and then a tough day at the box where the mind was willing, but my body was
giving the big F-U. We are still Bulgarians and tonight is Back Squats and
Front Squats at some pretty heavy weights. I was teamed up with @keilshammer
and it was evident after my first attempt that I was in trouble. I got the
weight up and went to Squat and nothing happened. My hips would not move. CRAP!
I had to skip the Back Squats and work without weight just trying to get depth
using the plates. I jumped back in for the Front Squats and we worked @195lbs,
EMOM for 5 minutes. It was tough going and while I got to parallel in a few of
them Tavia was sure I could have gotten a little deeper. Just another inch.
gives a speech in Any Given Sunday that is one of the most inspiring talks
about the inches in life. I included the speech and linked the Youtube video.
Give it a watch. He talks about the
inches in life. The inch to get to parallel. The inch to lock out and a lift. The
inch to get to the top of the box. Al Pacino is talking football, but those
inches can be applied to all aspects of life, sport, work and play.
started. I felt outstanding during the Warm-up, as I nailed 100 Skips in a row!
They were singles, but as someone who never skipped growing up I was pretty
happy. Even the Squats, after the first couple felt great and the Lunges were
really good. The rosy glow faded quickly after that. I went to pull during the Scarecrow
and my shoulder started screaming. It was odd. I’ve never had issues (other
than behind the neck work) with the Warm-up, but this was weird. Maybe I went too hard on Monday.
the DUs (I did 100. Well maybe 60 plus another 40 attempts) I had trouble
holding the bell. RX was 70lbs, yeah right, tried 50lbs, no dice, 35lbs it is.
I had trouble locking out and Squatting. My body just couldn’t get moving. I
finished 14 OHS Up and Overs in the first round when I got CAP’d out. There was
a bunch of bruises on my shoulder from Saturday, I’m pretty sure they just got
bigger.
it. Lots of stretching will hopefully make
tomorrow easier. Before I left though, there were some new goals thrown down.
Seeing as I have recently run out of 2013 ones, Tavia wants me to accelerate my
weight program and get under the bar at 270lbs. Last weekend (after some
questionable diet choices over the previous 2 weeks) I weighed in at 276lbs.
Ugh, let’s get this back under control. I’m down 2lbs since Saturday and will
shoot for the end of November to meet the sub 270 goal. Also Ms. Carmen has set
out a goal of a bodyweight Bench Press and I will be joining her as a show of
support. @missade3 is our witness and we
have until December 31, 2013 to hit that goal. Happy lifting Carm, let’s get it
done.
I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes to the biggest
battle of our professional lives. All comes down to today, and either, we heal
as a team, or we’re gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play. Until we’re
finished. We’re in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And, we can stay
here, get the shit kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the
light. We can climb outta hell… one inch at a time. Now I can’t do it for ya,
I’m too old. I look around, I see these young faces and I think, I mean, I’ve
made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I’ve pissed away all
my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me. And
lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know, when you get
old, in life, things get taken from you. I mean, that’s… that’s… that’s a
part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losin’ stuff. You find
out life’s this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game – life
or football – the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half a step too
late or too early and you don’t quite make it. One half second too slow, too
fast and you don’t quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team we
fight for that inch. On this team we tear ourselves and everyone else around us
to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we
know when add up all those inches, that’s gonna make the fucking difference
between winning and losing! Between living and dying! I’ll tell you this, in
any fight it’s the guy whose willing to die whose gonna win that inch. And I
know, if I’m gonna have any life anymore it’s because I’m still willing to
fight and die for that inch, because that’s what living is, the six inches in
front of your face. Now I can’t make you do it. You’ve got to look at the guy
next to you, look into his eyes. Now I think ya going to see a guy who will go
that inch with you. Your gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this
team, because he knows when it comes down to it your gonna do the same for him.
That’s a team, gentlemen, and either, we heal, now, as a team, or we will die
as individuals. That’s football guys, that’s all it is. Now, what are you gonna
do?