Passion

Image courtesy of adminsecret.monster.com

**Originally published in "The Source", November 2012.

Over the course of the last few weeks I have tried multiple times to write this month's feature article, and each time I have failed miserably. Some times my head wasn't in it due to illness or fatigue; other times the words just refused to flow. I knew the topic I wanted to discuss, but I was having difficultly telling a story about it. So I decided to stop trying to tell a story and instead just say what is on my mind.
There is a lack of passion in our world. People may be content. They may even be happy. But true passion is rare. It is clear when someone has it for something, and equally as obvious when they don't. Having it does not come from the compensation, notoriety, or status that accompanies what you do, but rather from an unwavering confidence that you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing.

You may not have a clear idea where your path will lead you, or even where you want it to, but that is almost irrelevant to you because right here, in this moment, things are exactly how they are supposed to be, so you have to believe that moment by moment, things will be as they are supposed to be, as well.

Let me stop right here and say I am a bit of a passion junkie. I'm attracted to it. I feed off of it. It fuels most of my waking hours. I'm attracted to others who have it. If you get hype off something, I'm hype for you.

I am by no means an expert on passion or anything even remotely close to that, but people ask me about it a lot because they can see how excited I get when I talk about what I do and where I envision my path leading. And a lot of people are struggling to find something in their own lives that they can get excited about. And not just excited in this moment, but have that excitement carry on from moment to moment to moment on and on and on. So if this is you, these are my thoughts.

I was going to write that you should do what makes you happiest. I had to erase that. I was going to write that you should surround yourself with passionate people both in person and through various forms of media. I had to erase that as well. With both ideas I was skipping steps and key points.

Happiness is far too fleeting to lead to passion, and while you may be inspired by the energy of other passionate people, it is not a skill you can acquire. If anything, it is a state of being. A mindset. A complete confidence that you will accomplish what you set out to do, not because the road ahead is without difficulties, but because you cannot fathom things working out differently. You live in every moment with that confidence, and you love it. And you love each moment. And there really isn't any other option in your mind.

So here is where my difficulty lies in writing this piece. I don't know that I have any sound advice to give on how to develop this. But to be honest, I think you have already developed it. Each of you. You just need to find what brings it out. And I think that's where you can start to do what makes you happiest and spend your time with people who are passionate about what makes you happiest because while neither will lead to the development of passion, both may provide an opportunity where the passion you already have can show itself.

It seems like a lot of people I talk to are scared to do what makes them happiest for fear of running into financial difficulty. To speak on this, I will default to Gary Vaynerchuck. If you haven't already, watch the YouTube video of Gary's presentation at Web Expo 2.0 NY. Additionally, check out his book, Crush It, which can be found in the Book Store. In both the book and presentation, Gary does a great job laying out different ideas on how to turn your passion into a viable business.

I don't know how to help you find your passion. I really don't. And it took me a while to realize that. But I don't think you need me to find it. I think it is within you and it is up to you to provide the opportunities for it to come out.

What makes you happiest? Do that. Who in your immediate circle has an expressed passion for something? Spend more time with them and let their energy bring out yours.

If there isn't anybody in your immediate circle, expand your circle. Find videos online, books, blogs, music, podcasts or any other form of media that allows you to experience others sharing their passion and connect with them.

Be great.

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This Past Week (8/15-8/22)

This past week was my first week back in the gym after taking a week off to vacation the in the Wisconsin northwoods. I began a new program this week as I am experimenting with other people's work in an attempt to add to the SMS series, which I will resume writing at the turn of the year. Right now I am working through the I, Bodybuilder program written by Christian Thibaudeau of T-Nation.com. You can check out my training log for this program by clicking here.

My plan is to follow this program for eight weeks (2 weeks for each phase and skipping the transition phase at the end) and then moving on to another 6-week program. I'll unveil which program I will be doing next as this one comes to a close.

I, Bodybuilder is a 5-day split, with three days dedicated to focusing on the main bodypart of the phase and the other two days being total-body lifts. The lifts are done on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. I am picking up some really interesting concepts that I am planning on working into SMS^3, and I am very excited to see how the rest of the program goes for me.

I have also begun to do plyos and shoot again. Monday and Thursday I did plyos and Tuesday I shot for an hour. Wednesday I walked a mile in a weighted vest for recovery. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I was in class all day for MAT, so I wasn't able to perform anything outside of my lifts for time reasons. Starting in September, I will be running a timed mile every Saturday in an attempt to break the 6-minute mark as I had to for basketball in college.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (7/18-7/24)

This past week was another strong training week for me. I kept the same lifting schedule I've been on since mid-June, and will continue this schedule for another couple weeks. I have added 200 push-ups and 50 pull-up variations into my training every day. This has added both size and strength to my upper body. My goal is to complete 100 consecutive push-ups by the end of 2011 and 25 consecutive pull-ups by that time, as well. My PR's for both are 70 and 17, respectively.

On Saturday I did a three-minute dip challenge with Chris Shalvoy. It was a challenge put out on YouTube by Martin Rooney, where you do as many dips as you can in thee minutes, resting as you need to. You have to get to 90 degrees of elbow flexion at the bottom and lock out the elbows completely at the top. Shalvoy did 81 in three minutes and I did 60. While this may seem like a drastic difference, if you multiply our reps by our respective body weights, he beat me by a rep and a half. My goal is to hit 75 on this by the end of 2011.

Not much else happened this past week in my training world. I spent a lot of time studying anatomy and MAT every day, and my palpations are starting to get better.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (7/11-7/17)

This past week was a solid lifting week for me. I have been spending the past four and a half weeks in a higher rep range to give my body a change from the past 18 months of SMS. I was also hoping to be able to put on some size during this time, but because of the illness I came down with almost a month ago, I have just been trying to get back to where I was for both my body weight and strength. I dropped down to 219 during those three days I was sick, and now I am back up to a solid 227. With under 3 weeks to go in my challenge, it is looking dismal that I will be at my goal of 238 lbs, but I will give a valiant effort during my remaining time, nonetheless.

I have started adding more sprint work at the end of my strength sessions, doing about 10 minutes or so of exercises with a 2:1 to 3:1 rest:work ratio. I have also been biking to and from work--about a 15-minute ride--twice a day, 5 days a week. While the biking probably isn't the best for my weight goals, I do feel that I am much better condition now between this and the sprints. I have noticed this transfer into my lifts, as well, as I am better-able to recover between sets and therefore pack more volume into a smaller window, inducing a greater hormonal response.

Two weekends ago I had my second weekend of the MAT Internship, so this past week I was practicing these newly-learned skills as well as studying the text.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (6/20-6/26)

This past week was the end of my recovery week and the beginning of my new phase of training. After having been sick all weekend and unable to eat for three days, my body weight dropped down to a slim 221. Not only that, but my strength was completely depleted. Nonetheless, I began the rebuilding process with squats on Wednesday, incline bench on Thursday, and deadlifts on Friday. Saturday I did some light lower body work and Sunday I took completely off.

On Tuesday I released a new article to the site, "Static Stretching to Improve ROM and Speed Recovery: Fact or Fiction?". As you can tell from the article, this piece is heavily influenced by my MAT training.

On Saturday I attended the Perform Better conference here in Chicago and met up with Todd Durkin, owner of Fitness Quest 10. He was presenting that afternoon, so I stuck around and listened to what he had to say. Todd is a great motivator and it was awesome being able to reconnect with him. While I was at the conference, I also had the opportunity to meet Martin Rooney and Bill Parisi. It was an incredible honor being able to chat with these two for a few minutes.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (6/13-6/19)

This past week was a lighter week for me. I deloaded Monday through Wednesday and tested my squat on Thursday. My squat tested at 415x4, which converts to a 470 max. Both the reps at 415 and the 1RM conversion were PR's for me. At the beginning of SMS^2 I repped 415x2, and at the end of SMS I maxed at a 455 squat, so I am pleased with the progress I have made. Friday was an off day and Saturday I went on a bike ride with my dad when I went home for Father's Day Weekend.

My time outside of the gym was spent studying MAT and anatomy, and I can see that I am making progress with insertion sites and muscle actions.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (6/6-6/12)

This past week was the end of my heavy triples week, with military press and lat pull-downs on Tuesday. To be honest, I was dragging the whole week. Not from exhaustion, but I think I am starting to get burned out, physically and mentally, from SMS. With that in mind, I'll be switching things up in my training in the coming weeks.

So I lifted on Tuesday. Monday I did some arms stuff, Wednesday I did a high-rep lower body scheme, and Thursday I did a high-rep upper body scheme. I have been using such heavy weights during SMS, it was nice to switch things up with some lighter work. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I was in class all day for my MAT Internship, so those three days were recovery days.

I have set the goal for myself to weight 238 by August 5. If this does not happen, three of my friends in Chicago get to put me through body weight circuits until I throw up.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (5/30-6/5)

This past week was the end of my singles and beginning of my heavy triples for SMS^2.6. Monday was Memorial Day and I had plyos in the morning. Tuesday was my military press, lat pull-down, and back accessory day. Wednesday was my body weight circuit day. Thursday was a recovery day consisting of incline walks, joint integrity work, and balance drills. Friday I was back under the bar with squats, deadlifts, and lower body accessory lifts. Saturday I was supposed to play in a basketball tournament, but that got canceled due to lack of teams. I did, however, go for a fasted walk in the morning and then drive out to the suburbs to pick up some raw milk. Sunday I had bench, rows, and chest accessory lifts.

I can feel that I am really starting to drag now. On Friday I will start my much-needed deload week and then test the following week. After that I am considering breaking out of the SMS mold for a few months.

I also passed the CSCS exam on Friday, which I was really happy about. Now I can finally get to reading some of the other books that have been on my shelf these last few months.

Sunday morning I sent out the June issue of The Source. To get on this mailing list, fill out the required information after clicking here.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (5/22-5/29)

Monday is now the new start day for This Past Week because I think on terms of Mondays being the first day of the weeks, even if I write the post on Sundays. Anyways, this past week was my lighter triples and my singles for SMS^2.6. Monday I did plyos, Tuesday was my military press and lat pull-down day, Wednesday I had body weight circuits, and Thursday and Friday were recovery days. I had to go apartment hunting on Thursday and Friday, and drive back to Wisconsin on Friday as well, so my training time was limited. I did do a pilates session on Thursday, which was a new experience for me. It is essentially 50 minutes of ab exercises, mostly isometrics, with your arms and legs going through different ranges of motion. For someone whose has the levers of a 6'5" frame, this type of training was definitely a challenge.

Because of my travel plans on Friday, I moved my squat and deadlift day to Saturday so I wouldn't have to try to hit ten rounds of singles after driving through Chicago traffic for 3 hours. Tony and I went and hit the weights together, and we finished off the training session with a plate pushes and bear crawls circuit. It was a brutal ending, to say the least.

Sunday we headed back to our local Y and I had my bench and rows day. Our dad joined us, too, so we had some pretty good energy going in that weight room. I felt pretty strong all week with my lifts, which was pleasing.

I posted a new article last week on the bioenergetics of basketball and how they should be applied to strength training. You can find this article by clicking here.

I have been feeling good with my mental imaging each day, and have really honed in on my nutrition, as well, these past couple weeks. As a result, I have been feeling a lot more focused and energetic throughout the day and a lot more rested when I wake up.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (5/15-5/21)

This past week was the end of my deload week and beginning of SMS^2.6. Sunday was my bench and rows deload, Tuesday I had military press and lat pull-downs, and Friday I squatted and deadlifted. Monday was a plyo workout and Thursday I had a recovery day. Wednesday I took completely off, and Saturday I ran hill sprints in the parking garage next to my building.

Honestly, not much else happened this past week outside of my lifts. I have still been doing the mental imaging every day for 15 minutes, and other than that I have been spending a lot of time reading and learning when I'm not at the gym.

I have noticed that my depth on my squat has gotten progressively worse, and I have found imbalances in my uni-lateral hip flexion, so that is something I will be working on to try to improve that ROM.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (5/8-5/14)

This past week was the end of my heavy fours and the beginning of my deload week. Monday was a recovery day consisting of ab and grip work as well as stability drills. Tuesday was my military press and lat pull-down day and Wednesday was my body weight circuits. Thursday was another recovery day, consisting of recovery cardio, hip mobility work, ab exercises, and stability drills. Friday was my first deload day for SMS^2.5, which was my squat and dealift day. Saturday morning I played basketball for an hour as well.

One thing I added in to my daily routine last week is 15 minutes of silent imaging. Basically, I turn off all of the lights, set the timer for 15 minutes, and lie on the floor with my eyes closed. I use this time to imagine every aspect of what I want Self Made to look like. Up to this point I have just been imagining the facility, but soon I will add in other areas such as how the business runs and the people I interact with, along with other aspects of my life. I have found that since I started taking this time I have been a lot more focused during the day, and a lot more efficient as well. I am starting to get back to the working state I was in during the first five months or so of my senior year of college. I can feel that my focus and efficiency have been too variable the past seven months, where some days I feel great and can get a ton of stuff done and then other days it is like pulling teeth to get me away from the TV. I have begun making other changes in my habits, as well, that have allowed me to stay focused for longer periods of time. These changes include limiting time on Facebook to matters dealing with Self Made.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (5/1-5/7)

This past week was the end of Week 2 and the beginning of Week 3 for me for SMS^2.5. I had bench and rows on Sunday, military press and lat pulldowns on Tuesday, body weight circuits on Wednesday, and squats and deadlifts on Friday. Saturday I had bench and rows for Week 3, too. Overall it was a good week for SMS.

Monday I did a sledgehammer and sandbag workout for about 20 minutes at a park by my apartment. It was my first time using both of these new pieces for an extended length of time, and I was definitely feeling the day's training on Tuesday. Thursday was a recovery day for me consisting of recovery cardio for 25 minutes, abs and lower back work, hip mobility, and stability exercises. Saturday after I got home from my lift I ran hills with my dad. I haven't ran that set of hills for almost two years, and it was great being out there in the country again.

On Friday I also sent out the May issue of The Source. If you want to be included in this mailing list, sign up by clicking here.

Also, I am quoted in this month's issue of Men's Fitness. Pick up the magazine at your local newsstand to see my quotes on page 36!

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (4/24-4/30)

This past week was the start of SMS^2.5. As I mentioned last week, I squatted and deadlifted the previous Friday. Monday was my bench/rows day, Wednesday was my press/pull-down day, and Thursday I had body weight circuits. Friday I came back for Week 2 of squats/deadlifts, as well. Overall I thought it was a very good week of training. I am really enjoying the new splits and can feel myself getting stronger every week. On Saturday I went for a fasted walk in the morning for about 25 minutes along Lake Michigan. This was a great start to my day and weekend as it got me outside and moving.

I have still be drinking a gallon of milk a day and put on another pound this past week. I am pleased with the results I have been getting in strength and size since I started this. Currently, I am doing very little in the form of cadio, but I will start doing plyos again on May 9 as that will be the one month mark with limited cardio. Then, after another month, I am planning on adding SMF back in. We'll see how my weight responds to the plyos, but that's my plan right now.

I also put a new article up on the site this week. Check out "Death of the Upright Row" on the article page!

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (4/17-4/23)

This past week was my deload week for SMS^2.4. I lifted Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Then, instead of doing a body weight circuit deload on Friday, I began SMS^2.5. That day consisted of squats and deadlifts, and I was completely toasted by the end. It was awesome.

Saturday I went home for Easter and while I was there I made a stop at Ace Hardware and Farm and Fleet. I picked up a 12-pound sledgehammer, two 50-pound bags of pea gravel, heavy duty contractor bags, gorilla tape, and two canvas bags. When I got home I wrapped up the pea gravel in the contractor bags and taped them shut, then put them in the canvas bags to make my own sandbags. So now I have two 50-pound sandbags and a sledgehammer to add to my training tools. Believe me, I'm pumped.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (4/10-4/16)

This past week was my heavy triples week for SMS^2.4. As I said last week, I squatted and deadlifted on Saturday. On Sunday I had bench and rows, Tuesday I had military press and pull-downs, and Thursday I had a body weight circuit. On Monday and Wednesday I had recovery arms days, and Friday was an abs/balance/hip mobility day. Overall it was a very productive week in the weight room and I am really enjoying the new split.

One thing I have been spending time on each day the past few weeks is grip work. I usually train both my crushing grip and my pinching grip in the same days, but have a greater focus on one or the other each day. I have noticed significant improvement in my grip strength since I began making it a priority in my training. I am also still continuing to do the upper and lower back work each day, and I have definitely noticed an improvement in my posture as well as how my shoulders feel the days after I bench heavy.

Also, like I said last week, I have been drinking a gallon of milk each day for the past nine days and have enjoyed a solid nine-pound weight gain over this time. I plan on continuing the method for a month, at which point I will evaluate where I am and where I want to go.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (4/3-4/9)

This past week was my singles week for SMS^2.4. I squatted on Sunday, benched Monday, and deadlifted Wednesday. I didn't do circuits on Friday as my body weight is still too low. I also didn't do plyos at all this week. Instead, I did an arms lift on Tuesday and Friday and did recovery cardio for 25 minutes on Thursday. I also decided to try a new lifting scheme this week and, if it works well, put it in for SMS^2.5. So, because of this new scheme, I did squats and deadlifts on Saturday as well. Yup, it was a fun week.

On Tuesday I sent out the April issue of The Source. I also sent out the first edition of the Workout of the Week on Monday. You can sign up to receive both of these items by filling out the required information here.

On Friday, when I was inspired to try the new lifting scheme, I also made a commitment to start drinking more milk. A lot more. I have been very hesitant for the last year and a half to drink anything other than raw milk, which means when I can't get out to the farm on the weekends I go without milk for that week. I have been putting almond milk in my shakes, but that hasn't been cutting it. So, I finally decided to just suck it up and start buying pasteurized whole milk in addition to the raw milk. I think this will really help me get my weight back up to where I want it.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (3/27-4/2)

This past week started with my last MAT Jumpstart class on Sunday before starting the internship in June. It also marked the beginning of SMS^2.4. Monday I squatted, Tuesday I bench, Wednesday plyos, Thursday deadlifts, and Friday circuits. I made the decision to cut my plyo workouts to once a week and cut my circuit training down to two sets, compared to the three I was doing before. I am also not doing anymore SMF for a while. The reasoning is very simple--I want to get big. I want to finally commit to putting on weight, and until I get myself to above 235, I will continue to do less of this high-intensity movement training and opt to add additional lifting into my days.

I have also decided to add extra lower back work and posterior deltoid/mid-trap work into my daily training. This is purely for injury prevention purposes as well as to help with my posture. I have also added more grip work into my training. I get yelled at when I deadlift and the weight hits the floor to loudly, so I figure if I can strengthen my grip and set the weight down under control they can't tell me nothin' (Kanye voice).

Early in the week I released a new article, too. It was on kettle bell training and how great kettle bells are for training grip strength. To read the article, check it out at http://selfmadefitness.com/selfmadearticles.

Also, on Friday I received word that "Self Made®" and "Making the world a better place, one athlete at a time.®" are officially trademarked! This has been a process that's gone on for over a year and nine months now, and I am SO happy that everything worked out! A HUGE, "Thank You!" goes out to Gloria Pinza and her staff at Pierce Atwood for all of their help is making this possible.

Alright, that's what I have for you all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (3/20-3/26)

This past week was my deload week for SMS^2.3. This week was much-needed as I could tell I was getting fatigued on a daily basis from a combination of sickness, work, and an intense training phase. Sunday I squatted, Monday I benched, Wednesday I deadlifted, and Friday I had my circuits. I did my deload week plyos on Tuesday and took Thursday completely off from training. Saturday I started the final weekend of my MAT Jumpstart classes.

Overall it was a very good week. Things at worked have been picking up as of late, so the more relaxed training schedule was a welcomed change. I definitely felt recovered by the end of the week as well. My RHR had dropped down significantly, down to the high-40's. Even though that is still higher than normal for me, I was up as high as the mid-60's at one point during this phase.

Next week The Source is coming out and with it will be workouts of the week. If you haven't done so already, make sure to sign up to be on my mailing list so you can receive both my newsletter and new workouts every week!

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (3/13-3/19)

This past week was my heavy fours week for SMS^2.3. Time-wise, it was a much better week than the week before. I also finally figured out the circuit I wanted to use for Day 4, just in time to deload haha. Monday I squatted, Tuesday I benched, Thursday I deadlifted, and Friday I had circuits. I also did plyos on Wednesday this week. I didn't have any SMF after my lifts because I was still feeling pretty crappy from my cold.

Outside of the gym I read a lot and watched DVD's put out by Parisi Speed School and TRX. I also began planning weekly workouts that I will be sending to the members of my mailing list starting in April. To get on my mailing list, sign up at http://selfmadefitness.com/media/newsletter.

I feel like I am forgetting something I wanted to tell you all... Oh well.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (3/6-3/12)

This past week was my sixes week for SMS^2.3. Work was pretty hectic and didn't allow for the two-hour block between sessions that works best for my lifts. The most I had most days was 90 minutes, which allowed me to warm up and get my core lift in before having to shower. This happened on Monday, squat day, so I went back in the evening and finished my accessory lifts. Tuesday I was able to get everything in fine, but Thursday was cut short as well as I had to leave out ab work and my SMF for the day. Friday was supposed to be my Day 4 circuits, but after waking up sick on Wednesday and still not feeling better on Friday, I changed this week to an arm day/recovery day. I definitely needed that and felt a lot better on Saturday for an all-day basketball tournament.

I didn't do plyos at all this week because of how poorly I felt. I was supposed to do them Wednesday, but I stopped after ten minutes because I could tell my nervous system was seriously fatigued. My ground contact time (amortization phase) was too long and I was taking a lot longer than normal to recover between sets. Friday I didn't do plyos either.

I sent out the March issue of The Source on Monday. If you want to subscribe to my mailing list to receive my newsletter, you can do so by filling out the form here. On Wednesday I did an interview for Men's Fitness magazine. The interview is scheduled to come out in their June/July double issue, which is released in late May.

Aside from that, not much else went on this past week. I've been getting a lot busier at work, which is awesome, and when I'm not at the gym I'm usually reading in my apartment.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.