"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

  These past few weeks have been amazing! Training is all about rhythm, and I have been in one!  There are times when training goes great, and there are times when it feels like you aren't even moving. The key is to never let your mind get out of it.  Besides a time when you are physically injured, is there ever a time you can actually remember where you worked out and felt bad about it?  When it comes down to it, it's not all about the abs and arms. For me personally, it is all about the mental aspect of it all.  Even if I go out for a 15 minute run,  for those 15 minutes nothing else is on my mind but listening to my body and the way it is responding to the pace of my feet hitting the ground.  In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am an advertising major at The University of Alabama, and with today's mini soapbox, I thought I would share two of my favorite ads with you all! 

"Nothing is the same after you run."

  This morning we were supposed to film some video...we got up a little too early for mother nature.  It was too dark to film, and my roommate had to go to class. Have no fear! We will work on this tomorrow. This doesn't mean I didn't get my workout in for the day! So, here is today's workout!

Workout-
5x20-Squats with sand bag and weighted vest
5x20- Walking lunges with sand bag and weighted vest
5x10- 36inch box jump
10x15- push ups with weight vest
5x20- toe touches with log
5x20- ab rotation with log
5x10- hanging leg raises
15x30 second wind sprints

Diet-
Breakfast-2 eggs and oatmeal squares with fruit. (I hate oatmeal, but I am addicted to these.)
Snack-Protein shake (1 scoop protein, 1 cup almond milk), Handful of frozen blueberries
Lunch-Hamburger Helper...before the "unhealthy" comments come out, I am a college student and sometimes you do what you have to do. I did use the whole wheat with low fat milk and ground turkey instead of beef.  I try and make substitutions whenever I can.
Snack- PB& banana on wheat
Dinner- 1 can of tuna with mixed greens

Thank you guys for reading! I hope you have been enjoying it, and continue to read! If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Long time!

Hey guys, sorry about the break!  I was going to write yesterday, but the internet was out at the house, and it's a pain to try and type one of these things on my phone.  It was a hectic weekend! Training got pushed to the back with work and one of my best friends getting married.  I hit it pretty hard yesterday and today, and it felt great!  I was going crazy waiting to get back out and run. 
  Before I get into today's workout, I was going to give you all a little info that I had been questioned about.  The main thing I have been asked about it footwear...The thing I prefer to run the races in, are my New Balance Minimus Trails.  I do not like this year's model, so I am trying out some Merrel True Gloves.  They seem pretty decent so far, but I am still leaning towards my Minimus.  The second thing is the type of protein I use.  I use Muscle Pharm Combat Powder. It is only 120 calories with 23 grams of protein and 4 carbs.  It is a little pricey, but I have just become used to it.  Leave some comments, and let me know what you guys use!
 Now, on to the workout!  I missed my logs this morning, so I reacquainted myself with them! This workout was quick, but a killer on the upper body.

Workout-
Start at 20 and work your way down with super sets.
20x overhead/chest press with biggest log you can manage then immediately drop into 
20x push ups
Rest 15-20 seconds
19x overhead/chest press with biggest log you can manage then immediately drop into 
19x push ups
18....you get the picture!
*Change up the push up variation each set!

I also took the pup out for a little jog and played a little frisbee. Like I said before, just get outside and have fun!

Diet-

Breakfast- Oatmeal squares with almond milk and sliced banana. Protein shake
Snack- Peanut butter and banana on wheat
Lunch- Tuna with black beans and rice
Snack- Turkey sandwich
Dinner- Grilled lamb gyro with fruit

Thanks for reading guys! Feel free to ask any questions you have for me!  Tomorrow, me and my roommate are going to film one of our workouts and hopefully that video will be up soon!

Relax!

  Alright ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the late post, but today was pretty busy with work and what not. The title for today is relax for a reason.  Today was my off day, and I want to share a philosophy with you all.  I read an article in Men's Health once, that really put things into perspective for me. The guy explained that he did not have an eight pack. He had a four pack and a six pack in the fridge.  He then said that he believed you should enjoy life and not nitpick at every aspect of your life.  Have your beer every once in a while and let loose.  Even if you look at actor/actress interviews, they say they decrease their load when not working on a role because it is too stressful to deal with on a normal basis.  You can enjoy a cheeseburger and beer and still live a very healthy lifestyle. The key is moderation! I went out tonight, and I had a few beers and some southwest egg rolls...it was great.  What is the point to having this amazing body and looking great if you are not enjoying the small things in life along the way?  Don't waste your life worrying about the number of abs you have.  Drink that beer and eat that burger guys! You know what you do next? Get up and work your butt off the next day! Just don't make a habit of it.  When you live like this, you don't feel guilty when you have nights like this.  You can enjoy them and know that tomorrow is a new day, and I will work this off and more!
  Now that I am off my soap box, here is the workout...I said it was my off day, but that doesn't mean I am not active!
  Thanks for reading guys, and I hope I am helping a few of you out there!
Workout-
30 minutes- Yoga
10 minutes- easy jog

Get dirty today!

  Alright guys, time for day two!  So, my motivation for today comes from one of my major influences in life...Will Smith! I know some of you may be saying, "Yeah right, the Fresh Prince is your motivation?". Well, I highly recommend doing a little digging into Mr. Smith.  One of my favorite quotes by him is "The two keys to life are running and reading.".  Running, because when you can learn to defeat the little voice inside that is telling you to stop because you're hurting then that is when you realize you can do anything you want. You realize that you are the only thing stopping yourself.  Reading, because people have been writing books for thousands of years and there is no problem that you have that someone else has not had and written about it.  Will also speaks of his "sickening work ethic".  He states that he is not afraid to die on a treadmill.  I do this statement no justice...Check out the link at the bottom of the page and see for yourself! I have a feeling he will influence you in the same way if you are reading this blog.
  So, now let's talk about the workout! Today, we are getting dirty...This is a blog about "mud runs", so why should we only get dirty during the race??

Workout-
50- one arm log throws(25 per arm) This is very similar to a shot put motion.
5x- Grab the biggest log that you can possibly hold with each hand, and carry it until failure. The more odd shape the better! We want to get that grip and forearm strength up!
5x- Overhead log carry until failure
200- push ups- 50 standard, 50 military, 50 wide, 50 decline
*Time to get dirty*  100 yards- get under that "barbed wire"! If you aren't covered in dirt at the end, then you were not low enough!
100 yards- bear crawl
2 minutes- Bear crawl, crab walk, side crawl, just move! Focus on staying on all fours, butt low, core tight! Stay up and moving around for two minutes! Don't touch the ground! This is supposed to be fun, and you will get some funny looks if you're in public, but who cares? Exaggerate your movements, and learn to control your body.
10x- 30 second hill sprints (The Spartan had the 100 yard barbed wire crawl...Barbarian has hills! Be ready...learn from my mistakes last year!

Logs used for today's workout!

Diet-
Breakfast- protein smoothie( same as previous day)
Snack- Handful of almonds and glass of chocolate milk(Chocolate milk is an awesome recovery drink!)
Lunch- Grilled chicken and leftover veggies from night before
Snack/post workout- Protein shake and banana
Dinner- Grilled salmon and veggies

Hope you enjoyed today's entry guys! Thanks for reading!

*Video* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfWGoLj1JCM

Barbarian living

  Hey guys, being the first post, I am just going to give you a little introduction and give you an idea of what you can expect from the blog in the future.  As many of my friends know, I am currently training for multiple obstacle races, with the closest one being the Barbarian Challenge.  I am currently doing promotional work for the challenge, which I am sure you have seen if you are friends with me on Facebook.  I got into these races when I realized I was missing something in my life.  I have been competing since I was 4 years old and started playing baseball. I started track in the 7th grade and fell in love.  There is something really spiritual about running.  I stopped running after high school, and I will be the first to say that I despised practice...I hated it.  Racing on the other hand, will always have a place in my heart.  I miss it to this day.  As time went by, I began to gain respect for running, and realized to appreciate it for what it really is.  After I started running again, the craving for racing crept back into my mind.  I needed to compete, and there was The Barbarian Challenge.  It was nothing I had ever seen before, and I decided to give it a try.  It was the most fun, challenging, motivational thing I had ever accomplished!  Running through the woods, crawling through the mud, falling in the river...it was all such a great experience that I had to do another.  Then the monster of an addiction was born.
   There is something so pure about it all.  Guys and girls, you may not realize it, but you want to get down and dirty.  It is in our DNA!  That first race changed my outlook, and I know that might sound crazy, but it's true.  You truly get back to your roots when you do this.  It changed my life for the better.
   This finally brings me to the title of the blog...A barbarian life.  I learned so much about my body that day!  I was 225 pounds that day.  I wasn't fat by any means, but I was big and bulky. Inefficient, in other words.  I realized that I could bench press and do curls all day, but my body was not being utilized the proper way.  I stopped using weights and started working with nature.  Currently I am 195 and hoping to get to 185-190 mark to be the most efficient combination of speed and strength possible. 
  So, now that you know the back story I can get to the good stuff.  I will try and give my daily workout and diet for those who need an idea of how to train for these new races.  I will also try and throw in some of the things that motivate me each day.
  My whole process is based on being outside! Get outside and enjoy the weather, whatever it may be. If it is hot, embrace the heat from the sun, and if it is cold, experience how crisp the air is.  Have you ever noticed how you can feel the air when you breathe during the cold?
  Today's workout-

50- 36in "box jumps" (My front porch)
100- Walking push ups (As much as I don't typically like using weights anymore really, I will occasionally use a weight vest for a little extra resistance.)
100- Walking lunges with 70 pound sand bag
50- Squats with sandbag
20- over head keg toss with pieces of tree

Log carry until failure- I found a log that I could manage to lift while using a good bit of effort and jogged until I could no longer hold the log.

15 minute run with 50 pull ups on anything I could manage to find. Today it was a tree in the park. (Doing this helps with grip! You need all the grip training you can get for these muddy runs!)

Stretch!

Diet-

Breakfast- Protein smoothie- 1 scoop protein, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp peanut butter.

Snack- Turkey sandwich on wheat

Lunch- Grilled chicken, sweet potato, vegetables

Snack- Protein shake and 1 tbsp peanut butter

Dinner- 1 can tuna and mixed greens

**Note- I drink a minimum of 1 gallon of water a day.

Sorry this one was so lengthy guys! I promise the future posts will be more precise and to the point. I hope you enjoyed and will continue to read in the future. Thanks for reading guys!