Steroids In Pro Sports: You Know You Want It
Here’s the deal: I think politicians should keep their noses out of professional sports. Isn’t there anything more important they can do to waste their time (and OUR money?)
I also believe the way a responsible adult chooses to “enhance” performance is a personal choice, and if an individual feels the potential for benefit outweighs the potential for risk, well, who the hell am I – or you – to tell him otherwise?
Not that I condone, endorse, recommend, prescribe or otherwise assist in the acquisition or use of any illegal substances – including anabolic-androgenic steroids or growth hormone, but when it comes to professional sports, the fact is, there’s a LOT of money at stake (mmmmm… steak), and you might be surprised (if you’re naive enough) to learn what people are willing to do to get a piece of the action.
While the media/public-at-large typically speak against performance enhancement in the public forum, the reality is that very few people will shell out hundreds – even thousands – of dollars to plant their carcass in a seat at their favorite team’s stadium for 3 hours and pay upwards of $10 for a beer if the players/entertainers are anything less than caricatures of ‘regular’ humans.
If ever-increasing signing bonuses and multi-million dollar contracts are any indicator of the truth, we clearly want our superheros to be larger/faster/stronger than life, whether you’re willing to admit it or not.
Just last week, I was live on WJRW (1340am) discussing this reality (and so much more) with Tim Doctor and Josh Leng.
I can’t say just how long the podcasts will be up and running, but I invite you to listen in as I offend Chicago Bears fans, sports “purists”, ugly women and anybody else who doesn’t feel exactly as I do. So hurry yo’self over to this 2 part interview and let me know your thoughts on the subject…
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
Many years ago, when I was still trying to figure out which way I should go with this whole “eat right and exercise” thing I fell into, my friend Jim suggested I hire his business coach for my own biz.
Her name was (and presumably still is) Debbie Happy Cohen. And yes, that’s her real middle name.
Working with Coach Debbie turned out to be one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I discovered a new level of creativity (not that you can tell from this blog) and really developed my professional identity by implementing the strategies she introduced me to.
It’s been several years since I ran the following ‘interview’ I did with her – it was previously only available to my clients and subscribers of my first website – but when I was digging through my archives a few days ago, I figured you, my adoring legion of fans (I think there are 8 of you now), would enjoy this blast from the past. The information is every bit as valuable today. Enjoy. Share it with others.
…And breathe.
-JS-
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JoeS: Can you explain why people actually limit their own success? – Whether it’s fitness, business, personal life or anything else.
Debbie Happy Cohen: We’ve lived in a world where for centuries and millennia, our goal was to survive, and we had a strict order of class in terms of what role we were supposed to play (male-female, serf-lord, king-subject). We also had to physically protect ourselves from the elements of nature without the safety we have today.
In the last century alone, we have gone from being an industrial society to an informational and service-oriented one… So what in the heck does all this mean to YOU?
It’s only in recent times that we’re thinking about PERSONAL HAPPINESS, satisfaction, feeling loved. Choosing positive feelings was a foreign thought to many of our ancestors because they were busy surviving.
So we are on the leading edge of FEELING GOOD AND GREAT.
BUT - our societal ”thermostat” setting for feeling good is not set very high. We have peak moments, like winning at the Olympics (or watching someone win) but we still spend most of our time watching the news and other negative drama. WE GET USED TO FEELING EITHER BAD OR MEDIOCRE.
JS: But why is it so easy to become content with mediocrity?
DHC: BECAUSE IT FEELS SAFE. Because when we stretch out of that comfort zone, it feels UNCOMFORTABLE and most people run back to the safety of mediocre feelings.
For example, I have a friend who is a best-selling author of a parenting book, and she shared a story about receiving a call one day from a majorly hot and hard-to-get publisher. Though she was elated, she was also extremely uncomfortable feeling so good. So what did she do? She ran upstairs immediately after the call and grabbed a piece of cheap chocolate, which she knows she is allergic to. She effectively and immediately brought herself down instead of letting herself enjoy the feeling of pure satisfaction and bliss of receiving that call.
JS: Where exactly do these beliefs come from?
DHC: We hold these beliefs in our memory storehouse, like a baby blankey.
JS: Can they be changed?
DHC: Absolutely. But it takes courage and often outside support. Like your newsletter…or a live coach.
I think it’s interesting that EVERY Olympian – the beginners as well as the multi-gold medalists – EVERY one of them has a coach! I think that one of the purposes of that person is to hold a vision for a higher possibility, because it’s often easier to do it for someone else than it is for ourselves.
One exercise that you can do on your own (that was shared with me by my author friend and credited to Gay Hendricks :-)) is to change the HIGH-LOW pattern to PEAK-REST. For example, have you ever said to yourself when things were going really well, “I wonder when the other shoe will drop,” or ”I wonder how long I’m going to actually stick to this diet” when you just lost a huge amount of weight? Those are ways people bring themselves DOWN when they’re HIGH, in order to get back to NORMAL.
TO RAISE NORMAL TO HIGH, you want to get comfortable with PEAK STATES.
JS: So how can you do this?
DHC: DEEP BREATHING. When a person is afraid or uncomfortable, their breathing is shallow, and they block good feelings. When a person is comfortable and feeling happy, they laugh and breathe deeply. During your next PEAK moment, take a breather, rest for a few minutes or a couple of hours. Laugh. Take it in.
I have an audio CD called Sensualization: Exceeding your Upper Limits and Getting Comfortable with PEAK LIVING. In it, you’re guided to experience yourself in a moment of satisfaction and well being. When you get there, you notice what fear comes up, and you breathe through it until you feel comfortable. It’s amazing because it’s beyond the limited visualization techniques that so many of us use. It’s leading edge and it works because you use all of your senses and your mind really believes you are there, so when the time comes and the success really happens, you don’t resist it (at least not as much as before!)
It reminds me of a story of a guy who was in the back room before an event where he was to be receiving an award. Someone “caught him” talking to himself and shaking hands with an invisible partner, saying “Thank you. Thank you very much.” When asked what in the world he was doing, he replied, “I’m getting used to the idea of people congratulating me, so that when they do, I am able to really accept it.”
JS: How often should we do this?
DHC: Many people have benefited from doing this breathing technique for 15 minutes a day for 30 days. What you do is imagine a future PEAK moment with all of your senses, then notice when you feel any kind of discomfort or fear. And then BREATHE DEEPLY until it passes.
JS: So if I do this simple exercise for only 15 minutes a day for a month, what can I expect to experience?
DHC: You’ll notice it’s much easier to take in new experiences and successes when you do this regularly. This, of course, will allow you to notice newer and better opportunities, and you’ll be more likely to grab them. You’ll spend more time feeling good and making better choices. You’ll enjoy your life more and experience more peak moments.
JS: I really enjoyed reading (and re-reading) your book Reach Your Stars! Who do you think could benefit most from reading it?
DHC: Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the book. Its message is for any person who cares about their personal or professional growth, especially if they are exploring new options in their lives, or developing the confidence to take new action.
JS: The changes I’ve experienced by simply learning to accept higher levels of success as ‘okay’ (and even downright acceptable!) have me convinced there’s much more to it than simply “positive self talk”. How can I learn even more about this technique and others that we’ve used during my own coaching sessions with you?
DHC: Here are two things you can do right now:
1. You can visit the MastermindU archives and listen to a live recording of a lecture I gave, called “Real Pearls, Cheap Chocolate and Stone Soup” which includes a Sensualization audio experience.
2. Register for the MastermindU course called “Break Through Internal Barriers”. Just visit MastermindU.com and click on Courses. When you sign up for the course online, you will get a FREE copy of Reach Your Stars!
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…now exhale.
Golfers, Listen Up!
Last week, I met with my friend and PGA golf instructor, Scott Seifferlein, who gave me a brief overview of an awesome tool he uses in his business: the K-vest.
Comprised of military-grade gyroscopes and hi-tech software, the K-vest transmits wirelessly to a nearby laptop where Scott (and his clients) can get immediate and measurable feedback on all aspects of the golf swing. (I do loves me some tech-gadgets!)
Here’s a short video “tour” of the K-vest in action at the Highlands Golf Academy in NW Grand Rapids.
(Don’t forget to visit Scott’s site, GrandRapidsGolfLesson.com, to claim over $300 worth of golf-goodies absolutely free!)
[PROfile:Chris LaLanne] The Next Generation of Fitness
Chris LaLanne may not have accumulated all the records or awards as his iconic grand-uncle Jack (yet), but give him time. Assuming he inherited a few good genes through the family tree (combined w/his personal interest in all-things-fitness), I’m sure we’ll be hearing about Chris for many years to come.
In addition to his own fit-biz interests, he’s been tasked to manage the community/blog section of uncle Jack’s website.
Hope ya’ enjoy this li’l journey into the life and mind of Chris LaLanne…
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PERSONAL LIFE
“The past few years have been life changing for me. My marriage (7/7/7) to Maribel Gonzalez has encouraged me to be more productive and responsible than ever.”
MODERN CULTURE
“I am passionate about helping people help themselves; therefore, I give you the tools to make changes. If you are successful, I am successful. This is what keeps me going.
“Our society is sending the wrong messages. Today, we must outsmart the media’s focus on processed foods. We all need education and guidance.”
FITNESS
“LALANNE FITNESS (powered by CrossFit) is an exciting community of people that is growing fast. We are very excited about the future!
“Our website is a fantastic window into our “School of Elite Fitness”. CrossFit is the fastest growing fitness movement on the planet.
“At LALANNE FITNESS, we teach beginner to advanced level CrossFit classes. Every functional movement we perform is scalable for the individual, ensuring success for the entire group. The workouts are short, high intensity bursts of energy, often 20 minutes or less.
“It changes every day, making it fun and stimulating, keeping you engaged. You will leave our gym feeling better about yourself than when you arrived. Community first, then RESULTS makes for success!”
ROLE MODEL
“The most inspirational man I know is Jack LaLanne. He is an American hero who has truly made a difference in the world. I am honored to continue the gospel of fitness and nutrition.”
An Inconvenient Blog Post/Rocking The Vote
Long time fans, friends and fellow conservatives realize how hard it is for me to take anything remotely related to Al Gore seriously, but my buddy Jason White submitted a video from his visit to Club Industry East to be considered for airing on “current” TV.
If for no other reason, you NEED to watch it (click the video link above) for the preview of the “ABpuncher” – guaranteed to make ‘shorter time for bathroom problem” (sic) I don’t expect the ABpuncher to be on the market for very long, but what the heck do I know about this stuff?
While you’re hanging around the ‘current’ site, why don’t you take a few extra seconds to give Jason’s vid an “I Like It” vote so we can watch it again on the tube.
-JS-
[PROfile:Bill Hartman] Likes Steak. Loves Sammy Hagar.
Everybody who’s ever lifted a weight surely knows who Bill Hartman is.
You mean the guy from Saturday Night Live and the Simpsons?
I thought his wife killed him… Man, that guy was hilarious!
No, no, no… that was PHIL Hartman.
But Indianapolis-based Bill Hartman is quite the funny man, too, as you’re about to find out. (Plus, he knows a thing or three about fitness)
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Fitness buffs will recognize Bill as a contributing author to Men’s Health Magazine (and formerly of another well known fitness magazine written for men, but shall remain nameless for purposes of this post.)
Smart golfers are familiar with Bill’s program, Your Golf Fitness Coach‘s Video Library Volume 1
I suppose I could also mention that Bill is the co-creator of Inside-Out: The Ultimate Upper Body Warm-up, contributor to Shape-Shift, Speed Experts, a Board Member of the IYCA and a chapter contributor to The Essentials of Youth Conditioning text, but that might be more than you care to know.
What I will tell you is that Bill is the owner of PR Performance Sport and Fitness Training and you can check him out at his blog.
(Oh, and he’s also co-author of the Total Body Workout (formerly known as The Muscle Prescription) with Adam Campbell)
Bill says, “I owe my writing experiences to Adam Campbell who saw my posts on a message board and asked me to start writing. He may be one of the coolest human beings on the planet that I’d go out of the way for, yet we’ve never met face to face.”
Well aware (and justifiably proud) of his over-achiever tendencies, Bill explains, “I’m the favorite child of four siblings from the world’s most competitive family (3 intercollegiate athletes and one doctor). I, of course, had the highest SAT scores.”
Yeah, but what do you do when you’re not working?
“Twice a week is date night with the lovely Diane, my wife and CFO. I’ve recently taught her to kick the bag and hit the target mitts which she just loves (she’s also a big UFC fan…the perfect woman). She’s always been a great wrestler. Most girls like to hit the mitts as they never got to hit anyone growing up. It’s interesting to see their faces light up when they make good contact.”
Who’s on Bill’s Speed Dial?
“I consider myself lucky to actually call guys like you, Alwyn Cosgrove, Mike Roussell, Mike Robertson, Brian Grasso, Rob Pilger, Pat Rigsby, Jim “Smitty” Smith, Robert Dos Remedios and countless others in the fitness field my friends.”
Brushes with Greatness
Bill recently had a client who is good buddies with George Bush…yes, that George Bush.
“I’ve stood next to Sammy (Hagar) on stage during a show. True story…he puts bleachers on stage and me, my wife, my bro, his wife all were up there and he came over and signed my shirt. Ah, memories…”
He even saw Ruth Buzzi at an airport once.
THE VOICES IN BILL’S HEAD…
“The alarm goes off at 4am. I then begin the mental argument with myself that I will go through every single day:
Unmotivated Bill: I’m too tired to get up.
Motivated Bill: Yes, but it’s the only time we have to train and represent all those things that your preach.
Unmotivated Bill: Yeah, but I’m too tired to get up.
Motivated Bill: Successful people do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals.
Unmotivated Bill: It sure is warm under the covers…It’s cold out there.
Motivated Bill: Sacrifice is about giving up something now, like a little sleep, to achieve something greater later on, like a lean, muscular physique.
Unmotivated Bill: I’ll just hit the snooze one time then?
Motivated Bill: Get up you pussy. It’s time to train!!
Unmotivated Bill: Okay! I’m up… I’m up!
“I dress, get a workout drink and walk all the way down the hall and then down into my palatial gym…1,000 square feet of top of the line equipment and gear with all the bells and half the whistles.
“My warm-up is either a body weight circuit, barbell circuit, or some form of interval training followed by mobility exercises. Lately it’s been intervals due to fatigue and I’ve been on a fat loss program for a while (down a total of 28 pounds since Thanksgiving).
“I’ll be switching to a hypertrophy program soon as I have been motivated by my recent foray into powerlifting.”
JS: Now you’re talking my language, Bill.
“Depending on the day, I read my Morning Cup of Joe (let me wipe this off my nose) and either head off to 1 of 2 physical therapy clinics that I manage or start my day training my early clients at 6 am. (As your trainer, I must advise you that it’s unhealthy to train this early…Yawn!)
“If I’m in clinic, it’s a 10 hour day and then back home to train late clients. If it’s a training day, I’ll have client off and on throughout the day and mix in some catch-up writing for Men’s Health, keeping up with emails, online clients, and website stuff.
“Lately a lot of time is devoted to planning the opening of a new gym that I’m opening with Mike Robertson, the Indianapolis Sports and Fitness Training Center.
“Evenings, I write, update client programs, or study something that is of interest. This tends toward the business side of things these days, but I’m a technician at heart and can’t stay away from functional anatomy, therapy and training stuff. (Unless the new Batman or Spider-man comic came in the mail!)
“I try to be in bed by 10 pm which means it’s usually more like 11, but I do occasionally get some sleep.”
Want to meet Bill in person? There’s still time to register for the May 17th Indianapolis Performance Training Seminar
“You still owe me a steak, eh, Joe?”
JS: Bill, by now, I probably owe you two. And that’s no bull!
[PROfile:Carter Schoffer] In His Own Words
For the initiated, whenever anyone is kind enough to accept my invitation to be featured in a PROfile, I always send ‘em the same three deep-thought provoking questions (inspired in no small part by James Lipton‘s interview style).
Depending on how much detail they go into with their replies, I usually take a bit o’ time to work my mojo and format it in such a way that I deem worthy of THE CUP. So even though the questions are always the same, no two PROfiles look alike (or so I hope).
PROfiles Are NOT About Me
As I explain to all of my hapless victims exceptional guests, this forum is meant to be THEIR stage… I’m just here to work the lights. Of course, I begin with a little back-story, add in whatever elements I feel will make the material flow (and of course, entertain), tidy up the format for readability… but the bulk of the content is generally provided by the person being PROfiled.
In Carter Schoffer’s case, I’ve actually spent several months trying to figure out how to restructure the incredible volume and quality of content he provided. I finally came to the realization that Carter already did the hard work for me so all I need to do is post it.
This is by far, the longest PROfile to date, so grab a PN-compliant Super Shake and pull up a comfortable chair.
I inserted the live links/captions, the BOLD HEADINGS and might’ve tweaked a comma or two but other than that, Carter, this stage is now yours…
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IT’S NOT UNUSUAL…
The quick, dirty and more truthful than not, account of my life on this planet as a performance and body composition “authority” starts, more or less, during my final year of high school. It was then that I contacted, met up with and befriended the Tom Jones of Exercise and Nutrition Scientists, the one, the only, the venerable John Michael Berardi. We got along famously and I’ve been riding that wave – some might say his coattails – to this day.
To stay firm course on the productive side of the protégé vs. freeloader line, I took up the role as head performance and body composition coach/consultant, designing the exercise and nutrition programs for our stable of athletes and clientele while contributing content here and there for whatever project or article JB was working on at the time. It was in this capacity that we (JB, Phil and I) formed the foundation of Science Link as a business entity with johnberardi.com as the storefront, so to speak. From there, No Nonsense Nutrition (NNN) and the first version of Gourmet Nutrition (GN) were born, a couple books were launched and hundreds of articles, etc were written. This all set the stage for the creation of Precision Nutrition (PN) and in turn, the launching of the PN forums.
Anecdote #1: The PN forums grew out of the promise JB made to Scrawny to Brawny (S2B) readers – that there’d be a support forum for skinny bastards. It was right around the same time that we were putting together the S2B support forum that we were launching a service called the Berardi Nutrition Network (BNN).
Realizing that we were shooting off in too many directions without a solid nucleus, JB started to work on a draft that detailed the foundation upon which all of our otherwise seemingly disparate products and services operated. The point of this draft was to create an in-house business plan, of sorts. That is, a defined backbone to our business. Or so we thought. Soon thereafter, this draft became a little known guidebook called Precision Nutrition.
Now that we had our nucleus, we decided that a PN support forum was the way to go – encompassing all of our offerings. From there, the support forum grew into the community that it is now today and has continued to evolve beyond any initial expectation.
My specific role during all of this was to continue with the fully supported coaching service and content contribution while taking on the duty as Forum Patriarch. Essentially an extension of what I was already doing – providing web-based exercise and nutrition advice/support. Fortunately for me, as the community grew, so too did the influx of experts. As it stands today, we have many of the brightest and, as importantly, generous and friendly minds, both in and out of the biz, contributing to the community.
From here, I suppose the next natural question is what’s next? While I can’t let all of our projects out of the bag, I suppose I can talk about a couple of the soon to be released productions.
FASTIDIOUS AND PRECISE…
Body Transformation: As stated, we started out with our fully supported coaching as an anchor to the business. Over the years, however, because of NNN, GN 1.0, PN, GN 2.0, seminars, articles, S2B, MA, PN 2.0, the forum, and a bunch of other stuff, we haven’t been able to devote the time and effort to grow this area of the business. And, in fact, we’ve reduced our roster to fewer and fewer clients. This, in turn, has increased our waiting list to a few hundred applicants.
Knowing the potential for of this area of the business, and genuinely feeling as though we’re letting those on the waiting list down by not growing the service, we’ve decided to “spin-off” our Body Transformation component (that’s what we call our fully supported coaching) with the idea of nurturing it in the same way we’ve developed Precision Nutrition.
Basically, it’ll become a sister company to PN and I’ll continue to man the helm. What’ll be different is the amount of time I’ll now be devoting to the development of the service. In time, the idea is to grow it to the point of fully complimenting PN. That is, it’ll provide overall body transformation strategy and application to solidify PN.
Exercise Database: The creation of an exercise database has been something we’ve talked about doing ever since our inaugural “business meeting” back in ’01 in JB’s driveway. But for about as many excuses as there are words in the Oxford dictionary, we hadn’t gotten to it. That is until a little over a year ago when, essentially on a whim, we rented a bunch of equipment and shot 450 exercise videos from 3 different HD angles. Once we had the video shot, we figured it’d be a breeze to put together the database of our dreams – silly us.
The fact is that it was anything but a breeze. Not because it’s a conceptually difficult task, per se, but because we already had an overflowing platter full of work and, I think more importantly, it’s damn expensive to create an online exercise video library the right way. Especially so when, short of another expensive and time consuming project, it would be without a revenue stream. The result has been a picking away at it strategy that I think we’re all at least a little embarrassed about.
Fortunately, countering this slight shame and expense is the pride that we (nearly) have in what I think is a kick-ass resource that’s on the verge of being complete.
Special Note: If it weren’t for contributors such as yourself, we’d still be mired in the enormity of it.
LOOKING BACK – MOVING FORWARD
That wraps up the couple large scale business projects that I can talk about. On a personal note, I’m actually gearing up to head back to school in the fall. Because of the success we’ve had, and my desire to get a full time whiff of the real world, I put formal studies on hold after my undergrad years and focused on developing the business. Without a doubt, that decision turned out to be one of the best I’ve ever made and I intend to continue to build upon what we’ve started. That said, a large part of me feels as though I left unfinished business behind and, in fact, I’ve been contemplating the merits of my decade old desire to become a teacher.
The idea is to go back for a semester to get my bearings. From there I’ll have to decide whether I’ll do a Masters in something like Exercise Phys, go to Teachers College, or pursue an MBA – or some combo of the above. And who knows, maybe I’ll even make use of a year or two of collegiate eligibility and strap on a bucket and cleats.
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FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD
We’ve had the good fortune of working with a number of Pro, Olympic and Collegiate teams and individual athletes over the years. And I have to admit that it’s pretty freakin’ cool sensation to see an athlete/client you’ve worked with podium, win a championship, show off their new bod’ or yank a contender down from Hang Tough (speaking of Valerie Waugaman aka American Gladiator “Siren” with this last one). It’s also cool to break bread and talk shop with some of the most accomplished minds, or in some cases personalities, in the field. The tips, insights, “insider” stories, anecdotes, and I’m sure, tall tales, have been a great bonus.
Having said all that, what I enjoy most about what I do is helping the everyday Janes and Joes change their lives. From overall wellness to new found confidence from body comp and/or performance changes, this is by far the most rewarding aspect. Their stories aren’t nearly as glamorous as the podium finishes or professional photo shoots but, to me at least, they’re so much more fulfilling.
As an Aside – A phrase that I first heard back when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and have since grown to appreciate more and more, is that “it’s not who you know but rather who knows you.” Within the industry I doubt more than a small handful of “big names” know or care who I am, despite the fact that I’ve met most of them in one capacity or another. A rather depressing statement until one considers that this industry is chalk full of nutties. But that’s beyond the scope of our chat over coffee and in fact is a subject that I think is worthy of a 60 Minutes exposé.
With respect to fame, and how it ties into the aforementioned expression, one thing that I’ve always found amusing is the grandiose delusion of celebrity born out of association. A trainer or strength coach will brag that they worked with stud athlete/actor X so that everyday Joe will be wowed into enlisting the services of said coach/trainer. Everyday Joe will then brag that they’re working with the trainer who trained Stud athlete/actor X. Cleary, and I don’t mean to understate this, there’s some potentially legitimate social proof with this chain of association. But fame? Give me a freakin’ break. A coach or trainer may be a genius (I’ve met a number who really are) but they’re in the wrong field if they believe that they’re deserving of celebrity.
And don’t even get me started on internet guru “newsletter” harassment. Selling crack and calling it holy water would make a bunch of money too. It doesn’t, however, vault the huckster to a seat on the board with Jack Welch and Warren Buffet.
By the way, a newsletter, by bloody definition, should contain news or, at the very least, useful or important information. Not some drivelling about how your friend’s baby farted last night and you had an epiphany.
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You know all that talk above about helping people change their lives? Well that’s the fulfillment – or reward – half of the equation. The other half, the implementation or work side, has an equally appealing component – the hours and freedom. Because what I do is primarily distance based and the specific medium is largely email, I have a great deal of flexibility. Essentially, I work where and when I want so long as “the work” gets done.
The result is that I roll out of bed, knock down a mind-body concoction of Greens+, chocamine, green tea extract, piracetam and a few other ingredients, head into my office and make use of the 30 most productive minutes of my day. From there, I basically fly by the seat of my pants.
Anecdote #2: I’ve never actually had a cup or, for that matter, a sip of coffee. The reason, so far as the best of my introspective ability has found, can be traced back to hearing adults make the statement “I need my morning cup of coffee” or any of the numerous other permutations of stated dependency. This is a line of thought beyond the depth of this piece but to me, dependency equated and still does to a large extent, with weakness.
I don’t like appointments or schedules or, for that matter, planning. If I’m feeling creative, I write. If I’m feeling helpful, I answer forum questions. If I need a mental pick-me-up, I’ll grab a good book and either get lost in a world of fiction (helps me with feeling creative) or gain insight of one form or another via a work of non-fiction. Generally speaking, I go through each the above states and a few others each and every day which is why the flexibility is great.
My everyday also includes exercise of one form or another. These days it’s most usually resistance training and/or squash. I never thought a sport that didn’t involve deliberate physical contact could be so much fun, but man, I love it. With respect to the weights, I do my best to practice what I preach.
Favourite Exercise: Barbell hack squat
Clean or Snatch: Snatch, preferably clean.
Heavy load or high rep: Load’er up
Powerlifter or Bodybuilder: Athletic bloke who lifts heavy and looks good
Dumbbell or Kettlebell: Capitalism all the way.
Split or Full body: Split
Interval Sprint or Low Intensity: Heavy weights and a sport.
Personal Trainer or S&C Coach: Performance and Body Composition Specialist.
Exercise or Nutrition: Both. Not 50/50, 90/10, 10/90 but 100/100. Like water and oxygen, you need both or you die.
[PROfile:Tony Mandarich] The Incredible Blog Post
The year was 1989
The location: Hammond High School; NW Indiana
The life-changing event: Sports Illustrated’s cover story on offensive tackle, Tony Mandarich. His intensity (on the football field, in the weight room and in self-promotion) was a huge inspiration to me while I was going through the college football recruitment process.
I’ve never really been one to cling to the physical leftovers of my past, but 2 things I still retain from that period in my life are a recruiting letter from University of Michigan (signed by Bo Schembechler) and the infamous “Incredible Bulk” (Apr. 24, 1989) issue of SI.
And of course, I continue to listen to G’n'R’s Appetite for Destruction while training – but who doesn’t?
Tony counts my fellow-Hoosier, Axl Rose (“lead singer of the greatest in-your-face rock band on this planet”), among his many famous friends.
I was surprised to find Tony’s profile on Facebook and even more surprised when he accepted my invitation to be featured in a PROfile.
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You’re In The Jungle, Baby, And You’re Gonna… Take Pictures?
What do NFL players do when they retire? Seems like a lot of guys go into real estate. In the case of Tony Mandarich, he picked up a camera and started shooting.
According to Tony:
“MandarichPhotography.com is our commercial lifestyle & advertising photography site, and MandarichModels.com is our site for glamour & female fitness photography. The boys will enjoy this site…and some girls will, too ;~)”
(JS: I only go there for the articles)
Welcome to the Jungle. We Take It Day by Day…
Tony’s daily routine looks something like this:
Wake up at 6:00am
Java (JS: I certainly can’t argue with a “morning cup of joe”)
Meditation – Hold nothing back in any aspect of your life!
Go to the studio to either shoot photography or videography (remember the meditation)
Go to office for post production (remember the meditation)
Manage Mandarich Media Group which includes:
- - Photography
- - Video production
- - Web design
- - SEO
- - Internet marketing
Home by 5:00pm
Work out at 6:00pm (remember the meditation)
8:00pm eat & review the day and see where I held back if I did.
Usually in bed by 10:00 or 11:00pm
JS: I didn’t ask specifically how Tony meditates, but I’m a big fan of Centerpointe’s Holosync technology. Mediation really is a no-brainer (in case you’re reading this scratching your head, that’s what we language-o-philes call a pun)
Appetite for… Controversy
“I ran the 40 in 4.6 seconds, benched 585lbs and weighed 308lbs when I did it. They said I was on steroids!”
JS: So what’s the real story, Tony?
“I guess you’ll have to buy the book!”
JS: What book?
“I have written a book – a memoir about my life – that we are currently shopping to publishers.”
If anyone has interest in publishing it, you can contact Tony through his websites (or track him down on Facebook like I did.) While my own positive views on steroid use in professional sports are well documented throughout this blog, I’d certainly want to read it to learn more about his take on all-things football/business/life.
Ragz to richez or so they say, Ya gotta-keep pushin’ for the fortune and fame…
PROfile:Will The REAL Dr. Mohr Please Stand Up?
Dr. Christopher Mohr earned his PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Kara Mohr earned her PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Pittsburgh
[I've been told the university connection is pure coincidence - they actually met before Pitt].
Can two doctor Mohr’s really be better than one?
Together, this husband & wife team run Mohr Results, Inc, a Louisville, KY based company that works with individuals and corporations to help them improve their nutrition, permanently change their behaviors, and ultimately lead a more fulfilling, healthier life.
Not only is this exclusive PRO-file another example of “birds of a feather” within the wonderful world of fitness, but it shows you how busy couples find ways to get things done.
[NOTE: To help you keep track of who's saying what, I took the liberty of being politically incorrect and used stereotypically traditional colors to identify the Mr. from the Mrs. You might notice my own interjections appear in black - no, there's nothing racial about it - just consider it a coffee thing.]
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IN THE BEGINNING…
Chris was a student… for a really long time.
While working on his MS degree, he started learning about all the opportunities available. During his PhD he started to create opportunities, so when 10 years of school was done, he was already up and running.
“During the first year of my PhD, my stipend was so low I qualified for welfare”
Rather than milking that system, he decided to do something about it
and began submitting ideas and writing feverishly for magazines.
Kara was a professor and/or researcher for several years at different universities:
Eastern Michigan University, Brown Medical School, University of Pittsburgh, and University of Louisville…
“I then realized while research is fantastic, unfortunately
the actual science doesn’t reach the masses
and I prefer to get the messages out to consumers.
I joined Chris and Mohr Results, Inc in December 2006
and I’m doing exactly what I love.”
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Rise And Shine!
“Typical day for me starts at 5AM…alarm goes off, I get up and brew some tea, get some grub in my belly, review my to do list for the day and goals, read whatever book I’m reading at the time (currently: It’s Only a Mountain) while eating, and head off to the gym at 6AM.
“Unless there is REALLY something pressing, I prefer to not turn on my computer before truly sitting down for “work.”
“After getting back from the gym, eating, and reading the paper, I’m off to the office (that’s 30 feet down from where I eat).”
“My days start around 5AM, with the smell of coffee getting me up and at ‘em like a real go getter. I typically use that quiet time in the morning to go through some emails and enjoy my coffee.”
SO YOU THINK YOU’RE TOO BUSY TO EXERCISE?
Chris’ days vary tremendously, depending on what major projects are on his table…
“My day to day routine can be writing articles for magazines/websites, doing lit searches and reading articles for the things I do with the Discovery Health Channel, or being creative and mapping out specific plans for upcoming projects or marketing for current ones.
“Because my jobs differ a ton, I need to have a plan to focus. The key for me is to always have a to-do list ready to go in the morning, so I know where I’m headed.
“Now if I’m traveling, which is about 15 days each month, the days are a bit different, but always start nice and early with my morning workout because I know that if I don’t get it in right away, I’ll struggle to do so otherwise.”
…and Kara’s no slouch either.
“When I’m not traveling for seminars, my days are booked pretty solid with on-line coaching clients. I work with clients all over the country to help them change their behaviors and ultimately lose weight in the process.
“We’re also working on our second DVD to coincide with “Grocery Shopping Made Easy”, so I’m in the planning stages for that.”
IN THE GYM
“Depending on the day, I’ll either go for a run outside (or on a hotel treadmill) or hit the gym. I love lifting, but am also not a big fan of the “powerlifter” type workouts (sorry, Joe).”
[jeezh, I guess my blood-letting PL video clip has given me a bit of a reputation!]
“I prefer going quickly from exercise to exercise, but still always sticking to those compound movements and using as heavy as a weight as possible…I’m not talking quick workouts like ‘Curves’.
“For example, today’s workout started with
- Barbell squats
- Chin-ups
- Walking lunges (with a barbell in the overhead position like at the top of a military press)
- Pushups
- and jumping burpees across the basketball court.
“I took 30 seconds between each exercise and then repeated this circuit 4 times.
“After Chris scraped me off the ground, it was time to recover.”
“I’m currently going a bit heavier with my training; for awhile, I was doing more of an interval type workout with weights, so 30 or so seconds rest, alternating upper and lower body training.
“This is ideal for me when traveling because:
1) It takes up less time
and
2) Hotel gyms leave a lot to be desired, so it’s easier to get creative and you don’t need as much weight with these types of workouts (in fact, body weight does wonders).
“I’m training a little differently now; focusing heavily on major muscle groups to balance out training from my newest endeavor – the 2008 Louisville Ironman.
“Keep in mind that I have always been far from an endurance athlete and the most I’ve ever run at once is 6 miles. But I like lofty goals, so thought I’d add this to the mix.
“Now, since training for that hasn’t “officially” started, I’m still doing the gym thing first thing in the morning, but that will definitely shift when other activities will take up more time – but don’t worry, I won’t forget about hitting the iron by any means.”
STAR POWER!
Kara was recently chosen as one of Prevention Magazine‘s
top diet docs in the country. (Sept 2007)
“It was exciting to be rewarded for something I really work hard at being the best I can be and staying current with research in the field.”
While I must certainly rank among the coolest of “J’s” most people will ever know,
Chris worked with a guy called LL Cool J.
“I was the nutrition consultant for a book with him and had the opportunity to talk business, training, goal setting and loads of other topics with him that interest me. It’s always great learning from those who have created their own success and business empires!”
BTW: Chris also co-authored Human Inferno with another well-known name
The Cup catapulted into stardom: Alwyn Cosgrove.
(at least that’s my version of the story and I’m gonna stick to it!)
GET MORE MOHR…
- MohrResults.com
- Grocery Shopping Made Easy (DVD)
- Sports Nutrition for Young Athletes
- Human Inferno (fat loss manual) – 99 Days to Lean
- Weapons for Mass Construction – Secrets to Explosive Muscular Growth
- Meal Plans 101: Meal Planning Software
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
“Every single client I work with. It’s wonderfully rewarding, so I’m fortunate that I love every minute of my job!”
“Those clients who mean the most really are the clients we work with in our weight loss programs on a daily basis, as the interactions with them are fantastic and you truly know you make a huge difference in their lives.”
***** ***** *****
MohrResults has a blog right on the front page that is updated frequently,
so unless you want me to give you a stern talking-to, you’ll visit it often!
[PROfile:AC & RC] A Tale of Two Cosgroves
I don’t care what anybody says… as far as I’m concerned, Alwyn (rhymes with talon) Cosgrove‘s greatest contribution to the fitness industry (and possibly the world) was giving me my big break into the world of national fitness magazines – a short piece called “7 Minute Solution: The Bench Press” [Men's Fitness; May 2004] – which I gladly repaid with a pint of beer at a conference in Connecticut a couple years later – That makes us even, right?
On the other side of the fitness & matrimony coin, Rachel Cosgrove is certainly no “Dick Grayson” to Alwyn’s “Bruce Wayne“. No, Rachel is a top-caliber fitness industry Wonder Woman in her own right as you’re about to discover… Now if I can just remember to address her with a proper greeting when we bump into each other at conferences (Hi, Rachel :) )
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Ladies first…
Rachel is a morning person.
She wakes up at 6am and has her coffee and breakfast while checking email. She works out on a ‘normal’ schedule – about an hour a day most days.
She and Alwyn own a gym in Santa Clarita, CA which she manages full time. She has 10 employees working under her, so her day is usually spent working with the staff, developing new marketing ideas for the gym and chatting with clients.
But a few months ago, Rachel’s life was considerably different when she was training to complete her first Ironman. Most days were spent running, biking and swimming up to 20 hours a week (yikes!) .
She has been published in Women’s Health, Muscle and Fitness Hers, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health and Oxygen. She has competed in Fitness competitions and triathlons and became an Ironman this past year. Rachel also coaches fitness & figure competitors and triathletes.
For more on the life and times of Rachel Cosgrove, visit her namesake website or the BRAND NEW site she’s working on (just remember, you heard it here first).
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William Wallace has nuthin’ on this Scotsman
A typical day in the life of Alwyn…
- Wake up
- Eat breakfast
- Check email
- Digest breakfast
- Get a workout (either in the weight room, the gym or in the back yard)
- Make the world a stronger, fitter, better place for all
Depending on the day, he may go into the gym and work with his staff of five trainers teaching them program design or some other topic. After that he’ll head back home to write articles, post to his blog or work on his website.
He is a featured writer for Men’s Health magazine and has a book published called The New Rules of Lifting (with Lou Schuler) with another one coming out in January called The New Rules of Lifting for Women.
Alwyn has also self published numerous books – most popular has been his Afterburn fat loss program.
But most of all, his real claim to fame is his Lift Strong project that has already raised close to $100,000 dollars toward research for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (not too shabby, huh?)
For more about AC (as those of us “in the loop” know him) stop by his website (and be sure to tell him you read about him at The Cup).
Note from Joe: if you haven’t already purchased a copy of LiftStrong do yourself a favor and buy it now. If you do have one – thank you – now go buy more copies and consider your Festivus shopping done for the year.
[PROfile:Sean Hyson] Walking The Walk And Writing The Talk
When thinking of fitness-industry “rock stars” to feature in The Cup, one of the first names to pop into my mind was none other than Sean Hyson. He’s the guy responsible for mining nuggets of fitness wisdom from knuckleheads like me and melting it down to a readable format which also fits the space requirements of a printed magazine.
Plus, he’s a good guy to know when you’re looking for someone to choke down a pastrami on rye with ya’!
So let’s all put our hands together and give a warm Morning Cup Of Joe welcome to Mr. Sean Hyson… (insert crowd noise here)
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Best known as… Fitness editor of Men’s Fitness magazine and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.). Former fitness editor of Sly (now defunct) and Muscle&Fitness Hers magazines.
[JS: I should note, Sean does some killer impressions, too...his Arnold Schwarzenegger and Christopher Walken are second to none!]
Name dropping… “The best thing about my job is the fact that it enables me to correspond and even form friendships with some of the best trainers/strength coaches in the world. I’d count Alwyn Cosgrove, Cameron McGarr, Jason Ferruggia, Zach Even-Esh, and many other top fitness pros as friends. Wait, I feel like I’m leaving somebody out… Oh, yeah, my ol’ buddy Joe Stankowski!”
[JS: Joe Sha-what-ski? Who ‘dat?]
A day in the life… “A typical day for me involves waking up at 7:00, drinking some green tea, eating a bowl of oatmeal, and hitting the gym. After I’m done putting Arnold to shame, I pause Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” on my iPod and change out of my headband and legwarmers and head to the office.
“Over the course of the day I will call and e-mail back and forth with various trainers, asking them for exercise tips I can use in stories (and, admittedly, my own workouts), write those tips up into articles, and worry about whether soy or whey protein should be in my next shake.
“Of course, I’ve also been known to call Joe in the middle of a work day and break into song, replacing the lyrics to classic rock tunes with poetry about Joe’s life and abilities as a trainer. But seriously, Joe is one of the smartest guys I’ve met in the field, and that’s why you can read his advice on a regular basis in MF.”
[JS: All of a sudden, I'm feeling a little verklempt. Obviously, Sean knows what he's talking about. Now talk amongst yourselves... Do I really need to give you a topic?]
[PRO-file:Lou Schuler] Who’s Hungry For Some Blog Meat?
Anxiously anticipating my 100th post at THE CUP sometime in the next several days, I’m starting this week off by throwing a li’l party. And YOU, John (and Jane) Q. Reader are invited.
Ok, so maybe 100 posts doesn’t mean much to any hard-core bloggers any more than a 135lb squat would impress a gym rat . I just needed an excuse to launch the first in a brand new series I’m adding to THE CUP.
I thought about naming it “Blogs, blogging and the bloggers who blog“.
But to keep things clean, simple and all professional-like, I’ll just call it PRO-file.
Leading off this feature is not just a man, but THE man who brought the concept of ‘blog meat’ to the world…
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If your local community college offered the course Lou Schuler 101, here’s what you’d learn:
Lou’s Books: The New Rules of Lifting, The Book of Muscle, Home Workout Bible, The Testosterone Advantage Plan
Lou’s Blog: MalePatternFitness.com
Lou’s On-line Home: LouSchuler.com
Star Power:“I’ve written books with Alwyn Cosgrove, Cassandra Forsythe, Ian King, Mike Mejia, Jeff Volek, and Adam Campbell. I’ve edited books written by Mark Verstegen, Chad Waterbury, Ryan Lee, and TC Luoma.
“I was a waiter at a five-star hotel in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, and I brought food to just about everybody who was famous back then.
“Given a choice, I’d rather hang out with fitness folks, famous or otherwise.”
(You and me both, Lou.)
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Now is the time on PRO-file vhen ve get our “Lou on…”
Lou on editing:“‘Edit’ is a very flexible term in publishing; when I “edited” a magazine article, it often meant I rewrote it from first word to last. Editing TC’s book, on the other hand, involved reading through it once, and fixing some commas.”
Lou on fitness:“I used to get involved in food fights over fat vs. carbs and the benefits of protein, and sometimes I’d get into debates over whether endurance exercise is important or necessary.”
SIDEBAR: Lou’s best article on the subject, “Death by Exercise,” was part of a package of stories that won the 2004 National Magazine Award in the “Personal Service” category.
“The longer I write about exercise and nutrition, though, the less I want to engage in those kinds of debates. The best type of exercise is whatever you’ll actually do. Since most people don’t exercise enough to get any kind of physiological benefit, I decided I don’t want to be the guy who tells them they should do one thing instead of the other. Just do something.
“Doing ‘a lot‘ of something is usually better than doing ‘a little,’ but I don’t think anything beats consistency and enjoyment.”
Lou on life after magazines: “People are usually surprised when I tell them I no longer write magazine articles. (When the subject comes up, I mean; it’s not like I walk up to strangers and explain my career path.) I haven’t taken an assignment in two years, which is about the time I discovered that not writing for magazines does more to spread happiness than anything else I’ve tried.
“I’m happier, my family’s happier, and I assume the editors who used to work with me are happier. It’s cheaper than Prozac and more effective than therapy, and the main lesson applies to just about any type of endeavor: If you don’t go looking for work that you know will drive you nuts, you won’t be driven nuts by your work.”
Lou on blogging: “I try to post something substantial on my blog every weekday. On a good day, I can do that by 10 a.m. On a bad day, it goes past noon. I enjoy it, but I try to keep in mind that nobody’s paying me to do it.”
Lou on family: “Weeknights are a logistical challenge. We have three kids, and they have to be somewhere five nights out of five. Our two daughters have soccer practices on four different nights, plus soccer games on Saturdays that are often at the same time, but on fields that could be an hour away from each other. Then there’s piano, Girl Scouts, parent-teacher conferences at two different schools…
“I wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t all sedentary stuff – sitting in a chair, watching the kids run around. But that’s modern parenting, and I can’t deny that I signed up for the full package three times over.”
Lou on the past: “I recently finished editing [a] book that comes out later this year”
Lou on the present: “Right now, I’m waiting to do the final read of The New Rules of Lifting for Women before it goes to press.”
Release date is December 27, but it’s never too early to pre-order!
Lou on the future: “I recently started working on a new proposal, which is a months-long process and I’m about to start ghost-writing another. My agent will soon send out a proposal for a new book, if he hasn’t already. And yet another project is waiting for a publisher to point a thumb up or down.”
Claim to fame: “A point of pride is that I haven’t pissed off everybody who’s ever met me. I consider that a real triumph of behavior modification.”
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A big thank you to Lou Schuler for sharing his “New Rules Of Living” with all of us here at THE CUP.
-JS-
"Mighty" Joe Stankowski
