AIN'T NO REST FOR THE WICKED (but they should) - Coach Sean T

Today is probably the hardest part of working out for me, RESTING! Sounds crazy to some, but totally relatable to most I'm sure. In the past, I've hated rest. It would feel like I'm wasting time, losing ground, and doing myself a disservice. I dealt with that same fear today when I decided to let myself rest.

That was because of my old-mindset. A LACK mindset. That's the mindset that says, "If I don't hold up these walls, the house will cave in!" What message is that sending out? That you, your body, your LIFE is a shoddy-house made of sticks that Eeyore wouldn't even want to live in?! FUCK THAT!

Your house is a fortress. A citadel atop a mountain that will be around for the rest of time! Cultivated by the years of labor that you have put into it. THAT'S the message you want to send out. "But Coach SeanT! I'm just starting out! I can't afford/don't deserve rest! I need to keep going so I have something to show!" Wrong. Same LACK-mindset.

Don't build a house with arms tired from toil because you're too scared to rest. The work will be out of desperation and the result will be low-quality.

Rest isn't a vacation from the work. It's PART of the work.

Take time to recover and gain energy so that when you pick up those tools, you can build a house fit for a God!! Cast away the fears that your hurting yourself. Set the intention for your day of rest to ACCELERATE your progress. Realize that what you're doing is manifesting power so that when you get back to work, you tear through it like a beast out of hell!! I'm so pumped for tomorrow's workout I can feel it in my GUTS! 

It's all in the mindset. As are all things.

Remember, it takes Goku like three episodes to build up a spirit bomb. And he killed Buu with that shit.
(Some DBZhumor for those that know.)

So rest hard and THEN get after it….tomorrow.

WHEN DID WE LOSE THE PUSH UP POWER? - by JEN SHAW

Most people are aware of what a push-up is and what it should look like. Upon actual execution of the movement comes the realization that bodyweight movements are harder than expected. 

In my ten years of coaching women, I have had a small handful of clients come in and know how to properly do one perfect push-up. If I ventured a guess, I’d say that three of my now 80 clients arrived with a push-up that I had nothing to change about their form. That is an extremely small number for as many women that have come through my doors. Why is this? Why do men walk in and have enough strength to put themselves on the floor and then effortlessly push back up? I believe two things are at fault: natural strength and societies’ view on what happens during athletics in school. 

For our whole lady lives we have heard that men have more upper body strength and I am not going to argue with that. However, I do call bullshit on the physical education system for making P.E. a cake walk that leaves females behind. When the D.A.R.E program took funding away from physical education departments, childhood obesity rose 20% and gender-based tests like modified “girl push-ups” came to be. If you want to argue about these facts, look up Laurie Pospisil-Gotcher. She wrote Texas state curriculum and has been touring school districts for the past three years trying to roll a giant concrete ball up a mountain to change this exact issue. More details are on the FUSEMOVE instagram account. 

This seemingly small shift in physical education departments during the 80’s and early 90’s has created a monumental shift in women’s health as adults. Now it's 2020 and grown women are walking into my program without the strength to do one proper push-up. 

To learn proper form, there are a variety of options to scale. One that I do not allow in my gym is the knee push-up. There is a time and place for knee push-ups like a burnout session. For example, one minute max effort push-ups then one minute max effort knee pushups. You are welcome! 

The inappropriate time to use knee push-ups is when you cannot perform an actual push-up.  Knee push-ups do not require you to hold your body up using your shoulders, back, arms, legs, and they also don’t utilize trunk strength. When scaling, elevating to a box is the best option. Once this movement can be done properly, move to a lower box. Keep using smaller boxes until push-ups can be done on the floor with a band supporting the hips like the video below. Once the band is no longer needed, you will be able to knock out this movement using the right parts at the right times. Knee push-ups will NOT get you there.

The only “girl push-ups” that exist are when girls are doing push-ups.

Mindset Management, pt. 2 "HOW THE ROCK WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE"

This picture will make much more sense later. Hang in there.

WHAT’S UP Y’ALL?!? So, last time we “spoke” I was telling our dear friend Susan how she can change-up her mindset in order to get to the gym more consistently and improve her life. The gist of it was to make your goals a priority so that you can roll with the punches in life, and get that ish done! If you missed the first part of this article, then go ahead and scroll down, catch up, and make yourself more awesome!

All caught up? Good. Let’s continue...

Now, I hear ya Susan, “Sean, that’s all well and good, but life is tough and I can’t find the motivation to change my whole world around!”

Here’s the ticket, it doesn’t happen all at once. You don’t hit the target as soon as you push the launch button. The secret-sauce is knowing that eventually the missile will get there.

This is what I meant when I told Good Ol’ Poppa T to “make it a mantra”. Just have the intention and mindset in place. Hold it there. Keep it in your mind as you go throughout your day. Make notes to yourself as reminders. Repeat that mantra in your head, and slowly you will find opportunities to change your life. It changes it from, “I didn’t workout today, I have failed,” to “I didn’t get to workout today. How can I auto-correct and assure that I make tomorrow work and achieve my goal of health and fitness?” or “ I didn’t get to the gym, but I can still hit some push-ups and go for a run before bed!”

STORY TIME! When I attended Rutgers University, I had the blessing of being lectured by Professor Michael Leyton. In his Psych 101 class he always used to ecstatically shout, “You need to BELIEVE to ACHIEVE!” He gave us the advice of, everyday, writing down your goals and intentions. He taught that this will keep it present in our mind, and allow us to achieve. This isn’t “The Secret”. This is real. The difference here is, not just sitting in front of a list of personal affirmations you wrote down, but also being willing to do the work. I’ll share one last story I heard that sums it up perfectly.

There was a great flood that left a man stranded on his roof. Unflinching, the man began praying to his god (we’ll call him The Rock) to save him. While praying, a rowboat came by and offered to save him. “No thanks, The Rock will save me.” Then a cruise ship went by offering help. “No thanks, The Rock will save me”. Then Eddie Van Halen came riding down a rainbow atop a chariot of light and offered help. “No thanks Eddie, The Rock will save me.”

Eventually, the flood rose above the man’s head, and he drowned. In the afterlife, the man approached The Rock in a huff and shouted, “What the heck dude?!? I did nothing but pray to you and you never saved me!” The Rock gave him a firm back-hand to the face, because you don’t talk to The Rock that way, and then he replied, “ I sent you a rowboat, a cruise ship, and Eddie Van Halen to save you! What more could you want?”

The drowned-man’s mindset was that of a train on tracks. If he had the missile mindset, he’d be alive and, ideally, partying with The Rock and Eddie Van Halen on a cruise ship somewhere.

So there you have it Susan. A whole BUNCH of words all saying the same thing. You have to BELIEVE to ACHIEVE, and you also have to put in your own work even when obstacles are presented.

Hope this helps someone change their thinking to achieve their goals.

Love you pops, thanks for the inspiration.

Mindset Management, pt. 1 "BECOMING THE MISSILE" by Sean T.

Today I received a message from my father. He was replying to me about his schedule. Earlier in the week, I had asked him to give me the days he could set aside for strength training. Something that has always been difficult for a man that dedicates his life to providing for a family. His response was twofold:

First, he was unsure of how much time had available to commit to training.

Second, he had read somewhere right on the TCS website about someone claiming members were “silly strong,” and he noted that getting  close to silly strong for a guy his age would be a goal by the time he hit 60. This was my reply to my pops:

“That’s totally doable pop. All it takes is consistency. And that necessitates prioritization. You need to make getting strong a priority. Make it a mantra. Let every decision and action you take feed toward that goal. It can’t be a back burner idea. Or it’ll never boil.Love you pops. I have nothing but faith in you. You’re the hardest worker I know. All you need to do is redirect the intended target. And that goes for anything in life, not just training (insert emojis).”

Now, that wasn’t bullshit. My father is legitimately the hardest worker I know. In my entire life, I honestly can’t remember a day he missed work unless it was to help family. So then, you may ask, “How does a man with so much discipline and dedication not find time to get to the gym?”

Oftentimes the problem isn’t time management so much as it’s MINDSET management.

If you make it a priority to workout everyday without question, you will make it happen. Sounds like magic, but it isn’t (depending on your definition of magic anyway). Remember when I told my dad to redirect his intended target? I say this specifically because of an amazing book written by Maxwell Maltz called “Psycho-Cybernetics.”* It’s an old book from the 60’s dealing with what people today consider Sports Psychology. In the book, Maltz likens the human brain to the mechanics of a self-guided missile. A self-guided missile works like so (engineers cover your eyes):

1) You launch a missile

2) The missile travels along its course

3) As the environment pushes the missile off-course, the missile senses the change and auto-regulates to redirect itself back on track

4) The missile, ideally, hits its target (or at least winds up very close).

How does this relate to the human brain? You are the missile. Your goal is the target. Your intention (brain) is the auto-regulating system. What does this have to do with working out? I’ll give you an example. Say we have a busy individual. Let’s call her Susan. Susan has the intention of getting in shape. She tells herself all week, “Monday is the day! I’m going right after work to the gym, and changing my life forever!” Awesome! Good for you, Susan! We have a goal (target), and the missile has been launched! Now here’s the sticky part. The missile still has to get to the target. It still has to travel in the real world all the way from point A to point B. This journey brings a lot of factors into play:

What about wind speeds?
What if point B moves?
What if a giant comes and swats the missile off its course?!?

This is the same thing as: feeling tired, your boss telling you to stay late at the office, your kid getting sick, “Next Monday, just seems easier...”

Now, if we were a train on a track, all these ‘what-ifs’ would really screw us. The train’s off the tracks and it’s never getting to the station. Lucky for us, we’re a fancy-schmancy self-regulating missile of JUSTICE! And we don’t care what anyone tells us, we’re getting to that damn target!

As the environment affects our trajectory, we adjust our direction to remain on course. Feeling tired? Grab a coffee, crush a nap, or (my personal favorite) workout anyway! Boss kept you late? Hit the gym late! Kid is sick? Head home, get that sucker to bed, YouTube a workout from home, and be a badass who gets shit done!

NEXT TIME ON THE TCS BLOG:

I’ll give y’all some stories and thoughts that will make all of this a bit more grounded in reality so you can implement this missile-mentality in your everyday life. ‘Til next time, stay beautiful and #DOTOUGHSHIT

REMEMBER RECESS?

Think back to your grade-school years. Do you remember the pure joy that came over you when you realized that recess was about to happen? You could be having the worst math class of your life and it would all be whisked away by 30mins of running around outside. It was magical.

Feeling the sun on your skin. Feeling the wind blow by as you ran from other kids trying to tag you. Feeling your heart beat and lungs sting as you played soccer with your friends. Man! Looking back, there was nothing better.

Do you remember the feeling of having to line back up to go back inside? Ugh. Terrible. Almost physically painful. I never wanted to step back inside to sit under the florescent lighting, but it was inevitable and necessary. But, the beauty of it all was that you could now address the next part of your day with a renewed energy and focus.

Adults and grade-schoolers are not all that different - some are more similar than others. We are all animals that require movement to remain vital. Stop moving and you start dying. That may seem extreme, but it is that simple.

Wingo living her best life while on her recess.

So I urge you (now an adult) to find your daily recess. Go for a walk. Join a cycling studio. Do yoga in a park. Take lunch and go to your martial arts class. Join a badass gym and move heavy things in useful ways. Whatever.

Find and take your recesses daily and notice the positive changes that are sure to follow.

GUNFIGHTER3 - 2016

Every year I have the unique pleasure of working with a group of former Recon Marines that go by the platoon callsign GUNFIGHTER3. This most recent event, held in late April, marks the 4th annual reunion for GF3. The gathering is a chance for these guys to get together, catch up, shoot the shit, and remember those that have passed. And, in that sense, I can't really think of a better day to post this blog, which is why I've been waiting since early April to do so. 

I can honestly say that being a (small) part of this group is a highlight of my year and has been each and every time. Besides that, my involvement is really a small piece of the puzzle - I'm just lucky to be involved.

These are great guys that have given a lot for the other brothers of GF3 and continue to do so. I will say that when these men get together, it's obvious that the bond they have will never fade.  

It's truly an honor to serve those that have served. Thanks, GF3.

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GunFighter 3 - TCS - 2016 from Seeker Creative on Vimeo.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE - 2

Yet again, an old commencement speech delivers a powerful message. This one was delivered by Admiral William H. McRaven, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. In his speech, McRaven shares the lessons he learned while becoming a Navy SEAL.

This video is 20 minutes long. I know, that's soooooo long! Make it happen! Find the time! You need to hear this!

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DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

I often find myself spinning down a rabbit hole on YouTube. Sometimes it is meaningless junk that just jumps out at me for no particular reason. While at other times, something I watch provides a message that seems to be just what I needed to hear in that moment. Funny how that works.

I was watching commencement speeches (weird, I know) and stumbled across Jim Carrey's speech that I'm sure some of you have seen/heard. I watched the entire 26 minutes of it and found myself devouring the information that he was sharing with the graduating class of 2014. 

This entire trip down the rabbit hole got me thinking....

If I find value from these messages and lessons, surely others will too.

So, below you will find the tail end of Jim Carrey's speech. I realize that y'all probably don't have 26 minutes to *hopefully* receive a meaningful message from a YouTube video, but if you can open up to the idea and watch the last 5 minutes provided below, I think you'll get something valuable from it. At least that is my intention with this post.

And if this one doesn't do it for you, maybe the next one will, as I think this may become a regular thing for Sunday mornings. We'll see.

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ASHTON KUTCHER IS MY NEW GURU

MAN! It's weird getting back to the keyboard after such a long hiatus, but it needed to happen! I saw a quick video that got me super fired up about working hard and the possibilities that open up when someone is willing to push harder. So while I was knocking out some of the chores around the gym this afternoon, I was attempting to script this post out in some form or fashion so that it would come across as a worthy topic that brings y'all some value.

The logical place to start would be to share with y'all the video that has inspired this post. Boom!

I know what you're probably thinking.....WTF?!? Ashton Kutcher?!?! It's OK, I thought the same thing. Nothing against him, as I really don't know anything about him, but this tiny glimpse shows some pretty impressive qualities that I respect immensely.

All of the points that he hits on are GOLDEN. I don't think there's anyone out there that can deny that the message he's sending has some serious value - especially when you consider who he speaking to in this case. Everyone needs to hear this shit, but young people need it more now than ever, as widespread entitlement has seemingly swept over our population, which, in my opinion, is incredibly dangerous.

What really hit me was his first point of OPPORTUNITY. He states that, "opportunity looks a lot like hard work." 

WHOA! Take that in for a second.

It is way too easy to forget this. No one owes you shit. You are NOT entitled to all the shiny things in this world. You must WORK for everything. That hard work then opens new doors and new opportunities for success and fulfillment. 

Another Kutcher-ism that I really, really like is when he proudly states, "I'VE NEVER HAD A JOB THAT I WAS BETTER THAN." 

That shit is awesome. Period. 

If you think you are "too good" for this or that, you will most likely find yourself waiting for hand-outs wondering why you're in the situation your in. Respect is earned and dues must be paid. These are simple laws of life. Choose to ignore these and life will chew your ass up and leave you wondering WTF happened.

RESOLUTIONS: AN OBLIGATORY MESSAGE

It's that time of year.

(sigh)

You're probably being bombarded with $19.99 gym membership offers, articles on how to drop 15lbs quick and easy, and, of course, the "magic pill" that melts fat and builds rock-hard muscle all while you sit on your ass and eat whatever you want.

As a coach and gym owner, it's an incredibly frustrating time. So let's just clear some things up and then we can move in to the good stuff.

The pushers of these promos don't really give a damn whether you actually use their product or service. They just want you to purchase it. As far as they're concerned, they would actually prefer that you purchase the product or service, take your hand, pat yourself of the back for a job well done, and then continue to do nothing. 

They are in the biz of providing the carrot that dangles in front of you as you "try really, really hard" to reach your goals. They know that you will get temporary fulfillment from taking that first step towards achieving your goals. On the flipside, they also know that the vast majority of you will fall off the wagon for one reason/excuse or another.

"I just don't have the time."
"Working out is hard."
"Eating healthy is expensive."
"I don't have anyone to push me."
"I don't know what I'm doing."

I could go on and on but I'll spare you.

Look, we all know that this time of year is littered with shiny promises of a better body and all with little to no work involved. We know this is bullshit. There is no easy way to achieve a goal. It takes work. Period.

But even that's not enough. You see, the reason so many people fail is because they have not found a important enough reason to make the achievement of this goal a MUST. 

Let's just dig in to that a bit. How many times have you heard someone say that they really should workout more? Or that they should eat healthier? Does that strike you as being a powerful proclamation? Nope.

"Should's" are weak and provide an out when things get shitty. On the other hand, stating that you MUST workout more, or that you MUST improve your nutrition is a different animal. Stating and truly believing that you MUST accomplish something let's your brain know that it's time to get serious. Mentally, you have just burned the boats and the only way you come out of this endeavor is victorious or dead.

The reason I'm sharing this with you is so that you can go into 2016 with some ammo. Look, I would rather people just not make resolutions if it's going to be a "should" rather than a MUST. I know how bad it sucks to set sights high and then fall short. It's a shitty feeling and one that can often lead to a wicked downward spiral of let-downs.

So, as you contemplate what to shoot for in 2016, ask yourself how bad do you really want it? Is it a weak-ass "should", or do you have enough gusto to make it a MUST?

WHAT'S YOUR WHY? - Carrey

Carrey Bull has been a mainstay at TCS since day one. Her positivity and ridiculous work ethic influence everyone that has the privilege of training with her. To put it simply, Carrey makes TCS a far better place. 

What I really love about Carrey's story is that she truly finds value in the work that we do in the gym because it serves her outside of the gym. The last thing I want is for our athletes to be great worker-outters and then flop when it comes to real life shit. We do this stuff so that you can do the things you do better!

Here's Carrey's WHY:

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GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Every (good) coach will encourage you to set your aim high and strive for the things that you're not quite sure are possible. After all, that's one major aspect of our job. We are here to guide and push you to do things that we know you're capable of - even if you don't.

But, it's also important to keep your expectations realistic. Often times, high-drive individuals look to accomplish remarkable tasks in an even more remarkable time frame. Sometimes it works out and good things happen. Other times, you are met with the cold, hard truth that it's just not going to happen like you thought it would. 

This brings to mind one of my favorite quotes:

"Everybody's got a plan 'til they get punched in the mouth." -- Mike Tyson

It's a tricky line to walk. Staying realistic, but yet shooting for the stars. I don't claim to have the cure-all for this. I'm merely suggesting that you monitor this balance when you find yourself having success, as well as when you are met with disappointment. These two occurrences are simply opportunities to check-in with yourself and ask the big questions. 

Like most topics covered on this blog, it really all just boils down to being conscious to what's going on and then making the appropriate adjustments on fly so that you maintain positive momentum OR slowing negative momentum in an effort to turn the tide.

In either case, consciousness is the key. After that, it's all just work.

JUST A THOUGHT

In my previous post, I ended with a quote I saw recently that really stuck. So, naturally, I felt like it may be worth writing about.

"Being fit isn't about being better than someone else. It's about being better than you used to be."  -  Gym Jones

Often, competition with others gets all the attention. We are a society driven by competition and being the best. This isn't all bad. This drive to be the best gets people to work hard and strive for more. The problems start when this "King of the Hill" mentality becomes the sole purpose behind your efforts. 

One thing everyone needs to realize is that there is always someone better than you...unless you are THE ONE - in which case we all probably know who you are by now. Seeing as how that's probably not your story, if your only goal is to be the best or the fastest.....you've already lost.

The reason I love this quote is because it's simple yet profound and puts shit into perspective for the vast majority of people. Perspective is a beautiful thing if you can pick your head up and take in the big picture. For some, that's a big if.

I encourage you to take a second and really ask yourself what your goals are and whether or not you're going about it the right way.

If so, great! Keep truckin'. 

If not, gain some perspective and see if this simple little thought might help direct you.

Two Roads Diverged In A Yellow Wood

I know, I know. Shit is about to get cliche`.  I promise it won't last long - hang in there with me.

There are always at least two choices a person can make in any situation they're faced with. The difficulty comes in actually seeing all of the options rather than feeling trapped. Again I repeat - There are always choices. 

What's really cool is that people that dose themselves with a bit of adversity on a regular basis are then better able to handle shitty situations when they pop up. They've been training for those times that the shit hits the fan - and they are ready.

It may not always be a physically demanding challenge. Sometimes, it is purely psychological. For example, having to make a difficult decision and being able to keep a cool head while searching out all of the available options might come in handy in life, right? Thought so.

As a coach driven to build physically and mentally strong people, it's my job to dish out dosages of suck. If I don't, I am doing my athletes a disservice and not helping the prepare for adversity. And I don't want that on my conscience. 

This week, our primary dosage of suck was an abbreviated version of "Airdyne to Hell". Some of you out there know what I'm talking about, others haven't had the pleasure.

"Airdyne to Hell"(abbreviated)

• 40 calories AFAP
• 30 calories AFAP
• 20 calories AFAP
• 10 calories AFAP
• Rest = 1:1 

This may not sound like much on paper, but if done correctly, shit gets spiritual. 

Why did we do this? Because it's really, really hard. It's also something that we've never done before. Suffice it to say, it created a ton of adversity for each individual to deal with - both physically and mentally.

When it was all said and done, I was proud of how each individual handled themselves. It was one of those moments that confirmed that these people are tough and can manage themselves better than most. It was a good day!

Be sure to add a little adversity in your life every once in a while. A muscle does not get bigger or stronger if it is not worked. The same is true of your ability to taken on challenging situations. Choose the difficult path. Take the one less traveled by - It will make all the difference.

Tell It Like It Is

Apparently, by deciding to not watch the Super Bowl game I forfeited my right to be one of the first billion people to see this amazing commercial. But while watching the 40th Anniversary of SNL I was able to catch back up.

The point of this post is not the TV shows or what was watched and what wasn't. Rather it's about a great commercial delivering a powerful message(s) that everyone should receive. So, really, I'm just doing my part by sharing this so that maybe a couple others may take this in.

Enjoy and Apply.