Middle-aged, vegetarian and natural
Looking crap
The title for this came from my friend Vince Vasilou, who runs Ultrabodies gym in Finedon, Northamptonshire. The photo of this article is of me, and I really had to think hard before putting it on show. I quite like it as a photo, but it is very 'look at me'. I'm well aware of this. Two years ago (the week before Christmas 2009) I went to see Vince and asked him to put me on a weight-training programme that would build my back, chest, arms and shoulders. Although I've trained for 30 years (in martial arts, running and using weights) I'd never built significant size or shape. Vince is a great guy; very opinionated, but very knowledgeable with a terrific sense of humour. His gym is a fantastic place to work out, full of characters and physiques of all shapes and sizes. Vince was the man to ask about building myself up. What troubled me was that I was starting to look decidedly middle-aged. I was 46 years old with a bit of a belly and no upper body development. I looked crap to be honest.
The beginning
What triggered this thought was my girlfriend liked a developed physique and mine was developing into an orange shape; not quite what she had in mind. In other words I started the routine to impress her. My first workout was not impressive at all. Vince put me on a chest and back workout, followed by shoulders after a days rest and arms after the same rest period. As he explained a body develops with stimulation, rest and nutrition, in equal measures. For a long time I'd been going to the gym twice a week, pretending to lift weights. I knew in my heart I was looking for the easiest exercises. My running was intermittent; I was too 'busy'. The result was a 40" chest and a 40" belly, with a 36" waist. That first proper workout showed just how pathetic my routines were. I couldn't do one chin up, my bench press was pitiful. At the end of the workout I told Vince that was the hardest workout I've ever done. He laughed and said when I look back you won't believe what I'd just said. That night I woke around 3am with the feeling that my back had grown wings; it literally felt as if my back muscles were expanding as I lay there. I was in agony for nearly a week, but I went back for every session.
Year one results and diet
That first year was one of weeks of intensity with the odd injury here and there, moving into a new house and other weeks where I didn't go, however, most of the time I trained well. After the first year I'd definitely grown in the chest and back. My arms had improved a little and and my shoulders were stubbornly showing signs of growth. I'd lost some of my belly and a little of my waist. 2011, for all it's faults, has been a great one for training. I learnt more about long distance running in January and that spurred me on. I put more time into longer distances (up to 18 miles) and that affected my strength somewhat. The last few months have been great training months with the running around 3 to 6 miles a session four days a week and weights three days per week. My diet has been mostly very good. As a vegetarian I have to find additional ways of getting protein into my body and I've experimented with various supplements and recipes.
What's it all about?
Here then, I am. After two years of work and diligence I'm pleased with the progress I've made. I've put 3.5 inches on my chest and back; taken 2.5 inches off my belly, 1.5 inches off my waist, half an inch off my thigh and added half an inch to my arm. When I started there was no difference between my belly and my chest, now there is 6 inches difference. I've gone from straight up and down (with a pot belly) to angular. What's the point of all of this narcissism? The point is that looking good makes you feel good, inside; it gives you confidence. It's why fat clubs are busy all year long and why people come to see me about losing weight. One, I know what it's like to be overweight and two, I understand that it's a long term thing. You have to put in the work. The rewards are that you feel good, feel more confident, the opposite sex like it, that makes you feel more confident too. Martial arts is about the mind-body connection. So is running and so is weight-training. I'm going to keep on improving and keep working. No drugs, no meat; just good nutrition, proper hydration, the right amount of sleep and good exercise. I want my belly flat and six packed (I have a 3 pack at the moment!), I want bigger arms, better shoulders and maybe a bit more back and chest. In 2012 I want to be more toned, fitter and in better shape than I am now - already the best I've ever been. This has been achieved because of the help I've received at the gym from Vince and Kieran who works there, plus all my buddies at the gym who contribute to the banter that keeps me sane. I've done the work, but no-one improves alone. At the weekend I showed my son the photo I've posted above. He said 'Who's that?'. I said 'me'. He said 'Really?' I said 'yes'. He said 'Dad, you have to buy tighter t-shirts!' Thanks Noah, I'll pass on that, but I was pleased to be able to surprise you.
Running vs drinking
It's a lifestyle choice
I'm often asked about my lifestyle choices: why don't you drink? Don't you miss meat? Claims then follow of dying for a bacon sandwich. "I couldn't live without caffeine." I hear all these things a lot. They are usually followed by how boring my life must be. Well, here's the thing. My life is neither boring, nor lacking for not eating meat, drinking caffeine, smoking or drinking alcohol. I've done all these things and at certain times in my life I've made the decision to stop doing them. Equal disbelief is often uttered when I mention some of the challenges I've done - especially the long distance running or walking events. I'm sure we all realise that we're all different - I'm just a little more different than others!
How it began and quitting smoking
I began running before I started martial arts - by three months. My first run was in April 1981 on a Friday evening. I went out in jeans and a leather jacket with shoes on so that no-one would actually know what I was doing. I slowed down a couple of times as I went past strangers walking towards me so they wouldn't think I was a 'jogger'. Running wasn't done as much back then. When I had completed my mile 'run' I was exhausted. 'Starsky & Hutch' used to be on tv on a Friday evening - when I collapsed in the chair to watch it, the programme had just started - by the time it had finished 50 minutes later I had just about got my breath back. Undeterred I kept going out, feeling a little better each time. Two turning points were getting onto Ventolin to help my asthma and stopping smoking. Can you believe I was asthmatic and smoked? My god, I've made some stupid decisions in my life. Quitting cigarettes and cigars was one of my best. It wasn't too long before I discovered races and began with half marathons, then marathons - I ran 5 in all, with so many shorter races I can't remember how many I did. I did my last marathon in 1986, but continued to run shorter races, on and off, all the way up to today.
Born to run
This year I learned new things about running; things that amazed me after doing it for such a long time. Things like we are born to run, designed to run with the nuchal ligament (it's in the neck), achilles tendon and muscular buttocks. Animals that don't have these things don't run - like chimpanzees for example, our closest DNA match in the animal kingdom. I've also learnt about Scott Jurek and other ultra distance runners and more importantly I've learnt about the Tarahumara - the running people of Mexico. With members of the tribe who can run 50-60 miles in one go at age 70-80 years old; of the younger members who do 48 hour races and cover, on average, 300 miles at a time. These ideas blew my mind a little and made me think that I can at least do a marathon. As it's turned out work has prevented me from doing the mileage necessary to complete a marathon this year (I did get up to 18 miles in the summer), but I'm still out there 3-4 days per week notching up the miles.
Why running makes you happy
The point about running is what it gives you, other than just muscle tone and good heart and lungs. First of all it raises your serotonin level, this means a gentle feeling that the world is ok; this in turn leads to more positive thoughts so that when you run the ideas that come to you don't tend to be depressing ones. Infact, having just thought about this I have never come back from a run with negative thoughts about a challenge I have been trying to solve. Contrast that with the sadness that can come from a night on the booze, after the initial high. It's not that I'm against drinking, I'm not; it's just not for me. I also feel that when the weekend comes around I get two days of it, not one. How often do I hear, or read Facebook statuses that claim a hangover, or couldn't get up until the afternoon. I thought about this last week when I ran through a park in Antwerp: 8am on a Sunday morning and I found a small castle, complete with moat. It was beautiful and perfect and took me completely by surprise. It's highly unlikely I would ever have seen it if I wasn't a runner; it's just one of the many experiences I've had because of running. I guess then, my thought is, that you live your life how you see fit. For me it's about exercise, health and in particular, running. if your lifestyle choice is Friday and Saturday night out, drinking with your friends, I'm cool with that, I just prefer my way to yours.
When you're really scared, step forward
If you run forward, at least you have a chance
Fear comes in many forms and many guises. Do you ever get scared of a particular challenge? Of doing something that will test you physically, emotionally and spiritually? Every year I find a challenge for myself - something that will push me, that will hurt me and which I will overcome. I'm yet to fail a challenge I have set myself, but only because I have planned and been well prepared. Sometimes life doesn't give you those opportunities, but we have to face the pain anyway and move on. When I first saw 'Saving Private Ryan' I sat in the cinema transfixed to the battle scene at the start of the film; I couldn't believe the ferocity and sat asking myself 'what would I have done?' After the film I phoned a friend of mine who served in the first Gulf War and many other campaigns. I asked him 'what do you do in situations like that ? When you are under heavy fire and you are certain you will die'. He said 'you have to move forward, it's the only choice you have. If you stay where you are, you'll die. If you run forward at least you have a chance'.
Living without fear
I learned massively from that conversation. It's true; if you stay where you are, you die. This is true of every sphere of your life. If you don't attack hard when under threat you will lose. If you don't nurture your relationship and make it grow, it will die. If you don't work on your business, other people will work on theirs and your business will die. If you don't strive to improve at work either the company will die or your position in the company will. If you want to progress then you must move forward, you must train harder and smarter and you must face life without fear.
The courage of your convictions
Easier said than done. We worry about what might happen if we take a stand, if we say something we believe in, but many do not. Winston Churchill had this challenge in the 1930's when talking about Hitler. At the time no-one wanted to listen to 'Churchill, the war mongerer'; he was proved right though. Often we believe ourselves to be right about particular issues. We have to be congruent with our convictions and so we move forward. We're not always right though and we can worry that we are going to make a 'bad decision'. You can even see this at a restaurant; people will sit and look at the menu for a few minutes and then ask 'what are you having?' They can't even make a decision about food. What chance do these people have in the real world? It's not about getting it 100% right, it's often good enough to have a go at 50-60% as long as some positive action occurs. people who describe themselves as 'perfectionists' are often too scared to make a decision of any sort. They'll wait until just the right moment, except that rarely are there ever any good moments, we just have to trust our instincts and go with it.
Making decisions
In my last blog I talked about 'consistency'. This comes into play again with the fear of being made to look a fool, or of people looking at you, preventing you from training in martial arts. The truth is you just have to make a good decision. A decision that moves you closer to your ultimate goal - if you don't know what that goal is then it is no wonder you're having problems. Remember, no matter what background you have, some success that you are trying to achieve, everything happens because you faced your fear and made a decision. This spreads across your life: the girl or boy you chose to spend your life with (how long will it last?); the job or career decision you made; the shoes and clothes you wore to your last interview. 80% is enough to become a raging success. If you're only getting it wrong on 20% of the time, you must hit it big, by sheer statistics. The old 80-20 rule. The video I've included this week is a little long; if you want to skip to the truly brave part go to 7.19 and watch it from there. To get the complete metaphor watch how the officer's weak decisions got people killed by watching the whole video.. It is when you are at your lowest point that you will often find how strong you are. Your worst day can often be your best day, when viewed in hindsight. You can also re-examine a mistake from the past to see the way forward as well. Have courage, be brave, be scared and do it anyway.
90% of life is showing up
The art of turning up.
The biggest challenge to getting good at martial arts, or anything come to think of it, is consistency. The art of turning up. The hardest part of that is getting your butt out of the chair or the sofa. It's no surprise to me that the busiest classes at UFS are usually the early classes. People don't get the chance to sit down, they come straight from work and come to a class. Hey, there are even energy drinks at the centre now if you're feeling a little tired! I've been teaching martial arts for over 24 years now and in that time I've seen really talented people, some really mediocre people and lots of people with a little talent. The same way I was when I began martial arts in 1981. What kept me going, took me to World Championship finals and competing in so many running races was the consistency. I'm a good trainer. I can be the laziest person you've met, but I'm also driven to train hard.
Making clear goals
This is even more true when I set myself a clear, defineable goal. In my 20's I ran marathons and many shorter races, even a short triathlon once. My martial arts continued alongside, but the races became my focus. From 1990 to 1996 I competed in stick-fighting tournaments winning a British title and couple of lesser titles and two world championship silver medals. In my 40's I discovered long distance walking and did the 3 Peaks and Hadrian's Wall; this was 5 of us doing the 86 miles (we did 2 extra when we got lost) in 3.5 days, compared to the average of 7. Early this year I rediscovered long distance running again. My longest training run was 18 miles and I ran a 16 mile cross country race in April. I'm planning on a marathon in 2012. The point is I need goals. I need something to aim for. I think the problem that many students have is they don't plan their goals.
Creating the desire
In the early days it's easy. Lots of enthusiasm and the first three belts are ripped through quite quickly. At Orange belt (the fourth grading) the material suddenly becomes far more complex and some people are put off by this. They came to 'do kickboxing'. I've never understood this mentality. It's like going to a restaurant and only wanting garlic mushrooms when there is so much more to try. A desire to want to learn is essential, as is the passion for improvement. In life far too many people settle, they do it in their martial arts training too. Too often the most talented don't have the work ethic of someone less talented - and guess who stays the longest? It's always the person with the best work ethic. The person willing to forego the frustration and tedium that happen in training sometimes. It's all about showing up. I included the video of Damian Walters because he demonstrates, so well, just how good you can be with regular, devoted training.
What you can learn from Mark Zuckerberg.
If you're sitting at home reading this and asking yourself why you haven't trained for sometime I can tell you why now. You make excuses. You tell yourself life gets in the way, the truth is training isn't that important to you. I'm not criticising, I'm just telling you the truth. If you want to get good, show up. If you want to improve, do more. If you want to be the best you can be, make it a priority. I recently watched 'The Social Network' - the movie about how Facebook came to be. It's a great movie, but what impressed me the most was Mark Zuckerbergs' work ethic. He worked his butt off to make Facebook the global phenomenon it is. He may have made some unscrupulous decisions, but he put the time in. Martial arts is the same. It's not about talent, it's not about who you know, it's all about who you are. Keep showing up and you're going to get better, there is no other way.