Jake the Great

Jake the Great

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Jake the Great

Jake the Great

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Deeper Than You Think

Kal Penn is an actor that you might only know from the Harold & Kumar series. Silly, campy and over the top; it was basically Half Baked for the new age. He has done other notables to include Superman Returns.

My favorite character of his was Dr. Lawrence Kutner on the TV series HOUSE. He was smart and brought a lot of wit to the show. Well last week (spoiler for those that didn't see it). They found him dead in his apartment with a gun shot wound to the head, presumably a suicide. They never showed Kal himself, only a lifeless body in a pool of blood with his head turned away. At the end of the show they showed a memorial that led some to speculate that Kal Penn the actor had indeed died prior to the show.

Well of course the internet ran rampant that he was really dead and that's why they didn't show his face..............to he was murdered on the show and both in real life.

Well for all of you out there that are fans of the show here is the REAL skinny (if you dont know already) from Kal Penn.

In short he has accepted a job with the Obama Administration. So no matter how a character is played understand that its just that, a character. As far as civil service goes, it pays pennies on the dollar compared to what he was making on HOUSE so that just shows that passion will trump money in terms of happiness much of the time.

Well played Kal well played.

Here is the video response to his untimely demise:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Project Passat Pt. 2

Easy Install My A$$!!!




For those of you that know me well, you know that I love my cars. One of the reasons that I dig cars as much as I do is because you can make them extensions of you. Plain and simple. From the interior to the exterior no matter what. Seats, steering wheels, dash kits, rims, paint etc. The list goes on and on.

Well I found that some modifications are easier than others. If you go back to some of my blogs last year you will see that I switched out my head lights and taillights. Well about that same time I wasn't really feeling the wood grain (cause I really am not the wood grain type). So I scoured the internet looking for carbon fiber dash kits that were REAL carbon fiber. Real carbon fiber has a deep almost 3D when its flat look to it. Also it isn't cheap.

Well after finding and purchasing my Silver Carbon Fiber interior trim kit and receiving it in the mail I tried a few test fits in the car. Well during the test fitting process I came to realize that the wood was not at all for show. No decals here. These were actual pieces. So I couldn't try and cover the wood with the carbon fiber cause that would look tacky as all get out. So I set out on a quest to find all of the wood grain pieces in my car in all black. Surely they make them right?????

Well here it is a full year and $200 later and I have finally finished. What you are about to see loses EVERYTHING in translation. What it took me to get from Wood to carbon is a story in itself however I will spare you all of that and just post a few pics of the old vs the new look.

I personally love the new look. That's my thing though. Some of you might dig the wood grain (prudes, lol) It was just too common and boring all at the same time. I felt like I was inside of a casket half of the time sitting in rush hour traffic.



Enjoy!

No Pain, No Gain

No Pain, No Gain

There is a certain amount of irony to what I have been going thru for the last 10 weeks or so. Understanding that there are 52 weeks in a year I know that I have a long road ahead of me. I know it’s been a while since I have written a blog and this one will not bring any more clarity to anyone that has been a part of my life since 2009.

The Build-up

This is more for those that for whatever reason I have not been in contact with. As everyone very well knows I love the gym. I love to work out. I love personal competition. So to know that about me you know that after my surgery I was effectively robbed of one of my life’s great pleasures. The Doc told me that it would be rather hard for me because I was into bodybuilding but the truth of his words never really hit home until I woke up in the hospital bandaged up with a sling/brace that would be my personal prison for the next 9 weeks.

The Reckoning

I will say that not being single at the moment that I woke up didn’t suck at all. My wife was right there by my side as I opened my eyes for the first time to realize the true extent of my condition. It took me all of 3 minutes to realize that it would REALLY suck to have to go thru this alone. Having half of your body taken away from you in an instant isn’t something that you could get used to with ease. At first I had very big plans of what I would do to stay in some sort of physical condition. That was ceased when I was told by the Doc that under no circumstances was I to move my arm or let the muscles in my shoulder fire for any reason. For those of you that work out……….this is almost an impossible task. I have spent the better half of 20 years training my muscles to fire. To learn my body to the point that I could focus in and feel like I am working each and every fiber at a singular level. Now I can use them at all?

The Reality

WOW!!! That was my very first sentiment as the pain killers wore off and the scaline block allowed the nerves in my arm to feel once more. The pain was as intense as I have ever felt and I knew at that point that any attempt to try to be Johnny Fitness was out the damn door. All I could focus on for that first week was not to miss the appointment with my pain killers, lol. Having never been put to sleep I didn’t know what to expect. So I came out of it looking and feeling way way bloated. I was told that they stick a tube down your throat to ensure that you stay asleep. Well apparently because of my size they decided to put more gas in me than could come out. For the first 3 days I had hiccups nonstop and had to return to the ER.

At 3 years old hiccups are cute………………..at 30 years old they become violent and painful after about 12 hours or constant jerking of your internal organs. I won’t take you through the long version of that ordeal only to say that I hope it never happens again.

The Substitute

Week one after the surgery I had my follow up with the Doc and with very little convincing he turned my 4 weeks of convalescence leave into 6 weeks. Dr. Dalleyrand is a good dude by all measure as far as being understanding when he realizes that you are a gym rat that will be house bound for 6 weeks.

Like everything else about me I like a good challenge. After about 2 weeks and realizing who my REAL friends, were I started to cheer up. (Nothing like a lil’ old personal tragedy to separate those who REALLY care and those that SAY they care. But later on that….) I decided to focus my energy on something more in a positive direction. I decided to create another division of my company Physical Innovations. I won’t disclose too much right now but those that are in the know are VERY excited about the opportunity to be involved in something that will be very lucrative. As my wheels started to turn and various trips to the book store yielded me unlimited power I began to forget about my deteriorating physical condition. I got smarter on the things that I needed to be successful and it looks to be paying off in spades. Now my obsession is not with the gym and what it can do for me, but what I can do for the gym and other individuals who have the same passions that I have. These are exciting times indeed.

The Support

This is that part that is kind of hard to talk about. It forces me to eat a very large slice of “humble pie”. I am EXTREMELY appreciative for everyone to include those that called daily, those that called occasionally, those that called very little those that called once and those that called none what so ever. I will explain this in depth right now. There is a certain amount of comfort in sharing a laugh with a friend, especially when you are going through a very rough time. I had friends and acquaintances that called me just because they knew that I had surgery. Those that called daily understood that I wasn’t the type that needed daily support but appreciated it never the less. Those that called occasionally wanted to let me know that I was on their mind and I had their support if needed. Those that called very little didn’t want to bother me because they know I don’t like being looked at as a liability. Those that called once wanted me to know what was going on outside of my 6 week bubble and keeping me in the loop. (I really think they coordinated the calls, lol). Those that didn’t call at all during that 9 week period (especially on my Birthday which was beautiful thanks to a very gracious 9 year old host and her helpers) really forced me to look at the nature of my relationship with them and realize the actual level of importance and the value of my friendship to them. Touché’ BTW E-mails count as communication, lol. So those that at least e-mailed are off the hook HA HA.

When someone finally reveals themselves to you, believe what they are SHOWING you and not what they are TELLING you. -Leeola

Somewhere I know Lee is smiling because we talk about this a lot, lol. I will say that I have learned a very valuable life lesson. I guess that the old adage is true that you NEVER stop learning till our dead. I wonder how one would have felt knowing that I had surgery and lived over a thousand miles away but I decided to never answer a text or a phone call and never returned a message? Would they have wondered if I had actually survived? If I had complications? Hummmmmmmmm…………. Food for thought for those of you that DIDN’T seem to care very much even when I was the one doing the calling.

The Finale’

I know that this is going to sound cliché’ however I feel that 2009 will be one of my best years yet despite my physical setbacks. I already have motion back in my arm (even though due to atrophy its 2 inches smaller than my left at this point) and I am expected to make a full recovery sometime this year. I will pick up my son for the summer and we will have a blast (hopefully get some serious road time in) and I will return him to TX feeling like a million bucks. By the time august rolls around I will be in decent condition and well on my road back to the condition I once held and probably even better. My new division should be growing like a weed with no signs of being affected by the so called recession.

Hang on to your hats folks…………………once this train picks up speed, it has ZERO intentions of slowing down until it reaches its destination. TBD

Nine

FWD:

Sometimes you find a picture thats absolutely HILARIOUS so I like to put them right on out there. So feel free to copy this and put it on your cell phone like I did, lol.

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Well obviously the Absolute worst time to come to the Barber Shop is the Saturday before everyone on Planet Earth (or at least most of the Military) have to go back to work. On top of that its Wild Card playoffs and fairweather fans run amuck. Now maybe its just me but I dont know of one single Arizona Cardinals fan thru the year lol. I sure hate that I forgot my BS bag......

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Of course I went home for the holidays. Its always good to be around folks that want nothing more from you than to love and be loved. Of course a few of the friends (more like brothers) I grew up with came by the house so we could sit and talk about how life has changed and how old we feel knowing that a few of us have children that are about to GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL!!! Just for the record nothing on earth makes you feel older than being around when someone was born and watching that person become an adult. Watching my Dudes with their children is a joy and it really makes me laugh because we were Hell Filled growing up lol. Sitting around the table talking about the recession (which America if you didnt know Black folks are VERY adjusted to doing with alot less) I realized that hard times dont last but HARD people do!!! Be blesses in 2009

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Reality Check

In my brief 34 years on this earth I have come to realize a few unrefutable truths.  Things that cant be

debated.  Sometimes it take a ground breaking event to open your eyes to things that are right in

your face and other times it takes the smallest, most diminutive things for you to see the light.

Here are a few of the things that I learned this week:

• No matter how you package it, racism is racism
• Some people are NOT who they say they are
• Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear
• NO ONE can be two places at once (as hard as they may try)
• Some folks would rather be silent than to tell you the truth
• Injuries are a part of life and recovery takes TIME (whether it be mental or physical)
• Everyone does not have your best interest in mind (no matter how much they say they do, they will ALWAYS put themselves and their interest first)
• A leopard cannot and will not change its spots
• Give anyone the right situation (or series of situations) and they will reveal themselves to you in due time
• Grown folks will pout like 5 year olds when things don’t go their way ( I just hope they don’t do it for the next 4 years)
• As Gregory House would say "Everybody Lies"
• I can now tell my son with the utmost sincerity that he can be ANYTHING he wants to be in this world!!!!

This past week has shown me so many things about me and the people that I choose to surround myself with. One thing is for certain………………things MUST change. I have never been one to spare the feelings of others and I figured that most folks would have done the same for me. If you feel a certain way, then say so. If you must take another path then do it. Just let me know so I can get out of the way. Let me know where I stand so I know where to sit.

It's All On You!!!

For a while now I have been pondering this whole election thing. I mean as a young Black male I will be the first to say that these are indeed proud times however we have to have some follow through to make this a reality. One of the things that I found most compelling about Sen. Obama's speech in Colorado was that he spoke in detail about personal accountability. That of course is one of the things that I harp about the most when it comes to OUR people. We are very quick to blame ANYONE………..The Man, The System or The Government. Well I will not be the first one to say it but I will re-iterate that if the Right person does not win the election then it’s on you!

I mean did you vote? If not then for the next 4 years of your life you can’t say a damn thing. You can’t compliant about the situation in your State, The Country or even the world for that matter because you gave up your right when you didn’t cast your vote. One of the things that we have to do first and foremost is to take responsibility for our actions and our situations. Don’t blame the Government for letting violent video games get into your home……………..you bought it!!!

Don’t blame the oil companies for jacking the price of gas up when you continued to by XL SUV's at an alarming rate. They tested the market and realized that as Americans we are too stubborn and vain to let go of status. The higher gas prices got the more we bought gas guzzlers that take $100 that we really cant afford to fill up. However they only care about their bottom line. They are just like any other company and the bottom line is PROFIT! You have to understand that you ARE a part of the process. You affect your surroundings either negative or positive.

So with all that being said what does it actually mean? Well it means that you DO make a difference. Every single decision you make from what you spend your money on to what kind of movies you go see at the box office empowers someone. You dictate where that power base lies. Now it’s time for the BIG ONE. You and you alone can impact what the next 4 years of your life is like. I mean we can all sit and talk about things that really don’t matter like Obama’s Ayers relationship or Joe the un-licensed Plummer. But I would rather talk about a few things that I find to be an issue. Please stop now if you are sensitive to REAL TALK because it’s going to get way too REAL in a few words.

For quite some time now Senator McCain has made numerous references to the inexperience of Sen. Obama. So what does McCain do? He chooses a running mate that has even less experience than his adversary. Brilliant strategy no? Now here is the ugly truth that no one wants to say………………There is a VERY real possibility that she could be the President of the United States in the next 4 years if Sen. McCain wins. John Sidney McCain is 72 years old born in 1936. Now this is where is gets REAL. In 1992 the average median age of death in American men was 73.2 years old for men and 79.7 years old for women. That means that the average age total was 76.4 years old. So if we go by the averages and then factor in the stress of being President of the United States during the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression there is a VERY REAL chance that Sen. John Sidney McCain could die in office and leave us with a very inexperienced President on Sarah Palin. So with that ask yourself does he really have America’s best interest in mind or is he being selfish and trying to establish himself in history as the 44th President of the United States? I mean surely if experience was an issue then he would have went with a more experienced candidate right? Instead he wanted to grab all of most of the disgruntled Hillary Clinton female supporters no matter what the cost to the country. Now don’t get me wrong………….I don’t want to see Sen. McCain die. That’s not my style. I am just stating facts. Also while I am on the subject let me state for the record that I am not a mind reader nor do I have a time machine but I can say with the utmost confidence that back when John McCain was a pilot and was the “Maverick” that he probably would have taken policy with voting for a 72 year old to run the nation. Just chew on that for a while. You don’t have to like the taste just chew, lol.

Now it seems that up until this week there was a serious rift in the culture of Black Republican voters. At odds with whether or not to support the first serious Black candidate or vote with the Republican party and have 4 more years of the same. With Ret. GEN Colin Powell (who is notoriously Republican) giving Sen. Obama his endorsement it became evident that this goes so much deeper than party lines. It’s time for a change and also on a deeper level this is something that we need as a people but more important this is what we need as a country. I have been all over the world and truth being told we are looked down upon for our racial tension. This would actually prove to the world that we have moved forward in our thinking and our actions.

As a people we would now be able to tell ALL of our children that they can be ANYTHING to include the President of the United States of America. How beautiful would that be? But like I stated earlier………………..at this junction November 4th will tell the tale. Whatever happens don’t be the ONE that didn’t vote, the ONE that didn’t believe, and the ONE that didn’t feel that he/she had a voice. Because right now………..IT’S ALL ON YOU!!!


P.S. I was talking to a good friend of mine earlier (Hey Kemah) and she made a statement that I think is the underlying problem with Black voters. Now understand that she was not being negative. She said that we ONLY count for 25% of all the votes out there and if each and every single Black person voted it would ONLY add up to 25%. She was not being negative in any way but was bringing up a very valid point. ALL of our votes count if we have a chance of making a difference. With only being 25% effective alone we don't have the luxury of NOT voting. Black people listen to me. This is NOT a test. We do NOT need to score 100% to win so stop feeling that you are defeated when you hear that we make up 25% of the vote. That is more than significant. We ONLY need 26% of that remaining 75% for the win. So in truth if we do our part we are already half way there. So when you hear that 25% think positive. I feel deep in my heart that more than 26% of the remaining 75% agrees with us.

November 4, 2008 IT’S ALL ON YOU!!!

Bodybuilding IRAQ style by SGT Caleb Pike

I will be the first person to tell you that being a Soldier in todays Army is no easy task. There are stresses that most civilians cannot and would not understand. I have the honor and privdledge of being a Soldier in the United States Army and the actions of my peers never cease to amaze me. SGT Caleb Pike of the 3/2SCR Wolfpack put out an APB on a forum that I frequent from time to time. He was basically asking for any support that he could get and as a Soldier myself I NEVER hesitate to get involved with anything that will bring a deployed Soldier’s morale up a bit.

SGT Pike did a fantastic job of putting together an even and drawing in sponsors from all areas of the fitness and supplement industry. I will list these companies at the bottom of this blog post so that you can visit their websites as well. These companies showed love and support for deployed Soldiers without asking for ANYTHING in return. That alone deserves praise.

Please see the article below to go with the accompanying pictures. I will say no more as SGT Caleb Pike will cover all the hardships that these Soldiers had to endure while deployed and still trying to maintain their health and fitness.

Yours in Fitness & Health,

Aaron "K Nine" Washington

FOB Normandy "Strength of the Pack" Strong Man and Bodybuilding Competition

by SGT Caleb Pike

Did you ever try and compete in a Strongman competition, when it was 120 Degrees? How about compete in a Bodybuilding contest, outdoors during a sand storm? Oh yeah and while you are doing this there are people out there just waiting to Blow you up too. The Men and Women of the 3rd Squadron of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment needed something to take their minds off being far from home and family and these two contest did just that if only for a little while.

The Strongman was a total of five events starting at 0800, 8 A.M. for the non Military types. First event was a Max Bench/Squat/Deadlift. It was already 115 in the shade and the bar was burning hands. That didn’t stop the competitors in the under 200 Lbs. class from putting up some impressive numbers. SGT Peter Jocham hit a 315 that was matched by fellow lifters SGT Jacob Mundt and SSG Victor Brazfield. Later SSG Brazfield narrowly missed a 425 squat when his shorts suffered a blowout while in the low position! In the over 200 class SFC Carlos Valarezo had a 385 bench, 475 Squat and 495 Deadlift, just enough to pull ahead of SGT Joseph Hernandez who had a 522 Deadlift. SGT Ronnie Conley and SPC Daniel Bourguignon both hit an even 500 in the Deadlift. The next event was Military Press, 225 for Max reps. In the under 200 SPC Jeremiah Marcoe did 10 reps but was topped by SGT Jocham at 17 reps. SFC Valarezo did 20 in the larger man class. Next event was the Stryker tire flip, distance was 50 meters. The under 200 winner had a time of 54 seconds. Over 200 flip was won by SGT Hernandez with a time of 46 seconds. Next event was the Stryker Tow Bar carry for distance, sometimes known as the Farmers carry. It had gotten so hot by now the equipment had to be doused with water between each competitor due to the handle being too hot to touch even while wearing gloves. SFC Valarezo and SGT Hernandez continued to keep it interesting with SGT Hernandez carrying just 2 feet farther. SPC Marcoe was making a run at a win in the under 200. Last event was the Jeep Pull for a distance of 35 meters. SGT Mundt in the under 200 kept it interesting with the fastest pull of 17 seconds beating the best smaller man time by one second but the class was ultimately won by SGT Peter Jocham. Second place went to SGT Mundt, SPC Marcoe just slipped in to 3rd and SSG Brazfield took the 4th position in the field. In the over 200 SGT Ronnie Conley blew everyone away with a time of 15 seconds but it was not enough to take the class win. SGT Hernandez had the best effort this day winning the class followed by SFC Valarezo, SGT Conley and SPC Bourguignon. The overall Strongman was won by the over 200 class winner with only a 2 point spread between the class winners.

Now on to the Bodybuilding portion of the event. Earlier in the day there had been a large sand storm that was still whipping around a show time approached. In Iraq travel is restricted during storms so a few competitors missed the show. Soldiers kept asking if the show was going to be postponed. Every Bodybuilder knows….”The Show must go on”. There were two men in the short class SPC Alex Green and SGT Tyrone Palmer. Both men had trained hard for this contest, enduring 120 degree 12 days patrolling the towns and villages in area. SPC Green showed good symmetry and separation, posing with confidence earning him 2nd place. He had done his homework. SGT Palmer won the short class with a natural shape many people work years for to show at contest time. He had etched Abs, good Lats and a pleasing front double bicep. He can go far competing in the future. The tall class had 3 competitors, CPL Bryce Whetzel, SPC Chris Davis and SGT Joshua Wilke. SGT Wilke had gained 30 pounds in the gym during this deployment before cutting for this contest. If there had been a “Best Poser” award given, his routine done to a song from the movie Gladiator would have won it. Good overall development earned him 3rd place. The SPC Davis enjoyed his time on stage and it showed in his presentation, good abs and front double Bicep moved him in to in to 2nd place. CPL Whetzel took top honors in the tall class with good sized quads, stage presence like he had competed before and a nicely balanced physique. Of note there was a challenge issued to the audience to “Come up on stage” if you think you have what it takes. A Pose down ensued between SPC Lueth and SGT Boussard with Boussard taking the “I could do that” class. In the Pose down for the overall SGT Palmer just had too much for CPL Whetzel and earned the win. That wraps up the first and last “Strength of the Pack” Strongman and Bodybuilding contest of Iraq.

Thank you to all the sponsors, Musclemag International, Physical Innovations, BioHazard supplements, APT Prostraps and AXIS Labs. We could not have done it without your support.

Physical Innovations

Axis Labs

MuscleMag International

BioHazard Supplements

APT Pro Straps

Once again I would like to give a shout out to EACH and EVERY Service Member in Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. I would also like to give a shout out to all the Department of Defense Civilians who are currently away from home keeping all of us safe here.

What’s Your Contribution?

I have always been told that if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything. What do you stand for? So I have found myself asking what my contribution to the world is. I mean if you aren't trying to help the world move forward then what good are you? It's all good that you are successful and making good cash but is that it? Life is about so much more than you as the individual……………….whether you know it or not it really is. Your individual success is of no circumstance to the rest of the world. Your level of success should directly reflect and affect those around you. So in short if you successful yet you continue to let others around you struggle WITHOUT providing them with information then you are useless.

Now this does not mean that you are useless if you are indeed providing information and they are just not applying that info to get out of their situation. Don't let ANYONE take advantage of you………EVER! That is a totally different situation. What I am talking about are the self made individuals that want to keep everything to themselves. All the information that they have all the struggles that they went through and all the hardships that they had to endure. SO WHAT!!! Everyone has their thing and personally I don't want to watch someone make the same mistakes that I have made in life. Hell it was painful enough the first time I did it so why would I stand idly by while someone else went through the EXACT same thing?

True successful individuals NEVER hesitate to GIVE. Never hesitate to TEACH. Never hesitate to INFORM. Never hesitate to MOTIVATE. That's what makes a truly successful person. Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett…………….these are truly successful individuals that just happen to be the world's leading philanthropist. They understand that with large amounts of success come the responsibility of leadership. Now I am not saying that you have to have mega dollars or make in excess of six figures in order to consider yourself a success. All you have to do is use applied knowledge and provide guidance to those that might not be as fortunate. It's as simple as watching your co-workers make mistakes and showing them what they are doing wrong. Your skill set could be anything from gardener to Pro-football player. It doesn't matter. Just put forth the effort to make a contribution.

When you die and leave this Earth your success won't be measured by what you had while you were here, it will be measured by what legacy you leave once you are gone.

To Boot or Not To Boot

Now this is as serious as it gets folks! I am one of those guys that really pay attention to how I present myself. (See earlier Blog: Bitch………I Stay Fly to get a greater understanding) Now with that being said I have run into the ultimate dilemma. There are a pair of boots made by Mark Nason that have somehow seemed to etch themselves into my brain. The problem is the price. These will be BY FAR the most expensive pair of boots/shoes that I have ever owned. Now anyone that knows me also knows that I am one of those guys that see something and if I want it I get it. Lately with the downfall of the economy I have began to feel guilty at times for splurging on things that I WANT and don’t really need.

After further self analysis I had to ask myself WHY do I actually NEED these boots. No one cares how much they cost. No one will probably even pay attention to them but DAMN they are quite fly. Sometimes you see something that is just YOU. That is the very expression of you in every single way without having to say a word. That’s what these boots represent. That’s why they caught my eye the way they did and now they have become my obsession. So the overall question is SHOULD I or SHOULDN’T I.

What will be the end result if I don’t get them? Will they haunt me? Will they show up in my dreams? Who knows? Bottom line is that I don’t know if I actually want to find out!

Hamster Fighting Machine

Ok so some times I have a VERY crazy sense of humor. I had to post this though. Please Click on the Image to see it in full size.

The Point of Diminishing Returns

I will be the first one to say that sometimes I am a very overly optimistic person. With that being said I have to ask at what point you say “that’s it”. What is your breaking point? This is an especially difficult ordeal for those of us that feel that we can indeed make a difference no matter what the odds. We are the few that are very good at what we do and cannot accept no for an answer however we also have to be realistic.

With anything worth having in life you will have the issue of Risk vs. Reward. Everything worth having in this world also requires an investment. It can either be an investment of time or money but an investment never the less. Now what you have to do is decide how much of an investment you are willing to put in. I mean I have had a few revelations in the last few months that have made me really take a look at my mortality. I had plans this summer to compete in a few bodybuilding competitions. Well in my quest to be the best I was working wayyyyy too hard between training and my day job and was injured. Now at my age recovering from injuries isn’t anything like it used to be with a few weeks of therapy and I am up back on the horse. I have to determine now if I should cut my losses and take my licks or focus more on training other individuals and live vicariously through them. Do I really need to compete to validate my status as a damn good trainer? That’s the question along with at what point do I know that no matter what I do I will not see the returns on the investment.

The problem is I kinda feel like Brett Favre, where I feel like I still have what it takes. In my mind I just need the time to heal. The other problem is that Bodybuilding is by no means a cheap endeavor either financially, spiritually or emotionally. It takes a serious toll on those around you as well. Everything that you do for that 16-20 week period leading up to the competition date revolves around that ONE day, where you will be on stage for the world to see. Your social life is turned upside down. During competition prep months one can easily spend $700 - $800 a month on food, supplements and training gear. So again I ask the question………….where exactly is the point of diminishing returns? Do I go by how easily it is to get an injury or do I wait till I see myself in a financial funk due to the economy?

I was never raised to be a quitter and I am a very resilient dude. If I fall I get back up. If I am wounded I heal. If I get beat at anything I train harder and come back with a vengeance. This is new territory for me for sure. Not knowing the meaning of the words CAN’T, QUIT, FAIL or DEFEAT can be as much of a curse as it is a blessing and I know that now.

So now I am faced with one of the hardest decisions of my life. I have to seriously evaluate EVERYTHING that has to deal with my livelihood and quality of life. After that I can then tell exactly what is The Point of Diminishing Returns.