Later on tonight, I’ll be meeting up with Mike Rickett, a personal trainer from Colorado who had taught my personal trainer certification class. Mike travels the country and teaches personal trainer certification classes, and when he’s not traveling he’s training athletes at the Olympic training center near his house. Not a bad gig!
I love when Mike comes to town, because I know I’m going to learn something new. Last time he came to town, he took me through an Olympic lifting routine that had me sweating buckets in only 20 minutes. Prior to that day, I had never even considered doing Olympic lifting and couldn’t see myself getting real benefits out of it. However, after that day I did some research and found that most Olympic lifters have incredible verticals and can hit the hell out of a golf ball. As an avid golfer and pick-up bball player, I figured I had been an idiot for years by not doing these lifts. Now, I do Olympic lifting every other week, trying to perfect my technique and increase my strength. I always thought being able to dunk a basketball was something you’re born with – now, I’m closer than ever to having enough vertical to throw it down, and I know if I stick with these lifts I’ll be there soon enough.
Tonight Mike and I will be headed to the gym again, and I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn. Mike’s is my Yoda. Maybe some new lifting styles, some new crazy exercises, or maybe a new way to do an old routine. Whatever it is, I can’t wait to expand my knowledge and then pass along that info to you guys. This whole “fitness” and “health” thing is quite the undertaking, and no matter how much you think you know, there’s always somebody that knows more. I decided long ago that I could never be the guy that knows everything; there simply isn’t enough time in the day. I was an Econ major in college, I don’t have a doctorate in health sciences, and I work a full-time job along with running this site. Instead of trying to be an expert at everything, I’m going to continue to try and improve my life a little bit each day, whether it’s by learning something new related to fitness, eating just a little bit better, or helping somebody else improve their lives. As long as I’ve done one of those things every day, I feel like I’m living my life right. Like a Firefox or Mac OSX update, there are various stages. You don’t jump from 1 to 2. You jump from 1.1.2 to 1.1.3, or 10.5.3 to 10.6.1. Some changes are small, some are monumental. No matter the size of the change, as long as it’s SOMETHING, you’re improving.
- On Monday, I gave up Muscle Milk shakes after drinking three of them a day for 3 years. I’ve switched to creating my own post-workout shake that is made up of fruits, juices, and good calories. I already feel better because I know exactly what I’m putting in my body.
- On Tuesday, I helped a Nerd Fitness reader develop a healthy fitness routine and diet for his body type.
- Yesterday, I finally gave up my Skippy peanut butter (after eating PB sandwiches daily for 20 years, I kid you not). I’ve switched to natural peanut butter which has 80% less sugar, and actually tastes the same.
- Today, I’ll be learning new exercises and routines from Mike.
I challenge you to do the same. Make one switch in your diet, add a new exercise to your routine, do some research on a new technique, or help one of your friends who is looking to change his/her life as well. Always be learning, always improve. Make yourself a better person and make this planet a better place.
One step at a time, level up your life.
-Steve
