Who are you?

Life is not always how we want it to be, and its shape needs to be forged around influences we cannot control. I have made mention that I am in Norway awaiting a Visa. I have been hoping for a work visa…no dice. UDI does not recognize personal training as a profession under their strict guidelines. I would need a guarantee of 100% work. Trainers don’t get that when they start, they work for it. Now I am protected from expulsion (or leaving voluntarily) with a family reunification visa. This is wonderful and awful, I can’t work for the six months to a year that it will take to process this Visa (unless the lawyer can push it through faster), but I get to be here with my amazing wife. It is these moments in life that define people. Do I slip into depression and become useless, or do I use this gift of time to build a business and help people. The choice is evident.

I have a plan and I am going to act on it.

Comfort Zones and Public Bathrooms

Anna (My amazing wife) and I went to see ‘Inception’ the other day, It was a great movie, but that is not the point of this post. The point comes out of this observation; I went into the bathroom after the movie and I was amazed at what I saw. There was a line in front of the three stalls and no one at the urinals. Granted Norwegian architects don’t put a lot of stock in “shoulder room”, so the experience is a bit cramped, however a couple of these young (15-19) guys were sort of milling around. They would approach the urinal then turn away, it was as if the thought of completing a normal and necessary biological function had become an epic form of torture. I think they would have been more comfortable if I had told them to stick their hands into a bed of hot coals. I laughed to myself at the time, then I realized; this is terrifying. Boys on the cusp of manhood don’t even have the confidence or comfort to pee in a public restroom, a simple task mastered by seven (at the absolute latest).

What is wrong with our society when men fear peeing in public? Have they become such self-conscious candy asses that this simple task is beyond them. If that action is so scary then what about sticking up for themselves? Picking a goal and striving for it? Asking out a girl?

Comfort zones need to be pushed in order for people to break out of their shells. I can guarantee these guys would benefit from some old school strength training. Pushing their body’s and their minds beyond

Avoid Injury, Don't settle for normal trainers

I am passionate about being the best damn strength coach there is, understandably it pains me deeply when I watch young men come into the gym and attempt to go through training routines that they pulled off from a body building site. Now I have nothing that profound against body building, it’s just not my cup of tea. Volume training is not that useful for young athletes. I get pissed when I see healthy young men (and women) destroying their bodies with improper technique, and poor training plans.

Intro: Don't half ass life

Living in Norway! That is the name of the game. My plan was to move here, get a work visa and then get family reunification (a broader visa). This plan was interrupted by the machinations of a narrow and overworked system. The rigid guidelines that UDI adheres to does not allow me to get a skilled workers visa for personal training. Unless I am a training consultant (which might happen) it is appears to be impossible to get a work visa. Trainers do not have offers of 100% employment; it is something we work towards.

A set back; a rather large one. I hate to be sitting around, not actively working. Instead of falling into myself and bemoaning my fate I am using my time constructively. I read and learn; I am networking with various groups and making friends. I know some really cool power lifters in the Ganddal atlet club. Bullshit strong dudes! They are inspiring to lift with and great to speak to. My workouts have exploded since entering this environment. I have access to heavy weight and strong man equipment. I am deloading this week (more info on my plan later) so my workout went like this;

4 rounds

60kg Atlas Stone lifts 5x (onto a 1.5meter platform)

12 Pullups

45m Hill Sprints 5x

Nothing too crazy but I did fast and aggressively. I used my time and I killed that workout. A couple of my Atlas stone lifts were crap so I redid them. Two of my sprints were slow, the next two weren’t. Don’t half ass anything, you are cheating yourself. Find the good in the negative situations and seize the hell out of the moments that you get.

Work hard, be strong, be healthy