Mr. Aries’s BodyBlog

I’ll keep this blog short.

"I’m not afraid of the man who practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I am afraid of the man who practiced 1 kick 10,000 times." -Bruce Lee

I am a product of repetition. Repetition + consistency + time = discipline. Where does discipline take you? Many many places, my friends. There is nothing magical. I apply the same equation to everything I do. Block by block. It’s how the great pyramids were built, afterall.

You may not like games, but know that there is no winning without playing. No one’s ever claimed anything significant sitting on the sidelines, so step on the court and accept your calling. There is no worthy triumph without adversity. Put something important on the line, be it pride or security, and let it all hang out.

There will be plenty of dark days ahead, but somewhere in the world, the sun always shines. How do you rise up when headed to the rock bottom? That’s easy: stay bouncy.

It’s hard to look forward to anything, if all you do is look back.

That’s the lesson I’m finally learning. Took me a few years, or 27. I used to stay up at night and think back to some of the old forks in the road, times when I had to make a choice. It’s easy to sit around and think, "What if I chose the other path?". Hindsight is 20/20, afterall, and maybe life would be a bit easier now had I gone the other route.

Now I know: it wouldn’t have been better, because that life wouldn’t be mine. I might not have made the right choice, but each and every time, I did make the "right choice for me". Those choices are the reasons why I’m alive and kicking, and blessed. Those choices gave me the fighting chance I have. Regretting those decisions would be like turning my back on the present.. The "present", what a wonderful word. It’s called the present because that’s exactly what it is; a present.

Some people think they can’t live without some things; and others think they can’t live with some things (or themselves). Here’s what I know: you’d be surprised what you can live without; you’d be surprised what you can live with.

Looking back won’t give me the reason why I am here; and I’m clearly here for a reason. I intend to find out my purpose in life, and the only way to do that is to brave the future. 

Tomorrow is chest/legs day. It’ll be better than the last one. Why? because it’s the next one… Simple.

I look in the mirror and I’m never satisfied.. I know I will never be.. I’ve seen the potential, and I know what’s possible. It’s hard to slow down when you know how fast you can go.

Still, a part of me always wonders about the sacrifices I’ve made to stand here where I am. Proud? Yes, very. Regrets? Maybe one or two.

I think in a lot of ways, my time could have, and should have, been better used to improve on other aspects of who I am. Perhaps then, I would be better equipped to make up for the character flaws that plague every man. Being physically imposing hasn’t corrected any weaknesses in my personality; it has only helped sweep them under the rug. The problems are still there; people are just too distracted to notice.

I need to be better, and do it quickly. Friends have shielded me from my flaws; you get cut a lot of slack when people look to you as a role model.

No one is above criticism; I too need to be held accountable. Instead of wanting bigger arms or better arms, I’m going to demand that I become a better person…

Strength of 2 men, but still man. John, you’ve got to be better than this…

Yesterday was just like any other day, except someone dropped the gauntlet on me sometime between waking up and lunch. Apparently, I have 3 weeks to get back in shape… Here I was, enjoying the cold weather fat and happy, and BOOM. 3 weeks… A dieter’s nightmare. Going from fat to lean in 21 days without sacrificing muscle mass, strength levels, AND performance sounds like a good script for Mission Impossible 4.

I could have turned it down. I should have turned it down.. I didn’t turn it down. This is a new challenge, one that’s going to test the self-discipline I’ve built-up over the years. Coincidentally, self-discipline also happens to be the primary source of self-confidence and self-worth for me. A lot at stake here, and I know it.

I guess it’s not so bad. Many people have it much worse. Challenges are blessings in disguise, and to turn my back on opportunities would feel like turning my back on life itself. Why build anything if it never gets tested. How can I be a winner if I never play?

It’s hard to put yourself on the line, especially under the spot light, especially live, in front of thousands. There’s a saying in Chinese that states “feed soldiers for 1000 days, use soldiers for 1 battle”. Years of practice, preparation, and training in darkness have passed while I prayed for the sun.

Here comes the sun.

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I don’t care to be faster than you, because I don’t care how fast you are. I just want to be too fast.

I don’t need to be stronger than you, because I don’t care how strong you are. I plan to be too strong.

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Training has changed me. It taught me I can indeed go against the grain and still stand up and stand tall. Training taught me that dues can and should be paid. Training taught me that dreams, however implausible, are always within reach. Training showed me though perfection is impossible, the journey towards it should never stray. Training taught me that starting at the bottom of the bottom doesn’t exclude the possibility of finishing at the top of the top. In the last 27 years, training has been the catalyst. It is the reason why I’m better today than yesterday. It’s the reason why tomorrow will be better yet. Because of training, hope will never die.

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I’ve gone to the gym when I’m sick. I’ve worked out on 2 hours of sleep. I’ve even trained through injuries. I know damn well that the physical effects of training are greatly diminished, if not outright canceled, when I train under these conditions. I still do it. Progress comes in different forms, and favorable response from my body isn’t the only kind I’m after. Training during times of adversity improves the strength of my mind, because even with the prospect of making no training progress cannot prevent me from pushing through another workout. Training sick, injured, or tired makes training hard and recovery harder, but I end up a better man for it.

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I want to be remembered. I will never be perfect because I’m perfectly human, but I will keep trying to be one step closer. I will continue to evolve. I need to change me so I can change the world. There are a million John Lee’s out there, so it’s a foregone conclusion that I will not be remembered because of the uniqueness of my name. On my death bed decades from now, I need to know that I left the world a better place…………………………………
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People always want to know how I find time to stay in the gym 3 hours straight. I don’t have the time, I make it. I have the same 24 hours as everyone else, I just give up a few more things than what people are usually willing to part with.

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I’ve been doing this at a high level with little break for the last 8 years. People want to know where I find the motivation. Truth is, even if I don’t put another centimeter on my arms, even if I don’t bench press one lb more, even if I don’t look one iota better, I would still do this for the rest of my life. I never demanded success from working out or dieting. Instead, I demand success in life. One more training session means I’ve held onto my discipline for 24 more hours, one more denial of temptations means I’ve denied "the easy way out" one more day.

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I love martial arts. It’s always between me and the bag. As soon as I see Everlast, I smile from ear to ear. Everlast huh? It’s time to put your name to the test.

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Leg days bring special meaning to "frustration"… I think I may even wake up mad on leg days.. It’s been 6 months since I’ve hurt them, and STILL they come up short of 100% healed. I’ve never said a word, it makes no sense to cry over spilt milk. Even if the world knew, what happened would not be undone.

90% is all i’ve got today out of my knees. It was cold outside and my knees hurt with the weather. At least they stopped hurting my walking, that is finally a good sign. Today would be the day I attempt some leg exercises. It’s been so long.

I felt funny walking up to an empty squat rack. I think everyone else found it funny too. It must have been a while since a guy squated THE BAR, with no weight on it. A lot of people stopped to look, some had questions… A friend asked me if I was stretching, I laughed.. 20 reps later, I thought my legs were on fire.. I could barely breathe, people seem amused.. Another set of 20, I’m sweating my butt off. At least the knees weren’t burning today.

My legs weren’t the only things hurting, because everytime I breathed hard my pride took a shot in the gut. I didn’t mind though. It’s true I’m back to square one, but having walked the path once already, I know it’s just matter of time. Years ago I would have walked out in disgust. This time I traded my stubborness with newfound maturity.

How many times have you heard the following statement?

 What you hate doing is usually what will help you the most…

I’m guessing a lot. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Now think about how many times this went in one ear and out the other.. More times than you care to remember, right? This is why I believe most people know exactly what will help their progress and blast past their plateaus… It’s evident that "knowing" and "doing" are two different things, because some of the best so-called "experts" obviously forget to follow their own advice.

If you hate running, do it tomorrow. If you hate squats, make it your next workout. If you dread the stair-climber, let it be your next cardio workout. Learn to love the things you hate doing the most. Chances are, avoiding the obvious is exactly what’s holding you back. You’ve exhausted all your likeable options, now deal with reality!

No one likes to get out of their comfort zone. Why would you, it’s safe, it’s secure.. You are good at it, you know exactly what to expect. That 500lb bench press, no matter how impressive, has long become routine. That 10 mile run , no matter how effortless, has long become mundane. We are creatures of habit, and excellence in one area often prevents us from exploring further. Know this today, and venture past that tomorrow.

You will hate it, you will suck at it, you will dread the moment you fail. Maybe you’ll be outlapped by men twice your age, or maybe you’ll be out-lifted by a girl half your experience, but so what? Who are you really competing against, them or the person you were yesterday?

I get the same questions all the time, and it’s time to clarify. Bodybuilding is not difficult, you don’t have to be smart. What you have to be, however, is smart enough to think for yourself. When you do not take the time to experiment, experience, and explore, you are merely attempting to be a clone of someone else’s experiments, experiences, and explorations. If that sounds like fun to you, good luck, keep tearing out those FLEX Magazine articles and plowing away. If you truly want to be a master of your own domain, listen to me right now and lay the ground work out for yourself using your own blueprints. Don’t be a sheep, it takes the fun out of life copying other people’s plans.

Choice is your best friend, don’t treat it like your worst enemy. I swear people are always dumbfounded when they are faced with options. Incline bench or incline barbell bench? Cable crossovers or dumbbell flies? Leg press or hack squats? Which is better? Does it matter? No, not at all. My answer to all these questions is simple: do both. Try one, when you tire of it, try the other. Rotate and revisit, it’s just that simple. No exercise is ABSOLUTE, because every exercise, when done right, serves it’s purpose. Be smart enough to know that everything can be incorporated at different phases of your training.

Eggs or beef? Fish or chicken? Turkey or pork? Who cares? Eat what you want, just make sure it fits in the overall schem of your diet! Everything can be eaten in moderation, and you don’t have to eat "clean" to lose fat.

"John, what’s your routine? What’s your diet?" … What?! Do you think I do exercises that you guys don’t know about? Sorry, I have no such knowledge. My chest is built on presses and flies just like yours, and my legs came from one squat at a time, one lunge at a time, one press at a time, just like yours.. I don’t have any magical exercises, and I don’t use any magical routines.. One rep at a time, one inch at a time, one day at a time.. You want to know the secret? Intensity with consistency plus longevity. That means if you do something intensely enough, with enough consistency, and with enough time passing by without you giving up on said goal, you will succede.

Btw, I don’t have any magical diets either.. I don’t count calories, I don’t avoid food groups, and I don’t avoid fats/carbs/protein/whatever else might exist in food.. I eat fruits in bunches, and I don’t care about fructose. I don’t micromanage, I macromanage with insight gained from years of experience. Trial and error taught me everything I need to know about my body. No scale, no science, no expert can ever hope to be of equal value to my experiences.. Results speak for themselves, and I will take my body’s ACTUAL FEEDBACK over expert opinions any day of the week..

I’m talking in circles, because everything comes down to one thing: learn YOUR body. Stop jumping on this diet and that diet, stop using this exercise routine and that exercise routine.. People ask me what I think of HST, ripptoe, doggcrap, and etc, etc… Guess what, I look at my monitor and go "wtf?"… I don’t know what they are, I trust they are excellent programs.. I have no gripe against any of these camps… I’d just rather live my own life, and be my own guiding star..