Rich (one of my buddies who has been training with us) tried working out with me and Chase Reynolds (RB – St Louis Rams) a while back and had a big problem hanging with us. We busted his balls every day after that and he refused to try it again. This was after he watched us for weeks and decided that, “Oh that’s not so hard. I can do that.” He actually showed up at the gym and came over to us and says, “I’m going to workout with you today.” We said ok and jumped into a single exercise, which we rarely go with. One solo exercise, not a circuit not a superset. It was a chest bounce exercise with no weight (We are in a plank position – push up position. Workout bands around the hands looped through a squat rack behind us – causing resistance. Hands are on separate platforms. We bounce on hands and feet from one end of the platform to the other. 10 bounces each direction. This is done several times non stop.). Next we did 4 or 5 rounds of a 4 or 5 station circuit, nonstop. Rich didn’t like hearing the words nonstop. When we finished he looked out of it and he said he was going to get some work down. Chase said, “Are you kidding? Are you done?” I said, “Rich, this w as a light workout and we aren’t even a quarter of the way done.” That simple workout was enough to make him decide that it was not for him.
Well I guess it stirred something in the back of his head, because a few months ago, he started working out with me and the other guys. This dude has come a long way. His workouts were pretty similar to what I did before working out the way that we currently train. (Now: No rest, lots of reps, 4 or more rounds, lots of functional movements, and lots of core. We beat down the same muscles over and over again in our workouts. We work a lot with increasing muscle stabilizers and muscle endurance.) (Before – Mixing heavy weights and also adding some High Intensity Interval Training (nothing like the HIIT that we do now). Rich decided that he wanted to challenge himself and has been coming in with us and improving every day. Not bad for another guy in his mid 40’s who never trained this way. It’s not like he has to train this way. When asked why he does it, he said, that he wants to be in better shape (he was already in “good shape” based on what he thought) and he likes challenging himself. Our training has not only gotten him into better shape, but has help him get rid of back, shoulder and elbow pain. I love finding his weak spots, just to make him suffer. His suffering will be gone soon, since he is improving every day.
Like I said he really has no reason to train the way that we do and honestly neither do I. We are around the same age and both of us come from athletic backgrounds. Both of us also went through our own transformations and both of us like helping other people achieve theirs. Since he is one of the owners of Excel Training (the gym where I train), he is involved with changing all kinds of people’s lives. Helping people live healthy lifestyles and kids train to be better athletes. Now that he is one of my training partners, he joins me in putting college and professional athletes who are half of our age in a form of torture that only helps them improve. A big part of our workouts are psychological. Push yourself harder, push yourself further.
Our reason for training this way: We have the satisfaction of being able to compete on a daily basis with professional athletes (our workouts have a competitive nature tied into them). We Challenge ourselves every day. We can prove that if you BELIEVE it, that you can do it. We take pride in being able to do something a lot of people would walk away from. We take more pride when one of those people who does walk away comes back and FINISHES WHAT THEY STARTED!!!
When we train, our entire group is constantly motivating each other, but we also talk a lot of crap to each other. If you come in last in something or you mess up somewhere along the line, you will hear about it. Rich is probably the most fun person to pick on. No matter what, I know it motivates him. I hear my fair share.
Rich doesn’t know how to read, so if you know him, please don’t tell him that I wrote this. I will just deny it.
Evolve My Life ™ 