Prepared for Anything

What are you preparing for? Every one of us is preparing for something whether we know it or not. I was reading the story of David and Goliath recently and I found it interesting that when he faced the giant, he was confident and sure that he could defeat him even when no one else had the nerve to even dare approach him.

1 Samuel chapter 17 says in verse 33 Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”

34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

Some may say that David was nothing more than just a shepherd but God had bigger plans. He was preparing him for his future. He was strong in mind, body, and spirit and had developed that strength through years of humble service and patience.

What are you preparing for? I would like to think that we at Trinity Fitness are preparing to be examples for the world to follow. The most recent reports predict that diabetes will be the number one killer in the near future with as many as 1 out of every 3 people developing this preventable disease. I would like to think that if our lives come down to "survival of the fittest" that we will be the ones that survive. Whether it be surviving the physical threat of terrorist attacks or the threat of preventable disease, we are doing our parts to care for this temple that God has given us. And if a lion or bear attacks us while we are walking down the street this week, I wouldn't be surprised if you are strong enough to "catch it by the jaw and club it to death." We have been preparing ourselves by taking on bears and lions with each and every workout.

Just Give Up

The title to this post is more of a play on words. Is the title of this post my way of insinuating that you give up? We all give up every single day. All of life is about the choices we make and what we either give up or get with those choices. This morning I gave up being early to work for an extra five minutes in bed. I gave up a free donut breakfast in the teachers lounge for a better diet. I am giving up time for something else right now so that I can write this post.

For those of you who are training with us, these are some of the things you are giving up.
1. You are giving up being unfit and unhealthy.
2. You are giving up a low self concept for a better reflection in the mirror.
3. You are giving up weakness for strength.
4. You are giving up being a victim for discipline and control.
5. You are giving up fat for muscle.
6. You are giving up the Globo gym for true fitness found in a garage gym.
7. You are giving up lying on a comfortable couch for a gym floor.
8. You are giving up insecurity for confidence.
9. You are giving up your ego to by humbled by every workout.
10. You are giving up hours of slow and easy for fast and intense.
11. You are giving up average for excellence.
12. You are giving up making excuses for accountability.
13. You are giving up minutes working out yet adding years to your life.
14. You are giving up your limitations but rather test them with every workout.

I heard of one lady giving up her daily Starbucks coffee and using the money for her monthly training fees. Giving up does not have to be a bad thing. Giving up may be the very thing that gives you the most.

The Best Fitness Program On Earth

What is the best fitness program on earth? My answer to that question will be about as vague as a politician but it is definitely worth discussing. I will also mention that my opinion is exactly that and it has been shaped by years of trial and error. As mentioned in recent posts of mine, my wife and I are now Crossfit certified trainers. Does that mean that we are 100% Crossfit all the time? Not at all. Our program design highly favors Crossfit but we are not opposed to more sport specific training as well as other training protocols. It really depends on the goals of the client.

I started working out at a very early age. I grew up watching the Rocky movies and trying to emulate Rocky style training. I used to incorporate push-ups and pull-ups into high intensity interval style workouts. I scaled walls, jumped on park benches, and pressed odd-shaped objects over my head. I also did the whole Globo gym 3 sets of 10 pec deck followed by 20 minutes in the "fat burning zone" cardio workouts. I have trained like an athlete, army recruit and bodybuilder. This is what I have learned.

As an athlete, I was very fit for the sport I was training for. When I was playing football, I was lean and muscular and was fit for playing football but suffered when transferring over to track and field and vice versa. After college, I trained more bodybuilder style and was not quite as lean as I had been as an athlete. I maintained strength levels but had lost ground in anaerobic endurance, speed, and power. I returned to my roots with what I called obstacle course training and now is called Crossfit. With Crossfit style training, I am as lean and muscular in my mid to late 30's than I was at twenty. I am without question stronger than I have ever been. I feel like I am both aerobically and anaerobically as fit as I have ever been. I can do things physically that I couldn't with the other types of training. I also am not bored with the same old monotonous routines from years past.

I understand that everyone is different according to their preferences with training but our needs are the same. Good health and fitness is a must for any person of any age group. Crossfit has provided what I consider to be the gold standard when it comes to being well rounded and overall fitness. Some people prefer fast and intense and the awesome results that come from that style of training. Others prefer a lower intensity way of training. It really comes down to personal preference. I encourage a healthy lifestyle regardless of training style. Just remember that certain types of training elicit certain types of results. You can't deny results and you certainly can't deny the physiques of people who train with high intensity functional movements. You will get what you are training for. What kind of results are you seeing?