Those that bring you down, will be the same ones who bring you to the top...

...they just won't be around to share your victories. It's been a while since we last spoke, time has flown. Days meshed together into weeks, months, half the year is almost behind us. I'd like to think I've come QUITE a ways in these past six months; but at the same time, remained right where I belong. I wouldn't trade my experiences/opportunities for anything. Had my first real experience at a Crossfit gym. What a wonderful experience that was. I had the opportunity to meet/workout with not just some great athletes, but great people in general. That has helped me tremendously on my life journey; it has both helped me develop as an athlete and as a person. One thing we should be constantly reminded of is this: not one single person knows everything. And you will NEVER know enough about everything/everyone to make calls of judgment on them. Everyone is dealing with their own demons, and that contributes to their outlooks and actions. Make peace with outside events. Control your own temple. Who cares what Tom, Dick, or Jane is doing. Be happy for them, because you never know what they're going through. So what if Tom is the most un-kind person you've ever met? Do you know him? I mean REALLY know him? What got him there? Can you help him? Can you look past his nasty facade and really reach out? Maybe, just maybe, he's not such a bad guy after-all. Maybe you can't, and he will just try to bring you down with him. So what, you tried, and as long as you try, you can never truly fail. I guess what I'm trying to say is be the person you would want to meet. Be the motivator, the one who will look past the evil and see the good. There will ALWAYS be that one person who makes an effort, however small it may be, to bring you down. And that is OK. It will only help you grow, a GREAT man once told me, "sometimes you have to make the negative into a positive." Those are truly words to live by. You lost your keys? Well, you missed out on that car wreck on your way to work. Tough break-up? That just means there is someone out there willing to love you even more. You hit a major road block in the gym? Step back and analyze what you're doing; learn from it. "Failures" are only opportunities in disguise. I recently was certified through Crossfit, and I'm here to say that I still have MUCH to learn. And I whole-heartedly accept that. Are there better coaches in this area? Are you kidding me? Hell yeah! I encourage everyone I meet not to settle. Don't settle for mediocre, don't settle for not getting results, and don't settle for less than excellence in everything that you do. I'll never limit myself. I'll never limit those that come to me for advice, be it in the gym, or in life. I have love for everyone I've come in contact with. Even those that continue to put me down; for I do not truly know them inside and out. I've been put down my whole life, and look at me; am I successful? Well, I certainly didn't let it get me down, I didn't change who I was to fit in, and I didn't lie to impress those around me. I believe there is no true measure for success honestly. I believe in setting goals and achieving them. I say this quite often, that we are all on our own "Continuous Pursuit of Self-Mastery", but we will never finish. Because if we finish, we fail. Don't accept your greatness for success. Chalk it up as a goal you've met and move the fuck on. I have to remind myself of this at times as well, I must admit. I think we all get a bit cocky at some points in our life. Again, don't let that define you. "Walk softly, and carry a big stick." -Theodore Roosevelt If you don't have anything positive to add, don't. Let your actions speak for you.

I'm off of my soapbox now. LOL And if you honestly took the time to read this whole thing, thank you. If not, thanks:) Not that you're getting this anyways. LOL To those in my past, we will soon meet again. To those in my future, I'll see you then. But to those of you with me now, and you ALL know who you are, thank you for helping me grow into the young man that I am. The support that has been there for me even when shit got rough, I'm thankful. You've taught me that life does indeed go on. To those of you who want to bring me down or naysay, I wish you nothing but the best. AND I MEAN THAT. I will be there for you when you need it most. But you WILL NOT be there for me when I need you the most. And I accept that. Thank you all.

-John

I'm a bad mufucka' cuz the good die young

Well I hope I'm not offending anyone here... :p I do believe I said I would be completely "me" in this blog. My reader's will delve deep within my head and get to know the real me. I mean it when I say that I literally have nothing to hide. I'm completely content being me, and if you don't like that, meh, oh well:) I would like you all to take from this a better understanding of the individual that I am. I hope to stray far from the"norms" of society and just be the best John I can be:) So help a brother out ! :p

Worked on some Snatch Balances and OH Squats as a warmup today; that shit was ROUGH for some reason. Body just felt worn down a bit moreso than usual. Finished up with a triplet, burpees tagged on each end. Feel free to check my youtube channel for the video. It did not go too well today all in all, but nonetheless I got it done and over with. Happy with my snatch progress I must say. So chalk that up for a W :)

What a crummy day outside today too! What the F man?! Yesterday was beautiful, now it's pouring down rain...No wonder I'm constantly feeling under the weather. Is it just me or are the temp/seasonal changes messing with you guys too? Eh, planning to rest heavily tonight after work; got a pretty decent one planned for tomorrow that I'm looking forward too.

As always, thank you for taking the time to hear me bitch :p

-John

You hate the fact that you bought the dream when they sold you one...

Before getting down to business, few things I would like to address. First of all, I hope we all had a safe and happy holiday. Many of us are thankful for various things; what is it that you were thankful for this time around? I'm thankful for the fact that I march to the beat of my own drum. So many people on this earth simply go with the flow. They refuse to change and do their own thing for fear of what others may think of them or the repercussions of their actions. Do whatever it is that makes YOU happy. Regardless of what others think. Love the life you're living. If you're not happy, step back and ask yourself what it is that could make you happy. Take steps towards bettering yourself. Investing in one's self is among the greatest of things you can do. Be it self enrichment courses, taking time out of your day to shut out the world and relax, etc. Do it! You belong to noone. Be your own boss for once. Who cares what everyone else thinks?

I'm also thankful for the people closest to me, the select few know who they are. You've put up with all of my bullshit over the years. My back and forth ideas on what I plan to do with my life, my personal battles, etc. I wouldn't know what to do without you ladies and gents. I truly care for a very select few, but you all comprise that list:)

I'm VERY thankful to have spent my holiday with my family and a select few others as well. Over the years I have lost family members, friends, even acquaintances; they will never get that time back. They will never again come together at the family gathering and share these memories. My heart goes out to everyone of you and your families. BIG shout to the troops that are fighting for our freedom so that we can live peacefully, away from the constant battles over yonder. Thank you KLE, mom, so much. I'm so proud of you for your sacrifices for this wonderful country. Even though you suffer now, and we suffer seeing you like this, I know you would want it no other way. Words can't begin to describe the love and respect I have for you. YOU are such a strong woman, and even though you probably will never read this, know that.

So it has been quite some time since I last updated on my training staus and what not :p And I appologize to the few that even take the time to read this thing! LOL First of all, I set up a youtube channel to track my WODs:http://www.youtube.com/user/jeworldgym?feature=mhee. Feel free to check it out, talk shit,critique, etc. I love feedback, regardless:) So...as of October 30, 2011...Crossfit Certified Level One! Greatest thing I have ever done solely for ME. This was a selfish purchase. However, I would like to take some time to work on "me." Work on bettering myself, not overthinking shit, letting the little things bother me. We all have our flaws, but should we let them define us? What defines us anyways? I fear few things, but among those few things, I fear myself. The self imposed limitations I have dealt with. No longer will you hear me say, "Oh, I'm not good at that." It's true, I may not be good at that, but fuck it I will get better at it. Promise:) And I prefer to be a man of my word, makes shit go much smoother. Went into my Crossfit cert and 2 week or so prior I had hit my first kipping muscleup. Walked out two days later and almost strung together 4 deadhang muscleups. The coaching I received there was spot on. I thank each and everyone one of you! Chuck, Maggie, Nicole, Mike, Andrea, Chriss, and you're gonna kill me, but I forgot the last coaches name... :/ You guys/gals rocked.

Been working in some new programming lately. Self designed for once LOL I'm going to try my hand at it, I can be quite creative. And I refuse to shy away from the tough stuff lol The 100 DB hang squat clean thrusters for time the other day(35 lb. DBs) were a bitch to say the least, weren't they JK? :) Not to mention the fact that we had to bust out 5 burpees on the top of each minute. What a mental grind, and on Thanksgiving day nonetheless LOL I don't know how you're holiday went, but I ate quite a bit. Quite, being an understatement. I love eating. Almost as much as the gym, almost. :)

Aside from switching up the programming, it's time to make some life changes. Time to break the chains that bind and do my own thing. I don't regret any decisions I've made thus far in life, but it's time to put forth more of an effort to make a name for myself. To better and improve upon the foundations with which I've built. I have found my calling, after many failed attempts. Now, how shall I get there?

-John

Games

Wow. So I woke up this morning from a pretty interesting dream. It was the culmination of all the work I've been putting in over these past few years of my life. Powerlifting, crossfitting, bodybuilding. not one training regime is going to make you totally perfect. Just be ready for anything and everything. I'm always up for something new. But anyways, I was actually there;at the Crossfit games, in the finals. During the last event I lost by a mere few seconds. It is that last breath, those few seconds, where you either win or lose. And I lost. If that doesn't light a fire under your ass, I don't know what does!

Got into the gym feeling great today, came in with a purpose, as always. But this time it was something different driving me; it was a been there done that kinda thing. I was there to make my dream come true. Managed a 240 rack jerk today before being scolded for making too much noise... Gotta follow the rules I suppose. Just makes it clearer to me. Break the chains that bind you. If someone/something is holding you back, who cares. We are only failing ourselves by listening to the naysayers and following suit of what is considered "normal". I say do what makes you happy; in the end, your supporters will e there for you. It is tough to find someone that will put up with all your shit and stick by your side. Friend or foe, keep em close. Push to improve and live every moment as it is your last breath, those last few seconds WILL make or break you.

-John

Wrecked

What a damn rough couple of days! Got into the gym late Wednesday evening with a fire under my ass. Felt great. Blew through 15 rounds of 1 squat at 250, 1 bench at 225, 1 power clean at 225 AFAP. That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, came to an even 10, 500 lbs total. Used weights I knew wouldn't slow me down and keep my heart rate up to get a bit of a metcon out of it. In warm-up for it I went for broke on cleans and as you can see, I failed on the 275! Slowly but surely, it will come:) Losing weight, while at the same time increasing my strength. It is indeed possible folks. Hardwork and dedication produce results, not some magic pill or needle. I couldn't bring myself to do the shit, but honestly, if you do it, good on ya. Doesn't change you in my opinion, just makes me have to work harder to keep up;) I'm no stranger to hard work though. I grew up the fat kid, the target of grade school jokes. So I know what it's like to be the underdog :p Nothing worth having ever came easy.

Did a 10-1 of Dips and 2 POOD KB swings today, each round being preceeded with a 20 yd Farmer's Carry with 2  150 lb DB's. At 185, that was 80%BW in each hand, that shit was a killer after the work that's been done this week. Oh well, anything under 150 and I can look at that as "easy" :) Thought about using the hex bar, but I figure the grip strength required to keep the DB's in line was worth it for today.  Would love a rest day tomorrow; but we'll see how that goes. Time to grub. Peace!

-John

M.I.A.

So I've been MIA for a while. Rest assured I've been putting in my work. Overcoming life's obstacles and taking time for myself. Time to reflect on where I am, and where I've been. How did I get here? It wasn't easy, and everyday is a struggle. Dragging myself out of bed somedays after the rough work of the night before. Overcome. You're capable of anything you put your mind to. I turned 22 yesterday and before my work even started, I was given my birthday gift from the gym. Squat @ BW for 50 straight reps. No half reps. ATG. I'm befuddled at those that half ass it on squats. Unless you have a serious injury, lighten the weight and drop into the hole. It's much more impressive to bottom out on 225 than to "hip-dip" with 405. You all know who you are. If you are one of those, no harm no foul. Clean it up and move on. I completed my 50, one after the next. Coming out of surgery end of July, and 2.5 years after a  blown lumbar, I'm very proud of how far I've come thus far. Much room to grow still. Finally got muscle-ups down today. Refinement work approaching in the coming months. I'm ahead of schedule for where I would like to be; not to get ahead of oneself however. Pulled 650x3 from the knee today, ripped half of my ring finger skin off in the process. Coming to grips witht the fact that I walk around bruised and battered on a daily basis is tough to swallow for most. But you'll never make anything doing it half-cocked. You really want it, you go all in. Overcome.



-John

You Have Been the One for Me

What a GREAT day:) Started out early morning with a 10 min max distance handstand walk; ended up making it 100 yards. First time walking, I was pretty stoked with that; no matter how it compares to the rest of the world lol It's a victory for me. Closed out the morning session with some double under work; but that didn't go so well. Ended up landing on the cable and breaking one of the nuts that holds the handle on at the end. But after fixing it up,  I was good to go:)



Rested up and enjoyed the day off before making it back to the gym for numero Dos. Warmed up with more handstand walks and I seem to be getting much more comfortable with them. Worked deadlift and pulled a triple at 330. Feels good to be getting some strength back after the injury 2.5 years ago. Nowhere near my PR of 455x3, but one step closer than yesterday:) Also pulled a triple at 150 on Strict Shoulder Press, always loved that excercise:)


Did another "on the minute" today.


On the min for 10 min of: Row 110m.


First set I dicked up a bit and came in at :26, but my range went from :21 to :26, with the majority of my sets coming in at :22 or :23. Rowing kills me, but I'm getting better. Any guys out there with a remedy for NOT crushing your package? HAHA Not saying I'm packing a damn anaconda or anything but damn. I can't get a good rhythm going without endangering myself:0 LOL


Great day all in all; looking forward to a great night's sleep and a day of rest tomorrow:) Phew.



-John