The By Product

Is there something that you have always wanted to do? Do you keep a list of places you would like to visit? Do you always tell yourself “If I had time, money, etc I would do…….”? It’s never too late to start a bucket list. I know it might be a little hard to come up with ideas if you are not used to being adventurous. But I am going to help you get started.

I have always lived my life with the bucket list in my hand. Well not really in my hand but always in my head. My dearest friend always tells me “There is nothing you haven’t done”. Its kinda true. I rode horses in the rodeo, raced motorcycles, climbed mountains, traveled all over the place, water ski, snow ski, skate board, mountain biked, road biked, the list goes on. I think I do all that because there are so many things I want to do before I “kick the bucket”! Life should not be limited. Of course we have jobs, family, commitments and that’s why we should have the list. Make your list and do one thing at a time. If you are a goal person (we know you are out there with your “goal” list) you can still have a bucket list and put things on there that make you smile, like – See the sun set and sun rise in the same day.

Lets get started…….I will give you some ideas:

1. Places you want to travel
2. New sports you want to try
3. New look
4. Goals, dreams achievements
5. Experiences
6. Something you want to see in person
7. Something you want to learn
8. Change your career
9. Change your location
10. People you want to meet
11. Something you want to do for someone else
12. Create something meaningful

You can also type “Bucket List” into Google and see what happens.

I challenge you to start your bucket list today! Share it with me if you like. Oh and one little rule of the bucket list. The list is YOUR responsibility. You do not make a list and then give it to your closest person and say “You need to take me to these places!” (yes mom I am talking to you)

Here is the first 5 things on my list in order of importance:

1. Get a dog
2. Go to Greece
3. Kiteboard
4. Do something great (like world peace, well not really that but get the picture)
5. Love

Happy Listing!

Everyone should be concerned about the types of food they eat. We all need to be looking at where our fruits and vegetables are grown and where our beef and poultry come from. And we all should be aware of what our food is eating as well. I’m not saying you need to go crazy about it, but having all the knowledge so WHEN you have the opportunity to make a choice you choose what is best. When budget and availability allows (small print). So….. I flipped open this months issue of Cooking Light and there was a great article about beef. Grass fed verses grain fed. Get full article here.

The article touched on 3 issues; price, taste and nutrition. When it comes to price I think in the end there was only $.29 difference per pound. I have mentioned before in my blog that there are so many resources for purchasing grass-fed. I get emails from several different vendors and buy when they have sales and specials going on. I save more money that way. Or like they mentioned in the article you can go in on a cow with some other people and save even more. When it comes to nutrition well without getting on a soap box I will repost this quote from the article “Grass-fed beef is lower in calories, contains more healthy omega-3 fats, more vitamins A and E, higher levels of antioxidants, and up to seven times the beta-carotene.” I also can’t say enough how bad corn is and that is what grain is made of so there you have it. Oh and if you feed a cow grain they get e-coli, but you feed them grass and it takes it away. I’m just sayin. Now taste is a sensitive subject which is why I read Cooking Light. Meat tastes good because of its fat and grass-fed meat is leaner hence has a less flavorful taste. So you need to cook it right. Once you learn to do this I think your overall health and dinners will be better.

Just recently I started buying the lean cuts of bacon and let me tell you how picky I am about my bacon! The first time I cooked it I couldn’t eat it because it didn’t taste like “real, fatty” bacon. But I tried it again and this time I cooked it slower on lighter heat and added a little butter (yes I eat butter) and it was pretty good. Now I eat the lean cut all the time.

Read the article, its pretty good and look on the website for more grass-fed meat cooking tips and recipes! LIKE!

The women in this picture are amazing! Everyone was so nice and supportive and came from all kinds of backgrounds. Some of them just started powerlifting and others were national champion veterans. I am so honored to have had the opportunity to compete alongside them.

I arrived on Thursday with Max my coach. I was a little more stressed this meet not only because it was the Arnold but also because I needed to make weight which I haven’t had to do in the past and also I was having some trouble with one of my wrists and was worried about not being able to lift. That night Max bought me some Icy Hot and I put it all over my arms to sleep in. Now if you have never done this let me tell you what a treat it is. The smell is….well it made me cough it was so strong. Then I feel like my arms have a fever, they feel warm but they are cold. Then after an hour or so it starts to get pretty hot. It did make my wrist feel a lot better but it was an experience.

Friday morning we headed to the meet and weighed in 71.2kg and I had to be under 42kg so we were good. Then the backsquat. I felt pretty good in the warm up room and went out and got my opener at 286.5lbs. Then I missed the second and third lift. I felt discouraged because my personal record is 308lbs and I was hoping to get 315lbs this time. I knew after missing the squats the bench will probably be the same since usually that is the first one to go. And again got my opener at 154.5lbs. At this point its clear to me that nutrition was an issue. I am sure I didn’t eat enough the day before in fear of the scale and it just took a toll on me. When I started lifting tho I also started eating and by the time I got to the deadlift I had eaten a lot. I got my opener no problem and went next for my personal record of 352lbs. No problem. Then I went for 363lbs. Max told me that he was debating forever at the table whether or not to put 370lbs on the bar because I was looking strong. So I went up there for the 363lbs and pulled it up easy. I think I would have been able to do that 370lbs. But I’m not worried “I’ll be back!”

In the end I won my weight class and place 6th overall. I am very happy with those results and still can’t believe I was there. I am so blessed to have so many people supporting me and to be inspired by each and everyone one of those women who have the courage to step onto that platform and lift heavy weight.

My coach Max has everything to do with getting me to this point. He is an incredible coach and its his programming that has made me strong as well as everything else he does. I’m so glad he trained me when no one else would. If you want to jump on our program or follow along you can get all the info here.

Thanks Max Muscle Huntington Beach Gold’s for cheering me on and for all the great supplements.

One of the most common movements a human does is the deadlift. Just ask the UPS guy! I bet you even Adam and Eve did some deadlifts - Eve “Adam, I really don’t like these rocks in this part of the garden.” Adam “Yes Dear I will get right on it.” I think it would be really interesting to count how many times you deadlift in one day, let’s make it a new challenge! Post your counts.

Anyway I came across this really awsome write up about the beginning of the deadlift. I thought I would share it with you.

Read The Health Lift 

Reposted from The Five Tribe which is a awesome blog!

I’m sure everyone gets sick of hearing me talk about lifting and food and all that stuff, I get sick of it. I try to blog more but just run out of things to talk about. I have been looking at other sites to inspire my writing but nothing really sounds good. But I have had something on my mind a lot lately and its about inspiration. Having a goal and the desire to succeed is very important but without inspiration the passion can dwindle to nothing. People inspire me all the time but since I started on this journey of lifting heavy weight there is one person who has inspired me from the very beginning and continues to every day. My very favorite Fly Girl Jill Baker.

The very first time I met her she came into our CrossFit gym looking for a new thing to get in shape. She had an amazing natural overhead squat and thought Crossfit was the best thing since Starbucks Coffee. She wanted to get stronger right away and asked me how. It was easy to see “Jill you need to eat more.” From that point on we became good friends. She went on to become a Level I trainer and an amazing athlete with the desire to help more women get healthy and in shape. I could go on and on about the challenges she faced and the constant drive she had to overcome them. She wanted to be part of something bigger so she quit her job and opened a gym in her garage specifically for women. She always has plans and ideas and thoughts and just stuff going on to make her business better and her product better and her Fly Girls better! She personally cares about the success of all of her girls but more than that she cares about everyone she comes in contact with.

I won’t lie, this journey for me has been tough. Lifting the weight is the easy part for me, but staying motivated and getting in the gym and sticking to the diet has been hard at times. Some people don’t understand why I like Powerlifting or even why its a sport at all. There are people out there who think what I do is bad, will hurt me or make me look like a guy and they are not afraid to say it. They are few, but can be big downers. Jill has always squashed those negative thoughts. She always tells me that I am amazing and tells everyone about me. When she introduces me to people she follows the introduction all my titles and how much I lift, and with a big proud smile. (I’m smiling just thinking about it) She makes me feel like a celebrity. But in fact I think she is one. Jill not only has come to almost all of my meets but she brings all the Fly Girls, her loving husband and her two adorable kids. I have the biggest cheering section because of her. She pushes me every day. She tells me positive things every day. She sets an example for me to follow every day. And the thing is……she doesn’t know it.

Jill thank you for being my rock, for standing by me, for never doubting me and for never letting the negative get past our protective shield! You have inspired me more than you know. You are going to continue to do great things. I am so proud of you.

Jill is the owner of CrossFit Fly in Newport Beach, where she is growing amazing CrossFit Fly Girls!

I have always been a goal setter. I tend to procrastinate, so setting goals helps me have an end date for things. When I have a competition I usually watch my diet and try to stay as clean as possible (eat primal) and then after the meet I pick a special treat to eat as a reward. So last Sunday after my meet I ate a whole box of Fruity Pebbles (BK I know you appreciate this the most). The meet before that I ate a bag of those pretzel M&M’s, wow those are awesome!

This next competition has a lower weight class then what I am used to. Luckily I am really light in my normal weight class but we recently added a few pounds of muscle so I need to cut about 4lbs in 4 weeks. Im not super concerned since I am pretty sure thats not hard but the problem is no cheating. AND no beer (insert sad face here). I got through this week, first week is always the hardest. I felt like I was starving all week even though I really wasn’t. Its all in the head. So I have decided to set my goal or pick my gold at the end of the rainbow. That way when I really want to eat something bad I just think about the item I am gonna eat after the meet.

I am completely prepared to eat the entire box of these rolls, I think that will keep me clean until then.

Sweet Dreams!

This is one of my favorite pictures of the Governator! AH-mazing…….

Well I have been busy in the gym training getting ready for USAPL Raw Challenge at the Arnold Sports Festival this March in Ohio. After my last competition we went on a 12 week program of muscle building because I was still weighing in pretty light in my class. Which means lots of sets of lots of stuff and long hours at the gym. But its all been fun and well it worked! I put on some muscle and now we are going to use it.

We are about 5 weeks out from going to Ohio and I am very excited. I can’t wait to watch all those great lifters and I am also excited about watching the other competitions. Right now I have some good numbers going into it so I really just want to have a good time and do my best. I am really glad Max is coming with me, Im not sure I would have come without him and my friend Carla is coming to watch and cheer me on.

Just wanted to tell you one more thing. I was at the fitness expo this weekend and talked to some Crossfit Girls. They were telling me how much they loved lifting weights and that a few of them were coming to the CA State Championships in a couple weeks to compete. It really warms my heart that these girls are inspired to try powerlifting. I know I will be there cheering them on!!!

Did you know that Nick Umbs of Virginia broke the US record for the most t-shirts worn at the same time? Its true 183 t-shirts. Thats a guy that needs this big pile of t-shirts.

T-shirts were invented in the early 19th century when someone cut those one piece undergarments in half and decided to use the top as an undershirt. Then the army decided to issue them as a part of their uniform which they wore as undershirts which was shortly followed by other industries using them as work garments. It wasn’t until the 1950′s that companies got the idea to advertise on them.  Today t-shirts can be used as a form of expression, style, and mostly they are used as human billboards where companies advertise their brands, products, etc. Which leads me to my “Pile O Shirts” (above). I worked in the motorcycle industry for 10 years and that industry is all about t-shirts. Every company gives you their shirts, then you get a shirt at every race you do, and on top of that you must have a supply of your own company’s shirts. When I started mountain biking- same issue. Now I start Powerlifting and at every meet I get this lovely t-shirt……..ah!!

Mens t-shirts are not flattering on women. I very rarely wear mens t-shirts because I don’t like the way they look. I love girls cut shirts but you will never get one at a race or meet. However this last weekend I did the Gladiator Run and did get an awesome girls cut t-shirt!! woohoo. I have given away boxes and boxes of t-shirts and now I am down to this pile that still seems to pro-create. Every time my mom goes somewhere she says “Do you want me to bring you a t-shirt?”  Oh NO! I don’t want a t-shirt, when I go to races I don’t take the shirts anymore (unless it’s a girls cut) and Santa please don’t bring me any for under the tree.

I will say that I wish I would have kept all my concert t-shirts from high school because I hear those are worth money and I was a black leather, silver metal spikes on the shoulder, feathered hair with wings wearing Rocker and went to every Metallica, Scorpions, Motley Crew, Warrant, you name it concert and bought a shirt at all of them.

There must be bazillions of t-shirts on this planet. Can’t we give away something else at events? So how big is your t-shirt pile?

I really don’t have much to say but I haven’t posted in a long time and I do have a couple of things on my mind. I will start off with the thing that has been on my mind a lot in the last few days, muscle pain. Oh yes, right now I am back on volume training and every body part is sore. Usually the day after a work out I start to feel a little sore but the second day I have to walk on the balls of my feet because I can’t move my legs. Now it is not very attractive to walk like you have a stick up your butt so I try to compensate by walking slower and that is not so good either. Its times like these when I REALLY appreciate the handicap stall in the bathroom with those big handles! So here is my not so secret remedy: roll out on a foam roller, cold shower/ice bath, Aleve, swimming (cool water relaxes muscles), fish oil, and red velvet cake batter yogurt from Yogurtland!

Next topic: Chalk in a Globo gym? I have been working out at Gold’s Gym. The other day the GM told me no chalk in the gym. Which is fine but I can’t lift 300lbs 10 times without chalk. They could care less. I am just working around the issue for now but I did fish around their website to see how one of the most famous gyms in the country for building strong people could possibly support this ridiculous rule. Bottom line chalk is messy and they don’t want to pay someone to clean floors and equipment every day. So instead everything is dirty and you can’t lift a lot of weight without straps. But funny fact Venice Beach still allows chalk. Globo gyms don’t want athletes in their gyms they want the stair master soccer moms who come in for 30 mins and the average working guy that only benches and does some curls until they break a sweat. Now can someone tell me why they have spin class in the dark??? Is it moonlight riding? And who is the guy lifting weight with his hoodie up? So do you think Gold’s Gym a sell out?

Which brings me to my last thought. When I first started working in the motorcycle industry 10 years ago I went to West Coast Choppers to see the famous Jesse James. I remember how cool it was and how amazing his bikes were. He forged the metal on his own bikes! Then he got a TV show and one thing led to another. I am sure he hasn’t built a custom bike in a long time and now if you order a West Coast Chopper bike it’s designed and built by someone else. You just get the name. Everyone said he was a “sell out”. The product is still a West Coast Chopper bike but the real value is lost. But Jesse is extremely famous and very wealthy. So let me leave you with this thought, Greg Glassman/CrossFit is partnering with Reebok. Is he a “sell out”?    Business is business and in the end it doesn’t matter what the product is, the end result is always the same. I guess we will see……..

Happy Lifting!

Big Mike and I take gold at the So Cal Regionals!

Going into this meet we had different goals from the other meets. I had already pulled some good numbers and had a high wilks score so all I had to do was pull what I did last time and we would be good. So with that in mind we decided to take some risks. I was shooting for numbers to qualify for Nationals. Not Raw Nationals but Open Nationals. I needed 793lbs to qualify. Those numbers would have been a long shot so my goals were really 280lbs back squat, 165lbs bench, and 340lbs deadlift.

I did a 292lbs back squat which I still can’t believe. 154lbs bench. And a 330lbs deadlift. My third deadlift was 356lbs but I “hitched” which cost me and I got 3 red lights. But I did get it up so it’s considered a “gym lift”. I’m really excited about it. I am having a hard time believing I even lifted that much. Here is the video of all my last lifts including the 346lbs deadlift I was red lighted on.

I finished with a gold medal and the Best Lifter award and 4 new state records! Now back to training for the next one. Thanks to all my friends and family that came out to watch me! And a special thanks to the Crossfit Fly Girls +guy +kids who supported!!

Thank you to my Coach Max Mormont for his amazing coaching and having my back. Also my coaches Gillian and Jeff. And thanks Heather for being team photographer and for getting that “special” pic for me to admire!!! WOOT

Come watch me at the 2011 LA Fitness Expo on Jan 29th where I will be Powerlifting!