Honor and Challenge

Honor & Challenge

I prefer to train alone in an empty gym. The gym has become more to me than just a place to workout and I feel the same way about training as I did when I was 12. While the goals along the way have changed, the experience has been the same. I'm not there for the PRs or social time. I'm there for the honor and challenge of the experience.

honor

verb
1 we should honor our parents: esteem, respect, admire, defer to, look up to; appreciate, value, cherish, adore; reverence, revere, venerate, worship; informal put on a pedestal. ANTONYMS disrespect.

2 they were honored at a special ceremony: applaud, acclaim, praise, salute, recognize, celebrate, commemorate, commend, hail, lionize, exalt, eulogize, pay homage to, pay tribute to, sing the praises of; formal laud. ANTONYMS disgrace, criticize.

3 he honored the contract: fulfill, observe, keep, obey, heed, follow, carry out, discharge, implement, execute, effect; keep to, abide by, adhere to, comply with, conform to, be true to, live up to. ANTONYMS disobey.

In The Gym

Honor...

After three decades in the gym I'm grateful for every day I can walk in and turn the light on.

Many of the most important lessons I've learn in life I've learned in the gym. These lessons are reinforced every time I touch a weight. The future will bring even more lessons that will help shape who I am and who I will be.

It keeps me grounded. No matter how big your ego gets or how much you think your shit doesn't stink, the gym will remind you real fast where you really stand. If you look, you'll see things as they really are.

I know I'm part of a group that others just don't understand. In my world that means something. There's a connection with others who love their training that is hard to explain but does exist.

I still love doing what I did as a kid.

It's where I can totally be free.

I can now share what I've learned with my children.

I've been given the opportunity and platform to give back to all those who have helped me along the way - and still do so today.

You NEVER know when your LAST day in the gym will be.

Your gains are all your own. In this world you can make everything your own.

Use your aggression and FIGHT for progress. Things are not always easy and just standing by is not an option.

challenge

verb

1 we challenged their statistics: question, disagree with, dispute, take issue with, protest against, call into question, object to.

2 he challenged one of my men to a duel: dare, summon, throw down the gauntlet to.

3 changes that would challenge them: test, tax, strain, make demands on; stretch, stimulate, inspire, excite.

In The Gym

Challenge...

No matter how great the love is - there are times you don't want to do it, yet find a way to make it work.

Those sets where you don't think you can do another rep, you dig down inside and find the will.

When you think you get to a point where you can't lift another pound - you find a way.

The weights really don't care about your problems, if you're having a bad day, month or year. Your excuses don't matter at all. All that matters is if you do it or don't.

Just showing up isn't enough. You have to show up and work to get anything in return. If you just show up and expect great things to happen - they won't!

When you get hurt - you need to find a way to heal.

The gains never come as fast as you would like - yet you keep pushing on.

Keeping your mind, body and spirit whole.

Discovering who you really are, what you are made of, and your weaknesses.

You learn what you can do alone and when you need spotters.

Learning who can spot and who can't. Who you want to spot and who you don't. Who you can trust to spot and who you can't. For the most part when you press outside your comfort zone (PRs) you will need spotters you can trust.

You can always turn it around. You can learn from a bad day and make the next one good. You can learn from a bad training cycle and make the next one better.

Always moving forward. The goals may change, the pace may be slow, but rep by rep with calculated action you move forward.

Taking the lead. While you may use the help of advisers, trainers, or coaches you are still the one in charge and the road stops with you.

I was asked to write "What did I learn in 2010?" for the Make-A-Wish Manual. What I submitted was an article written after my father passed.

What I learned is life is a challenge...

BUT...

What an honor it is!

Being a gym rat has been a dream of mine since I was 10 years old and I've been given over 30 years to live it. For this I'm forever grateful and wouldn't change a single thing. I look forward to every single day I can open that door and step inside.

In the mist of the holiday season THIS is the best gift I have ever been given.

We spent the morning looking over the profiles of children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Childhood dreams we WILL be able to make come true. There are so many children out there who will never be able to experience the feeling we get from breaking a PR, achieving a hard earned goal or any other "defining moment" that we engrave in our memories and carry for the rest of our lives.

My post today comes from reading these profiles and realizing how lucky I am. How lucky we ALL are. It's public knowledge that my year has pretty much sucked. It was full of challenge, but from the "defining moments" in my life (many from the weightroom) I've found honor in it all.

The greatest honor this year will be when I sign the check to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I do so knowing the proceeds were generated from those who know the Challenge and Honor of the weightroom.

Together we WILL changes some lives forever!

For this...

THANK YOU!