Say it aint so, Joe

***This is not a fitness story***

My x-mas list has been the same since I can remember. 

“Anything blue & white.”

I have book ends, picture frames, clocks, every book the staff has published, their coaching manuals, DVDs, and postcards.  I have socks, boxers, t-shirts, sweat pants, coffee mugs, calendars, pictures, old rosters and jerseys.    One year (when I had a Velcro Penn State wallet) I thought it would be funny to add a formal picture of Joe Paterno to the others.  I would show off pictures of my daughters and then "Hey, whats this guy doing in here?"  Even though they usually stink, I still draft one Penn State player in my fantasy football league to be silly and say "I have a strong locker room leader." 

When I was little younger, I had the chance to meet the staff and later on would receive scouting materials for whatever school I was coaching, so you can imagine, this was basically a dream come true to be on Fran Ganters, Larry Johnsons and Ron Vanderlindens (members of the staff) mailing list.  An open invite to come up whenever I wanted to work with their strength & conditioning staff and be involved with their training was obviously even better. 

Every year, I would influence the linebackers I coached to go to their football camps and to work with their staff.  So much of what I learned about coaching, I learned there. 

I will never, ever forget the very time I saw Coach Paterno in person, just a 100 feet away, at a coaches clinic maybe 8 years ago or so.  I was his shadow for as long as possible.  Followed everywhere he went and listened to everything he said.  He'd walk from drill to drill and bitch out kids 5x his size for not using a proper technique.   

Penn State couldve showed me a water boy who said "Drink water like this, its better this way," and I would've done it.  I trusted every single syllable that the staff and most importantly Joe Paterno uttered as absolute gospel. 

I was wrong.

Joe Paterno had an opportunity to save kids, not just give them a scholarship, but to save them from an absolute monster.  An absolutely disgusting human being that was empowered by one of the most prestigious football programs in the country.   He enabled a monster to use the platform that he built for over 45 years to dominate, bully and terrorize under privileged children. 

Those who willingly stand by and watch a crime being committed are not guilty but they are far from innocent.     

They say its a privilege to play football and to play sports, but its more of a privilege to coach and to be around young athletes and their energy.  Its a privilege just to have an opportunity to be in a position to help kids grow and evolve and learn.  Joe Paterno and his staff no longer deserve that privilege.  They lost it when they decided to stay quiet and not give a voice to those who needed it. 

Every single coach or staff member, from top to bottom should step down because none of them deserve to wear blue & white. 

No Off-Season

I'm taking a minute to look back on this past year of training.  Thinking about the sessions, the outdoor workouts, the birth of Blue Chip, the people I've worked with and for, the gyms I've been in and all those miles on my car. 

I think it's an amazing foundation and the tone is set.  I love my view right now.  I think this past year kicked ass and proved a point.... and that can be said after nearly every workout "We kicked ass and proved a point."  Right now, Im so excited to get my next apt... because I train some serious badasses :) 

So I'm looking back on this "training quest"... and I'm very happy....
...and now I'm looking forward. 

Last winter, we had some hiccups and we were temporarily "homeless."  This fall/winter, we're settled.  We're "home," and we are going to kick ass all winter long.  The bad weather, the snow, the crappy roads, none of that is going to slow us down this year.  (Yes "bad weather, snow and crappy roads" was a metaphor for where were in late 2010:).   

There is no off-season.  Our training is on fire right now.  Get your 2012 "To-do list," ready!  More importantly, get your 2012 "TO BE," LIST ready!

Make a mental note:  If you know we're working out at 2pm or whenever, 2 hours before that, start getting your thoughts in order.  Get some protein in your system, get some water or gatorade and start getting your mind right.  You have to come in and be prepared for the ride.  Yes, we will defintely have some fun, we'll crack some jokes and defintely have a good time... BUT this is not social hour.  YOU/WE are here to do things that we cant do and dont do anywhere else.  Every single workout.  Every single time.  This is not "Do 1 set and bs for 3 minutes," personal training.  This is "Lets go off!  Every single time, every single set!" type personal training. 

***Womens only class, every Sunday at 11am at Titans Gym in Mentor.  $5 for non-members, free to members.  For those of you who have trained with me before in either the one on one setting or in the summer workouts or even the volleyball workouts... imagine those workouts and turn up the volume to "10."  I promise you, come for one month, stay and talk some nutrition after, stay and lets set up a cardio plan, stay and lets talk goals... within 2 months, you'll be well on your way to reaching some big goals.  Promise.

beat

It's football season.  And every season, at some point, I start to "lose," it.  And I'm not sure exactly what it is that I'm "losing," but something happens.  Crazy things fly out of my mouth, people close to me get really sick of hearing me talk, and every single thing is under a microscope.  My sleep goes down, my energy goes up, the seasons change, back to wearing hoodies, leaves change colors... i cant explain it.  Other than football is more of an analogy to life than anything I can think of and it adds another element to my day and another outlet for me to...  I really dont even know what I do sometimes. 

I was at practice the other day.  I dont talk about it on here much but I coach at a high school in the area.  We have some very talented young men with more potential than they know.  I dont fault them one bit because I think we were all that way at that age.  There was always someone who saw more than we did.  So anyway,  we're conditioning and I could see they were starting to drag it a little.  It was a tough drill but they were starting to "coast."   I pulled them in and said something along the lines of  "We're at the point in the season where we need to find another gear.  We know we're fast, we know we hit hard, we catch, we run, we block and we do alot of things right.  And odds are we'll have a physical advantage on most nights.  So now its time to tap into another advantage... one we dont even know we have yet..." and I pointed to my heart.   I paused because I had a mini flash back... I usually do... when that screachy voice jumps in my head... time to breathe and slow down before things really fall apart (if you know me, you know what and who I'm referring to :))   These kids arent dumb and they know they're good.  They know they have very real football skills and sometimes those skills are enough to slide by.  So I told them "We're going to see a team just as fast... who hits just like we do... who can run and jump like us... and then it wont be about out-hitting, or out-running... it will be about out-hearting."  It may have went on... hard to remember when things get going. 

(I think when I was a younger coach, I would address the same topic but in a very immature way.  Kind of challenging whether or not they had a heart.  Its different now.  I know its there but sometimes hiding... and I want to help bring it out.)

But it all is about that.  The analogy is right there.  We see it everyday.  We have jobs, we have friends and family and things we care about.  And every single thing eventually comes down to who has the heart. 
In my job, there are 100 trainers in the area, all with different skills, certifications, experiences and resumes.  Some have masters degrees, some have been around for 20 years and some think the'll be successful because of looks or who they know... it will always come down to "heart."

Self Love?

by Jenn Dudich


Self love? That is great and all, but self awareness is where it's at. You see, from Day one on this Earth, our little subconscious minds are taking in information and making assumptions. Yes, assumptions. Those things that we learn later in life are one of the worst things we could do! But, this is how our 5 senses and our brain interact. The senses bring in the info, the brain decides where to file it. As we mature, and learn things, our assumptions are either confirmed or changed. Unfortunately, for some, they have been confirmed over and over by an outside influence, or by themselves even though they may not be true. Either way, these little assumptions pop up all the time in our subconscious and they begin to influence our behavior patterns, and essentially the results that we cultivate.

So, what the heck does that all mean? Let's pretend that we have a young aspiring football player that shows up for practice. Whoa...who is this kid? He will definitely be a star quarterback! But look closer, and you might see a kid that goes home to a family that tells him he is wasting his time with football. A family that tells him that he will never make it. A family that reminds him of all the failures he has already had in his life. They tell him to quit day dreaming. They laugh at him.

This young man has already been defeated and cut himself from tryouts. No matter how much the coaches are telling him that he is amazing, he only hears his loved ones laughing at him. He hears his own voice asking him what the keck he is thinking by trying out. He used to fight it, but then he didn't make any other team hi tried out for. Maybe he simply wasn't good enough for those teams because his talent was in football, and he didn't discover it yet. Unfortunately, that is not how he looks at it. Instead he assumes his family is right. And so his behaviors pattern follows and you watch helplessly as his skills back off through tryouts.

To me...a coaches job is to find that diamond in the rough and help them become aware of their strengths AND what they are doing to get in their own way. Help them prove their assumptions wrong so that they can begin to flourish. Yes, you may have to push them. You may even have to coach loudly! But, at the end of the day...the most important thing you can do as a coach, is understand that you may be fighting against a life time of wrong assumptions that this person is believing in. So, when they back off or don't follow through. You remind them that they are great. You remind them of their progress. You help them learn their self defeating patterns. You teach them to be self aware. You don't give up, because the minute you do, you just confirmed their assumptions once again.

This rings true for all of us in some way. We all get in our own way of success. Some of blame others for our failures. Some give up and decide they just can't. Some are so afraid of who they would be without their doubts that they don't ever let them go. Some are comfortable in their habits. Some are completely unaware that they can change their thoughts, their actions, and their lives. Some figure it out and soar. Be realistic...and figure out, which one are you? How self aware are you?


Question:  What does self love have to do with fitness and health and your general well being?

10

(Revised 3/2014)

I've been having some really great conversations lately with people I work with and friends about "effort."  And I know I harp on this all the time and I'm actually annoying myself but... I cant stop it.  Its in everything.  I recently posted something along the lines of "We're all motivated people, the difference is applying the thought to the actions."  We all want and need and have a desire to be better or to do more, but some of us have troubles putting together the actual thought to making it happen in real life.  We all day dream.... do they come true?  Why do they?  Or why dont they?  What stops us?

The two extremes are the ones that drive me the most crazy and honestly I admit its because I cant relate.  People who under achieve and people who ignore their themselves or their lives.  Maybe theyre not extremes but just both completely apathetic. 

Its so foreign to me.  Not that Ive nailed every goal Ive ever set out for, but Ive always given my all, always.  Always.  "Give til its gone."  I workout until I'm exhausted or I get the absolute most out of the time I have to workout.  I work all day long with very few actual breaks.  I hate turning the tv on because it distracts me.  Unless I'm scheduling appointments, I keep my phone out of reach because its too tempting to play a game.  I know not every single thing can happen, every single day BUT in every single day, positive movement can be made to "improve," whatever that word may mean to you.  So I see someone who I feel can be so much more and wonder "why." Someone said "who are you to ask why?"  I said "Well, because Im an annoying person and this is what I like to do."  I also think if there is a need to bitch every now and then, you know?  Why not try harder?  Why not point it out to people we care about?  If I didnt care, I'd let it all go.  If I didnt care about their lives, I wouldnt care at all about someone not working to make their dreams come true.  Think about that.  Think of how many of us let THAT dream float away.  And now we just day dream about it every now and then and think "what if...?"  But I work with waaaaaay too many high school kids, I refuse to coach day dreamers.  I refuse to train day dreamers.  I want dream makers.  And I truly dont care what it is.  I work with a young man right now, we train 3 days per week and he's a varsity player.  I want to know him in 10 years and he tells me it "all happened," or "it's happening."  I say "What is?" And he says "Everything I've tried to do." 

She said "you cant just grab them by their neck and throw into the box you want them to fit in."  True.  And I dont feel thats what I do, but...

... when I was young, I had no clue what "Full go," and "Effort," meant.  I thought I did, but I didnt.  I would practice, I thought I practiced hard.  Because I knew I could practice at 75% and still start, still be "good enough." So I thought I was doing the job. I made excuses to skip the weight room.  Why?  Because I had a real jerk off ego and thought I didnt need it.   Then I met a guy who basically wouldnt leave me alone.  And at the time, he was the absolute most annoying person on the planet.  Every corner I turned, he was there.  Every time I skipped a class, he popped up.  Every time I tried to skip weight room, there he was in the exit.  He would call my house, he would talk to my friends, he was on top of every single thing I did.  Then every drill I didnt finish, even if he was 100 yards away, I heard his voice.  Every missed assignment, he saw it and "addressed it," before the play was over.  In his mind, there was no explanation for not finishing a drill, for skipping the weight room, for not applying yourself and that went for the classroom even more than the field and even into our personal lives.  And then he went from most annoying person ever to one of the greatest ever, in just 10 very fast, short weeks. 

Why?  Because he saw what I/we didnt.  What we couldnt.  Because we all had so much other shit crowding our visions and minds, and he came in and cleared the air.  And he didnt quit even when he thought we ignored him most of the time... God, we wanted to.  But he never quit.  Even when we failed, he was there the same as he was when we were successful.  He was full go and full go was our goal. 

I was one of those guys.  I was fully willing to coast and not even achieve let alone underachieve.  I was the type of person that thought good enough, was good enough! He didnt grab my neck and force me into his vision.  He grabbed my heart and forced me to create my own vision.  Thats what parents and coaches jobs are... what friends jobs are.  What we're here for... if you're not improving yourself and people around you, I truly dont know what youre doing.

He said "Sometimes I feel I'm forcing myself to operate at a "5," because the "10," gets tuned out and people really cant handle it on a daily basis."  Then someone else responded with "You're doing yourself and everyone around a disservice (working the 5 instead of the 10)... do what you're here to do.  And if they dont want, do it again.  And if they reject it, do it again.  Never lower your expectations."   

Never lower your expectations, no matter where you are or what you're doing.  Sometimes things just don't work out, they don't match up.  Could be a job, a relationship, a trainer-client situation, anything.  

This is your life and that absolute last thing you want, is to sit there at 60 yrs old wondering "what if I tried harder..."

Sidenote:  A friend told me thats its not always a desire type thing.  It could be mental road blocks that we really dont realize we have.  We have the ability to sabotage ourselves without ever really accepting the fact that we're sabotaging ourselves!  Sounds crazy, right?  But Im a victim as well.  I know there have been times where I could have done this or that... and I didnt.  The obvious relation on this website is fitness.  We talk ourselves out of running, or let ourselves cheat our diets when we know in our heads what we should be doing... yet we allow ourselves to "fail."   

So stop.  Make the conscious decision to stop letting yourself fail or fall short.  Imagine you have a mtg w yourself.  What would you say to motivate in this situation?  What would your you, say to yourself?   

I just did this last night driving home, I had a nice 15 minute drive on 44 where I turned off the music and said to myself "You need to..." And went on and on and when it was over, I felt great.  I didn't beat myself up, i just said what I would've said had I been my own client.  I then went home, worked out, wrote up a new 4 week plan, and finished some work.  

Give it a shot.  Talk to yourself like you're your own client/friend.

Luxory & Service

Originally written on 05/21/10

Client - "Why are your prices as low as they are?"

Me - "Why would they be higher?"

Client - "If you charge too little, people are going to think you're cheap for a reason."

I had that conversation last week while watching the Cavs get destroyed by the Celtics. 

Prices of certain things have always bothered me and I don't understand how someone can charge "X" amount just because they can.  I don't understand hidden "start-up" fees, when you think you're paying a certain price then someone says "oh yeah, plus a $159.99 transaction fee," and we're supposed to accept that. 

In my opinion, personal training is not a luxury, it shouldn't be, it's a service.  It shouldn't priced to a point where only certain people can afford it.  It should be at a point where nearly everyone can find a way to make it work within their budget.  Families should have an option to take a class and not be stuck in some monthly contract.  (If someone calls me today, and says "I'd like you to start a Family Fitness class," and if I think they'll show up, that class is happening.) 

I love yoga and I'll probably never stop taking classes as long as I'm healthy, but it really upsets me that the price is so high.  It's somewhere around $13-$15 per class depending where you look and the price could drop if you buy a large package... but does it have to be that high?  How many more people could have their lives improved and be open to a new experience in life if it was affordable?  It's hard for me to talk young athletes into going to these studios when I tell them the cost... $15 is 3 Subway subs to a 16 year old!    One class per week would cost $60 per month plus renting a yoga mat or purchasing one, in my opinion that's a little high.  Why not get more people involved?  Why not drop that rate and open up to those who were on the fence or couldn't quite afford it?  (I'm not beating up yoga studios. I think they all do an absolutely amazing job, but if it was more affordable I'd take class 4x per week.... and running at the park is free.) 

I heard someone say something like "it's expensive to be in good shape and to eat right."  Unfortunately, theres some truth to that.  But it doesn't have to be that way.    There's an enormous difference between cheap and affordable.

------

Update: 

As written above, I wrote that in 2010 and very little has changed.  The pt prices have not increased, if anything, they're cheaper and you should investigate.... In no way whatsoever do the prices represent the quality. Just the opposite.  Who you can afford, is the best.

My reference point about yoga costs was interesting to reread.  Not only has my stance not changed, I found a way to create a room where for $60, you can take 16+ fitness classes per month, 75% of them yoga... Far from just 4 classes for $60.  

Gyms, fitness centers and studios are in business to make money.  We're all in business and work to make money.  But it should be more affordable and a higher quality.  

People keep telling me "stop giving things away," and "charge more," and I smile and end the conversation.  They'll get it one day.

I've also heard "get off your high horse," lately and that's even funnier.  So sad that someone thinks doing the right thing is the "high horse."  

"I knew the rules, but the rules did not know me... Guaranteed."   Eddie Vedder; Into The Wild Soundtrack; Guaranteed 

When you want to succeed...

Pregame dinner; warm ups; coin toss; locker room; intros and kick off.

You had a plan.  You prepared all week based on the information your broke down ahead of time.  You felt there were certain things you'd be able to do well and certain things you felt you may struggle with.  You knew how you wanted to move the ball and knew how you wanted to stop them.  You knew special teams and field position would be important.  You knew limiting mistakes would be crucial.  No fumbles, no interceptions, no costly penalties.  You knew you had to stay positive and you knew you had to be focused.

Then they blitzed... and now you have to adjust.  They're bringing pressure you didn't expect.  Coverages you've never seen.  They're showing things you didn't think you'd see.  You're worried you're not as prepared as you thought you were and you're confidence is shaken.  But no one can know.  You're in charge, you're the leader, what are you going to do? You have to stay positive and keep with the plan but you also know you have to adjust.  Not bail on your game plan but adapt.  What are you going to do? 
Now its raining and you didn't plan for that.  The ball is slippery and the receivers are struggling to catch it.  Its getting muddy and the offensive line is having troubles with their footing.  Its raining so hard, the fans and band left. 
Things are happening that you didn't know how to prepare for... you didn't even know this situation was a possibility... but here it is.

The beauty about football and sports? 
For me, it's the clock.  Knowing how much time is left. 
(Take a second to re-read above and think how it relates to life.)

You planned, you thought you prepared well.  You probably did.  But life, like football, can throw you into some situations you weren't prepared for and didn't even know you should've prepared for.  And we have to adjust and adapt or we'll "lose." 

You knew what you wanted to get done, you had goals.  In football, the ultimate goal is to win the game.  And along that path, there are many mini goals that lead to the ultimate goal.  A coach cant just blindly say "Our goal is to win," without other conversations like "we need to block better, we need to tackle better, we need to limit mistakes, we need to attack them here and protect here," and on and on.  Maybe your goal is to own a home.  So along to that goal is a path of several goals.  Could be get a second job, start a savings account, save "x" amount per month and on and on.  Many steps can lead to one goal.

You have to overcome adversity and know sometimes not everything is in your control. The team couldn't control the weather and the mud.  The team couldn't keep the fans and the band with them.  The only thing the team could control was how they would adjust and respond.  In moments or phases of adversity, how will you react, adjust and respond?  Cars break down, companies go out of business (some for very strange reasons), things happen... how will you react, adjust and respond?

But the clock is still in the background.... and that's the only analogy we cant really relate to.  Our clock isn't in our site. We don't know when the game is over.  We may know we're down two touchdowns and its 3rd and long... but we don't know we're already in the 4th quarter and we never really will.  But we know we only have one "game," and we have to play it to "win." 

Whats your "game?"
What are your goals?  Can you see the mini goals along the road?
How are you preparing and planning?
How are you adjusting, adapting, reacting and responding? 
How will you "win?"

**UPDATE**
A friend recently sent me an amazing youtube clip where a young man was training and there was a motivational speaker over the highlight.  The speaker told a story of young man who wanted to be successful.  The quote that has stuck with since and has really always been in my head is "When you want to succeed, as bad you want to breathe... then you'll be successful." 

When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe.  When you want to win as bad as you want to breathe.  When you want to live as bad you want to breathe.  When you want to _____ as bad you want to breathe.... then you'll be successful.  Because remember, success is full go!  Success is maximum effort!  Success is going and going and going and working and doing every single thing you can, in every moment you can... when you want it as bad you need air!  That's success. 

One game.  One life.  Full go.