How I Lost 75 Pounds and Effortlessly Kept it Off

 5 Simple Rules For Losing and Maintaining Your Weight (relatively) Effortlessly

 

The Early Years…

I spent my childhood in the space between chubby and fat.  Plenty of kids have growth spurts, and times where they look a little chubby, but I was one of those kids who looked chubby at my leanest.  It wasn’t like I was completely sedentary; I never really got into video games, usually could be found outside playing in the neighborhood, and played organized sports beginning at age 5.  Despite the relatively high activity level, I was never lean as a kid.

In middle school I started lifting weights to improve myself on the football field (I was still convinced at this time that I was going to play in the NFL), and sometime in high school I went on my first “diet”.   Also during high school I significantly increased my workout schedule, lifting weights more and more seriously as my high school career went along.  Even competing in powerlifting my senior year!  Despite the increased workout schedule and occasional “dieting”, I was still never someone most people would consider lean.  I ranged from stocky to chubby.  Big-boned if you will...

After high school, when I didn’t have access to a free gym anymore (turns out I didn’t get drafted into the NFL, or even get a college scholarship!), I quit exercising all together.  During my first year of college my weight ballooned up.  The combination of no exercise, a terrible diet, and occasional alcohol made me fat fast!  I went from stocky or chubby, to obese in less than a year!  It didn’t take long for me to get sick of being obese, and I began to right the ship.

During my second year of college I got back in the gym, and started learning about nutrition.  I put myself on a low-calorie/low-fat diet.  Combining that with powerlifting and regular cardio, I lost the weight pretty fast.  In less than a year I went from obese to under 10% body fat, and started competing in powerlifting again.  Along that journey I learned enough about nutrition to be dangerous, and got myself to a place most would call “skinny”, for the first (and only?) time in my life.

Fast Forward 10 Years…

After a myriad of life changes in my late 20’s (career changes, major move, divorce), I fell off the wagon.  Though I had a decent amount of nutrition and exercise knowledge I didn’t eat right or exercise.  I was single for the first time as an adult, and I spent my evenings at happy-hours, instead of at the gym.  Lots of alcohol and bad food combined with very little exercise, it turns out, is a recipe for obesity for a guy like me.  For a period of about 5 years my weight slowly crept up until I was nearing 300 pounds.  As I approached the 300 pound mark I also started to have a bunch of health problems (shocking I know!).  The health problems of a man much older than 30!  I had high blood pressure, acid reflux, sleep apnea, TMJ disorder, and migraines…just to name a few!  Maybe most importantly though, I felt terrible every day!

Here’s what I looked like at my heaviest

In early 2011, I decided it was time to make a change.  Somehow during the fat years, I had met and fallen in love with a girl.  She too was a former athlete who had gotten away from sports and gained weight.  Together we got a gym membership, and I designed us a workout program.  We began exercising and we began eating better too.  By the end of 2011 (9 months later) I had lost about 75 pounds and my girlfriend had lost about 50!  Even better was that we had both seemingly cured our health issues!

Here’s what I looked like in early 2012 after the weight loss

Today I’m a Wiser, Leaner Version of Myself

Some 2.5 years after losing the weight, I’ve added significant muscle to my body and maintained my leanness without much effort.  I want to share with you the lessons I’ve learned in the form of 5 simple rules for losing the weight and keeping it off (relatively) effortlessly.

As I mentioned above, when I lost weight the first time I did it by counting calories and macronutrients.  What I’ve learned over the years however, is that counting calories isn’t sustainable for the large majority of us.  In fact, I’ll take that statement one step farther and say that counting anything (even points!) isn’t sustainable for most.  What is sustainable is eating until you’re full.  What I now understand is that if I eat the right foods, I simply eat until I’m full and I maintain my weight.  That seems pretty simple, right?  Combine that with a few lifestyle rules, and what you end up with is a basic set of rules for sustainable healthy living.  And without further ado...

5 Simple Rules For Losing and Maintaining Your Weight (relatively) Effortlessly

1. Eat Veggies and Protein at Every Meal-

Veggies provide the micronutrients we need for health.  Protein makes us feel full and provides the building blocks for lean muscle.  Every meal should center around lots of veggies, lots of meat, and not much else!

2. Move Every Day

Take the stairs.  Park and walk.  Play with your kids.  Find a way to get movement into your day every day.  30-60 minutes of movement is a minimum!  This doesn’t need to be “exercise” in the sense of increased heart rate or breathing, it just needs to be movement.  If you have a desk job this is even more important!

3. Lift Weights

Building more muscle through strength training has a myriad of benefits, including increased metabolism.  Strength training will help you stay lean, and it will help you age better!  Start lifting some weights today!

4. Sleep More

Are you sleeping more than 8 hours per night?  If not, you should be!  Sleep deprivation has all kinds of terrible effects on our bodies, and if you’re sleep deprived it’s hard to maintain your weight let alone lose weight.  If you want to be lean and healthy, you MUST find a way to sleep more!  That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing, right??

5. Kick Up Your Heels from Time to Time

Love ice cream?  Well, have that ice cream... From time to time.  While we shouldn’t be emotionally attached to any food (I could write an entire article on this topic), I have found that one of the keys to sustainability is eating the foods you love.  If you are eating well the majority of the time, your body can most certainly handle some excess in the form of a treat once in a while.  I recommend making your treats the highest of quality (amazing grass-fed gelato, instead of Dairy Queen), but that’s up to you.  Just don’t be afraid to kick up your heels from time to time.

Well, that’s my story, and 5-simple rules based on what I’ve learned.   Give them a try for yourself, and see how it goes!

Random Friday Thoughts...

It's been a while since I've blogged, but I had some time available today and I wanted to get something out...  Aside from being exceedingly busy lately (I know I always use that excuse!), I have also been short on inspiration.  This week a number of concepts have been on my mind, so I wanted to get them down in the blog before I lost them.  What follows is a quick hit list of small concepts I've been thinking about lately.

• Getting what you're paying for:

  If you're paying a professional for services, make sure you're getting what you're paying for.  I would encourage all of you to educate yourself and own your health, but if you're paying a professional you shouldn't have to do all the work.  This concept came up on two separate occasions for me this week, and I wanted to pass it along to you.  As an example if you're going to a crossfit gym, and yet you're turning to blogs or youtube channels for help, well maybe your gym isn't giving you what you're paying for.  I mean I'm all for you trying to educate yourself and take control of your health and fitness, but if you're paying someone for coaching you should be getting coaching.  This concept would carry over to healthcare professionals, anyone you're paying for nutrition/diet coaching, etc. In my mind whenever we hire a health/fitness professional, we should establish a team-style relationship.  It shouldn't be a dictatorial relationship where the professional just dictates everything you do, but the professional should be providing guidance.  In fact it shouldn't be a one way relationship in either direction!  It should be a back and fourth between you and the professional.  Don't  allow yourself to be taken for a ride, and don't allow yourself to be taken to the cleaners.
  
  Here's a link to the two places this concept came up for me this week in case you're interested in reading/listening to what got me thinking about this. Everyday Paleo Lifestyle and Fitness podcast: http://eplifefit.com/2014/07/01/paleo-lifestyle-and-fitness-podcast-episode-96/ , Breaking Muscle article by Chris Garay: http://breakingmuscle.com/crossfit/6-practical-tips-for-prioritizing-quality-in-crossfit
  

• Following your passion isn't enough:

  I read a great article series this week by one of my favorite fitness pro's (yeah I have a serious man crush!), Eric Cressy.  Eric wrote a 2-part article directed towards aspiring fitness pro's, but I think the first article is applicable to everyone.  The point of the article was that the old advice "follow your passion" isn't really very good advice, because countless people have lost their life savings following their passion.  What I took away from this article what this...  I have often said (specially in the last 1.5 years since persuing fitness as a career) we spend too much of our lives at work to not love what we do, but what I didn't realize until reading this article is that if you've built a career you may be able to leverage that career capital to do the things you love.  As Eric discussed in the article, if you've been in a career path for a while you've developed specialized skills and expertise that can be thought of as career capital.  Even if you don't love your current career, maybe there's a way to leverage that capital to do the things you love.  I'm not saying we shouldn't follow our passion, but we also shouldn't turn our back on capital we've already developed.
  
  Here's a link to Eric's article: http://www.ericcressey.com/career-capital-fitness-industry-1
  

• Stop obsessing with the shiny thing, and try mastering the basics:

  It seems to me that a lot of people have the problem that whenever they get into something, they immediately want to get into the obscure or advanced parts of their new obsession.  I have DEFINITELY been guilty of this many times.  From a health and fitness perspective, I see a lot of folks trying to get far too deep far too fast.  It's easy to look for the newest twist on diet advice, or the fancy advanced exercise or program in the gym.  I know Dan John has many articles on this concept, but I just want to reiterate that those advanced concept are for people who are advanced.  If you're "new" to the health and fitness world (meaning you've only been into it for 2 years or less), then it's a good idea to master the basics instead of chasing these advanced techniques.  These advanced techniques are not only not appropriate for a newbie, they also can potentially hinder your long term progress.
  
  Bottom Line: If you don't have a top shelf back squat, a masterful deadlift, and an excellent overhead press, you don't really need to be taking on more advanced lifts.  Likewise, if you're not locked in on eating meat and veggies at every meal, don't worry about what supplements you could take.
  

• A few simple dietary ideas to live by:

  The last bullet point is a great segue to this one...  I noticed this week that no matter how many books or articles I read or podcasts I listen to,  I rarely hear anything new.  It seems to me that all the "experts" are giving very similar advice.  There are definitely some experts out there doling out advice that is specifically for niche populations that differs from the rest of the advice, but in the spirit of mastering the basics we can ignore that stuff for now.  I've probably said all this before in the blog, but here are some very basic guidelines that seem to be in all of the books, articles, and podcasts...
  
  
  • Eat lean protein and non-starchy veggies at EVERY meal
  • Eat the bulk of your carbs at night
  • Avoid processed foods (industrial seed oils, sugar, grains, and alcohol)
  • Meals should be protien & fat, or protein & carbs...  Avoid eating fat and carbs together
  
  Those are the very basics that I see in nearly every expert's recommendations.  If you haven't implemented these basics, quit worrying about anything more advanced.
  

• Good things often come quick, but GREAT things take some time:

  One last observation today...  I'm going to make an effort to go to the movie theater this weekend, which is a super rare thing for me.  I MAYBE go to the movie theater once a year, but I'm obsessed with this movie Boyhood and I'd like to see it this weekend.  If you haven't heard anything about Boyhood, it's a coming of age story that the director Richard Linklater filmed over the course of 12 years!  A first of it's kind, it's a movie where we can actually see the cast age, and I have a feeling it will be THE MOVIE of 2014.  Now Richard Linklater is no newbie (he's done films such as: Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, and Fast Food Nation), but I have a feeling this will end up being his signature film... His masterpiece if you will...
  
  Often in the health and fitness industry we see the concept that good things can come quick, but great things take time.  For instance it's very common for someone to see immediate weight loss when they start a new fitness regime or diet, but then they stall out.   The new trainee in the gym can often see great results in their initial months of training, but we all know that making an Olympian takes time.
  
  I simply want to encourage you today to be committed to the long-haul and keep the horizon in focus.  Whether your goal is to compete on a national level in a sport, find your own peak of health, or make your life's masterpiece work, it's more than likely going to take some time.  Don't settle for good, instead search for great!  Commit to the process and enjoy the process, but be prepared to follow the process to it's long term conclusion.

Don't Let Yourself Be Watered Down Any Longer!!!

Lately I’ve been wondering when the mediocre became so acceptable…  When was it that our society became so watered down???  Brace yourself, this isn’t going to be my typical blog!

I feel like the older I get the more I want the finer things in life.  While I haven’t lost my tight wad nature (I still can’t stand spending more than $25 for jeans), I have developed a strong appreciation for quality.  There was a time in my life when I was perfectly happy drinking Coors Light, but now I’d rather drink water than a shitty beer.  There was a time in my life when I was perfectly happy drinking Folgers, but now I’d rather have no coffee than Folgers.

I’m bewildered as I see people, even people who can afford better quality, accepting the mediocre.  I look around and I see people accepting mediocre food, mediocre service, mediocre products.  I even see them paying what I would consider high prices for these mediocre items.  I don’t get it!  How did we lose the ability as a society to recognize and seek quality in life?  

I think a parallel phenomena is our society’s obsession with celebrity goings-on and reality TV.  It brings to mind the Eleanor Roosevelt quote:

Now, I have always preferred discussing ideas or events, but I don’t think that’s because I’m a great mind.  I feel like people discussing people has more to do with settling for mediocrity than it does the quality of someone’s mind.  To me, people discussing people is akin to people being alright with drinking Folgers.  Those people have simply settled for mediocrity.  It’s not that they don’t have the capacity to discuss ideas, or that they don’t recognize quality, they’ve simply settled for less.

At times, in various segments of my life, I have settled for mediocrity too!  When I let myself get to nearly 300 pounds I was settling for mediocrity.  When I didn’t work out for nearly 5 years I was settling for mediocrity.

Today, I want to encourage you to rise above the hoards of people settling for mediocrity every day!  You have the capacity to discuss ideas; you have the ability to recognize and demand quality.  Demand quality in your conversations, in your food, in the service that you receive.  Demand quality in yourself!  Do this because you want to live forever, but you might die tomorrow.  I mean, if you die tomorrow, do you really want to go out drinking Coors Light and watching TMZ!?!  

Inside of you lives a great mind; an athlete; a connoisseur of everything!  Let these parts of you flourish, and you can live the life of a king (no matter your budget) and you just may live forever.  After all, there’s not much better for your health than the fellowship of great conversation; the nutrition of quality ingredients; or the enjoyment of loving the life you live!

What if it Doesn't Fit Your Macro's???

Have you heard of the diet If It Fits Your Macro’s (IIFYM)? Well, guest blogger Alex McMahon NTP flips that diet on its’ head.  Alex is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and founder of Evolve Nutritional Therapy.  He has extensive knowledge regarding the interplay of nutrition & health, and, with a background in Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu, he’s prepared to help both everyday people and athletes. Check out Alex’s guest blog below, and then check out his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EvolveNutritionalTherapyLLC 

and his website: evolvenutritionaltherapy.com

I believe for a small population that have serious physique and bodybuilding aspirations, their macros do matter. Because of their exact goals their intake needs to be calculated, timed and measured. For these individuals food falls into the calculated category. For the other 98% of us chasing  smaller athletic goals, weekend warriors or people just trying to get healthier and become the best version of themselves, the focus needs to be put on eating nutrient dense whole foods and not on exact macronutrients. These made up systems and ways to count and measure our food have a way of creating an even greater disconnect between us and our food.  Thereby stressing people out and actually being deleterious to our health. I'm going to share my thoughts on what some of the flaws and ways that counting macronutrients, measuring and weighing food can work against folks.

 

Quality Over Quantity

Many of the macronutrient, measuring and weighing methods of eating don't take into account the quality of the foods, they merely recognize the food as a number. There is far more at play here when considering someone’s long term health. Yes the foods we eat do contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates but they also contain micronutrients (vitamins, minerals), and enzymes (which act as cofactors and catalysts to reactions and mechanisms in the body). Not all calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates are created equal, and just because a food meets a macronutrient requirement does not mean that that food is health promoting or even an optimal food for you as an individual. In many cases these highly processed foods can begin an inflammatory response in the body, and with all the talk of anti inflammatory diets I think we can all assume that avoiding inflammation by eating or not eating certain foods is a good idea.

Macronutrient based diets take the focus away from food quality. If you compare brown rice protein powder to grass fed ground beef, there is no comparison! While they may contain equal amounts of protein, the grass fed ground beef is a better quality food and is far more nutrient dense while being better absorbed by the body as well. A banana will take the cake over jelly beans or gummy worms every day and even though they could contain similar macronutrients. The quality of the food cannot be ignored when long term health and longevity are a consideration. Push the macronutrient numbers off the side of your plate for a minute and take an honest look at the quality of foods that you are consuming. Are the foods I’m consuming highly processed? Are there ingredients I cannot pronounce? Are these foods making me feel energy followed by a crash? (Hint feeling really sleepy after meals should not be typical)

When eating a diet that is micronutrient based the person needs to ask themselves are these foods health-promoting? Are the foods I’m eating rich in nutrients and in their whole form? Are these foods making me feel great AND helping me reach your goals? If you answered yes to these then I applaud your diligence.

Physically Full, Nutritionally Starving and STILL HUNGRY

Satiation, which takes place in our brain, and satiety which takes place in the gut, are two very different

things working in unison to keep us well nourished and to help with overeating. There is interplay between the brain and intestines with hormones being the great communicator between the two. When we have eaten whole, nutrient dense foods the intestines recognize that. Since adequate nourishment has been received (nutrients sufficient to meet the bodies needs), hormones signal to the brain that "I am satisfied and well nourished" which in turn decreases the desire for more food. This satiety signal that originates in the intestines, and signals to the brain, is based on the actual nutrition in your food, so it is very hard to trick this signal. Because of bio-individuality, some people digest slowly and some digest faster. This is where the brain and satiation can aid in the process of putting the fork down before overeating…sometimes. With satiation we recognize through the texture, smell and sight of a food, along with perceived caloric density, how full a food will make us (or when we should stop eating). In perception lies the problem! Satiation is an estimate while satiety is a measurement.

Now let’s compare a nutrient dense whole food with a highly processed food that meets your macros. In nutrient dense corner we have the grass fed steak and in the highly processed meets your macros corner we have the Powerbar. When eating the grass fed steak you have a complete protein and fat which makes the steak very satiating to the body. As you eat the intestines recognize that they are receiving adequate nutrition and begin to signal the brain to want steak less and less with each bite. The first bite was amazing, the fifth bite was great, but by the fifteenth bite the look, smell and taste are less appealing and your lack of desire for the steak eventually causes you to stop eating. The grass fed steak also requires adequate chewing which allows the necessary time for the gut and brain to coordinate the signal to decrease your desire for the steak. Let’s take a look at how the highly processed, but meets your macros Powerbar stacks up. To begin with the Powerbar is very low in protein (and contains protein which usually comes from poor sources such as soy), is laden with added sugars, has preservatives and strange flavor enhancing ingredients. All of which will only leave you hungry and riding the blood sugar roller coaster! As you eat the Powerbar, it requires less chewing which means you can eat more of it in a shorter time which doesn't allow for the gut and brain to communicate effectively. As the Powerboat hits the intestines it does not contain the nutrients our body is looking for, therefore it lacks satiation and satiety. The signal that we are well nourished is never sent, and the hunger for more food is left on even though we have eaten more than enough calories… So we keep eating.

Stress, Neurosis and Digestion

Cooking with a specific goal in mind such as athletic performance, fat loss or muscle gain while keeping a focus on food quality is a kind of dedication that can help people reach their goals, get connected to the food they eat, and create fun in the kitchen. Counting the macros of every food you make takes the joy and spontaneity out of cooking and only moves your further away from the connection you should have with your food. If you are avoiding going out with friends or social situations because you have become chained to counting macros, blocks or calories this is a sign of neurosis going on that can be very harmful mentally and physically. If the way a person is eating does not leave them feeling mentally, physically and socially healthy then a shift in the paradigm needs to made.

We all know that stress is horrible for us and can have very negative effects on nearly every facet of our life. When stress is associated with foods or stress occurs right before eating, the body will not digest foods properly. When we are in a stressed state the sympathetic nervous system (which is responsible for the fight or flight response) shuts off the ability to digest foods appropriately. Digestion is the breakdown and absorption of foods, and it is how we fuel and nourish our bodies. If our digestion is overburdened and hindered (by stress) the body cannot break down foods effectively, which creates absorption problems and nutrient deficiencies. So, if you are stressing about your macros, blocks or calories before a meal, you are hindering your digestion, making it even more difficult for your body to receive the nutrients it needs to function properly and help you lead a healthy happy life.

A Better Approach

We have covered what is wrong with counting macros, blocks and/or calories, but have yet to talk about a better approach to eating and nourishing our amazing bodies, but that is what this section is for! First and foremost I think nutrition is very individual, there is no one size fits all approach. We all come from different ethnic backgrounds and regions of the world which shapes the foods we will thrive on and do poorly with. Some people feel better using fats as their main source of fuel while others flourish using carbohydrates. Then there are the people who like a mix of fats and carbohydrates to make them feel their best. We all have different daily needs as well. We do know however that there is no person who truly thrives and is most healthy eating highly processed foods. I encourage folks to eat properly prepared nutrient dense whole

foods! These foods come from nature and have not been highly processed and pumped full of chemicals. These highly nutrient dense foods include humanely raised grass fed and pastured animals, pastured eggs, wild caught fish, organic regional vegetables and fruits, starchy tubers, squash, nuts, seeds, coconut products, fats from grass fed animals such as whole raw milk, grass fed butter and cheese ( if dairy is well tolerated), lard, tallow, coconut oil, olives. This is a short list, but I want you all to get the idea. (Hint: you will not find ingredient lists on these foods, and when looking for them in the grocery store you can find them on the perimeter, not the aisles.)

From my perspective, we have lost a large part of our connection to the foods that we consume, and we don't get to experience our food the same way we would if we raised, slaughtered, or grew it ourselves. We have a greater appreciation for things that we have dedicated time and effort to; our food is no different. Taking the quality ingredients that are in season and local and turning them into a meal requires some time and effort, which allows for greater appreciation of that food and what it provides the body. Instead of eating in front off the TV, turn it off and take a second to enjoy the sight and smell of your food while allowing the digestive system to get primed and ready. Chew each bite until it is a complete mush, this time chewing allows for the brain and the gut to communicate the satiety and satiation signals which triggers a person to push the plate away when they have eaten enough. This requires no counting or measurements or stress!  You eat foods that come from nature and are health promoting; the body lets you know when it is nourished and no longer needs any more food; you push the plate away because you are no longer hungry, and laugh about when you used to count and measure your food.

Power(lifting) To The People, Part 2

In Part 1 of this post,  I talked about the personal story of how powerlifting has changed Jackie and myself.  In this post, I want to focus on why I think powerlifting should be at the heart of your training and why I think it can save this weak, obese country.  The lesson that I intend to convey is that everybody should be powerlifting because it’s a great way to lose fat, it’s excellent for injury prevention and general physical preparation, and it will change your entire outlook on life!

So, let’s start with the fat loss piece…  

When you think of a powerlifter, you may envision something like this:

Big Jeff Lewis weighing 540# in this pic!

...or this:

Holley Mangold of olympic and Biggest Loser fame

But powerlifters don’t all look massive and/or obese.  They can look like this as well:

World Champion Dan Green

...or this:

Multiple world record holder Caitlyn Trout

The point here isn’t that there are fat powerlifters or that there are lean powerlifters, but that powerlifting can be a great way to lose fat.  From my perspective (and many others), the best template for fat loss looks like this:

• Strength Training (read: powerlifting)
• Solid diet
• Lots of sleep and walking

As I’ve blogged about before, everyone thinks that you have to do endless cardio to lose fat, but that simply isn’t the case.  Jogging, Spin, Insanity, Zumba, even Crossfit are all inferior to the model outlined above when it comes to fat loss.  

The first reason you and America should be powerlifting is FAT LOSS!

The second reason to try powerlifting is that it does a great job of preparing you for life.  The whole goal of bodybuilding is to create a massive and symmetrical body and that’s what bodybuilding does well.  If that helps you with your everyday life, then maybe bodybuilding is for you.  Olympic weightlifting is very good at improving strength, but it’s especially good at improving athleticism.  If you need strength and athleticism in your daily life, then maybe weightlifting is for you.  Powerlifting, on the other hand, is all about creating the most strength we can create in one body.  Could you use some extra strength in your daily life?  Maybe you’d like to be able to do pick up and carry heavy things while gardening?  Maybe you’d like to be able to open that jar without help?  Maybe you’d like to be able to haul/throw your carry-on in the overhead bin easily on your own? Strength, it turns out, is very useful…

If you’re wondering why I’m only talking about lifting weights and not addressing cardio, please read my blog post on cardio.  I don’t have the time in this blog to address that topic.

Applied correctly, powerlifting is a safe way to create a strong, useful body.  While the ballistics involved in weightlifting make for improved athleticism (compared to powerlifting), they also can be harder to do as we age.  Smart powerlifting should involve mastering technique before adding load and the powerlifts applied this way should lead to very few injuries.  In fact, building some strength and muscle can serve to injury-proof your body.  Developing strength across a full range of motion is in fact one of the best things we can do to decrease our likelihood of injury.  Powerlifting with proper technique + Prehab = Injury Proof!

The third reason why you and all of America should be Powerlifting is that it will make you useful and injury proof!  In short, it will make you…

If the fat loss and usefulness weren’t enough, there’s one more reason everyone should be powerlifting…  Powerlifting offers some fantastic opportunities for mental and spiritual growth.  In Part 1 of this post, I talked a little bit about Jackie’s personal growth since taking up barbell training.  It can be amazing what happens to people as they struggle to add more weight to the barbell.  The barbell will teach you how to believe in yourself.  In fact, as the weight approaches your limits, the lifter is often correct whether they believe they can lift it or they believe they cannot.  In that way, the barbell teaches you to believe in yourself in a way many of us never learned to do.  Likewise, accomplishing things you never thought possible has a fantastic way of changing one’s level of self-confidence.  We saw this in the last blog with Jackie and surfing.  There is no way she ever would have attempted surfing before the barbell entered her life!  Lastly, I think competition is good for average people, but the kind of competition that powerlifting offers is especially good.  Competing as an individual means that there is VERY little chance you will ever be the best in the world.  It also means that when you’re having a bad day there’s no team to rely on.  There is no way to hide from bad days!  For people who suffer from perfectionism, the fact that you will never be the best can be difficult to deal with.  In these individual sports you must learn to compete with yourself, simply trying to be the best version of yourself each day.  This kind of competition does a great job of promoting personal growth and can carry over to many other aspects of our lives.  While I think there are many individual sports you can partake in to get these kind of benefits, I think these benefits combined with the first two points in this blog make powerlifting the best choice.

The last reason why you and America should be Powerlifting is the spiritual and mental growth that occurs as you add more weight to the bar!

The Miss Fits from Lexington Kentucky

A great example of what happens to average people who start to powerlift can be found in an awesome group out of Kentucky called the Missfits.  The Missfits are a group of women who have taken up powerlifting under the tutelage of one of my heros, Jim Laird.  Jim is one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country and his attention to things like breathing, stress management, and sleep make him different from the average powerlifting coach.  The Missfits represent what happens to every-day women who get into the world of competitive powerlifting.  The fantastic stories of personal growth can be found in their awesome blog.  Check them out!

I think crossfit has done a great job of putting the barbell into the hands of many individuals who would have never touched the barbell otherwise.  That’s great, but I think that the typical crossfit template is not the optimal training template for most people.  Instead, I’d like to see a shift towards powerlifting!  Powerlifting can be great for fat loss, can make you strong and injury proof, and it will cause life-changing mental and spiritual growth!  Get a barbell in your hands today and pass the message on.  Let’s start a revolution!!

Power(lifting) To The People, Part 1

When I was 12 years old, in the summer between 6th grade and junior high, I started lifting weights.  Granted, I only lifted weights for about two weeks that summer, but I was pretty sure after those two weeks that I was going to A) be the next NFL superstar, and B) probably break a whole bunch of world records!  Turns out neither of those things happened, but some 22 years later it’s clear that barbells have been woven into the fabric of who I am as a human being.

During that same summer, I attended a football camp at the high school  I would attend some years later (Go Black Tornado!).  I attended camp with my older brother and I was one of the youngest kids in attendance. The camp was awesome for a sports nerd like me because it was hours of football drills and hours of lifting, everyday!  Moving forward in life, I lifted all through junior high, always holding onto the hope that it would help me become a football star.  Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that I was never going to be a football star anywhere, except in my dreams. 

In my freshman year of high school, I became friends with a dorky loaner named Tom.  Tom was a kid from the country who only attended our high school because his mom was a staff member.  Tom and I started hanging out midway through freshman year, and for the rest of high school we were pretty much inseparable.  So, when Tom started getting competitive in powerlifting, I became interested in the sport as well.  Late in my high school career, I decided to compete for the first time.  At that point, my love for the barbell became more than just an affair.  For the first time, I was not just using the barbell to make my other relationship (football) jealous.  Now, I was embracing my love for the barbell and trying to “go steady” with that dirty girl.

After high school, I had two separate time periods in my late teens/twenties when I temporary ended my relationship with the barbell.  Those  where I drifted away from fitness and health were strange times in my life.  Sports have literally been a part of my life since I started T-ball at age 5!  Fitness and health are very much a part of who I am, and during those lapses the worst part wasn’t that I got fat or that I had a myriad of health problems; the worst part was that I had lost a HUGE part of who I was!

Jackie and I at our fattest in 2010

After my most recent break, I returned to fitness and health in early 2011 with my girlfriend Jackie in-tow.  I was miserably unhealthy and closing in on 300 pounds, and although I didn’t know it at the time, deep down I was missing the barbell.  When we got back in the gym to lose weight, we immediately started lifting weights.  For me, this was nothing new, but for Jackie it was about as foreign as learning Mandarin.  While she too had been an athlete her entire life, she had never touched a barbell.  How in the hell in this day and age you can play college basketball and not be on a strength and conditioning program is completely perplexing to me, but that’s what happened for Jackie.  Regardless, we were in weight loss mode at that point, so we did cardio as well, but we spent most of our time lifting weights.  I worked to teach Jackie how to do the three powerlifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift.  We did a lot of other crap, even crossfit in a globo-gym (GASP!), but the heart of our training for weight loss was the barbell.

Now, some 3+ years later, we find ourselves in a very different place in life…  

Nowadays my social calendar looks like this!

In the midst of trying to look good nekkid, I rediscovered my love of the barbell and the powerlifts.  I played around with crossfit, I enjoy olympic lifting, but I was born to do the powerlifts and man do I enjoy that style of training!  I know that powerlifting isn’t nearly as "sexy" as crossfit, or even Olympic weightlifting, but I love it nonetheless.  Right now, I’m training for the 2014 International Powerlifting League Worlds, and that training is pretty damn time-consuming.  Up to 10 hours a week of training on top of a full-time job, part-time coaching duties, and a commitment to sleep and recovery means that my social calendar looks as barren as the Gobi Desert.  There are sacrifices to be made when chasing goals, but the feeling of purpose and gratification is great!


Jackie, on the other hand, found a new outlet for her ultra competitive nature (she’s right now training for her first powerlifting competition in June!) and so much more!  I have seen her grow by leaps and bounds as she struggles to move more weight.  Sure, she’s gone from barely

Jackie used to be deathly afraid of water, yet here she is surfing!

being able to deadlift 100 pounds to doing work sets with 225+ and closing in on her first 300 pound deadlift, but the changes have been much more than physical strength.  Not only is she stronger, fitter (looks good nekkid!), more athletic, but more importantly Jackie has really started to come into her own as a woman these past three years.  I’ve seen it, and I think she’d tell you, that something changed inside her when she began to get physically strong!  


So, that’s the very personal story of two people on very different paths, both finding great things in powerlifting.  In Part 2 of this blog, I’ll focus on why I think powerlifting should be at the heart of your training, and why I think it can save this obese country!