You Are Your Own Trainer

             Many people like to follow others’ programs, use their advice and form a pattern as a follower. I believe in learning certain things but once you get a hold of them, use them to create your own program. When you build your own set of workouts, you learn how to develop your creativity and find out what you’re really capable of. The exercises you really like will be your calling and they will bring the most benefit.

            Every body is different and the way it functions to that individual, when some trainers just push the body and don’t really know how to stop or keep going because that person’s body can crash at any time or it can keep going without anything going wrong. To understand how your body works, you learn to move in ways that find meaning. Some can’t do a certain push-up or a squat because of something in their body that prevents them but they’re capable of doing other things others might not be able to as well. The purpose of becoming your own trainer is to figure out what works, how it puts stress on the body that’s comfortable and challenging. I learned that there are certain exercises that I can’t do due to my body structure like Hindu Push-ups hurt my shoulders in a certain form of the exercise so I need to adapt and work with my structure to make the exercise work for me.

            We all have a creative entity within us. Those who believe they can’t be creative tend to be great at it later on if they applied it right and those who are creative develop a sense of intuition and imagination to find things that suit them for their goals. The mind is a powerful tool and sometimes it can our greatest ally and other times it can be a pain in the ass because of either stress or something that doesn't seem to go away or whatever, sometimes it’s best to step back and reflect on what can be useful within your own personal creative element.

            You are not destined to be weak and think that there’s nothing for you to learn and feel you can’t get fit and strong. What you can do is dominate your destiny, prove to yourself you’re worthy of taking on some of the toughest challenges yet still come out stronger than when you came in. When I was in a wheelchair, I did at times feel I will never walk again or at least walk in a way that was strong and vibrant. Just about every single person including doctors told me to just rehab and build my legs according to their rules and standards, push myself according to the way they felt was right to do. I decided to make my own destiny and risk a lot by rehabbing myself and learn exercises and methods that I felt were right for me to do, I got a ton of shit for it but I stuck with it because it made me feel good, it gave me hope and I wanted to desperately get crazy strong, supple and become a downright machine.

            Build what you want to do, even when others tell you that it’s not possible, they don’t believe it cause they won’t do it themselves so they have to tear someone else down. Take a chance and bend the rules, create what you want for the reasons that give you strength and the will to make it happen.

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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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.