You can’t or you won’t which is it?????
For a better part of my life I have been told I can’t. Seems like every chapter in my life their presents an obstacle that I hear, “You can’t.” Let me take you back 33 years. When I was born I had a few complications. I was born with dislocated hips and club feet. Basically I was awkwardly growing in my mother’s stomach. The dislocated hips were an easy fix. They pinned them which gave me very limited flexibility. Having club feet was the tricky one. The problem was my feet kept turning in. I began having surgeries weeks after I was born. Unfortunately, the doctors didn’t think I would be able to walk without some form of assistance.
For the first two years of my life I spent basically in a body casts, as the doctors performed corrective surgeries. Once the doctors took the casts off I didn’t know any better other than to try and walk. Over time I figured it out and there was no stopping me. For the better part of my adolescent years I had to wear corrective braces. After 18 surgeries they figured the braces will have to do the rest of the work.
Going into Junior High I had to have one last surgery. This is when my legs really started to cramp my style. At this point in my life I didn’t want to wear shorts because I was the only one that had leg braces. And let me tell ya these things didn’t just blend in. I also had to go to a different middle school than the rest of my friends because I was going to be in a wheel chair for part of the year. And I needed a school that had zero stairs. So I attended a school that I didn’t know any one and I was different. I was a little out of my element. To top it off I was also not allowed to do Physical Education. I had to take weight training. Now here is my first couple of exposures to lifting. First I am around 6 years old or so. Not for sure. But I saw WWE wrestling and Hulk Hogan said, if you want to look like, him workout. I saw a short clip of him working out. The light bulb breaks in my head and I go straight to the fridge. I open it up and pull out a gallon of milk. I empty the gallon of milk into the sink. Why? I am not sure. But then I filled it up with water. I am sure at some point I must have thought water weighed more than milk… Common sense right. So I am in the back yard with a gallon of water working out. My mom storms out and yells at me for pouring out the milk. Ok, second negative exposure to lifting. I was at my father’s house. Now my dad had a bench press set up in his garage. I am maybe 10 years old. I ask my dad if I can try the bench press. He said, “No not right now.” He walked away and into the house. I took it upon myself to try to bench. Of course I got stapled to the bench with the bar on top of me. I tried everything I could to get from underneath the bar. Finally, I had to yell for help. Now I am unsure what the statue of limitations are for child beatings so I will just leave the rest of the story out. So here I am with no positive exposures to working out and I am being forced to take a weight training class.
First day in class I kind of just watched everyone and what they were doing. There was basically a Lat pull down, triceps pushdown rack, smith bench press, and a leg press machine with a dip bar behind it. The instructor was a fat bald know it all coach. A friend of mine dared to see how much I could bench. Of course I am not super bright I laid down and started to bench pretty close to my max with no warm up no work up sets. Just go heavy. I did way more than anyone else. I only did like 225 lbs or something similar.
The teacher pulled me aside after class and said I don’t want to see you do anything like that again. You are not impressive and you will never bench more than me. (He only benched 315 lbs on a smith machine for one.) Now back than that was impressive to me, now it is not. The teacher went on to say that I need to follow the program and not worry about my max bench.....
Later that day I told my Mom what had happened. I told her I was mad that someone said I can’t do something I know I can do. She told me the most valuable thing I needed to hear. PROVE HIM WRONG.
Throughout the year I worked as hard as I could. I had no idea what I was doing but I worked my tail off. Towards the end of the year I was easily benching 225 lbs for 10 and thought it was time to try 315 lbs. I waited until the teacher was distracted loaded the smith machine and a buddy standing by and pressed it. Fuck ya I did it. The teacher came over because several students began to make a big deal about it. The teacher asked me did you do that. I said, "Yes." He asked me to do it again in disbelief. I cranked out another rep. Eat that you fat P.O.S is what I was thinking but didn’t say. He said good job and walked away. I knew that I defeated him.
Going through 8th grade and starting high school I lifted all the time. And I love it. And to this day I think just before a big lift someone there at the gym doesn’t think I can do this and that is what helps push me to get better.
My first year of high school I was still wearing braces. And it really started to bother me. One day while riding the bus to school I took off my braces and placed them into my back pack and later into my locker. Walking around felt really weird. But I wasn’t wearing them anymore. For a while this went on. Until the day I forgot to bring them home. Of course my mom noticed right away and freaked out. After consulting a doctor the conclusion was to continue to not use the braces until there was pain, or I had trouble walking. During this time I was playing basketball and everything was going great.
Since then I was addicted to lifting and training. What I learned from this is, I am glad that this happened early in my life. I think a lot of people hear, “You can’t do that.” And they settle. As a baby I didn't know any better. When I began to walk I didn’t know the doctors told me I couldn't walk. I figured it out. When the doctors said, you can’t run. I never went to play basketball and thought I am only going to walk. I ran. I never let someone tell me what I can and cannot do. DO not settle for what someone else thinks of your abilities. 10 times out of 10 they will be wrong. If you dig deep down and want something bad enough you will get it done.