“Hey Steve, we’re going [insert awesome activity that Steve has never tried]! You in?”
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, my answer is a resounding “Hell yeah.”
Two weeks ago, my friend Cash and I were hanging out in Railay, Thailand. Railay is a climbers’ paradise, home to absolutely GORGEOUS cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean. Upon arrival, we explored the tiny town, checked out the rock walls, and decided that climbing would be a great way to spend the afternoon.
Neither of us had ever been outdoor rock climbing before, and I had only been indoor climbing probably a handful of times – five or less.
However, I have been consistently exercising over the past three months despite a hectic travel schedule – I’ve done pull ups on tree branches, bus stop overhangs, kids’ swingsets (as kids are sitting on them), and even part of the roof of a building at the Auckland Airport – so I knew that I would at least be not-awful at it.
Although I had never done this particular activity before, because I had spent the past few years building a solid base level of fitness, I knew I’d be able to hold my own.
For the next three hours, Cash and I took turns making our way up various rock faces overlooking a beautiful beach as the sun set gloriously over the ocean behind us. There were no purple and green handholds to guide us up the wall or numbered system to figure out the correct path to take, just a natural rock wall, our brains, and a rope to keep us safe. By the end of the day, our hands were raw from climbing but we had both reached the top of four increasingly difficult routes – unlike the sunset, the smiles on our faces just wouldn’t fade.
Climbing in Thailand was an experience I’ll never forget. In fact, it was so epic that although it wasn’t on the list previously, I’ve added it to my Epic Quest of Awesome because it was that great.
Prepare for everything, do anything
About a year ago, I was on the phone with my buddy Baker over at ManVsDebt who told me something that I’ll never forget:
“Steve, I talk about personal finance and you talk about fitness, but we’re really in the same industry – we help people remove barriers from their lives that prevent them from doing what they really want.”
Boom – reason #3423 why Baker is the man – he gets it. Although I write about things like push ups, pull ups, eating right, building confidence, The Shawshank Redemption, and great 80’s movies, my real goal with Nerd Fitness is to help you literally level up your life. I can name probably a dozen things that I’ve done on in the past four months on my trip that I probably couldn’t have done successfully without being in good or great shape.
I want to always be able to say “yes” to some exciting adventure without having to worry if my body is up for it.
I run this site because I want to make sure that YOU can say yes to anything and everything that comes your way too.
Life is filled with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and it’s the stories from these experiences that you’ll be telling your grandkids about some day. I want to help you live a life full of as many amazing adventures as possible, and to do that you need to be physically prepared for anything that might come your way!
Now, want to know the best possible way to insure you always get to say yes to these adventures?
Strength training, sucka!
Do you strength train?
If you don’t, I strongly encourage you to start yesterday…but because time travel isn’t feasible (yet), today will have to do. Although you can’t really prepare for every activity in existence, it’s completely possible and plausible for you to get yourself into great shape so that adapting to a new activity is a quick, enjoyable, and awesome experience.
Think of it like skipping the newbie zones in every new video game you play; instead of starting at level 1 with no weapon, you get to start at level 10 with some decent equipment. Yeah it’s not level 50 yet, but you’re already ahead of every other newbie simply because you’re more prepared than they are.
In this nerd’s humble opinion, the absolute best way to prepare for anything and everything is to strength train.
Strength training protects you against injury by putting your body through functional real world movements. Strength training allows you to lose the RIGHT kind of weight, keeping your hard earned muscle and only getting rid of the fat. Strength training will make ANY other activity you do easier and more efficient. Just ask guys like Dawsy, a NF rebel who shaved 2:14 off his 5k time in only six weeks by strength training. If you’re getting older, want to know the best way to stay sharp, active, and young? Strength training!
And you certainly don’t need to join a gym either:
- Do the Angry Bird Workout in your office.
- Do the 20-minute Hotel Room workout in your hotel room (duh).
- Do the Beginner Body Weight Routine in your basement.
Anywhere, everywhere, it doesn’t matter…just do it. Nike was onto something with that slogan.
Updated Photos
Okay, so I didn’t actually pee in the picture above, but it easily would have been the best view I’ve ever had while peeing.
This was taken on Koh Phi Phi in Thailand, a place whose beauty truly needs to be seen to be believed. I spent more days in the country than I had originally planned – hopefully this picture will show you why it was tough to tear myself away. I now understand why so many “digital nomads” move to southern Thailand – it’s dirt cheap, drop-dead gorgeous, and full of really cool stuff to do.
If you’re interested in what I’ve done since Australia, I’ve finally gotten around to uploading my pictures from the past month:
- Singapore
- Cambodia
- Bangkok
- Koh Phi Phi (so pretty)
- Rock Climbing
Try it. You might like it
Back to today’s topic – I’d love to hear a story from you about something new you tried that wouldn’t have been possible had you not been in shape. Or if there’s something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t been able to for whatever reason, how can I help get you to a point where you CAN do it?
Leave a comment with your story!
-Steve Kamb
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Today’s rebel hero: Danielle from Las Vegas, NV!
After taking this picture, Danielle went canoeing down the Colorado River with her glowing Oar of Epicness. At one point along the way Danielle learned that the Hoover Dam broke, so she flew backwards around the earth to reverse time and ultimately saved the world from annihilation.
Unfortunately Superman saw this happen, and decided it was such a good idea that he did the same thing, but went even further back in time, so that it would appear that HE was the first one to do it. At least now you know the real story (or you’re confused as hell). Good times!
Have you ordered your Nerd Fitness shirt yet? Pick one up (only $20 with free shipping anywhere in the world), and send me a photo – you could be the next Rebel Hero!