tosabarbell

Gant Grimes in Wichita Falls, TX checking the mail (otherwise known as; who needs a truck to pull a boat?)

A while back, I had wrote about the value of strength (reoccurring around here actually.) This particular day, our friend who is a graphic designer and created the tosabarbell (it’s TOE-sa, not TOSS-a) logo asked a very good question. He says, “Why does strength matter? I sit at my desk all day and maybe need to pick up a 50# bag of grass seed on occasion but that’s it. Why do I need to be strong?”

Well sure, there were a few snickers here and there and I quashed that as best as I could. Why? Because this is EXACTLY the demographic that needs to understand why strong counts. It’s easy for me to tell people who are already in the gym that they need to be strong. They get it. They’re doing it. It means something to them. But our pal Mike is the poster child of who really needs this message but rarely hears it and certainly doesn’t understand it.

At the time, I gave him the standard, “Well wouldn’t you rather 50# felt like 5#? Cuz strong does that.” But I’m amending my answer to this:

BECAUSE SOME DAY, YOU MAY NEED TO GRAB YOUR WIFE, AND YOUR KIDS, AND YOUR DOG AND GTFO IN A HURRY AND IF YOU’RE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO DO THAT, ONE OF THEM (OR ALL) WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.

Duh.

For example, some friends down in Wichita Falls, TX are going through a bad time right now. After four years of record droughts, they now have record rainfall and flooding. Can’t catch a break. The picture above is of Gant Grimes from his Facebook getting the mail in his housing development. Ironically enough, the exact same location where we shot a video of him rowing a C2 in the back of a pick-up to showcase that rowing doesn’t have to be boring. It was a fun day. But now the days are serious and these folks are out of their homes while red water and mud and debris and snakes and God knows what else is making residence. Not good.

Gant’s (and many more) shit is under water so he had to get his family safe. And he did. While, I’m sure, being helpful to his neighbors and anyone else who didn’t have the strength to do what needed to be done.

And that, people who don’t think strength is important, is the reason.

ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH TODAY TO GET DONE WHAT NEED BE IF SHIT GOES BAD?

No? Then get to the gym (my gym if you’re in the area) and get to the fridge because muscle doesn’t just happen in the gym. Eating to support strength gains *GAINZ4DAYZ* is equally as important. Because sure, you may be sitting on your computer most days and maybe don’t live where weather can tear your life apart or never ride in a car so won’t get in a wreck or don’t walk out of your house where the big bad world can fuck up your day and you never have to worry about needing to be strong to survive. But then you’d be a cartoon character and they can’t read blogs, soooooooo.

If you’re going to drive your car into four feet of water, please make sure there is a strong firefighter nearby to save your stupid ass.

When the waters do recede, red mud will be left as parting gifts. Send a prayer to Texas if you will, they could use them.

Sending strong thoughts to Gant and his family and all the people of Texas who are affected (and no, having to drive around a flood barricade on the way to Whataburger doesn’t count. If you complain about that on the FB you’re a douche.)

Permanence, perseverance, and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: it is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. 

Thomas Carlyle

When I was very young, our neighbor/baby sitter got married. Her name was Mickey. I thought that was cool. I didn’t know girls could be named Mickey. She also had very long, beautiful brown hair circa 1972 that I got to brush for hours when she baby sat. (When she cut it off, I was mad. I didn’t understand why a girl with such beautiful hair would cut it off. It went against everything I believe in as a young girl whose mom wouldn’t let me grow mine long. I’ve gotten over it.)

I was young enough during the wedding that memories fade in and out. I remember our Northern Minnesota church layout (stealing sugar cubes from the kitchen and eating them whole), I remember at some point keeshing out on some chairs (the pastor must have had a long wedding sermon, heh), and I remember this song.

I don’t remember who sang it. I don’t remember who played piano and if there were guitar also, I just remember this song. I think it made Mickey cry, maybe that’s why it stood out for me. I don’t know. I just knew this was a special song.

One of my guilty pleasures on the boob tube is watching Say Yes To The Dress. It’s a wedding dress show that has fun, funny, moving, self-absorbed bridezillas and fun staff all rolled into one. The funny dynamic between the bride and bride’s mom is usually Lulz but sometimes sad. Mommy wants HER day perfect. Everything foked up about wedding planning all rolled into a 30 minute segment. A reoccurring theme is that little princess has been dreaming of her wedding since she was a little girl. That blows my mind. FoRealz? I dreamt of being an Olympic skier when I was a little girl. Then I dreamt of being a stewardess. Then just basically not living at home. Many things, but not a bride. I had no idea what I wanted for a wedding when the first one came around (big mistake, we tried to please everyone and in the end pleased no one. Lesson learned) but I knew what song I wanted.

John Denver’s Follow Me. And it was perfect. The marriage crumbled quickly but that’s on us, mostly. I whill say, when family brings all of their crappy baggage to a wedding day with as much shitty, jealous, selfish, cruel, and self-absorbed energy and toss bombs of it all at the couple for however many hours it took them to try to solidify a life together, shit’s bound to stick. But the other 98% is on us. Live and learn.

But the music was there. It was John Denver, a bright spot of my childhood. And it was good.

Fast forward to last year. When Matt and I were planning what we wanted to do for a “wedding” (no church, no big dress, no fuss…as much as possible) we knew we wanted to make it a special day (no quick courthouse, well, more on that later) so it wouldn’t get lost in the shuffle of life. Our dear friends spoke about their handfasting and how special it was and we thought, Huh, that sounds like us. So that’s what we did.

So many of our friends and family showered us with amazing blessings and well wishes. The day was perfect and we’re so thankful for the memories. Including the music.

Greg, Malia, and Angel gave us the most beautiful Hawaiian music a girl could ask for. (Yes, we got in Follow Me but later during music that played while we had cocktails and PuuPuu’s.) While almost all music was Hawaiian, I wanted to fit in Edelweiss. The Sound of Music is my favorite film and when Christopher Plummer sang Edelweiss originally, I could feel all of his love for his homeland, his family, and his eventual wife come out in music. I love it. That’s what I wanted us to share on that day. Loving energy.

The day was amazing and though there were a few important characters who couldn’t join us, we knew that their well wishes were in attendance. OH! How to circumvent that pesky “legal” thing that wasn’t present in our Handfasting? Bolt over to the courthouse a few days before and get’r done. I felt kind of bad for the JP, she was trying to make it special. But that’s not our special day…

…this is.

Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.

Martin Luther

RC repair rehab…you’re doing it wrong.

Bigg and I were talking last night about a conversation he had with a co-worker about training so hard. First off, not surprisingly Matt has a lot more patience with folks in these types of conversations. When people want to ask me why I train hard enough to be a bit sore afterwards I want to say, “So I’m not a weak POS like you.” End of conversation. This is why he’s nicer (reason 48,023.)

Some of the questions he’s asked are kind of funny (why do you eat so much? why do you have to “train” after work instead of going out for beers? what’s training, is it the same as working out?) ya know, standard. But yesterday, after talking about various surgery’s and rehab that are common in Professional Strongman (Pro sports really), one interested co-worker asked if he were concerned about possible surgeries looming in his future (knee replacements, hip replacements, and so on.) Of course Matt being Matt, answered in a  patient and logical way.

My reply? I dunno dude, do you worry about all the medical treatment you’ll start to rely on as you age because you’re weak and constantly inflammed due to a shitty diet? Cuz THAT should concern you, not me pushing myself hard in the gym. True story.

But it doesn’t. We live in an age where a small (in the larger scheme of ‘Merika) subset community are willing to push themselves in the gym and sport to be stronger. Or often, Strongest.

Cuz strong people, those who have been in the gym for years and have not only the physical strength to accomplish difficult feats of strength but also have the MENTAL fortitude to push through work when difficult, accept possible risks and will run their numbers to decide if the possible reward is worth it. And if you’re a Pro athlete? It probably is. If not, why compete at all? Spectate. It’s a sport and more beer consumption is usually involved.

We talked about how athletes DO approach injury and rehab. Mainly, how do I get back into the gym as fast as possible to get stronger than before and back to competition? That’s the mindset of an athlete. Even if competing isn’t on the docket, how do I get back into the gym with a barbell in my hands? A 9 month rehab for a rotator cuff repair? W!T!Ffffffff! Wouldn’t you rather be pressing a barbell in four weeks?? Is it a painful rehab? Yup! It’ll hurt but we ain’t got time to bleed and need to get back to training.

Gratuitous picture of Jesse The Bod

For some reason among those who have decided strength isn’t needed in life, all of the doctor’s visits and surgeries needed to “maintain mobility” is accepted. It blows my mind and anyone asking a strength athlete or even someone who has prioritized strength in their life “why” they do it is offended when we say, “Dunno dude, why DON’T you?”  (Ya, I know, my delivery can be a bit harsh.) I have to ask, out of all of the physical therapy going on in America, what percentage are competing athletes (no matter the age and no, beerball doesn’t count. You actually have to have a S&C program) and what percentage is the average American?? The answer would indicate WHO really is at risk for future surgeries. Duh!

When my ex tore up his knee playing basketball with his brother, he went right to the surgeon from the Minnesota Timberwolves and said, “I need to be squatting again and plan on hitting 405 within 6 months. How do we do that?” Surgeon say, ‘okay, here’s how we do it.’ No, “I’m sorry sir, you’re looking at a one year rehab before you can do that.” Had he said that, Dan would have looked elsewhere. True story. We don’t have time for the standard “Joe Public” rehab. Those who live on a pain scale for 3 months and rehab is adjusted as such.

No. No, no, no.

The last time I was at the doctor was March, the time before that? Dunno, four or five years. We ran some tests based on a complaint I had and it turns out that I had an issue, something I’ve chosen not to talk about publicly. Still won’t. Cuz the program is:

1. Jules has a health issue

B. Jules needs to make some adjustments in life and do it now.

III 3 months later Jules is on the road to recovery and feeling better every day.

End of story. My health is everything, strength is a part of that. I will not jeopardize it by not doing EVERY THING I can to ensure it’s optimal. I will push myself in the gym and in the kitchen to make sure I’m the best I can be and if someone dares question me as to why this is so important? Well, I just might answer you. And you won’t like it.

Without health, life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering- an image of death.

Buddah