Another One Bites the Dust

This past week I had to deal with a problem that I had never had to deal with before and I think I only had to deal with because of the profession I’m in.

 

I train some pretty big guys and one of them was in the bathroom as I was setting up the gym for the workout.  A few minutes pass and I got worried.  I called out to see if he was all right and he blasts the door open and with a chuckle he says, “Doug, you gotta come in here and check this out.”  Without hesitation I declined because I never want to hear that phrase come out of someone who just used the bathroom.  “No you have to see this, it is not what you think.”  I declined again but after his third request and my annoyance meter at full tilt I went in there.  Low-and-behold I looked at the toilet and there it was…another cracked toilet seat.

 

As my athlete laughed in a way that conveyed just how proud he was in his accomplishment, I thought to myself, “how did this happen again?”  Yes again!  I have never cracked a toilet seat nor have I ever seen a cracked toilet seat until I opened my gym, the real crazy thing was that this was the second cracked seat in the last three months.

 

As I told my athlete that historical fact this he seemed a little less triumphant in his mood when he realized that he was not the first to do this.  We looked at the seat and the bowl trying to figure out why this happened and how to prevent it.  We were not sure but my guy pointed out that maybe it cracked berceuse there were only two support spacers on the bottom towards the front of the seat, which might cause it to sag in the backend when a 240lb guy sis on it.  This sounded like a plausible theory so I went out to Orchard Supply Hardware in search of a four-support seat to see if that stifles the problem.

 

Today as I watched the NFL wild card playoff games I was thinking to myself; “I wonder how many toilet seats these guys have broke in their gyms?”

 

 

Tags: Add new tag, athletes, Fitness industry, NLF wild Card, Strength

To Resolve or not Resolve, that is the Question

First off Happy New Year to the very small number of you who actually read this blog, you have made the end of 2008 special for me and I hope 2009 bring about great success and fortune for you all.

Another new year and many of you will see it as a time of repentance. I used to. You know the ‘ol “what are my resolutions for the New Year?” The thought of constructing resolutions never really sat well with me but I did it anyway because that is what people do. I really hate to dwell upon what I am not good at, the numerous mistakes I’ve made or the things I need to change about myself. The word in-of-itself, resolve, is a very good one but it is usually linked with something negative and trying to turn it into a positive when it comes to the new year. I know for myself by thinking about past failures and vowing to resolve them I was more inclined to fail.

For the second year in a row I have decided not to resolve anything rather I have decided that I have goals I want to set and reach for 2009. How are goals different than resolutions? Well when you boil them down they are pretty much the same thing, in fact by definition alone resolving to do something is even stronger than a goal in of itself because it is a call to action. The word resolution has be taken out of context and associated with this new year’s tradition of fixing something we do not like about ourselves. When you start out with this negative context you have to dig out that much further to achieve your desired task.

Goals on the other hand have an advantage because they tend to have a positive connotation surrounding them, which makes them easier to kick-start because you are in the right frame of mind from the start. However, like resolutions, goals can often elude people because they too are an end point that people focus on. The “I want to lose 20 lbs” is a great goal but you are starting from point-a and starting down point-z how do you plan on getting there? It is when you set a plan for your goals and thinking about the steps that it will take to get you there you will succeed.

Some simple ways to succeed with your goals are to:

• Write them down
• Categorize them for different parts of your life (personal, financial, social etc.)
• Post them where visible
• Check them off when you complete them
• Make them very specific; date, time, game plans etc.
• [If you are really open] Share them with others so you feel somewhat accountable

I made my goal list this morning and I am sure I will add more to them as I go along. Here are a few of mine that I will share with you so you can hold me accountable;

Business and Career

• Each week write down & complete list of goals
• Get 10 New athletes training at the gym (go to HS and contact 3 coaches a week)
• Finish and launch eBook by the end of January
• Read 1 book a month

Personal

• Mobility drills daily
• Stretching daily
• Bend a 60D Nail by adding nail bending to my grip day

There are some of the goals I have for 2009 and the basics of how I plan to get there. I suggest you try this technique out a see if it works. Please feel free to post your goals and let me know how they are coming along during the year.

Let’s make 2009 the year we Rise Above and go accomplish everything we set out to do!

Tags: Business, Goals, New Year, Resolutions, Strength