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As I walked out of a cafe last month I came across a sandwich board that read, “You still haven’t met all the people who are going to love you”. Typically, I would not think much of this sign but this day was different. It was April 28th and on this day nine years ago, I received a phone call that I will never forget. I shook my head and thought, “I guess the world would not let me forget about my brother today“.
Nine years prior to walking by that sign I was working at a gym on the outskirts of Easton, Pennsylvania. I had a small break in between appointments so I did what most do to pass the time: I pulled out my phone to see what was going on in the world. As I opened the phone I noticed that I had a missed call and voicemail from my mother. I listened to the message which didn’t say much other than asking me to call her back. The tone of her voice was different and my mind immediately suspected something was amiss. Our instincts in situations like these are often right and a flurry of thoughts ran through my head. At this moment my next appointment arrived. I mumbled a few words under my breath and went out to the gym floor. I only had two appointments left in the day so I decided I would wait to make the call. Maybe it was my way of unconsciously delaying the inevitable but after the first appointment I couldn’t resist. I pulled my phone out and made the call. My mom answered and said “He is gone Chris. Ryan is gone”. The news sent a shockwave through my body that I have never felt prior and have never felt since. My body went numb. It was like the feeling one gets when they hit their funny bone on something, except in this case, the numbness ran through my entire body. I got in my car and immediately drove to my parents house. We were all devastated. As a brother, I lost my first friend. I lost the guy that I spent more time with than anyone else. I lost the guy I played with, cried with, fought with, won with, lost with, and so much more. For my parents, they lost the son that gave them the gift of being a parent and so much more. We all lost a piece of our heart that day but in the case of my parents, they lost a whole lot more. A friend of mine once asked for advice on dealing with losing a loved one. My mind went blank and I began to think. I said, “you know, the world doesn’t stop for you when you are grieving.“ For a few days or weeks, the condolences and well wishes come in which is nice but eventually that all slows down and life goes on. The world slowly forgets what happened but you never do. Some days are good and some days are bad. Some weeks you don’t think about the person at all, and other weeks that is all that you think about. Sometimes you laugh at the memories that you have had with them and other times you cry because you miss them. As I was writing this I thought about the great speech given by basketball coach Jim Valvano on the brink of death at the 1993 ESPY’s. During this incredible moment he said, “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special”. As the speech continues, Jimmy goes on to say that, “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.” I think about that last sentence often as I try to navigate life without my brother. Death can take someone from you but it is important to not let it take more. It is a devastating event that has the potential to destroy your world. DON’T LET IT. Losing someone close puts you in a state of hurt that you never imagined but it cannot take your memories, it cannot take the moments you’ve shared or the feelings you’ve had and it cannot take your spirit. The world needs you to be your best. Take the time to grieve but remember, you can get through this. I promise you. Chris Fluck
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Thoughts on Parenting...
Tuesday night turned out to be an eventful evening. Marisa had an exam Wednesday morning and was going to spend the evening out so she could get a good nights rest. As she was preparing to leave, we heard a bunch of noises coming from our cat. We thought she was playing with something but as she walked toward us, she was out of balance and her head was crooked. We thought, "did Smudge just have a seizure?" This is not the first time something like this happened as she had a neurological issue in February. Smudge seemed better and Marisa left. Then, I get up to bed and I hear Emi's breathing and thought, this is not normal. It sounded wheezy and then I heard the dreaded barking cough and thought here we go again. This was not the first time Em has experienced croup-like symptoms so I began to get things prepared for when she woke. I got the bathroom prepared with medicine, a thermometer and a pulse oximeter. Then, whenever she woke, we would turn the hot water on and steam the bathroom for as long as necessary to improve her breathing. I gave Marisa a call to inform her and she came home. We spent a solid two and a half hours in our tiny bathroom with me sleeping on the tile floor and Marisa and Emilia laying on a collapsible mattress. I am sure it was quite the sight if someone saw us crammed in there! When this happens, it really sucks. Em couldn't even say a word without coughing and we resort to communicate by points and head nods. You just hold her and think over and over about ways to get her relief. The next day I was thinking about what happened and thought of the saying "there are no atheists in foxholes". Well, in this instance, "there are no atheists when your child is sick". I called on any higher power I could think of to help her feel better that night. Fitness Tip of the Week A few weeks I wrote about the importance of using a device like Fitbit to give you measurable data. If getting more active is on your "to-do" list than knowing your "Point A" is required. The device gives you that. After identifying where you are, the next step is to take a look at the the general recommendations and see where you are relative to them... The general recommendation for physical activity in this country is 150 minutes per week. Broken down over 7 days this equals roughly 22 minutes per day. How you get to 22 minutes per day is where the creativity can begin. Let me share a quick story with you. Last week I was scrambling to get some yard work done. The forecast had nothing but rain in it for 3 days and the area around the gym needed some attention. I got on the riding mower and did as much as I could and then pulled out the weed whacker to finish up. I may have been outside for about 75 minutes before the rain started. At this time, I looked down at my Fitbit and couldn't believe what I saw: I almost hit my daily step total and it was only 11 am! Now that the weather is finally breaking, there is a tremendous opportunity to add movement into your daily routine simply by getting outside. Remember, 22 minutes a day over 7 days is your starting point. Go for a walk around the block, garden, clean up sticks, use a push mower, wash your car, or do whatever else you wish. Get outside. Get work done AND hit your daily movement numbers at the same time. You cannot beat that! What I've Been Thinking About... There was a time when young Chris did not understand the importance of separating white clothing from colored clothing in the washing machine. I remember one holiday, most likely Christmas, loading the washer and threw all my new clothes in there. Colors, whites, it didn't matter! Lets be efficient here and wash everything at once. I learned an irreversible lesson that day: if you do not separate things appropriately, one will bleed into another. Things need their own domains. When they do not have them, they contaminate one another. On a personal level this concept has shown up many times in my life. Take, for example, the idea of work time and family time. The pandemic brought on an incredible opportunity for individuals and businesses to set up work from home. This seems like a great idea until you get emails at 7 pm saying URGENT! and taking calls when you should be spending time with your loved ones. One area bleeds into the other and you end up lost not knowing how to juggle your time. When I coached athletics, I saw this play out as well. This is where people attempt to have multiple roles but in the end, they contaminate one another and leave the kids confused. This is when say an athletic trainer gives weight lifting or football advise or when a football coach gives injury recovery advice. The intermixing of roles creates confusion as the athlete has no clue who they should be listening to. One thing contaminates the other and it all gets murky. This concept also exists on the national level. Should we allow politics into the workplace? Should Church and State be separated? Should schools be teaching this or that? The list can go on forever. I don't know the answer to any of these questions but thanks to the laundry dilemma, I now know that when boundaries collapse, contamination occurs. Tread lightly my friends! What I've Been Reading... Burmese Days by George Orwell My love fest for Orwell continues as I work my way through his books this year. This was his first novel and it was written in 1934. The story takes place in a fictional district of Burma and it is loosely based on Orwell's time spent there as an Imperial Police officer for five years. This book shows the good, the bad, and the ugly of human nature. One thing I learned from this is that Orwell does not believe in happy endings. If you've read this, you'll know what I mean! One quick side note, I find it almost unbelievable the amount of countries and territories that the British Crown ruled. It is such a small country and yet it dominated the landscape of the world. Take a look at this map and check for yourself: British Empire. Quote of the Week "I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend." -- Thomas Jefferson I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck Happy Mothers Day
"Why have I nominated you, lady, to bear up beneath this most terrible of trials, you and your sisters of the Three Hundred? Because you can...No longer may you be the wife to Olympieus or mother to Alexandro, but must serve as wife and mother of our nation. You and your sisters of the Three Hundred are the mothers now of all Greece, and of freedom itself." Roughly 2500 years ago 300 men were chosen to defend a narrow strip known as the Hot Gates. This fight became known as the Battle of Thermopylae where sadly, all 300 Spartan soldiers perished. In the lead up to this battle, the wives and mothers were asking their king why send their loved ones on a suicide mission? His response to why should they bear the burden was "because you can". He knew these strong women would be able to handle the loss of their loved ones and continue to live and lead their communities. He knew it was the mothers who raised strong boys and strong girls. He knew it was the mothers who shaped society and their communities. I agree with the King! I want to thank and wish all the Mothers of the world a Happy Mothers Day! Fitness Tip of the Week I do not know if there is a better example of a "win-win" situation than performing cardiovascular training first thing in the morning. Actually, this could be one of those rare "win-win-win" situations that are about as likely as getting a perfect March Madness bracket. Win #1: For decades, the bodybuilding community has used fasted morning cardio as a way to burn off excess body fat. These men and women are the best resource here as nobody understands fat loss quite like bodybuilders. If you want to improve body composition, this could be the answer! Win #2: A few months ago I read a book titled Breathe, and in it the author cited the Framingham Study and wrote "the greatest indicator of life span wasn't genetics, diet, or the amount of daily exercise as many had expected. It was lung capacity". If you want to live longer, take care of your lungs and you should be rewarded. Win #3: A 1999 study titled SMILE by James Blumenthal states that every 50 minutes of exercise that you partake in results in a 50% reduction in depression. This mood boosting ability, especially first thing in the morning, results in an energized and excited mindset that continues on throughout the day. Who wouldn't want that? What I've Been Watching... Inventing Anna on Netflix (trailer here) This series takes a look at the life of Anna Delvey, a German twenty something who rose to prominence with the New York elite. Over the course of 9 episodes, a journalist attempts to get to the bottom of this story and determine whether or not Anna is an audacious entrepreneur or a con artist. As I watched this, I kept thinking about how one can create a persona that can fool or manipulate the masses. Anna had a strong following on social media, hung out with the right people, told the right stories, and in the end, almost became the person she claimed to be. Unfortunately for her, this persona collided with her reality and she was eventually exposed as a phony... even if she swore otherwise! What I've Been Listening to... Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell This book and the Anna Delvey story share a similar theme in the sense that we, as human beings, do a really poor job of understanding strangers that we encounter in our day to day lives. Gladwell does his usual story telling as he ties in a wide range of topics including Amanda Knox, Jerry Sandusky, Brock Turner, Sylvia Plath, and the death of Sandra Bland. This is a great book that, like all his other books, makes you think as he takes a view that may go against the common narrative. Quote of the Week "It is a corrupting thing to live one's real life in secret. One should live with the stream of life, not against it" -- George Orwell I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck As I walked out of a cafe last month I came across a sandwich board that read, “You still haven’t met all the people who are going to love you”. Typically, I would not think much of this sign but this day was different. It was April 28th and on this day nine years ago, I received a phone call that I will never forget. I shook my head and thought, “I guess the world would not let me forget about my brother today“.
Nine years prior to walking by that sign I was working at a gym on the outskirts of Easton, Pennsylvania. I had a small break in between appointments so I did what most do to pass the time: I pulled out my phone to see what was going on in the world. As I opened the phone I noticed that I had a missed call and voicemail from my mother. I listened to the message which didn’t say much other than asking me to call her back. The tone of her voice was different and my mind immediately suspected something was amiss. Our instincts in situations like these are often right and a flurry of thoughts ran through my head. At this moment my next appointment arrived. I mumbled a few words under my breath and went out to the gym floor. I only had two appointments left in the day so I decided I would wait to make the call. Maybe it was my way of unconsciously delaying the inevitable but after the first appointment I couldn’t resist. I pulled my phone out and made the call. My mom answered and said “He is gone Chris. Ryan is gone”. The news sent a shockwave through my body that I have never felt prior and have never felt since. My body went numb. It was like the feeling one gets when they hit their funny bone on something, except in this case, the numbness ran through my entire body. I got in my car and immediately drove to my parents house. We were all devastated. As a brother, I lost my first friend. I lost the guy that I spent more time with than anyone else. I lost the guy I played with, cried with, fought with, won with, lost with, and so much more. For my parents, they lost the son that gave them the gift of being a parent and so much more. We all lost a piece of our heart that day but in the case of my parents, they lost a whole lot more. A friend of mine once asked for advice on dealing with losing a loved one. My mind went blank and I began to think. I said, “you know, the world doesn’t stop for you when you are grieving.“ For a few days or weeks, the condolences and well wishes come in which is nice but eventually that all slows down and life goes on. The world slowly forgets what happened but you never do. Some days are good and some days are bad. Some weeks you don’t think about the person at all, and other weeks that is all that you think about. Sometimes you laugh at the memories that you have had with them and other times you cry because you miss them. As I was writing this I thought about the great speech given by basketball coach Jim Valvano on the brink of death at the 1993 ESPY’s. During this incredible moment he said, “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special”. As the speech continues, Jimmy goes on to say that, “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.” I think about that last sentence often as I try to navigate life without my brother. Death can take someone from you but it is important to not let it take more. It is a devastating event that has the potential to destroy your world. DON’T LET IT. Losing someone close puts you in a state of hurt that you never imagined but it cannot take your memories, it cannot take the moments you’ve shared or the feelings you’ve had and it cannot take your spirit. The world needs you to be your best. Take the time to grieve but remember, you can get through this. I promise you. Chris Fluck What I've Been Reading...
How Coffee Fueled Revolutions - and Revolutionary Ideas On June 12, 1672, Charles II issued a proclamation to “Restrain the Spreading of False News, and Licentious Talking of Matters of State and Government." I guess the idea of "spreading of false news" has been around since the 1600's. Eventually, he did the unthinkable and banned coffee houses as he viewed these places as places where "false news" could be spread. What led me to this article, to put it simply, is that I love drinking coffee. I also enjoy the conversations associated with getting a little hopped up on caffeine and was not surprised to see that those conversations led to Revolutions all throughout history. For example, in the Americas, tea fell out of favor in the colonies. Those British tyrants were imposing their habits on us on and the Sons of Liberty were not having it. They met at coffee shops, taverns and other places to discuss what should be done next. Shortly after, across the ocean in France, Benjamin Franklin was doing some work of his own to stir up American support from a coffee shop, including a letter to Lord North criticizing the crown. Who would have thought that gathering in a place to drink something tasty could change the world forever? Charles II may have been on to something... What I've Been Thinking About... A few years ago I heard a college football coach share a story about extrinsic motivation. He discussed the kid who gets $1 for taking the trash out every week. In the beginning, everything is fine. The kid does it and smiles every time that dollar bill gets placed in his hand. As time moves on, eventually that dollar is not going to bring the same satisfaction as it did initially. The kid grows to expect that reward. With that becoming an expectation, the motivation to work slowly erodes. The kid will go on strike or he will ask for more money. Then, as a parent, you have to decide on what to do next. Do you capitulate to the shrewd negotiator or do you put your foot down and say no? At this point, the reward system has already been established and either decision will lead to a not so friendly discussion or outcome. How do you avoid something like this? It is a tough question to answer but the more I think about it, the more I realize that the task itself should be reward enough, not the dollar bill waiting for you on the other side. I often think that kids are always looking for some sort of validation on the work they put in. Often times we reward them with external items rather than telling them how proud you are of them, thanking them, or letting them know they play important role in the household. Completing the task should provide a feeling of accomplishment and they will hopefully want to replicate that in the future. Your child will learn a great lesson and you will end up with a few more dollar bills in your pocket! Fitness Tip of the Week In my time working in gyms, I have noticed that some individuals can push through discomfort and others willingly stop when things get mildly difficult. Let me explain... On a scale of 1-10, if your level of discomfort is a 7-8, you are working in the right zone. This is the zone where you want to spend most of your time in training. Occasionally, you'll get a day where you feel like a superhero and you decide to crank it up to a 9 or 9.5. That is totally ok. The problem arises when you feel a little discomfort, say a 4 or a 5, and then you decide to stop a set. I see this sometimes where an individual looks like they can get 10-12 reps but stop at 7 because it "started to get challenging". My response is usually, "It is supposed to be challenging!" These sets in the gym are a metaphor for life. We cannot give in to mild discomfort. We must push through and fight on! If you are having a hard time with this. I believe that this is something that can be trained and improved upon. In order to do so, you have to do difficult things and challenge yourself to push longer or harder than previously, even if it is only by a little bit. There is a great quote from Jerzy Gregorek that goes, "Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life." The more we take the easy way out, the harder life will become. The more tough decisions we make, the easier things will be come. Remembering Ryan EP100: You Still Haven't Met all the People who are Going to Love You In this episode, I share a personal story involving the loss of my older brother Ryan. Over the course of everyone’s life, they will encounter a hardship. They may lose of a loved one, have a sick child, get diagnosed with a terminal illness or worse. I believe it is our job as humans to share personal problems that we may have encountered in an effort to help others who may experience something similar in the future. This episode is available on Google Play, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Quote of the Week "No man has ever acquired prosperity and comfort by spending more than he earns" -- Smedley Butler I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck I once read a story where Art De Vany was giving a workshop and a hand went up and asked: “How do you get rid of fat?” His response: “Don’t get fat in the first place”. A snarky comment but one that does not seem to be too far off the mark. As research from Yale has shown, once fat cells develop in your body, they do not go away. They may shrink, but they never disappear. They are like the unwanted guests at a dinner party. No matter how hard you try, they are here to stay!
This idea becomes extra-troublesome when you look at childhood obesity. If you are obese at the age of 2, you have a 75% chance of being an obese adult. Fast forward to middle school and that number rises to 87%. If you leave High School obese, you are over 90% likely to stay obese for the entirety of your life. This is scary. To put it simply, obese children become obese adults. This would not be a problem if we had childhood obesity under control… but we don’t. The rates of adolescent overweight and obesity are soaring at alarming rates (16.3% in 1971 compared to 41.5% in 2018). This leads to a bevy of negative health factors and according to the Harvard School of Public Health, obesity is closely linked or causes heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, asthma, diabetes, sleep apnea, infertility, and as many as 11 types of cancers. In addition to the physical health problems, there are also a variety of social and emotional effects of obesity including discrimination, lower wages, lower quality of life and a likely susceptibility to depression. I don’t think this list can get any worse! So how do we fix all this? Well, I think it starts with us grown ups. Mahatma Ghandi once said that, “If you want to change the world, start with yourself”. If you are a parent, coach, teacher, aunt, uncle, or play a role in any child's life, you have the ability to show them the way. Just as a child learns how to communicate without fully understanding proper grammar, so too can they learn how to live their lives in regards to health and wellness without understanding it. There is the old saying, “more is caught than taught”. What we do everyday plants the seed for what our children deem to be acceptable behavior. It is not our words, it is our actions! A few steps to bring forth what is within you…
As I close this out, I often think about what was written in the Gospel of Thomas: “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” I believe that we all have the ability to make improvements to our daily routines and lives. If we do this, it may very well save us from disease and other ailments. If we do not tap into this ability to improve, it may destroy us. We cannot let that happen! Chris Fluck What I've Been Thinking About...
I have been thinking about different ways to improve my diet and came to the most obvious conclusion one could think of: if it is not in the house, you will not eat it. The inverse is also true. Easter Sunday was a great example of that as I wolfed down more cupcakes than I would like to admit! Then we brought the leftovers home which led me to wolfing down even more on Monday. Back to back days of cupcake destruction is not an ideal path for success. Lesson learned...I hope! It is hard to turn down the temptations day in and day out when the stuff is right in front of you. I, myself, am an all or nothing kind of guy. If I am going in, I am going in. I don't do "just one bite" so I try to make up for that weakness with having strict discipline and saying "No". But, as you can see, it doesn't always work out and a moment of weakness turns into devouring a handful of cupcakes... or was it two handfuls? So my advice is this, if you don't want to eat it, do not buy it. If you do not want your kids to eat it, do not buy it. If you do not want your other half to eat it, do not buy it. You see where I am going with this here? If you don't trust your ability to moderate your consumption of things than remove that part from the equation and do what Nancy Reagan wanted us all to do and "Just Say No!" Fitness Tip of the Week The value of using a wearable device like a Fitbit has been a total game changer for me. Personally, I use the device to track steps and for their "zone minutes" feature. I set a goal to average a certain number in each category by the end of the week and the device keeps me honest. The steps are self explanatory but let me describe how the zone minutes work. For my body type, zone minutes kick in when the heart rate exceeds 109 bpm. If you exceed 134, then you get double the minutes. That 109 mark often occurs on a brisk walk or doing work around the farm. The 134 number gets hit when I go out for a jog. Strength training doesn't always get me in either of these zones so I have to plan in cardiovascular training sessions in order to reach these numbers. This is something I was not doing before as I thought walking and strength training were enough. Turns out, I was wrong! No matter your fitness level, a wearable device can be a great tool for increasing your activity levels and improving your overall health. It gives you a "Point A" which is where you are now, and by knowing this you can create a plan to get to "Point B". Say, for example, you want to walk more. That is a vague comment but when you use the device you get measurable data. You cannot make improvements to things that can't be measured. It is very easy to get lost on the path from A to B if you do not know where you are at the beginning. One thing to remember: The better conditioned you get, the harder it becomes to hit these numbers. It will take more work for you to get your heart rate up because you are better conditioned. This is a good thing. Having the device allows you to monitor progress and encourages you to appropriately increase the workload to reach your numbers. More work equals a fitter you. Building Strong Kids... Marisa and I often discuss how we can encourage healthy eating habits in our daughter and not create an unhealthy relationship with certain types of foods or behaviors. An example of this would be using food as part of a reward system. We don't want to consistently say things like, "If you do X, we will let you eat Y". When you do that, X becomes a negative thing to them and Y becomes a reward. If you want X to be a part of their diet, you cannot put negative connotations around it. The potential solution to this issue was presented to me while listening to a podcast last week. Katie Wells, aka Wellness Mama, said she encourages her six children to eat at least one bite of everything on their plate before letting them decide what they want to eat. By doing this, they introduce a variety of foods to their palate and the autonomy to control what they consume. They learn that if I eat healthy items, I feel good. If I eat unhealthy items, I feel like poop. If I eat too much, I may feel sick. If I eat too little, I will be hungry again soon after. These, like all lessons, are best learned when children explore them on their own. Remember, if it is not in the house, it makes it hard for them to eat it. What I've Been Reading War is a Racket by Smedley Butler This guy is one of those old school badasses whose toughness comes out in his writing. At the time of the writing in 1935, Butler was the most decorated soldier in American history as he was the recipient of two Medal of Honor awards. His entire life revolved around becoming a solder and in the end, came to the realization that the thing he loved so much was led by corrupt individuals who had no business being in the positions they were in. He breaks down his thoughts with three key points...
Quote of the Week "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you" -- Gospel of Thomas What I've Been Thinking About...
I was at a conference last weekend hosted by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) at West Chester University. These events are always informative and it provides an opportunity to learn and grow with other like minded strength coaches. One thing that I happened to take notice of this year are the presenters who stay for the day and the presenters who show up, present, and leave. It is my understanding that the best coaches, teachers and leaders are always learning. They read, they discuss, they learn and they listen. As someone who pays to attend and to learn from those who know more than I, I always appreciate the presenters who spend time talking to you and more importantly, actively listening to what you are saying and give you the best answer they could possibly come up. I even know of one presenter who lost the love of his life one month ago and still decided to come and do what he could to elevate his profession. He is a great man and my heart goes out to him. Fitness Tip of the Week While attending, a University professor who has studied High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) presented on the most often neglected issue in regards to HIIT: INTENSITY. It is not how many sets, how many reps, or for how many minutes. It is how hard you work during the ON period. For example, I hear tons of people discuss how they do Tabata's. Then they go on to explain that the class runs for 40 minutes, and instead of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off for 8 rounds (That is the exact Tabata protocol cited in the research), they do 40 on and 20 off, or they do 16 rounds, or they use any other idea you can come up with while training "Tabata". I don't want to get too far into the weeds here with sciency stuff but the Tabata protocol is defined as working at 170% of your VO2max. For reference, 100% VO2max can be held for about 6-8 minutes. To equate this to running, this is a very fast jog. In order to work out at 170% of your max, you need to be going VERY hard. This is not lollygagging with a light weight and chatting with your workout partner. This is almost all out effort for 20 seconds. After 8 rounds of that, you should be laying on the floor. If you're not, the training intensity is not where it needs to be. Moderate training gets moderate results. If HIIT is the goal then push hard when it is ON! Be a Coach, Not a Tyrant... I was listening to a conversation between Navy SEAL Jocko Willink and Psychologist/Author Jordan Peterson. During their talk, one of them brought up the phrase, "competence beats obedience". No successful team or organization can survive the test of time if the organization relies on tyrannical power. If yelling, screaming, and punishing is your motivating tool, things will eventually not end well. Those on the other end of tyranny will unite and stand up to the leadership. Sometimes, this will be a verbal uprising. Other times, it will be to sabotage a project or mission, even if it does harm to their own livelihood, just to prove their point. This type of behavior has examples in all walks of life, from the animal kingdom, to business, to the local high school basketball team whose players had enough of their coaches yelling and screaming. On the opposite end of the spectrum is competence. Competence is teaching your team not only the how, but also the why. The answer is never because I said so. The answer is always the purpose. Without purpose and meaning, long term adherence and motivation will dwindle. Humans will only blindly follow orders for so long. One more note from the conference... Two presenters from Rutgers University stopped down to discuss their program to get the students on campus more physically active. To me, this is admirable work. College campuses are not typically known for being a beacon of physical fitness. Actually, the opposite of that seams to be true. Quick meals, binge drinking, sitting in classes and doing hours of class work really seem to put a damper on their physical health. "The Freshmen 15" is almost a universal rule, and for some people like myself, it was more like a "Freshmen 30". I set the bar high and doubled what everyone else was doing! In actuality, the college years for me were some of the more depressing years of my life. One would think the independence would have been great but I struggled. I had too much time on my hands and I did not manage it well. There were too many negative behaviors and not enough positive behaviors. This led to inconsistent grades and eventually to me leaving that university. Still to this day, I struggle with idle time. I like to be working on something and often times on the move. There is an old saying that goes, "A rolling stone gathers no moss." I am trying to be that rolling stone and by sharing this, as well as the work that those employees from Rutgers partake in, hopefully they can help another person similar to "20 year old Chris" get their body in motion and being a productive student on campus! Quote of the Week "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence" -- Abigail Adams What I've Been Thinking About...
I was listening to an interview with Yeonmi Park, a women born in the dreaded country known as North Korea. She spoke of the atrocities that she saw growing up and the horrors that still exist there today. After hearing what she has gone through, it makes me think how lucky I was to be born and raised in this country. This place has its faults, there is no denying that, but when you hear an interview with someone like Yeonmi Park, you realize that things here, in the words of Rocky Balboa, "ain't so bad". When you hear stories about what is going on in other parts of the world like Ukraine, you realize things here "ain't so bad". When you read about Uyghur Muslims being put into labor camps, forced sterilization, and genocide in China, you realize things here "ain't so bad". We are so far removed from violence and difficult times that it almost seems like we try to create them in different forms. Our news is filled with nonsensical headlines that totally lose grasp of the big picture. I like what movie director Michael Bay told an interviewer in regards to Will Smith's actions: "There are babies getting blown up in the Ukraine right now. We should be talking about that". Fitness Tip of the Week I was listening to an interview recently on physical activity in the younger population. Here are a few things that opened my eyes...
To increase adherence, one needs to understand the importance. Why should we care about our physical fitness? Once it is gone, so too goes your freedom and independence to do what you wish. Think about what life would be like if you had a broken leg. Everything will take much longer, you may need someone to help you up stairs, carry your things, or drive you places you need to go. Your freedom and independence go out the window when something like this occurs. Now think about being 50 and being injured, obese, or in chronic pain. Life gets much more difficult when you feel awful and your reliance on others increase. Some of these things can be avoided or delayed with partaking in physical activity. As Socrates once said, "it is a disgrace to grow old through sheer carelessness". We have to care enough about our future to avoid suffering from the maladies of inactivity! What I've Been Reading... Forrest Gump by Winston Groom A few weeks ago I was listening to "The Forrest Gump" of Strength Training Marty Gallagher share stories on his podcast. During the episode he shared that the Forrest Gump movie starring Tom Hanks was based off a book by the same title. This was news to me as I never heard of it before. So I did what any other bibliofile would do and bought it! So far, so good on this as I am about one-third of the way. Like all other adaptions from book to screen, there are a few inconsistencies. My favorite so far is that in the book, Forrest is 6'6", 245 pounds, and runs the 100 meter in 9.5 seconds in the book. From an athletic point of view, these measurables are off the charts! Think more Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson than Tom Hanks if you are trying to get a visual. Lessons from the Greats As mentioned last week, I recently wrapped up reading a book titled Coan: The Man, The Myth, The Method. I have spent some time thinking about this mans accomplishments and am astonished. Here is a man who went from a 4'11" and 97 pound freshmen in high school to becoming 5'6", 220+ of solid muscle. How was he able to do it? Inch by inch. He made slow and steady progress day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade until he became the best. Self-mastery was always his goal. It was not fame, adulation or attention. In order to make these improvements, he had to constantly ask himself: Will this help me reach my goal or hinder me? Inadequate sleep, poor diet, poor training, stress, lack of focus, inattention to detail were all things that would keep him from reaching great heights so he made an effort to eliminate them. In the end, he stayed on the path and finished his career as the Greatest of all-time. This question, "Will it help or hinder me", can be applied to your own life in whatever you set out to do. With each day we can all be a little better and answering this question honestly can help get you there! Quote of the Week "Things without reform should be without regret. What's done is done" -- Lady Macbeth I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck Fitness Tip of the Week
I was having a conversation with an athlete this week regarding diets. They mentioned a parent was about to go vegan and wanted them to join in. I shared my thoughts on how the modern diet is pretty poor so anytime someone makes a big change, they most likely will see results for a period of time. The results come from eliminating the junk that your old diet contained and not necessarily a result of the new foods they are consuming. This new eating style works wonderfully for 4-6 weeks but then something begins to change. It is at this point that the body becomes adapted and the results begin to level off. The gains slow down and the motivation to stay on the path begins to dwindle. The same idea can be applied to the gym setting. When you embark on a new training program, the initial strength gains are primarily due to novelty. The improvements stem more from the neurological system then the muscular. This means the brain gets more efficient and the task feels easier. It doesn't necessarily mean your muscles are stronger. All this adaptation is good for making improvements in the exercise but around 4-6 weeks, the neuromuscular adaptations slow down and it is time for the muscular system to take over. It is at this point that "the gainz" slow down.This is a common breaking point for gym goers and adherence begins to slip. Here is what I propose to avoid it: work hard on something for 4-6 weeks, then change a component of your program (or diet). It can be anything from totally changing the exercises, or performing more reps, or cutting down the rest time between sets. Change one or two things up, continue to challenge yourself and your mind and body will be happy you did so! Gym Happenings To those that live in the northeast, the weather in the spring time is as unpredictable as Will Smith at the Oscars! Last week we wrapped up part one of our Intro to Strength & Conditioning program for kids aged 10-12. This is a great age group to work with as there ability to learn and adapt to the training elements thrown their way is incredibly high. One week they cannot lift the bar for a rep and the next they can do 5 reps with no help at all. The excitement they show when this occurs is off the charts and it becomes infectious. I look forward to what the future holds for this crew as some will be taking part in the next phase of our intro program. Starting tomorrow, April 4, we are launching part two of our Intro program. It helps if you participated in part one but it is not a prerequisite to join part two. One principle that we always try to follow is to make sure the exercises done are developmentally appropriate. The levels of maturation and experience between a 10 and 12 year old could be quite large. In these circumstances, we adjust the exercises to fit the child to keep everyone safe and moving in the right direction. If you are interested in more information and/or to register, click here: Intro to S&C In addition, we are launching our first Good Friday Speed, Agility & Fitness clinic. This two hour session is designed to teach the fundamentals of movement on the playing field as well as in the weight room. We will introduce skills, apply those skills in drills and games, and then finish the session in the gym performing tasks like jump rope, sled pushes, medicine ball throws, rope climbs and more! For more information, click here: Speed, Agility & Fitness Clinic Lastly, our summer youth camps will also be announced within the next week or two and as of now, it is looking like we will be hosting camps in the three weeks prior to July 4th, and the three weeks after the week of the 4th. More on this to come soon! What I've Been Reading... Coan: The Man, The Myth, The Method by Marty Gallagher. This book highlights the career of Ed Coan, the greatest powerlifter of all-time. In it, he was asked what he deemed the most important qualities that a powerlifter should have. Here is how he summed it up: "if I were to rank traits most responsible for powerlifting success, I would place tactical brainpower at the top of the list, followed by perseverance, hard work, and then maybe genetics". I would argue that these qualities, in that order, are the most important aspects of success in any field. It is the mind that will make you or break you. The greats know and understand this. Us normal folk need the occasional (or frequent) reminder. What I've Been Watching... Hamilton on Disney+ I am no expert in regards to theater performance and production but damn this play is good! Who would have thought that you could mix hip hop and the Revolutionary War into a pot and create something so entertaining? This play is based off the book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. I dove into this book at the beginning of 2021 and was surprised about what I learned about the man and the other Founding Fathers. Growing up, most historical figures are put on a pedestal. You learn about their virtues and all the good they did for their country. What you don't get is the dark side of the founders and this book (and play) gives you quite a bit of that! This is the second time I watched it and wouldn't be surprised if I end up viewing it again! Quote of the Week "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it" -- Upton Sinclair |
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