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Pilot Episode Rewatch

If you ever needed confirmation that Twin Peaks was well ahead of its time, just re-watch the pilot episode of Twin Peaks. Through immense psychic ability, or plain luck, David Lynch has found a fog horn with the exact sound of a phone vibrating. His ability to break the fourth wall in the future is a skill that too few directors have.

This horny vibration is the back drop to the first of many iconic scenes that this series will deliver. The discovery of Laura Palmer, dead. Wrapped in plastic. We are also introduced to the Martells, and Josie Packard. Character introductions are something we’ll have to get used to in this pilot episode, like it or not. There is a character count approaching the millions, each with a dark secret or whole other life. Whilst it’s confusing for the first time viewer, it’s something that appealed greatly to me. Through the details in the character’s stories, the town of Twin Peaks itself is fleshed out in a way that is often lost in other shows. Twin Peaks, to me, is a real place. Every time I watch, I’m there, fully at home being lost in whatever piece of crazy is happening right now.

After what is a rather somber opening, we’re then treated to the kind of humour that Twin Peaks made its forte, as Lucy attempts to transfer Pete Martell’s phone call to Sherriff Truman. This gag also provides a perfect introduction to the two – Lucy, the sweet but ditzy receptionist and Harry, the serious lawman but blessed with patience. That said, when we are introduced to Andy, the male version of Lucy, we can see his patience wear a little thin. However, since they are currently seeing to what is, I presume, the first murder case that their town has seen in a very long time, I think we can forgive Truman’s snappiness as Andy broke down. Hawk, when we are introduced to him, is the complete opposite to Andy in that sense, seemingly able to encounter any situation without losing his cool. Happily, that doesn’t come at the cost of his compassion.

A criticism of Twin Peaks always seems to be how dumb the kids seem to be, and I would have to agree. They act irrationally, they say things that are cheesy as heck, and they generally act like only they can be right. That said, I do not say that as a criticism myself – they’re high school kids and that’s what high school kids do. Maybe I see a bit of my young self in them and it makes me a little uncomfortable. I can look at James’ edgy phase, Donna’s melodrama and Bobby’s rebellious tendencies and be reminded of how a lot of us were back in our teens. They can be as annoying as hell to watch, but so can any overly dramatic teen - or in James’ case, no emotion what so ever.

Emotion is something that is certainly not missing from either Leland or Sarah Palmer. And rightly so, considering what they have to now deal with. I noticed something a little off when Sarah called up the school, in regards to her search for Laura. The coach of the football team starts telling her that Bobby hasn’t turned up for training today, or the day before, or the day before that. Having worked in education, you can’t do that! You can’t just start blabbing about the attendance record of another child to a parent! Maybe it’s just my work background but that really didn’t seem right to me.

Speaking of right and wrong, we’re introduced to some of the secrets and double lives that our cast of characters are leading. What really struck me about this, though, is the lack of black and white morality in all of this. Big Ed, lovable father figure to many, is head over heels for Norma, despite them both being married. On the flipside, Ed’s marriage with the drape-obsessed Nadine seems to be a rocky one to say the least, whilst Norma’s husband, Hank, is awaiting parole after serving for manslaughter. Bobby, Laura’s boyfriend, was secretly seeing Shelley Johnson, another married lady. However, we then see that Leo, the husband, is abusive and one of the most irrepressible characters on the show, whilst it’s revealed that Bobby was often scared by Laura’s activities.

The pilot serves as a great introduction to these subplots to the main story arc, making sure we get enough grizzly details to get ourselves invested, whilst not so much that we’re full to the brim. It’s rather sad then, when the attempts to get us invested in the whole Ghostwood and sawmill conspiracy can fall a little flat. Whilst it picks up a lot in the coming episodes, it’s disappointing to see Benjamin Horne, a role in which Richard Beymer completely loses himself into, involved in this plot at this current time. That said, the pace picks up on this particular subplot in the upcoming episodes. Audrey, Ben’s daughter, is also given more time to shine. Her appearances here are well done, and serve well to set up her tendencies to continuously stir the pot. If I was watching this for the first time, I’d get the correct feeling that she is meant to be a big part of the plot going forward.

We have to wait a long time in the episode before we are introduced to Special Agent Dale Cooper, the main protagonist of the series as a whole. A lot of his particular characteristics are introduced well – his observational skills, habit of speaking thoughts aloud to his tape recorder, attention to detail – however, there are a number of things about him that are just slightly off, when compared to his character going forward. In universe, I’m willing to chalk these up to simply finding his feet in a new location. However, in real life, it’s very clear that this is a pilot episode, and Coop’s character hadn’t yet been finalized completely. For example, let’s look at the scene when he’s interviewing Bobby, and just how cold he is through-out. I understand that he’s interviewing a murder suspect who is being a bit verbally-aggressive – but we have to remember that Bobby is a high school kid. He found out that his girlfriend had been murdered and was charged with her murder about 10 seconds later, before he even had chance to process that information. Coop’s line of “You didn’t love her anyway” as he exited the room was completely unnecessary – cold for the sake of being cold – and really struck me as out of character for him.

By the time we get to the Roadhouse, it seems that Coop has settled down into his character a bit more – closer to the warmer Coop that we enjoy in the rest of the series. The famous whittling line (“Why are you whittling?” “Because that’s what you do in a town where a yellow light still means slow down, not speed up.”) shows his growing appreciation for Twin Peaks, and we get the first of many Thumbs Up™. The whole Roadhouse scene is really well done, a great way to bring many of the characters together for a climax. Sadly, it leads to another annoying teen moment between James and Donna, and possibly the worst line of the episode (“I’m sorry. Actually, I’m not sorry”). It provided more information about Laura, though, and that she was involved in less-than-wholesome activities. Of course, this had already been shown through the episode, through the trail of clues that Coop had started to follow. Starting at her dairy and spiralling out, we are given suspicions that Laura wasn’t all that she seemed, but without out-right confirming anything. James’ tale of Laura’s personality changes, and the accusation that Bobby had killed a guy, left us hungry for more sordid details of Laura’s secret life.

They should have been more genre-aware, though. How often does something that is buried in a TV show stay buried for more than an episode?

Other random thoughts;

- How many donuts does the Twin Peak’s police department need? And Lucy’s still worried that they might run out?

- Furthermore, Coop takes a bite out of a donut and just leaves it. That’s annoying to every donut lover out there.

- Mr Monkey Wrench has to be one of the finest pieces of smack talk out there.

- Bobby and Mike’s barking in the cells may seem a stupid way to intimidate someone but come on, if you were James in that situation, you’d be a little un-nerved.

- I don’t think that Coop was the first one to see the bike in Laura’s eye. Bobby seems to be the first one to notice, and it’s Coop who reads his body language in the interview and comes to the conclusion that he’s seen something.

- Getting the letter out from under the fingernails must be the most disgusting thing in the entire series.

- Likewise, Ronette walking down the bridge is the most creepy thing in the entire series.

- The principle, when he was making his announcement to the school, was incredible. That piece of acting was top-notch, I completely bought that he was barely keeping his emotions held back. That little breakdown when he scrambled for the button to switch of the mic was perfect.

- Dr Jacobi…I grew to like him but based on just this appearance, I would bet my entire fortune that he was the killer.

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I had a dream that you were kidnapped by a pack of wild baboons. When we went to save you, you were like "leave me, I am their queen!" I woke up crying. Is that bad?

It's very touching that my status within the baboon tribe was so touching to you :)

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And I'm back.

It's been a damn long time since I’ve updated this thing. I’d love to say that it was because I had so much on my plate that I was running around like a partially-chargrilled baboon, pushing the idea of a blog to the back of my mind, but the truth is, I haven’t been quite that busy. However, I have had some changes since I last typed up a diatribe. I’ve traded in my temporary job for a permanent role, a whole 60 seconds down the corridor, which has definitely taken some stress off my mine. The change most relevant to this blog, though, is that I finished my personal training course and am now a fully-qualified Personal Trainer (Level 3 through YMCAFit). If you have seen the first few entries to this blog, and therefore my before-self, you can appreciate just what this means to me. I would like to reiterate just what getting healthy has done to me, physically and mentally, because when I say it’s changed my life, or rather, saved it, I mean it. When I was at 20 stone, as much as I liked to pretend that I was healthy, I really was in a bad place. I remember taking part in a beginners Judo class, and quitting after a, frankly, easy warm-up. A mile’s walk down the road was a trek. 10 minutes walk to a corner shop was not worth it when ASDA delivered straight to your door. I basically land-locked myself because of this terrible mind-set I got into. I had convinced myself that it wasn’t me that was unhealthy, oh no. It was because a mile walk is way too much to expect a healthy person to walk! 10 minutes to a corner shop would have got anyone out of breath, obviously! 5 minutes of stretching and jogging on the spot was stupidly hard, definitely too much for a beginner to do! I hope that it’s clear that this was an incredibly damaging state of mind to be in. Rejecting facts and the reality of the situation because it made me feel a little better about a situation that was totally my fault. Because it was totally and utterly my fault. Most folk don’t get to that state without letting themselves do it. My past-times were videogames, card games and Dominoes. Movement was simply a way to get Fallout 3 from the box to the 360, or to get a box of Yu-Gi-Oh! from under the bed – it was a chore and task, rather than entertainment in itself. But I was totally fit and healthy, because I convinced myself that I was. Fast forward to now, where I actually am fit and healthy, in body and mind. Movement is now something that I enjoy. Seeing what my physical limits are and pushing beyond is a wondrous challenge. It’s absolutely incredible just how much being in good physical shape makes you feel. You feel that whatever life throws at you, you can smash it down with the might of Thor. Your confidence hits new heights because, damn it, you can do things now. It’s no longer a challenge to run down the street to grab a pint of milk before the store shuts, you no longer have to worry about sitting down on public transport, you no longer have to feel your moobs bob up and down over speed bumps (for the record, one of the most weirdly uncomfortable feelings I’ve ever had). Life is just easier, in every single sense, and an easier life makes for a healthier mind. So to sit here, knowing I am now qualified in helping others completely change their life and feel the same elation I do, it’s indescribable. The next step forward, that is, making the career leap into personal training, is all manner of daunting, scary and intense, but hell, let’s see where this story takes me next.

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Why Did I Fail?

We’ve all been there. You’ve popped on your usual weight for a set of eight, you’ve timed your first rep in time with the musical drop, you’re pumping away...only to fail on your 5th rep.

It completely sucks, but at the end of the day, failure is a part of life. You can’t completely avoid failure - you can only take steps to lower to chances of it, and to deal with it properly afterwards. As such, it can be beneficial to many to have a look at possible reasons why you failed that lift, of which there are plenty. Keeping them in mind from the start can help mitigate potential failures, whilst going through them after can sooth the mental anguish that not lifting that weight can bring!

Have I eaten right?

This is especially important to ask yourself if you’re currently on a cut. We need fuel to do things, and if we don’t have that fuel, doing things is harder. You’ll probably find that if you’re on a hard cut, you’ll not be lifting what you’d normally be able to. Make sure that you’re fueled up correctly before your workout - that means the right kind of food too!

Did I take a proper rest period?

Unless you’re performing HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), circuits, etc, you might be failing due to not having a proper rest period. By that, I don’t mean 10 minutes whilst posing and taking selfies - a couple of minutes should do the trick. When weight lifting, you’re using either the PC (high intensity, 10-15 seconds) or LA (medium intensity, up to 90 seconds) energy system, both of which need time to recharge. The PC system needs to replenish its stores of phosphorylcreatine, whilst after using the LA system, lactic acid needs to be flushed out in order to prevent discomfort. Try giving yourself a few minutes rest, and then try that lift again!

Am I focused?

Life can suck ass at times. It can throw things at you that stick on the forefront of your mind, clouding your focus whether you want them to or not. Sadly, this can lead to a number of issues in the gym. Your form may suffer, leading you to fail on some reps. Your motivation (as much as I don’t like that word) depletes, making it harder to will yourself to lift it. Being under stress constricts your arteries, raising blood pressure and making it harder to get supplies to where they’re needed in the body. Techniques for lowering stress levels and increasing focus are different for each person, and it’s always beneficial, in and out of the gym, to know what works for you!

Sometimes, though, it just happens. You’ve fed yourself, you’ve rested, you’re focused, but you still haven’t managed it.

Fuck it, today wasn’t your day. Settle for that lower weight today, because next time, you’re grabbing that heavier weight from its perch, and showing it that you’re still as boss as you ever were.

#failing #gym #lifting #food #energy #stress #focus #fuckyoudumbbell

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It’s A New Year, Yes It Is!

It’s the new year, and you know what what means?

New. Years. Resolutioners.

Look at them all, coming into YOUR gym. Using YOUR equipment. Trying to better themselves. How very dare they!

Yeah...

I sometimes find that the fitness community can be a little elitist at this time of year. The level of hate for people kickstarting themselves in the new year and trying to start a journey of fitness can often boil to breaking point, and you’ll hear regular gym goers screeching about crowded gyms and people showing inexperience in their workouts. 

See, I’m not really one to like new years resolutions, I prefer to start self improvement as and when it comes about. But that’s just me. I understand that others benefit from having a set time to start something, and the sense of togetherness that you get from going at it with others in the same boat. If that is what it takes to get someone finding out all the cool shit their body can do, then who are we to tell them they’re wrong? Who cares whether they started on January 1st or July 78th, the most important thing is that they’re in the gym and wanting to get fit.

“Oh!”, I hear you cry, “They’ll just quit 2 weeks in anyway!”

Yes, some will. But here’s the thing, their ability to quit isn’t dependant on when they sign up for the gym. If they were going to quit 2 weeks into January, they’re going to quit 2 weeks after. 

“But they use the equipment terribly and don’t know how to workout properly!”

THEN FUCKING HELP THEM YOU DUMBBELL!

Like, seriously, if you’re the god of the gym, then why not share some of your wisdom? You don’t have to spend a lot of time, just correct their form, politely, and maybe offer a tip or two for the future. Suggest a good fitness resource perhaps. Or even just give them a spot and bit of motivation. It’s amazing what a smile and some encouragement will do for someone feeling like the small fish in the protein-flavoured pond. 

And who knows, maybe they’ll still be there next year to help you moan about all the newbies.

#help #seriouslyhelppeople #niceness #gym #newbies #newyear #resolutions #new year resolutions

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Achieving Your Goals Logically

Fitness is all about achieving goals. It’s about finding your body’s limits, and setting new ones. It’s about getting stronger, sharper, faster, anything that you want your body to achieve. And like anything else goal-orientated, it’s always better to apply logic and simple thinking to the process to achieve this. Think about your work day. Your boss tells you that he wants you to draft a report. You don’t just fire up Word and start typing without at least a little bit of thinking time. What’s the report about? How long does it need to be? What do I need to research? How much should I have done by lunch time? The same kind of thinking should be applied to achieving your fitness goals. There are many different ways of approaching something like this, but below you’ll find a very simple starting point that should kick start your brain!

What is your ending goal?

What do you hope to achieve at the end of all this? This goal can be anything you like, but it has to be measurable in some manner. For the sake of this post, let’s say that the ending goal is “I would like to be able to do a set of 8 pull ups.”

What are your shorter-term goals?

Again, these can be anything that is measurable, but they have to be achievable. For example, a good short-term goal in this example would be “I would like to be able to perform 1 full, good form, pull up without assistance.”

How are you going to achieve this?

Identify what needs to be done in order to accomplish this goal. This is where the grey matter works the most, and where there are multiple variations between different types of exercises, goals, etc. Let’s have a look at the example we’ve been using, though. With Pull Ups, there’s a good progression into doing a full Pull Up. You can jump slightly into them to start, you can do slow, controlled negatives (that is, using a chair or similar to get you into the highest position, and then lowering yourself slowly back down to start), or, if you’re lucky, your gym may have an assisted Pull Up machine. We can also see what muscles Pull Ups use, and supplement the progression to doing full Pull Ups by strengthening them. Pull Ups work pretty much all of the shoulder muscles, but with a good focus on the middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids, deltolds, latimassus dorsi and biceps brachii. Therefore, it is safe to assume that working on these areas with other exercises (such as Lateral Pulldown, Overhead Press, etc) will aid you in your Pull Up goals.

#pullup #goals #achieving #logic #fitness

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How to act like a gym douche-bro.

Making yourself take those first steps into the gym is hard.

“What if I don’t fit in with the regular gym-goers?”

“What if I don’t know the etiquette?”

Don’t worry, because Señor Syntax is here! My patented 3 step guide to becoming a douche-bro loved by all and feared by more!

1. When you enter your gym, remember that it is your gym. You’re paying that monthly fee and that entitles you to any equipment you want. If someone else is using what you want, don’t panic. Yes, they are paying the same monthly fee as you, but as they’re not paying it with your money, then they are not nearly as important as you. Sadly, it is always frowned upon to physically remove them from the area, but there are a number of things you can do. Hovering is a good idea. Keep right next to them, make eye contact, act annoyed if they don’t leave after their set. Keep asking them how long they have left, mid-rep if you can. Pretty soon they’ll get the message how unimportant they are in the grand scheme of your gym.

2. Building on from point one, you are entitled to anything in your gym. A good way to make sure you get anything you want without having to hover around the unimportants is by simply gathering it at the beginning. This can often bring people to ask if you could spare a bit of equipment, to which you have two options, both of which have their merits. A simple grunt of “using it” will work well, and save your voice for screaming on those 10kg bicep curls. If you’re feeling a bit more wordy, though, try “I’m doing a circuit”, which is technically true if you mess with the definition of true. Sure, you’re staying on each exercise for 4 sets, and having extended rests between exercises, and it’s lasting 45 minutes, and you’re only doing one rotation, but damn it, if you want to call that a circuit instead of a regular workout then go right ahead!

3. Work outs are hard. Those 12kgs don’t just press themselves, they require effort, sweat, all manner of screaming and maybe some protein tears too. It’s always important to remember your health when exhausting your body in this manner. Don’t put your body under any extra stress than it needs to be in. One way you can do this is by leaving your weights where they land. Don’t go and put them back - the extra effort is putting your health at risk, and the extra cardio is putting your gains at risk. It’s really not worth it, especially when there’s members of staff who are paid to do that, and only that! It’s not like there’s anything else for them to do, working in a gym is nothing more than waving at people and sneaking in your own workouts through the day, as we all know!

#gymbro #gym #douched #douche #douchenozzle #etiquette

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Let’s be honest here...

Making progress on the journey of fitness can be incredibly hard. Exercise itself is difficult - that’s kinda the point, it’s meant to be challenging your body in new and painful ways. Sticking to a new healthier eating style is just as difficult, it’s mentally challenging to say no to excess amounts of delicious but unhealthy foods. There is one thing we can all do to help progress though, something that each one of us has the power to do.

Be honest with yourself.

See that guy that does 10 bicep curls and leaves, patting himself on the back for an intense workout? He’s not being honest with himself. The only thing he’s gained from the gym is a new profile picture.

Or how about that person that puts 150kg on the bar, squats about 2 inches, and proclaims “I CAN SQUAT 150kg!” She’s not being honest with herself either. The only workout her legs are getting are from constantly running from the truth.

How about that colleague that says they’re counting calories, but doesn’t log the treats of cakes or biscuits through the day? He’s not being honest with himself. It might make himself feel better when looking at his log for the day but the calories haven’t magically disappeared.

You know the people that will make progress? Those people that are actually honest with themselves. The people that actually put in a workout rather than kidding themselves. The folk putting stock into form and function of an exercise rather than hiding behind a number. The folk logging everything into their diaries rather than forgetting about all those extra treats. 

There are times in life when little white lies are needed, even encouraged. Your health is not of them.

#health #honesty #liars #cheats

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How Wrestling Saved My Life

I’d like to go back to my first post on here, where I talked about how I used to be. I briefly touched upon the notion of how much happier I’ve been since I’ve gotten fit and healthier, and would like to go into a bit more detail about the whole thing.

5 years ago, I was a mess. I was the very definition of a neckbeard, except that alopecia meant that I couldn't sprout that trademark fuzz. That said, judging by the size of my fedora and trilby collection, I probably would have had the beard to go along with it if it was an option. My opinions were certainly that of a neckbeard. I believed in the friendzone, for example. Always thought girls didn't go for me because they'd rather have arseholes than a nice guy like me. Of, course, that was the reason, it wasn't to do with the fact that I was a 20 stone blob that had nothing interesting to say because I spent my time between gaming, Pringles and Yu-Gi-Oh!. YGO!, in particular, was a dangerous slope. You'd find yourself chucking more and more money at cards, to hotels to the big tournaments, travel, etc, and for what? The chance to win a laptop if you were lucky? Nah, that wasn't it – the money you invested in the game would have got you whatever laptop you wanted. What you really wanted was the admiration of your peers. There's nothing wrong with that as such, but, let me tell you as someone who was very deeply ingrained in the game (there was hardly a person in the UK scene that didn't know my name), the YGO! community is one of the worst collection of humans on the planet. They were openly racist, sexist, and anything else ending in -ist you can think of, making their overall opinion of anything rather null and void. They were also the worst to try and get admiration from. They would choose to find the negatives in all a person's achievements rather than congratulating them – any time you would do well would be greeted with a breakdown of why you didn't really deserve it, and how a scrub like you lucked into the top spots. But, like a dupe, I kept going. Because what else would a slob like me do? Physical activities were out the question for a start. Like I was going to get myself fit and do something worthwhile. Anyway, the gym was for those stupid-ass meatheads, who wasted their life in the gym instead of leading the rich and wonderful life I obviously was.

I was low. I wouldn't say rock bottom – I have seen and dealt with people close to me that have reached the end – but it was something I saw in my future. And I did want to stop it. My issue was that I could never stick to something. I'd give the gym a try, and give it up after a few weeks, stating that it didn't work, that the ten minutes of cardio should have been more than enough to burn off the fish and chips, and that my previous opinion that only lunks that spend 24 hours a day there get any results pretty much confirmed in my mind. I'd end up making one of these “big changes” whenever I suffered a setback. It was one of these “big changes” that brought me to wrestling.

I loved wrestling. I was rather late in watching it properly – I started around my late teens, when the Ruthless Aggression era was in the swing of things. I loved the over-the-top characters, the storylines, the everything-to-do-with-it. And I had been watching it even more in the months leading up to this date, probably to help with escaping the realities of life. So, with this in mind, I figured that my “big change” would be to give wrestling a try. This was perfect. I was sure that there wasn't a viable way to get into it in my location, and that I'd have to be in fantastic shape first, so I could say “Look everyone, I tried!”, and just settle back into my rut.

But, what do you know, a Google search showed that there was the House of Pain wrestling school in my city. Ran by a gentleman known as Stixx, little did I know just how lucky I was to have this school on my doorstep. Stixx is one of the best wrestlers on the UK scene, and what he doesn't know about wrestling isn't worth knowing. He's not one of these trainers that would entice people with the promise of performing soon (which is found very often), he was much more of the opinion that building up a good skill set before performing was much more important. He was also, and still is, a very, incredibly nice guy. He's encouraging to absolutely everyone, spends time getting to know people, hell, he's even stepped in to help with relationship issues for me, and others. He loves his students and would do anything for them. So I emailed him, and asked if I needed to get into shape first, fully expecting him to answer that I did. But, what would you know, that obstacle wasn't there either. Anyone was welcome, regardless of fitness levels. And if people wanted to improve on fitness, he would give them all the advice in the world.

Well then, no excuse. I better turn up to class, decide that it wasn't for me, and turn back.

That first lesson was amazing. I wasn't ready for the encouragement that came from every person there, students and more experienced folk alike. After the misery that emanated from every pore of a YGO! player's unwashed skin, the idea of being praised and congratulated on your achievements was an alien concept. It's why headlock takedowns will always be my favourite move in wrestling – it was in that first lesson that I learnt how to do, and take, them, and was the first time I felt like I could accomplish something good.

Even failures weren't looked down on. See, here's the great thing about wrestling, if you can't do something (bar the basics), then there's ways around that. If you can do a fancy flippy wristlock reversal, then lovely. If not, there are hundreds of others that you do instead. And if you really want to do that flippy one, then we'll try it again later, and again, and as many times as you want. People want to see you succeed. It was the best feeling in the world.

And it provided something that I had been missing before. Motivation. I had found something that I wanted to improve at, and if I wanted to improve, I would have to get in better shape. So, I hit the gym again. And this time, it stuck. I wasn't doing it with the aim to fail in a matter of weeks, I was doing because I actually wanted to. I wanted to be able to go in the ring longer than a few minutes at a time. I wanted to be able to throw fancy kicks and knees. I wanted to be able to lift the larger people in the school and hit more complicated moves. And for that, I needed the gym. That's probably the main thing – it wasn't something that I could do if I choose now, it was something that I needed. And the more I spent there, the more I started to like it. The more I wanted to lift the next weight up, the more I wanted to feel that burn from busting out an extra rep. They were daily victories that I could always hold on to. The day might throw up the same annoyances as before but hey, I lifted an extra 5kg on my deadlift today and you can't take that away from me.

With all this, I started looking and feeling healthier and fitter. People noticed and complimented me. And I liked it, it was nice. But most of all, I liked the new me. I didn't shy away from mirrors so much any more, I didn't instantly run away from photos. I wanted more, I wanted to get close to normal. So, in line with my new-found fondness for the gym, I sorted my diet out. No more whole cans of Pringles as a snack, no more super-size McDonalds, none of this. I kept a real, honest, track of calories and, when I was doing my most hardcore weight loss sessions, taking in 1200 calories a day. And, would you believe it, it worked. At my lightest, I was around 11.5 stone. I'm 27 and wearing t-shirts I got when I was 13.

And do you know what all this adds up to? Confidence. And ego. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a little bit of ego. Hell, it's good for you. Knowing that you do something well, and you do it damn well, is healthy. I walk into a club now and don't instantly feel like the ugliest person in the room. I'm walking out in front of a wrestling crowd knowing that part of the reason they parted way with their hard-earned money is me. And it gives me the drive to carry on, and aim higher. I’m currently studying to become a personal trainer, something that would have been impossible for me to accept a few years ago.

Wrestling has been the single greatest thing to happen in my life, and has changed pretty much everything about me. I actually care about myself and feel like I'm worth a damn. And I think that's probably the greatest thing that wrestling, and all the people involved in it thus far, has given – a sense of self-worth.

#wrestling #change #lifesaving #doit #doittoday

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Ties in very well with what I was saying yesterday :)

LiftinMotivation

Feel Good.

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Getting Motivated

One of the hardest things to do in regards to fitness is finding that motivation to get the fitness journey started. It’s easy to see why - sofas are one of the greatest inventions known to mankind and the idea of being enveloped in one’s cushiony bliss for the rest of time is one hell of a temptation.

And let’s face it, lifting heavy things is hard. Running long distances is hard. It makes you all sweaty and out of breath and certainly doesn’t make you as comfortable as a sofa will do. It’s no surprise that motivation is a massive stumbling block for a lot of people.

So let’s remove motivation all together.

Truth be told, I’m really not a fan of the word at all. 90% of the time, you’ll find that people use motivation as a reason not to do something. It’s a catch-all excuse that just ends up inhibiting ourselves and our potential.

So let’s remove motivation all together.

You are still capable of doing that workout, with or without the right drive. Your body is still there, your cardiovascular system is still active, your muscles are all ready to contract. You just need to give them the signal. So get up and go.

Sure, it’s a drag, but the more you do this, and the more you make it part of your routine, then the less it’ll stink. Remember when you’re learning to drive, and the terror experienced every time you sat at the driving wheel? Contrast that with now, when driving is second nature to the point you cannot always recall the journey to or from work. The more you do it, the less it’ll impact negatively on you.

Make it so ingrained into your routine that you never think about whether you have the motivation to do it. You do it because that’s what you do on a Wednesday evening.

Trust me - that sofa will feel that extra bit comfy after that workout (=

#motivation #fuckmotivation #discipline #routine

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Holy crap...these look absolutely delicious. These will be made this week or next, and I will report back!

Protein No Bake Brownie Bites

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Having equipment with which to do a workout can be a luxury that not all of us have. Whether you can’t afford a gym membership, have social anxiety, or even if you’re on holiday and don’t have access to equipment, it can really suck.

Above is a link to 100 different workouts you can do with no (or minimum) equipment. Having a flick through them, they are simple circuits, and honestly speaking, it doesn't take a genius to put a circuit together.

But this is still an important resource. Folk new to fitness, or those who prefer to follow pre-made plans, will find something like this really useful. It can also give inspiration to more advanced folk in making their own circuits.

Over the course of the next months/years/decades/millennia, I will try as many of these out as possible, and report back with my thoughts on each :)

#bodyweight #circuits #resource #100

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I want to tell you a tale of a 20 stone boy (I say boy as my mindset was certainly not that of an adult - most would say that it still isn’t). 

This boy told himself that he needed to change nothing. Gym was for people with no brains, and healthier eating was for people with no joy. The world was wrong and I was right.

I was also grossly unhappy.

When I started wrestling just over 4 years ago, I also started a new way of life, a totally new philosophy. Health is something well worth investing time and effort into, more so than what I was investing my time and effort into before.

Yu-Gi-Oh!? Fun game, will always have a soft spot for that as a past-time, but the whole community surrounding the competitive game is toxic. Completely un-supportive in a person’s achievements, always looking to undercut anyone they can in order to gain one table higher. Why should I continue to support something so toxic, with no value for myself and my life?

That’s why I’ll always say that quitting Yu-Gi-Oh! for wrestling saved my life. Take a look at the following picture;

On the left is me at my heaviest. On the right is my most recent wrestling promotional picture. Ignoring the expressions, who do you reckon is the happiest? The guy huffling and puffing his way to the next pringles can, or the guy physically able to do anything he puts his mind to?

I want to share this with people who want to chase physical fitness. Look, I have absolutely nothing again people that are unfit - everyone is entitled to treat their body exactly how they fit, and I don’t give a flying monkeys. But for anyone wanting to change themselves, to challenge their bodies to reach the next level, I want to help. 

And I want to help in the right way. I don’t deal with bullshit diets, magic pills, 5 amazing tricks to blast fat off your ass without cutting calories or doing cardio - that kind of stuff is for people who would rather delude themselves than put any work into achieving their goals.

I deal in science and facts. 

Fitness is hard, and that’s what it’s meant to be. It’s about pushing your body that little bit further (sensibly, of course), and making your body improve itself. It’s gaining that extra strength, shedding that extra pound, getting those massive quads, whatever your goal is. 

But we’re all in this together, and with a support network that is as amazing as the fitness community, we can’t fail.

#wrestling #fitness #health #weightloss #fuckyugioh