Put Away Your Toys!

i dont know where this is going... sometimes stupid stuff just pisses me off... actually, not stupid stuff, but stupid lazy people...

you know the guy...

sets up camp inside the squat rack (MY squat rack, by the way)... he's got a bosu, a swiss ball, a collection of dumb-bells, a jump rope, some plates, and a 25lb. kettlebell... bar removed and laying on the floor outside the rack...

no problem... whatever dude... you can do your circus tricks...

i did my warming up and moved to another rack.

and then, dude got done... packed up his bag (which i now refer to as his "douche bag")... and left... all sweaty and obviously quite proud of himself...

and he left all of his crap inside the rack. puddle of sweat in the middle of the floor, swiss ball sitting there, bosu (upside down, of course), 6 dumb bells, various plates scattered, jump rope hanging on the hooks, kettlebell... all just there for someone else to clean up.

and i thought of what a friend of mine would say, "What an asshat..."

and then i thought, "What is this dude like in the rest of his life?" There are some truths... at least things i believe are "universal" behavioral truths...

one of these "truths" is - As we behave in one relationship, we typically behave in all our relationships.

in other words, this dude was selfish, messy, childish, entitled, arrogant in the way he treated the gym and the rest of us there... he's probably this way in his relationship to his co-workers, his job, etc. - when someone isnt watching, this dude is just a selfish and entitled ass... does his "Momma" know he's like this? (actually, i bet she does, he's was probably allowed to act like this as a kid)...

i'm probably making too much about it because he was IN MY SQUAT RACK at MY NORMAL TIME... and set aside for a second that his "workout" was some b.s. made up silliness... rude, disrespectful, and above all feeling "entitled" to behave this way... we all know these types of folks, we all know these people, we see them in our work and in other places... watch folks in the gym... not just how they lift or how they work out, but when they are done, how they treat the bar, the weights, the space they use, the water fountain - are they spitting their snot it in?, do they share? do they treat you and others and the facility itself with respect and pride?

do you?

Fear and Lifting

So, i got under the bar... ready to squat. This week is my heaviest week in this training month. Next week i will de-load... so this week was heavy. I woke up this morning... well go farther back... this weekend, when i was planning the lifts, i started to get nervous... a little sweaty... thinking about how heavy that weight would feel... that nervous / excited / scared / even angry feeling that the thought of putting some big weight on my back engenders...

see, it's been a while

ok... back a little farther still...
not quite 8 months ago, i had both of my hips replaced... arthritis... injury... not paying attention... blah blah blah... the "why" of it... the "HOW did this happen" of it is less important than the forward movement... i had pain, a LOT of it, all the time... i limped, all the time, i couldnt get into a car without some serious gymnastics.

and now, i dont have pain at all... It is awesome. my goal now is to get back to lifting heavy weights.

so there i was... thinking about this all weekend. and the voices in my head were all about the NOISE from fears... fear of injury, fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of going backwards in my recovery... those voices were just relentless.

fast forward... back to the gym

and i got under the bar. heart racing. focus on proper form, footwork, bar position ... and lift it off ... small steps back ... DEEP breath ... drop slowly into the hole... good depth ... DRIVE UP ... and... it felt good, solid, strong ... so another rep... dig deep for the third ... cold sweat on the fourth... rack the bar.

the weight felt like weight... but i felt strong and solid.

i've said it before, and probably more often than i should, and i probably make if fit where it doesnt... whatever.

but, i think the bar is often a metaphor for life... those voices of fear or doubt that hit us in relationships, in our work, with our kids, in taking a chance... this is where we are tested! it is the test of our desire and our ability to do what we have committed to do despite the fears and the voices (real or in our heads). the fears are always there, talking... making the obstacles seem HUGE... heavier than we THINK we can move... and the bar is our test... it is MY test. to overcome MY fears.

even if i had fallen, had re-injured, had to "bail" at the bottom ... that matters LESS... moving the weight IS important, but getting under the bar and committing, full on is MORE important.

i feel that simply by getting under that bar, that i ... that when WE do that ... that WE are proving to ourselves that we can overcome what confronts us, that we can quiet those voices that tell us we cant, the voices that tell us we will fail, or caution us that we will be mocked... when we hear those voices, and we STILL get under the bar and willingly put all we have against that obstacle... THAT is the success... THAT is why we are here... to constantly confront our fears and to push against them either to success or to failure - and to do it again - over and over - that is the purpose... the goal... and THAT is the BAR.

dont let fear control you ... get under the bar... silence the voices ... then ... do it again ... it wont get easier, but the voices matter less.

More Rhythms

More on Rhythms…

I've been writing about rhythms, patterns and habits quite a bit, lately… we all have them and most of us will "fall into" rhythms… they can be taught, created, programmed… and they can even be used to manipulate us by governments and corporations… mostly, though, it is about desire, understanding, and discipline. The desire to use what is really a part of our nature and to take control of it; an understanding and learning of HOW we can make patterns and rhythms consciously and to make them work for us; and finally, the discipline to do the work so that they become "auto-pilot" behaviors leading toward our objectives.

It starts with one day… one commitment… one pattern you want to create. It will take willpower, but only until you create a pattern / a habit… then the autonomic nervous system takes over.

Document it… before and after… set the expectation of a time and a place in writing… then come back to it.

Food journals… weight lifting journals… etc. - these all exist because they work… if you want to build a pattern and make it automatic, then you need to first use your will power to make it conscious and to make it happen… writing reinforces that behavior… the goal is to move from consciously making yourself execute the desired behavior to letting that become a part of your natural patterns.

Habits & Rituals

I love Elliot Hulse's stuff!

Watch this!

My wife is always losing her keys… and, well, pretty much most of her stuff (cell phones, books, DVDs, etc.)… on the other hand… I don’t… I know where my stuff is…

And it drives her crazy!

See, in our marriage, she is the "organized" one… the planner… the process person - if you have to move or have a yard sale or do a fundraiser… she is THE person you want. In fact, her career was process development, change management, and continuous process improvement systems. She consulted for years in both "white collar" and "blue collar" environments. She is pretty much amazing at her job.

And yet… "Madame Organization" can't find her keys… (I love it!)

And what really frustrates her is my stuff never gets lost (UNLESS SHE BORROWS them… but I wont go there)… because I have created a ritual around where my "stuff" goes and if I don’t put things in their spot I just know that something is not right… by creating a ritual I have removed clogging my conscious brain with lots of meaningless info…

So, all of this stuff - these rituals play into my work and my workouts. And now, instead of my "opinion" there is some science to it… Form a Habit!

Make it a habit. Create a ritual! Take it out of the "conscious" space and put it in the "sub"conscious or "un"conscious and take "will power" OUT of the equation. I'm reading a great book about food and nutrition called "The Foodist" - by Darya Pino Rose - you should buy it here… she is a neuro-scientist who happens to love food and has done some interesting work on why we eat what we eat… the choices we make… our "will power". It is fascinating and very helpful in the world of nutrition and food… but the same principles can be applied to creating a habit out of anything.

I don’t care what anyone says… workouts and working out regularly is not easy or simple… you don’t just have the gene to enjoy it or not… it takes discipline to get to the gym, I don’t care who you are… but as it is now a habit for me, NOT going puts me just out of sorts and I have to go! In fact, the willpower has to kick-in when I need to make my body take a break to recover…


Learn to make HABITS and RITUALS of the things you say you WANT - your life will change…

Awesome Article here, too!

Passionate Discipline

"Passion Trumps Everything" - Dave Tate

Sure… yes… it gets you going… Discipline gets you where you want to go.

I have been writing about plateaus and reaching sticking points or working through challenges that require change. It is all well and good… but the single thing that helps me get through these times… the one thing that I have seen that is consistent in all top performers - be they lifters or successful business people - is DISCIPLINE.

You thought I was going to say "passion", I'm sure… but here is why discipline…

Passion gets you started, it initiates the drive to do a thing, start a thing, stop doing a thing… it is the fire that starts you off… and it can fuel you when you are down, bring you back from the brink of depression… etc.

But, it is discipline gets you to stay on the path to your goal when things get hard… and it will get hard. And then it will get harder… and boring… and EXHAUSTING… so, when it hurts to even get out of bed… when that bar by itself is too daunting… when you have to empty the office garbage cans yourself… passion is not going to make that happen - discipline will. Self-discipline in the face of drudgery, tedium, exhaustion, anger, debt, doubt, fear, whatever is the distraction from doing the thing YOU KNOW YOU MUST DO to achieve your goals… to get stronger… to help your business or organization be healthier…

Discipline gets you through the pain… through the boredom… through any plateau… Discipline requires maturity… it requires action… it gets you out of bed early… it helps you stay awake when it is late…. And even when you are unable to move - discipline moves you.

When I'm interviewing folks for jobs, I try to dig in to this area. I believe that as we behave in one relationship we typically will behave that way in others. If you give up or are quick to make excuses in your workouts or diet… then you probably will on the job when stuff gets difficult. Passion will help you get started, skill will help you execute, innate ability will help you even more, but all of these are useless unless you actually DO something… consistently… Discipline will make you a star.

The most successful sales people are the ones who consistently and aggressively do the behaviors that are necessary to achieve their objectives. It may be an ugly cold call, but DOING the call with poor skill is still better than NEVER PICKING UP THE PHONE… Skill will come…

This is true in your work outs, this is true in raising your kids, this is true in having and keeping healthy relationships, and it is absolutely true in your business and work.

More Plateaus

Plateaus happen… they happen regularly… you can prepare and do whatever you like but they will come. And it can be beautiful. It was during one of my plateaus that I decided to change my workouts completely - a year and a half later, after some additional variation and trying things differently, I pulled a PR in my deadlift and got certified in teaching Body Pump. Both at the age of 49.

I have met some great folks through both of these changes - and it would not have happened if I didn’t embrace the plateau vs. fighting it!

What I was doing got me great results… and they were things I "understood" and could do without even thinking - I KNEW what to do…how and when to do it… and it stopped working… this new stuff forced me to THINK, to ENGAGE, to LEARN through trial and error and research, to STEP BACK and actually do less, to get HELP from others with more experience, and to WORK my ass off…

PR in Deadlift… teaching others to love moving weight…

It is not easy for me but I now understand that at eventually… down the road… in time… I will be better for it… stronger and more able. I learned to take the long-view and to look beyond the visible horizon.


It happens in business (and the rest of life, too)… what got us where we are becomes a trap - comfort in the known vs. the fear of the unknown… small progress and slight improvement give us the illusion that what we've been doing still works… this is the most deceptive place to be in… when growth and improvement slow significantly - beyond a season and beyond a few months…. They become the new norm and we become complacent… that is where courage needs to step in and when the work should begin…. THINK, ENGAGE, LEARN, STEP BACK, GET HELP, WORK! Or whatever formula you like.

Plateaus

It is a natural part of any process where continuous growth is the desired goal… you reach the period of time where your strength improvements and increases seem to STOP! PRs are not happening as often as they had been… you are stuck…

in your business it can look like a shift in the competitive landscape, that year-over-year growth has slowed or "flat-lined"… GASP!

In the last blog I talked a little about preparing yourself for these periods in your lifting and in your business by "teaching" your organization and training your body to get good and confident with change. It is important that change be something you plan on and prepare for - NOT in anticipation of avoiding BUT to condition the body and the organization so that WHEN CHANGE COMES the body and the business can both react in a healthy way. The time to train for this is BEFORE it becomes a necessity… there is an ancient proverb that tells us that "The time to dig a well is not when you are thirsty." It is very true… so, expect change, train for variation, anticipate and prepare for it… it will come…

And yet, no matter what, you will reach a point where any improvement is a struggle… where even maintaining status quo is a struggle … plateaus do happen… it is natural… you can sit inside this space for a LONG time - these are the guys who come to the gym and have been doing the same workouts, the same way, with the same weight for years… and years… you can usually find them using the hamstring curl machine.

The joy I get from lifting weights is the sense that progress is potentially endless - limited only by my will and my muscles… there is always a little more to do.

Plateaus are tough for me. My psychology is such that my first reaction is to press against the wall and lean in… harder and harder… it still is, but as I've matured I have learned that at those moments I need to take a step back, reassess, adjust, and start working on similar movements in a different way or work on the simple movements inside of the compound movements - find the "weak link" and press to strengthen that…

In business, you can do the same approach. Break the "compound" complex processes or systems in to their simplest components, apply metrics around time, expense, revenue, etc…. Break it down… find the opportunities to improve and focus improvements there.

Adaptation… and Plateau… and Change

The goal of any natural “system” is equilibrium… that’s an incredibly broad statement and of course there are tons of various goals… but a system strives for equilibrium or a sense of balance. An ecosystem… or the body is no different. Your body strives for “balance”. If it’s too hot… it sweats or tells you to turn the air conditioner on… too cold and the heater comes on or, as my father used to say, “Put a damn sweater on!”

The same is true when the body is stressed, whether by extreme environmental conditions or by a challenging work out. If you have never run before, just getting up and running a mile is going to feel very different the first day vs. 2 weeks later when you have been doing it every morning. This happens because your body changes to meet this stress… or, said differently, it adapts to the new environment.

Your body begins to “get used to” this change of experience by adapting to this new norm. That space between “thiscompletelyhurtsandsucksandiwillnevergetusedtoit” and “this is so simple” is the body adapting. It is seeking balance.

This is true of any physical stress you put on your body. Your body begins to actually change as the stresses come and are sustained. At the hormonal level your body secretes different chemicals to anticipate activity and to achieve a faster recovery from that activity. Heck, the body knows this is good for you so it even will release a little “pleasure” in the form of endorphins. This happens at the nutritional level, too, as your “cravings” will begin to change so the body will get the fuel it knows you need. The way that fuel is burned changes. Muscles begin to change, bones and joints change… how your brain functions changes (and maybe even at the genetic level, but the jury is still out on that).
And you get better at that activity.

And then… you feel like you have plateaued. Most of the time, however, this first plateau is typically just not pushing yourself hard enough. FIND A COACH. Find someone who will look at what you are doing and they will be able to help you get a more than you ever thought possible out of yourself.

However, if you have been exercising hard for at least a year and had coaching… you will also at some time hit a plateau. You get in a rut… the level of improvement slows… why is that? Because your body has adapted… it has found balance… equilibrium… it has adapted. If you want to improve and continue to get stronger / faster / have more endurance / whatever … something’s got to change.

One of my favorite lifters, Donny Shankle writes about adaptation for the weight lifter here

In the past, when I was young and I would hit this place of slowed / minimal / feels like NO improvement, I would do what any young ego-centered male would do – continue to do the same things only HARDER and LOUDER … and … still … have little to no improvement.
See, our bodies are just so amazing that they can compensate and cope and adapt to pretty much anything we can throw at them. The body is really an amazing machine.

To get past these plateaus, things need to change. The stresses and challenges we put on the body need to change. Changing the type of squatting or deadlifting I was doing for several weeks or months actually helped me pass my previous plateau easily. By changing the exercise, the stress, shocking the body out of equilibrium has actually made me stronger and quicker when I returned to the previous lifts.

And, these changes have made me fitter overall. Change and variation will help you pass plateaus and will make you more fit and stronger overall.

Say what you will about Crossfit… I believe they have done a great job in defining fitness (constantly varied….. blah blah blah) and the way in which each workout is structured to create that challenge is a great approach. Of course, it may not be perfect for everyone… but it is a great way to look at things.
Seek change… keep the body adapting… it will amaze you.

Get a Coach (Mentor): Part 3

What to look for in a Coach / Mentor?

This is not a comprehensive list of characteristics, but these are the things that helped me make that choice.
Experience:
* Practical: this is really “table stakes” – someone who has real personal experience under the bar – they know what it feels like to have weight on their back…
* Certifications – external verification that they know something – are good but I really look for practical experience.
* Has “been there” so knows.
* More Experience: someone whose breadth of experience is greater than my own in order to call upon other resources outside of the primary focus.

Results:
* Performance relative to what you want to achieve. They have solid results.
* They hold you and themselves accountable for achieving the objectives.

Communication:
* Trust & Honesty
* Fact based
* Asks good, relevant questions

Problem Solver:
* Able to break things down into component parts to “rebuild”.
* Knows what the “end” should look like / feel like.

Focus:
* Focused on the problem at hand – not distracted by other activities, they are not employed in the business or at the gym to do something else. They are there to fill a role as a coach. Not another job… not their own workout… not doing something else.

Compensation:
* Trade? Money? Something – this is valuable… the quickest way to take something for granted is to not put a value on it or pay for it…

Get a Coach (Mentor):

“All coaching is, is taking a player where he can't take himself.” - Bill McCartney

I mentioned previously that I have a friend who’s been coaching me / watching me when I’m lifting (powerlifts or Olympic lifts)… the last 10 months, TJ has been working with me the entire time. He’s with me several times a week and helps me with improving my range of motion, my technique, my form, etc. He doesn’t write a program, he doesn’t do nutritional stuff or that kind of thing – he is an extra set of eyes and a completely unbiased feedback system.

NOT easy for me – I don’t like to ask for help… ever… I have been lifting for more than 30 years – longer than TJ has even been alive! What does HE know? I know that even the best athletes have coaches – usually more than one, actually… I know it… but I have this ego-delusional perspective that I’m that unique character that can watch YouTube, read books, and do research so I don’t need a coach…

And I ended up injured, not getting stronger, and not able to think about how best to move forward. I “knew” these things… but I denied them… However, I’m pretty anal about writing down my numbers (weights, times, etc.) and as I was reviewing them I started talking to myself like one of my clients – stagnation, even going backwards, etc.
And so like talking to one of my clients, I told myself to get some external perspective…

So, I reached out to TJ and we started working together…

It started simply enough… I was dealing with a very specific issue – my range of motion in my hips (dislocated hip, torn labrum, etc. all led to some severe impingement)… and I needed someone else to make sure I was improving and doing the exercises correctly… however, this has evolved into a more holistic feedback mechanism.

And throughout this process, everything has improved and TJ has proven himself to be invaluable. If you want to get better at what you are doing – lifting weights, running a business, or whatever – then find yourself a coach… you are not so “special” that you don’t need this… no one is…

Getting Stronger

i had one of "THOSE" days today... you know the one... you get to the gym slightly off your normal time... someone is at the rack you want to use (dont they KNOW THAT IT IS MY RACK AND MY TIME!!!)... i had that day... the bar felt really heavy...the pulls felt way too hard on way too light weight... my feet wouldn't set "right"... i just couldnt hold good solid position... my back muscles just seemed to not want to fire... it was like i was moving through molasses - nothing moved quickly..

You know those days... nothing feels right and you just dont feel strong... so you just want to pack up the gear and head back home...

But you don't...

from experience you know that the NEXT time will be much better and that the times before have been "right"... so you trust in the process and move forward - slowly, ugly, forward (that's how it felt today)... so you keep moving forward...

and, strangely, THAT makes you stronger - the self-discipline that makes you keep at it, that drives you to finish the workout - to suck SOMETHING out of what feels like a waste... the decision you made to get to the gym becomes a commitment to yourself that you will not break... and that makes you stronger - KNOWING that even when it just sucks, you can still finish...

that builds your strength... your Will... i believe that the weight leaves the ground through force of will as much as through the muscles...

it's the same thing in business - there are days where things just suck - paperwork, bureaucracy, clients, employees, the competition, new federal rules, not getting paid... there are any number of things that happen that make you wish you could get back to bed... you question why you chose this in the first place... you wonder what you did wrong to deserve this... you just want to get off the wheel today...

But you don't... and you get stronger... better... more determined... just keep moving forward...

Parts is Parts

One of the coolest things about weightlifting – well, for me – that keeps me coming back and never really being bored, is that there is always room for improvement… when you first start lifting weights the goal is to push or pull more and more weight… and then you realize that the pursuit of greater strength and pursuing the strongest your body can be is not merely in the amount of weight that is moved but it is in proper body position (foot position, knees, hips, shoulders, spine, neck, head position, etc. etc.), muscular engagement (core, back, chest, blah blah) and in the consistency of movement.

In fact, ignoring position, muscle engagement, and movement will often lead to injury and will always prevent the body from achieving its potential. This is where we get “stuck”. When we are young, we just want to see how much we can move... FORM BE DAMNED! I’ve just continued to do that – whatever means necessary to pull weight… and I have been stuck.

In January of this year, I was doing a deadlift and saw myself in the mirrors… back curved, shoulders wrapping forwards, “turtle” head poking up and out, butt tucked under… no wonder even light weight was getting harder to move. Even at 49, I was acting like all I had to do was just pull harder!! Force of WILL to make that bar move!! What I’ve learned since is that, If we want to do more… push beyond our current plateaus, then returning to refining and improving our position, movement, muscle engagement by breaking down the lift into smaller stages and identifying “problems” …

So, the last 9 or 10 months have been really hard for me.

I have been breaking down my lifts into the component parts… making sure i can see myself from the side and in front… I’ve been watching my lift and feeling what good form is, taking note of where I’m strong and really understanding where I’m weakest. I’ve been doing little sets of things like straight legged deadlifts, snatch grip deadlifts, “Dimmel” deadlifts, front squats, good mornings, etc. etc. focusing on great form and body position, going through the dialogue of engaging my muscles (hey, it helps me to “talk” to my core and my traps, etc.). I don’t do a lot of weight on these, just enough to work that “space” directly. I even dropped the weight on my heavier days to a place I could lift it without compromising the form… so I had to reduce my “max” for a period of time.

That was hard… was I getting “weaker”… at my age, losing strength is a hard thing to “make up”… the conversation internally around the paranoia of falling backwards is consuming… the ongoing challenge to part of how I have defined myself – I lift heavy weight – even though I KNOW no one but me really cares…

This was a big step for me - taking the time to work on the body’s position and allowing the proper movement to become the focus… and giving myself permission to let the weight itself become secondary. In that time, I’ve gotten stronger, hurt “less” and felt overall better… and in the last few weeks I’ve returned to my previous max… and I still struggle daily with letting it go.

When I work with start-ups or businesses where the owner and the founder have reached a “plateau” or are stuck or if the business is starting to fail or fall backwards, I go through a very similar process… we take apart all the steps and stages of the business or of key processes (usually, we end up looking at all the processes) and start to review where there are potentially some deviations from “best practices” often it is the result of a “short-term” work around that has become “how we do things”. I become the mirror and as they go through their “world” I reflect back where there may be room for improvement.

Often, like in lifting, this means focusing on smaller steps inside of a process in order to get stronger (better, faster, or eliminating… whatever) at the weakest places. I work directly with the folks responsible for those aspects of the business. Sometimes it is a lack of training, sometimes just a bad habit, sometimes laziness… Often it is because the boss has only focused on “get me that number” rather than “what do we need to get better”. It is hard to take a step back… it is difficult to set aside the “end result” to work in the steps (even if that end result is getting smaller or is stuck while the competition is growing).

When we start out, it is easy to just “muscle through” to push no matter how “ugly” to the end result… I will work on doing this right later, I need to get this out… but usually that “later” never gets attention… or worse, it becomes “it has always worked in the past” or “we’ve always done it this way”. These become mental barriers to which we become emotionally attached. It is hard to break these down.

It is difficult to set aside how we have defined ourselves for so long… but to progress, for things to improve, for business to survive, it requires an ongoing focus on defining and then pursuing perfection in movement, in position, and in the proper engagement of all resources.

Put Your Hands On The Bar!

The other day, i was coaching a client about her business and we were discussing next steps... her fears, the obstacles between her and that next objective... and i started thinking about my powerlifting coach, Doctor Johnson (we all called him Doc)...

i was maybe 18 years old, weighed about 145lbs... this was my first real weightlifting training - i was on the powerlifting team... Doc was our coach (he was strong as hell, late 50s, a professor of biology)... it was my turn on the bench press... i was about to press 225 which for me had become a barrier - not the "pounds" per se - in fact i was doing relatively easy reps with 215, so 225 shouldve been nothing... shouldve been, but this was a move to 2 "big plates" on each side of the bar - that was what was playing in my head... i had never tried 225, but it should have been an easy lift... but moving up to the 2 plates felt HUGE... so i pulled my belt tight... sat on the bench... breathed heavily... started to lay back... stood up... shook out my shoulders... sat back down... went through the inventory of foot placement... etc. reached for the bar... then sat back up - it just didnt "feel" right... i did this process a 3rd time... my "getting set" stuff... in my head was "dude, 2 PLATES! You've NEVER done this! What if i DO it? What if i DONT? blah blah blah... doubt fear everything has to be in the perfect spot... ahhh!!!"

i started to go through the process a 5th time when from the squat rack came Doc's voice, "PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE BAR AND LIFT THAT!" immediately, the head voices stopped, i sat down, laid back, didnt think about where my feet etc. were (they were in the right spots, of course, Doc had drilled it into us... the muscle memory was deep) and so, i put my hands on the bar... and i pushed it solidly... the flood gates opened and quickly pushed my PR over and over...

In fact, the head games didnt happen again until i got to 315 (3 plates on each side) - but on my 1st shot, i wrote OVER my b.s. and had my mantra playing in my head: Doc's voice saying over and over "Put Your Hands On The Bar and Lift That!"

i was so caught up in the game of "getting ready" and making sure everything was right... and messing with my OWN head on the plates... Doc's voice cut through all that noise and gave me permission to take the next step... to take the next action necessary to achieve the objective - "Put Your Hands On The Bar..." - everything else fell in to place; my feet knew where to go... my body KNEW what to do next - my head needed to get out of the way and sometimes merely doing the next thing, no matter how simple, is the hardest thing to do... i let my head, my fears, my doubts take over vs. just putting my hands on the bar...

So... there i was with my client, hearing all of the "noise" of fears, over-complications, doubt, etc. - and i thought, "Put Your Hands On The Bar..." - we identified the next simple step in building her business and i said, "Do That... and call me when you are done." She did... and she later told me that the flood gates opened for other things that she and her partner needed to get done that they hadnt taken the time to start... They KNEW what to do and HOW to do it... cutting through the head noise by merely taking the next step...

When you are stuck - Put Your Hands On The Bar...

Moving Things

Anyone who knows me knows i love to lift weights... that i'm very passionate about lifting weights. there is something very "pure" about lifting weights... Henry Rollins said it best in this message a while ago...

For me... lifting weights is the lens through which i see life... it's one of those things that helps me create metaphors for my life... my coaching... my consulting... how i approach a business or a person... etc. etc.

And i really do believe that everyone can benefit by some sort of weight lifting / resistance movement.

It will change who you are...

Honestly, i think that anything that one is passionate about can be used as a metaphor for life... it is kinda why we become passionate about something. Anthropologists talk about myths as stories we to create to help us explain why things happen ("reality") and to help us deal with how things work in "reality". For me, weight lifting is a lens that distorts to a certain extent but helps me clarify as well...

The greatest relationship i see connecting weights to life is that moving / lifting weights is all about change: change in the micro by moving X pounds Y distance over Z time... change in the macro as i get stronger or get injured or realize i can... or cant move something.

Change... the underlying principle of life... it is growth... it may be progression... but change always happens and learning to understand HOW i can impact or direct that change but KNOWING that change is going to happen and through lifting weights i learn how to deal with it.