S#!t Happens Blog

Life can be hard.

Life throws punches at all of us sometimes, and then it kicks you when you're down. I think Forrest Gump summed it up nicely:
Guy: "Whoa man, you just ran through a big pile of dog shit!"
Forrest: "It happens."
Guy: "What?! Shit?!"
Forrest: "Sometimes."



This is just a fact. The inherant question, though, is how will you react to those punches, kicks, and occasional piles of canine feces?

Here's the thing: training is relatively simple and easy when you're perfectly healthy, you have a stable social and work life, and the world is full of sunshine, puppies and abundant sales on chicken breasts. You show up, work hard, and then go about your merry way feeling like a superhero. But is this ever reality? No. All of us experience hardship and adversity, and we have to deal with it somehow. For some, we train hard and eat right and work around and through stress, pain, and exhaustion. For some, life's trials are seen as excuses to quit or slack off. That's the real test of a person's dedication and mental fortitude - how they deal with adversity and still go about reaching their goals.

Let's examine some examples:

-One of my clients has severe shoulder impingement and rotator cuff issues and cannot do any sort up overhead pressing. He also has both arthritis and patellar tendonitis in his knees. Does he stop working out and sit at home eating ice cream and whining about joint pain? NO. He shows up 3-4 days a week, busts his tail training the parts that still work pain-free (in as balanced a manner as possible, mind you), does his cardio, then goes back to work doing manual labor the rest of the day, while still finding time and energy to spend with friends and family and enjoying life to it's fullest. He also happens to be the strongest person I train, and one of the strongest in our gym...just saying...

-Another gym member recently tore a nasty gash into his shin, requiring stitches. This injury meant he could not do a traditional deadlift from the floor due to the risk of re-opening the wound and damaging sutures. But, he still wanted to get stronger, so he has focused on rack pulls from knee-height and has improved back strength despite an injury.

-Another of my clients had had her foot nearly severed in a car accident a few years ago, but has since decided to make a change for the better in her life and begin exercising. The foot and ankle are relatively unstable and present pain at times, especially when bearing weight. Does this mean she won't train her legs? NO! She shows up and works hard on stabilized exercises like leg presses and finds a way to Get Shit Done!

-A few weeks ago one of the most prestigious bodybuilding contests in the world was held. The winner of the show had just come back from tearing his right quadricep tendon almost completely off the muscle in August. He's also torn both triceps, a bicep tendon, and other bodyparts nearly off the bone throughout his career. A normal human being would've probably quit at some point, but he just keeps improving because he has a goal and the steadfastness to achieve it.

-Here's another true example of overcoming adversity:



That's right...she's got one leg and still deadlifts IN COMPETITION!

The takeaway message here is that no matter what life throws at you (and it WILL throw it eventually), only YOU have the power to overcome it. You can sit back and take the hits and say that you can't do it (3 BURPEES, NOW!!) because of X,Y, and Z. OR you can look at your situation, figure out how to adapt, and then keep plugging to overcome it. Look deep inside and see how much you want to achieve your goals, and nothing can stop you.

-Steve Decker

I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.
-D.H. Lawrence