Be A Player Greater Than Me"

 A line from the GOAT Michael Jordan himself in the last moment of his IMAX Film back in the day. Awesome film and one anybody should check out for some inspiring stuff. Why don't we go into what it means from a perspective. For him, it was about who would succeed him, today, some will say that's Lebron James but in my opinion, the closest that ever came to him was at best Kobe Bryant, he had that drive, that competitiveness, that burning desire to be the best. Now, let's look at it from another angle.

In the world of fitness or strength for that matter, there can be a lot of determining factors on who is really the greatest of us all but in retrospective, there's no real consensus to who is the very best at what. Certain things about being great at a certain lift or bodyweight exercise but is it from a weight class POV or from a vote of the entire population? Say some people believe they're the greatest at pull-ups and push-ups which in most cases is full of shit LOL. Are you truly better than say Jack Lalanne, Al Kavadlo, Karl Gotch, any World-Class Gymnast? The truth is, there is no determined factor to prove you are the absolute greatest or the very best unless it's in your own mind but you try to convince others otherwise and they're still not buying it.

There are many strongman out there who can be considered the greatest like Big Kaz, Big Z, Brian Shaw, Dennis Rogers, Slim The Hammerman, Mighty Atom and countless others but where is the real factor here? Can one be considered the greatest based on whether they're on steroids or completely drug free? In this day and age, the lines can be blurred but the majority would consider going for the one on the juice even though it should considered who's the greatest drug free. In my personal opinion, when it comes to flat out natural strength and drug free lifting and strength feats, Bud Jeffries is probably right up there. 

Being the greatest can have its perks but where is it determined that you actually are? You can't just call yourself the greatest without ever truly proving amongst your peers or whatever. Unless you're Muhammad Ali who was probably the greatest at hyping himself and proving he truly was the best in his sport, hell he beat the very best of his time and even those men considered him the greatest. However, what about Rocky Marciano? Went undefeated and was one of the most conditioned men of his time, if not the most fit in boxing ever and went more rounds that many today can't fathom. 

How about wrestling? Real shit here like the rough and tumble style along with Catch & Amateur Athletics. Some say Dan Gable is the GOAT but what about Danny Hodge, Cael Anderson, Kurt Angle? From an amateur wrestling POV, it can be any of those guys and there will still be an argument that will go too damn long of a debate. In the pro ranks, there's Ed Lewis whom many considered the very best of any era but there's Frank Gotch, Gama, Tom Jenkins, Karl Gotch, Lou Thesz, Billy Robinson, Ad Santel, Farmer Burns; all up for the title of who is the GOAT. 

When it comes down to it, in reality, nobody is truly the greatest because they were only great of their era, unless they're immortal, there's no true way to determine who can be called the greatest. In the case of Jordan, he was the top dog that took on guys like Magic, Bird, Drexler, Malone, Thomas, Hakeem and Payton but they were part of possibly the greatest era in Basketball history yet Jordan never faced Kareem, Chamberlain, Russell or Monroe in their prime because they were of a different place in time. You see, they were all GREAT, there will be no question and Mike will always be the man but being realistic who is truly the GOAT is what we all need to face. 

With that said, there will always be someone better, faster, stronger, more competitive, greater statistically and have longevity. It changes as we go through time, some are a once in a generation, some are great beyond a lifetime of their endeavor but in all of that's universal, the GOAT debates are just that, debates and what if's along with their impacts, their contributions and their legacy. It can be a hard pill to swallow but in the grand scheme of things, a true GOAT is measured by their peers, their skill among the greats of the time and the lasting entity to which that person can be called that. 

Don't call yourself the GOAT or the very best at whatever cause no matter how hard you try, someone will come along to knock you off that high horse ego of yours. It's not worth the time cause the more you brag you're the very best, chances are, you'll have your ass kicked and it won't end well for you. We can be great at many things, become legendary and be remembered but it's better to argue who is the GOAT so it can live on and understand what a time it was to be a possibility. 

Be amazingly awesome and keep striding to get better at whatever you do and make the most of what's possible in this time. 

Remixes, Covers & Reboots

It seems these days, a movie reboot is just part of the process of showing a new generation what was old is new again and vice versa. Yeah, there's hardly an original idea anymore and it seems certain places don't even begin to try to manifest something that can be considered legendary. The problem isn't always what can be originally, it's usually the people who love the original and almost nothing more because it was either too great or it just goes by the wayside to become more of a cult classic than something meant for anyone to enjoy. 

Music can be considered the same way. You have so many cover songs and remixes that we forget what's even original anymore or think it's original but it's really a reboot of a song in a different tone and the way the lyrics are used. Does that mean the song is terrible? It depends on who's doing it. The funny thing is, the remix or cover can often times be far better than the original ever was. Take for instance, a good song by Bob Seger called Turn The Page; solid song and has a soft tone to it, almost calming (to an extent) and not a big epic style like he did with Old Time Rock & Roll that became the stuff of legends. Now, take the same exact song lyric for lyric and get a band like Metallica to do it that just puts goosebumps on your arms and fires up your soul and you got yourself a bad ass song. 

Another set of songs I enjoy from time to time are Disney Songs; I grew up on them and have fond memories. They're enjoyable and yeah the lyrics from the old school films (we're talking early 70's and before) are a little questionable in terms of dark undertones and some racial pointers but they're catchy. Even films during the Disney Renaissance were awesome in their own right from Hercules' Go The Distance to Scar's Be Prepared always gave me goosebumps. Some people today even the most mainstream artists will do their own version of the original songs and make them their own but others just come along and make them feel like you are ready to take on the world and go into a battle that you're willing to fight for. Almost like a Viking, Mongolian or even an American Soldier ready to take charge and fight. That's where artists like Jonathan Young & Peyton Parrish come in. 

Now what in the wide wide world of sports does this have anything to do with working out or fitness in general? Well, if you really think about it, many courses, classes, bootcamps and even seminars are reboots and/or remixes of what was already done. There are so many exercises that have been done and rehashed that it's ridiculous at times but we still buy them as if there's some magical potion or secret that they have within the pages or videos. From bodyweight training to powerlifting to isometrics to yoga or sports training they all have in hand in being used by the same exercises or variations and put into different perspectives to utilize for the goals needed in those types of training. 

You can take a set of exercises that people might be interested in, put them into a book or DVD or even make a series on YouTube and program your perspective and marketing ability to them. Some people do very well with it and are very successful, others try to pass it off as if it was the golden ticket to fitness god-hood and oversell what potentially can be dangerous and psychotic. Which one ends up being the best for you? However, you can take something that was originally done and put into a perspective where the rep/set scheme is better, there's other forms of information and there's variations people can start or advance with that works better than the original ever did. Kind of like a Movie or Song. 

Some exercises remain a focal point and can be used in progressions to create something better later on. Some use low basic skills and stay there while others progress to a more advanced style where only a fraction of a fraction of the population can possibly handle but all in all, the perspective is different but certain things remain the same in the regard of carrying on something that works and has worked for a long time. Find what works for you and make the most of it. If you enjoy it, that's awesome and I hope it brings you kick ass benefits, if it's not for you, don't force it. 

To find some of the best resources look no further than the right side of this blog. These are top of the line from some of the most knowledgeable people today and those that have passed on. Can't find what you're looking for, shoot me a message and I'll do the best to my ability to help you find the resources you need. Stay strong, kick ass and be amazingly awesome in your journey.