Pushing Your Limits

            Every once in a while you have that workout where it becomes a challenge, you want to take it as far as you can possibly, shooting beyond the realm of your capabilities. It’s great to have something to shoot for but it’s also important to understand progression, recovery and rest because if you try to do this every time, your body will burn out and you’re going to set up for injury. This doesn't mean you stop training.

            We all want to find out what we’re capable of but we never strive to actually find out what that really is. Workouts come and go and we always try to do better than the last but what’s really doing better? Do you do more reps/sets, does your tempo change or do you vary the position to make it harder or easier? In the end its best to what your capable of but one time, rather a week, month or year go as far as your body will take you and make your recovery period as long as it takes.

            Most don’t cross that threshold of pushing the realm of hardcore to one insane way to take your body to the limit. The reason why because they’re afraid of injuring themselves, overtraining, doing this more than that and never finding out their true potential. I've had my fair share of taking it to the limit but by my own way, you don’t push it like other people, you push it by yourself. There’s a lot of guys out there that can’t handle what I do but at the same time there are others I can’t match no matter what I do and I've learned to accept that. You’re no better than the next guy but he’s also no better than you are, it’s a matter of how you’re willing to go beyond yourself.

            All of us have plateaus to conquer, but the majority never hit that part of the hill because they’re afraid. In the movie Pumping Iron, one of the bodybuilders is talking to Arnold and the other Muscle Beach bums and says that the wolf on the hill isn't as hungry as the other wolf climbing the hill. It’s all about perspective and how far you’re willing to push yourself to climb to the top of your mountain. No one should climb someone else’s hill but their own, you don’t have to better or stronger or faster than the next guy but to be more of those things for yourself. Conquer your own hill, every little step doesn’t get easier but when you hit that hill at the top, it’ll make things all that much worth it. 

Movies That Inspire Me To Train

 Ever since I was about 3 or 4 years old, I've loved watching movies ranging from Disney to the most awesome action packed movies ever. Movies are a great way to look at things at a different perspective whether you’re into fitness or not, you’re being pulled back into a world where anything is possible and the impossible just doesn't exist. It gives you hope and realize that you can dream and make things happen. Granted there are some terrible movies out there and you know which ones so it’s better to understand the type of movies you love.

 When I began seriously training when I was in high school there was a film we watched in class when I was in Sports Occupations that gave me a sense of what I wanted to do at the time and that was Bodybuilding. It was Pumping Iron, the film that put Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno in the limelight. I've seen big dudes before but nothing compared to them. To me they were monsters of muscle and do things that would make the average trainee cringe. I wanted to be just like them, I took supplements (no not steroids), I ate like there was no tomorrow and trained like a mad man. I didn't get to that level and now I don’t want to be at that level, it’s much different but the principles are the same, train hard, eat well and rest.

 Over the years I've watched action films from Arnold to Stallone to Lundgren but one action star caught my eye after watching Rush Hour and that was the legendary Jackie Chan. This guy was fast, agile, strong for his size and just flat out incredible. Once I began studying his films which led me to guys like Bruce Lee and Jet Li, his comedy and action sequences were some of the coolest in the film industry and wanted to learn how to be fast and powerful. After my accident in ’05 I learned how to use my body alone and move with ease and increased my reflex, speed, agility, flexibility and strength all in a short period of time. I realize I’ll never be a Jackie Chan but it is a lot of fun learning your own quickness and putting different elements together.

 Overtime I've had plenty of favorite actors to some of the guys I just mentioned to Adam Sandler, Bob Hoskins, James Earl Jones, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and others but one guy stood out in my mind as an actor who just has it and became one of the biggest icons in history, forget Jack Nicholson or Tom Cruise, it was Harrison Ford that got me interested in epic film watching. As Indiana Jones it was practically the end all be all of action stars, there are great actors no question but I’ll watch Ford at any time. Out of all the actors I admire, he had a look, presence and charisma that just outshine them all, he wasn't a bodybuilder or anything like that but he had a built that I can relate to and was lean and athletic and to this day I would like to have that lean, athletic look but still have great strength and abilities under that. By far the Indiana Jones films are my personal favorites of all-time.

 The last few years, I liked some of the Comic Book movies that have been out like X-Men, Spider-Man, Dark Knight Trilogy but nothing more got me more hooked than the Marvel films of the Avengers from their separate films all the way up to The Avengers movie. Seeing guys like Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk just had me in awe the entire time and that rarely ever happens with me when it comes to movies, this style of Comic Book series alone got me into reading Comics and look at my own training and see what I can do with it. If you get a chance look up my Can You Become Your Own Avenger? Series and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Because of the Thor movie I got my own set of Thor’s Hammer and haven’t looked back since.

 This is just the tip of the Iceberg of how I’m a movie buff and if anybody knows me or seen my house they can vouch for me having a over the top collection of movies. Do I watch movies all day, hell no I love what I do and I train each day as best as possible but the point is from my perspective a movie is not just a way to kick back and have fun for a couple hours, its like studying, researching and learning different aspects of not just film making but how certain actors train or learn for their role in that movie. It’s way better than watching TV and having to listen to the BS you see in it with the dumb reality shows and all the political crap that goes with it, that’s the beauty of a movie, no commercials, no big ads in the middle, just a good solid watch and getting into the characters and settings. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and be sure to watch a good movie after having the feast of your life and have the joy of being together as a family.