The Blame Game

Last week, a friend of mine pointed out that my car registration had expired.  I immediately got on the phone to find out why I didn't get a renewal notice in the mail.  I was told that this may happen from time to time and to come by the DMV with my insurance card and get one.  On my way to get this taken care of, I was pulled over by a police officer.  I couldn't help but laugh at the circumstances.  I wasn't too concerned and knew that I would just get a warning.  I am an honest man.  I was just leaving my respectable workplace where I am a teacher and friend to many of the local police officers.  I haven't had a ticket in almost 20 years.  I even remember praying for God's favor.  Well, that warning I was expecting came in the form of a ticket and I found myself very frustrated.  However, I couldn't deny the fact that I was ultimately responsible for getting that ticket.

I heard a preacher say something very profound the other day relating to this.  He said, "Don't expect God to do something for you that you can do for yourself."  Many people today are quick to blame others for circumstances that are under their control.  We blame our work for the time constraints that keep us from working out.  We blame the fast food industry for making us fat.  We blame Hostess for making cupcakes  that are just too hard to turn down.

One thing I have learned as an adult is that excuses never lead to success.  We have more control over many of life's circumstances than we probably want to admit.  Many of us are looking for a miracle whether it be from God or sitting on the shelf at the GNC.  I can pray for Divine intervention to help me lose weight but I can't expect God to knock the pizza out of my hand as it heads for my mouth.  I have to do that one myself.  That is the way it works with fitness.  It doesn't care about your busy schedule, your finances, or how delicious hot chocolate chip cookies really are.  You are responsible.  Not your thyroid condition, slow metabolism, or family history of diabetes.  You are still responsible to do the best with what you have.

Take ownership.  If you take a spill showing off your skateboarding skills to the teenagers down the street, don't blame the skateboard manufacturer for the bone sticking out of your leg.  Similarly, if you are not leading the confident life you had hoped or if you are having a tough time seeing whether your shoes match, take ownership and make the necessary changes to remedy the problem.  Doing your part shows that you have released your faith.  The Bible says in James 2 that faith without actions is dead.  So I ask you, what are your actions?  Your answer could possibly move the hands of God.

My Fitness Journey Part 3

It was the Spring of 8th grade.  My junior high days were coming to an end.  I had just finished track season and had a rare couple of months with no scheduled sport or activity.  I remember the number one song on the radio was Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson.  I remember being at a crossroads in my own life.  I was in the middle of the boy-to-man transition.  This is a tough time for any adolescent.  It is a time of self discovery.  Really, for me it was a time in my life when I had to decide who I was going to be, what I was going to stand for and ultimately a chance to build my self-esteem.  Spiritually I was strong but needed to match that strength physically.

I would like to say that it was all about this deep physical and spiritual journey.  But like I said, this was a transition from boy-to-man and girls played a significant role in this process.  I decided that I wanted to get stronger and more muscular.  I wanted a better physique.  So in mid April, me and a couple of friends joined the local gym about a half a mile down the street from the school.  We would change after school in the locker room and walk to the gym everyday.  We strutted down the street like we were made of nothing but 300 lbs of pure, rock hard muscle.  We suffered with severe cases of what I call "imaginary lat syndrome."  This is disease that strikes many young men when they first start working out.  It is when you walk around with your arms puffed out like you are too muscular to hold them at your side.

We didn't have a clue as to what we should be doing that first week or so.  We would just do some bench press, leg extensions, bicep curls, or anything else that made us look cool.  One of the trainers there finally had enough and wrote us out a program.  You know the classic 3 x 10 split body part routine.  None of the movements we were doing had any functionality to them but we didn't know the difference.  As far as we were concerned, we were getting bigger, stronger and were going to impress the girls that much more.  We felt like we were separating ourselves from the average. 

That is what that experience was all about.  Don't get me wrong, we were getting stronger and more muscular but the physical transition paled in comparison to the change we were really making.  We trained to build our bodies but the strength we built was our self-esteem.  I went from being slightly insecure and unsure of myself to walking a little taller and being more confident to stand up for the person I was and was becoming.  I guess that song fit perfectly into what I was going through at the time.  For me to be happy and become the person I wanted to be, I had to first start with the "Man in the Mirror."

My Fitness Journey Part 1 & 2

Running For Your Life

 "I feel the need, the need for speed."  That of course is one of the classic quotes from the movie Top Gun and oh how true it is for us and our programming.  Amber and I have found a dent in the Trinity Fitness armor.  We are always open to anything that will make us more fit and more healthy.  Sprint training has always been a part of my fitness routine but has suffered in the past years due to my plantar fasciitis and heel spurs.  I can run about once a week before needing to rehab and recover for several days.  Nevertheless, I am going to do it whenever I can because I love it and the benefits are innumerable.

Why do we stop running fast after we get out of school?  Think about it.  When was the last time you ran like your life depended on it?  When was the last time you ran like a dog was chasing you?  Better yet, when was the last time you ran fast enough to catch the ice cream truck?  Sure we all go for a jog or a comfortable stroll here and there but I am talking about running as fast as you can for as long as you can.  I am talking about running wind sprints and intervals.  I am talking about racing your kids, your spouse, or anyone else you can find.  I don't care if you have to chase cars down the street like a bunch of wild dogs.  Get outside and run like someone just threw a grenade in your direction.

Our workouts are wonderful in that they cross all three metabolic pathways but regardless of the run or the distance, they are never full sprints because most of the time we are trying to keep from passing out due to a lack of oxygen.  If the run starts a workout we may run faster than normal but even then we tend to pace ourselves in preparation for the rest of the workout.

I feel like I was my strongest and looked my best when I was a competitive sprinter.  Even now after finishing a good sprint workout, I am sore in places that I usually am not sore in from my other training.  Also, just Google sprinting and look at the images that come up.  You won't find better looking physiques than those of sprinters.  I encourage you to start going to the track and sprinting.  Race somebody, race yourself, race the clock and if you do that, you will no longer be losing the race against Father Time.

Risky Business

If you have ever seen my car you will immediately notice that I am not a flashy guy.  I have a simple family car and I take care of it.  I keep it clean and I even change my own oil.  I keep the tires at appropriate levels and make sure to keep plenty of gas in it.  Better yet, I have been told that I drive like a 90 year old man.  What can I say, I have nothing to prove and I want it to last as long as possible.  But regardless of all the work I do to keep my car up and running, there are times when it simply breaks down.  Usually it is a simple fix like a new battery but breakdowns still occur.

The same can be said about our bodies.  Breakdowns are inevitable.  When you engage in any physical activity, there is a risk of injury.  Obviously many other factors will increase or decrease those risk but they are always there.  Whether it be playing football, running, snowboarding at the Winter X-Games or even walking down the street, there is a risk of injury.

Fitness and training are no different.  There is always a risk of injury.  Those risk increase or decrease depending upon several factors including age, warm-up, the activity, diet, rest and numerous others.  For example, I have noticed that as I age I require more warm-up time than I did in the past to prevent injury.  I have also noticed that I can deadlift 300 lbs with no problem and then tweak my lower back bending over to brush my teeth.  The human body is one of the most complex and incredible masterpieces in God's creation but we live in an imperfect world and our bodies are not perfect.  Like any machine, the body requires maintenance and will break down from time to time.

An article from the Crossfit Journal states: "Injuries are a reality in any sport, but for some reason they receive more attention in the weight room.  Given that sports such as basketball, hockey and soccer have far higher injury rates, it really makes no sense to overemphasize the so-called dangers of weight training."  The fact is that you don't see near the same frequency of injuries in the weight room as you do in other sports.  You would never keep your child from playing outside because it is too dangerous yet we avoid fitness programs that are statistically safer than normal recreational play.

Our training at Trinity Fitness is usually pretty fast and intense.  We engage in movements that require running, jumping, lifting from the ground and lifting overhead.  We push, pull, squat and move our bodies functionally.  There is always risk involved with any type of fitness training including ours but they certainly don't outweigh the benefits of the program.  We strive to prepare each person both in the warm-up and in preparation of the movements of each workout to reduce potential risks.  Perfect technique is the goal but not always the reality.  Another quote from the Crossfit Journal says "Perfect technique is to be strived for to be sure, but would you insist that a young athlete have perfect shooting or running technique before stepping on a basketball court, where he is more likely to be injured?"

The best part about being physically fit is that when injuries do occur, the recovery time is not near as extensive.  Sometimes it may just be a simple fix like a new battery and you will be up and running in no time.

What We Do

The Greatest Training Program in the World!

Video Coming Soon!

Burpees are a Privilege

This video is from Crossfit and is a perfect motivator and reality check.  When you see the incredible amount of difficulty it is for this woman to do simple movements that most of us complain about, it will hopefully cause you to have a better attitude and understanding as to why it is such a privilege to exercise the way we do.

Something New

Cut me some slack on this video. I am just trying something different. Hopefully I will get more comfortable in front of the camera and the same may go for you. I will start trying to do interviews with clients as well. I think everyone would find it more interesting than watching me.