Pay Respect
If it wasn’t for gents like Dennis Rogers, Bud Jeffries, Pat Povalitis and Slim the Hammerman then I nor any of these other gents would be doing what we love.
It is dear to my heart to always pay respect to those that have lead the way for me to follow. Unfortunately many of the new breed as I call them have either no manners or just don't care about being respectful to the elders that have been there done that long before most of us were even born.
I see this a lot in the MMA world, boxing and even the Old-time Strongman world. Instead of being great representatives of our mentors/teachers many supposed Gents have nothing but big mouths and carry themselves like clowns. This is really sad and not only makes the person acting this way look like a tool but it also makes their mentor look bad as well.
There seems to be a growing trend that the more idiotic and brash you act the more notice you will get. I see guys all the time running their mouth, with every other word being a cuss word, grown men acting like a big bunch of babies and men that don't have a clue how to be a gentleman and use a little tact when they speak.
Make it stand out
What happened to building our character to be a stronger man? A stronger man is not just someone that is physically powerful. A strongman is a person that pays honor to those that started their craft long before we got involved. Paying respect to those that lead the way is being a good student, opening your ears and shutting your mouth when an elder of the game speaks is paying your respect to that person.
Asking questions of these elders is a great way for you to gain wisdom and improve your game or art.
Walking around with your attitude on your sleeve and an ego the size of a city is not the way, if anything you will draw unwanted attention to yourself that in the long run will only hurt your career. Talking bad in public about a legend on forums and other media outlets only shows your insecurity and lack of respect to the men that started it all.
If you know it all, then why is it when you come face to face with one of the greats, the first thing you do is get in line to get an autograph and a picture taken with the very man you spoke badly about?
Where did all your intensity and bravado go?
Did you suddenly have a change of heart?
If it wasn't for those that lead the way I would not be able to live my dream (performing and running my gym) and do what I love. Many of us in my field would never have thought about bending horseshoes, spikes, rolling frying pans, tearing books and decks of cards or levering hammers.
The way we learned about these things was from the legends that became successful and passed their knowledge down to those that wanted to learn.
If you are a goal setter and break one of the Legends records in your given field by all means be proud and celebrate but I suggest you be a man of honor and tact and pay respect to the men that inspired you to try it out in the first place.
Machine out.
The Fats!
Before I get started, I’m not politically correct nor do I have any desire to be.
With that said onward we go:
Today is Sunday and while on my way to my gym to get "Physically Fed" I noticed all the people headed to the Church house. After seeing so many with beautiful, clean and shiny vehicles it made me have an epiphany:
In a religious context if our body is the temple of God’s spirit, then why are so many of these people not giving him a healthy temple?
For gosh sake many of these people had a hard time waddling their butts into the church let alone be able to look at their feet to see where they're going.
Many resembled a bowling pin, the Mcdonald's character Grimace or a bag of milk.
Now don't go getting your panties in a wad most of these same church goers are the first to judge everyone so I am only falling in line with their ideology.
One thing that drives me insane is to see a grotesquely, overweight Pastor preaching the gospel. One thing that is often not preached about is obesity or as it is stated in the Bible: Gluttony.
I believe it is not preached because the church is afraid it will offend many of it’s followers. Look around the next time your at Church and see for yourself how many “fat” people there are attending.
Many church numbers would drop after a Sunday if the pastor preached about gluttony. What is usually served at the after services meal?
doughnuts
pastries
fried chicken
potluck dinners full of carbs/fried food
pies
cakes
pop
No wonder Obesity has become an epidemic.
Christians often say “What would Jesus do”
I have a question, Was Jesus obese? Could Jesus see his feet? The answer is Yes!
Jesus was lean and a worker.
Men are supposed to be leaders and provide security for their loved ones and if a Pastor of their church is obese then how are they supposed to have faith that he can lead them when he obviously can’t control himself at the dinner table.
That is a lack of discipline.
Answer me this: How are Christians supposed to feel secure in their pastor when he is sweating profusely, huffing & puffing, gasping for breath, red faced and looking like he is about to pass out?
If we are supposed to be spiritually fed, what happened to being Physically fed?
Isn’t gluttony one of the 7 deadly sins? I thought it was.
Why can’t churches implement a healthier lifestyle into their services?
Preach on the importance of eating like Daniel. The first chapter of Daniel talks about Daniel challenging some men to eat like the king with rich food. Daniel and a few others chose to eat veggies (I'd skip the veg/and eat MEAT). Daniel and those that followed looked healthier than the ones eating like the king.
By doing this Daniel was honoring God with his body.
Churches can serve meals with less carbs, junk food in moderation, increase their water intake, ban pop, put an exercise room in the church, go for walks, etc….
One Pastor out of California has dropped 60 lbs by following the Daniel Plan.
His name is Pastor Rick Warren and he has implemented many of what I mentioned above.
As the leader of his church many of his congregation has followed his lead.
I believe if it starts at the top then the others will follow. One thing I learned in the USMC is that there can only be 1 leader.
If more churches practiced this plan we would have a much healthier society.
I’m sure this will offend many while others will be in agreement with me.
Either way the good book states that gluttony is one of the 7 deadly sins and in my opinion more churches should take heed to what is written, start to take better care of themselves and stop waddling around like the Walking Dead.
God cares about all facets of our life both spiritual and physical.
If this is true then wouldn’t Jesus want us to treat our body as a Temple?
So I ask you what would Jesus do?
Own the Day
The Machine
How to Gain Weight Part 2
I get a ton of emails on how to gain weight.
It is really not that hard. The main thing you have to do is to take in more calories than you are burning off.
Simple as that.
Want it even simpler?
EAT!!!
When I write back to these emails and ask for a detailed list of what the person is eating, my jaw drops!
They are eating like a bodybuilder, here is my advice:
Unless you are a competitive bodybuilder, stay out of the muscle comics. While some bodybuilding websites provide some good information you have to know that the routines listed are written by a ghost writer and not the bodybuilder’s real workout.
Second these guys are on so much drugs it is amazing they are still alive.
Leave it alone.
Also understand that you will put on some fat when on a weight gain program. This is normal.
If weight is what your after then some is going to be fat.
This is life.
Gain Mass Eating suggestions:
To gain weight, I mean muscular weight is really not that difficult. You always hear about so-called hard gainers who say they eat all the time but never pack on the pounds they’re looking for. You must consume all lot of calories. That is number one.
Number two – Do not worry so much about trying to stay lean. You cannot have both; I don’t care what anyone says. Unless you’re using drug enhanced crap, then to gain weight you have to have extra fat in your diet.
This does not mean go out & eat all sorts of junk food.
However in moderation some junk food is okay. I am all for taking the weight gain or protein shakes with your meals. Preferably three shakes a day mixed with yogurt, ice cream and fruit. The shakes will give you more calories to help in your strength and muscle building training you’ll be doing.
Foods that should make up the foundation of your program are:
steaks
chicken (I like thighs and leg quarters)
ground beef or burgers
eggs
hearty breads but 12 grain, flax/fiber and multi Grain are my top 3,
potatoes (all kinds)
pastas (I prefer wheat pasta) egg noodles,
beef stew (in moderation because of such high sodium content),
peanut butter and jelly or fluff sandwich.
Tuna fish,
cheese,
English muffins (I like honey wheat),
waffles, French toast, pancakes,
sausage, bacon,
whole milk
fruit yogurt,
protein bars, granola bars,
oatmeal,
granola cereal,
cheese omelets,
ice cream (in moderation)
bananas, apples, almonds, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, trail mix, pineapple juice, strawberries and water.
Whole Milk
One of the greatest weight gainers you can consume is whole milk. If you can down a half gallon of milk a day you’ll put weight on I guarantee it. If you could put away a gallon you will really put the weight on.
Now as I said before to gain weight you must consume a bunch of calories and yes, some of your weight gain will be fat. This is normal, but if you’re doing a routine in this book the new muscle gained will surpass your fat gain. This means that your muscle to fat ratio will be in the positive instead of the negative.
When I came out of the Marine Corps I weighed 189 lbs. I wanted to get as big and strong as I could. So it started drinking as much whole milk as my body could handle. My weight, over the course of about a year-and-a-half, went all way up to 241 lbs. All my friends thought I was on steroids. I worked full-time at a concrete plant and lifted hard 3 times per week. I did not do any normal cardio per say.
I would do high-rep sets of SQUATS-PULLOVERS-DUMBBELL SWING and DEADLIFT.
Let me tell you, after you deadlift 405 lbs. for 25 reps that is a whole different type of cardio.
The only problem I have with drinking that much milk was during the summertime doing concrete work your body is thirsting for water because of how bad you're sweating. It’s hard to keep a gallon of milk cold during the summer months while on-site so I started making a 16 oz shake two times per day.
I took it once in the morning with my breakfast and in the evening with my dinner. This little plan worked like a charm and a continued to make gains. Remember the whole purpose of consuming all this food is to feed your muscles.
The type of training you get from these routines is very taxing to your body. The human body is like a car, if it does not have the proper fuel then it will not run. So your body will welcome all the extra calories to help repair your muscles after a heavy training session.
I am not a nutritionist, I can give you the guidelines that worked for me.
If you put the right intensity into your training and eat as I prescribe then you should reap the benefits of being super strong and on your way to becoming a Machine.
Own the day.
Machine
Like what you see then please be sure to share it with others!
How to gain weight?
I get frustrated because if people would just do a little searching the information is right there in front of them. When I got out of the Marine Corps the internet wasn’t even around yet!
I came out weighing 180 lbs and wanted so badly to reach 200 lbs. I asked all the big freaks in the gym how they gained weight, trained, ate etc….I got off my butt and asked.
Today all you have to do is type in your question on the computer and BAM! you have a bunch of answers.
There are many good websites to browse through that have tons of good information.
I was told many years ago, 1995 to be exact that if you want to gain beef then eat beef. It’s very simple really, eat a lot more calories than you are burning off and you will gain weight.
When I listen to what the young guys are trying to do to gain weight and get strong it blows my mind. Most of them are eating and training like a Bodybuilder. Counting calories, grams, carbs etc….Look I never did any of that and neither did the big fellas that taught me.
All I did was 3 simple things:
1. Eat, Eat and Eat
2. Lifted as heavy as I could in the 4-6 rep range.
3. I did no cardio and made sure I took plenty of rest days in between my workouts. I trained 3 days per week.
My DIET was the following:
Breakfast: 4 waffles, 4 whole eggs scrambled, and big protein shake.
Snack: 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a granola bar and a piece of fruit or yogurt.
Lunch: was Pasta, tomato sauce and some chicken or beef mixed in with it. * a perfect weight gain meal.
Snack: similar to the 9 am snack but mostly fruit or nuts.
Train at 5 pm.
Dinner: Chicken or Steak, either Potato, I love red potatoes or pasta, very rarely did I eat fish. I just couldn’t afford it back then, maybe a whole chicken, Chicken pot pie the whole thing, bread was always included in my meal.
Snack would be ice cream or popcorn.
Guess what? I gained weight. My biggest weight was 240 lbs. I had a little extra flab but not much. If you do it my way and don’t go dirty taking some juice; steroids then you will gain a bit of fat along with your muscle. This is normal.
I had 27″ thighs, 34″ waist, 18″ arms, 20″ neck, my bench was 345 lbs, my squat was 550 lbs, deadlift was 650 lbs, and I was never injured. I believe when you have some extra fat on your body it actually helps cushion your tendons and joints. I never had any problems.
I started having problems when I became to lean and still pushed my body to the limit while not losing any strength.
If you want beef then stop eating like a bird and eat like a bear. If you want to look like a wall of steel then eat, eat and eat some more. Stop eating like you are in a pre-contest phase for a bodybuilding show.
Step up and lift something heavy!
Time to go eat.
Own your day.
Machine
The Machine Neck-Ism’s
The Machine Neck-Ism’s
These were started by Matt Jhbjbkj, Bud Jeffries and Ben Bergman. I think they are hilarious and I’m deeply humbled. I hope you get as much cheer out of them as I am. If you have any to add just send them to me in the comments section or an email.
It is said that long ago an incredibly attractive female vampire bit Mike’s neck…as a result ALL vampire’s fangs fell out…that is why they now only exist on TV.
Chuck Norris actually grew his beard to hide his neck from Mike’s neck.
It is a little known fact that if you put Mike in a choke hold it actually cuts off YOUR oxygen.
Mike has accidentally killed three people by turning his neck too fast…shot the buttons off his shirt collar at such velocity it went thru all three at the same time.
Mike’s neck is so powerful the state of Kentucky buys extra power from it on weekends.
When Mike flies he’s required to buy two seats…one for him and one for his neck
Mike’s neck actually has it’s own social security number and pays it’s own taxes.
If Mike was made into a sculpture, the artist would have to take more rest on the neck than the rest of him
In the fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk” the giant stalk the boy Jack was actually climbing was Mike’s neck.
Mike isn’t allowed in a movie theater because he’d have most of the audience telling him to move his head.
There’s no harness that really hold Mike’s neck, the moment he puts it on it breaks, Mike needs to invent one just to keep it from breaking.
That story about Rapunzel, her hair is not long enough, the prince would have to climb Mike’s neck to reach the tower lol.
People who sell neck ties speak of Mike in hushed, reverent tones…often holding secret meetings on how to fit his neck.
I don’t know how mike survived in the Marines, he must’ve needed special stealth training because his neck stood out more than his comrads.
Thor’s hammer would break if it hit mike’s neck.
In pro wrestling, nobody would be able to chokeslam Mike, his neck would break their hand just by touching it.
I once heard that when Mike was wrestling his neck had it’s own pinning combinations.S
Surprised you’re choking, your neck can hold a whole warehouse lol
Construction workers called Mike because their cranes broke, they needed his neck to take out the building.
Matt Jhbjbkj says: Legend has it that behind Mike’s neck… is another neck.
Once Mike was on a ship that sank…..7 passengers rafted his neck to safety onshore.
Superman’s cape won’t fit on Mike’s neck…and it refuses to try because it feels inferior.
Mr. T’s signature gold chain mega set was melted down to make a single chain to fit Mike’s neck….it still wasn’t enough.
Mike once went to the jedi academy, they wouldn’t give him a lightsaber, he just lit up his neck and he was instantly ranked a jedi knight. No sith could take him
I think you are not able to smile because the girth of your traps is pulling all your facial muscles downward. :)
Mike’s neck HAS to be that big to hold up his ego!
Chuck Norris once kicked mike in the head, he couldn’t walk for a week.
If Mike got sued and went to court, his neck would have it’s own lawyer.
Mike’s neck has it’s own Monopoly board game
That old tale of “Who Done it” could never put mike in it, his neck is the key suspect.
In Hollywood, Mike’s neck makes more money then the rest of him.
They should’ve remade The Jungle Book because if Mike came to Mowgli’s rescue against Shear Kahn, that tiger’s claws would be torn off just from trying to slash mike’s neck.
Mike wins a bet and a bookie would have to pay interest because mike’s neck placed a bigger side-bet
Mike’s neck is so big and strong it needs its own workout journal.
Mike’s neck is so big it looks like a 3rd leg
When asked why mike built his neck so big he answered: So I will never look down again, with a neck this big I can only look up”
Mike built his neck up so he can support his ears