ROCKLOCKRIDGE’S BLOG

I WAS CHATTING WITH SOMEONE THE OTHER DAY AND HE ASKED ME A QUESTION I WASN’T SURE I WANTED TO ANSWER.

"SO YOU TELL OTHERS WHAT THEY COULD OR SHOULD THINK BEFORE THEY HIT THE GYM.  YOU FIND WAYS FOR THEM TO BE INSPIRED.  WHAT IS IT THAT INSPIRES YOU?  WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU HIT THE GYM?  AS YOU LACE UP THOSE SHOES, TIGHTEN UP THAT BELT, AND TAKE THAT LAST GLANCE IN THE MIRROR, WHAT TURNS YOU INTO A LIFTING MANIAC?"

I WAS UNSURE ABOUT ANSWERING THAT QUESTION BECAUSE ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME PERSONALLY LIKE ACTIONFIGURE73 OR DEMON_LAVAR KNOWS I CAN BE PRETTY TWISTED.  THOUGHTS GO THROUGH MY HEAD THAT TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST, PROBABLY SHOULDN’T. IT MIGHT MAKE SOME OF YOU CONCERNED.  BUT YOU KNOW WHAT…I’LL SHARE.  WHY NOT?

I GO BACK TO WHEN I WAS A KID, 17 TO BE EXACT.  MY GRANDMOTHER HAD JUST PASSED AWAY AND I WAS SILENTLY MOURNING HER DEATH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEPS AT SCHOOL.  I SHOULD HAVE STAYED HOME, BUT SHE WOULD HAVE TOLD ME TO GO, SO I WENT.

AT THE TOP OF THE STEPS WERE THE CAFETERIA.  THE WINDOWS WERE BIG ENOUGH THAT KIDS COULD BASICALLY STEP OUT IF THEY WANTED.  THREE OR FOUR OF THE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WERE PICKING ON ME AND THEY KNEW THAT MY GRANDMOTHER PASSED.  I WAS JUST SO DRAINED EMOTIONALLY THAT I JUST SAT AT THOSE STEPS AND TOOK IT.  I CRIED AND THEY LAUGHED.  I NEVER FELT SO WEAK IN MY LIFE.  I VOWED AFTER THAT DAY THAT I WOULD NEVER BE THAT WEAK AGAIN.

SO IF I DON’T GO OUT THERE, IF I DON’T GO IN THAT WEIGHT ROOM AND DO WHAT I NEED TO DO, I AM TAKING A STEP BACK TO THAT WEAK KID THAT WOULDN’T DEFEND HIMSELF.  I HAVE TO GO OUT THERE AND GET STRAIGHT UP VIOLENT WITH THE IRON.  I NEED TO LIFT WITH AN INTENSITY THAT MAKES YOUR BLOOD CURL.  I NEED TO GET STRONGER BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.  I MUST GO DO WHAT NO ONE ELSE HAS GOT THE BALLS TO DO BECAUSE I AM NOT AS BLESSED OR AS GIFTED AS OTHER PEOPLE ARE.  WITH EACH POUND I LIFT, WITH EVERY INCH FURTHER I MOVE THAT WEIGHT, I AM A LITTLE STRONGER.  I WILL NEVER BE AS STRONG AS MY GRANDMOTHER, BUT BY GOD I WILL GET AS CLOSE AS I CAN.

I DON’T JUST WANT THIS, I NEED THIS.  THIS IS WHAT MAKES ME TICK.  THIS IS WHAT KEEPS ME SANE.  I HAVE A FEVER AND THE ONLY FIX IS GOING OUT THERE DAY IN AND DAY OUT AND MAKING THE IRON SING THAT BEAUTIFUL SONG OF TORTURE AND PAIN.  WITH EVERY CLANG OF THE PLATES AND EVERY BANG OF THE DUMBBELLS DROPPING, I AM MORE POWERFUL. I AM BETTER THAN THAT WEAK TEENAGER.  I LOOK IN THAT MIRROR AND I SEE UP INTO THAT WINDOW AGAIN.  IT PISSES ME OFF AND I HAVE TO GO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.  LIFTING AND MAKING MYSELF STRONGER IS THAT SOMETHING.  THIS ISN’T JUST BODYBUILDING TO ME…THIS IS THERAPY.  THIS IS COUNSELING.  THE IRON IS MY SHRINK AND I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT EVERY DAY THAT I HAVE TO MEET OR I WILL GO NUTS.  THIS IS THAT IMPORTANT TO ME.  THIS IS A PART OF ME.   WHEN THOSE THOUGHTS GO THROUGH MY HEAD, I KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE BECAUSE NO ONE IS GOING TO DO THIS FOR ME.  THIS IS MY PAIN, MY RESPONSIBILITY, AND MY PLEASURE ALL ROLLED INTO ONE.  I CAN’T BE STOPPED AT THIS POINT, I WILL WALK THROUGH WALLS OF FIRE TO GET INTO THAT WEIGHT ROOM.  I WILL SWIM THE DAMN ATLANTIC TO TRAIN.  I AM A FAILURE IF I DON’T.  AND AFTER IT IS OVER, IT IS ANOTHER SWEET VICTORY FOR ROCK AND ANOTHER STEP FURTHER AWAY FROM THAT TEENAGER.  IT IS ANOTHER DAY THAT I AM STRONGER THAN THOSE PATHETIC FOOTBALL PLAYERS.  I AM STRONGER AND WILL FOREVER BE STRONGER.
ROCK ON AND ROCK STRONG.

Rock

SO I GOT AN EMAIL TODAY SUGGESTING I START A BODYGROUP OF SOME TYPE.  MAYBE SOME MOTIVATIONAL BODYGROUP.  THOUGHTS?

Rock

The question I get asked more than any other lately is “Why am I such interested in working out?”  What could possess me to go to a gym, pick up or move around some inanimate objects for about an hour or so and then go home?  Why am I so passionate about lifting weights or exercising in general?  I felt the need to try to write out an answer to this question because I was having difficulty putting my thoughts in words.  Some of you or maybe all of you might have trouble understanding my answer.  You might feel more or less passionate about this than I do, but here is what this whole bodybuilding/fitness thing means to me.

When I first started, I had no self-confidence at all.  None.  I hated everything about myself.  I hated the way I looked, acted, thought, felt, etc.  I could go on and on all day.  I did not say a single word to anyone for the first six weeks of my junior year of high school because I didn’t think anything I said was meaningful.  I was picked on, laughed at, by almost everyone, and those that didn’t just didn’t talk to me.

My senior year of high school, I thought about trying to take up weight training.  The coach said that I was too small and would hurt myself.  I decided that I would go another way.  There was this health club about one mile away from where I lived and decided that I would see what was happening there.  For the first time in a long time, people were friendly to me, offered to help me.  The trainer there ditched me, but the members themselves were friendly.  Without knowing anything about me or even seeing me before, they accepted me.  Anything that positive was something I needed at that point in my life.  I jumped in head first and never looked back.

After starting out with it, everything else in my life started improving.  For the first time in ages, I looked in the mirror and kind of liked what I saw.  Anyone who has ever lacked self-confidence knows how valuable that is.

Today going to the gym has different meanings to me.  It is my inner peace within all the lifting rage.  It is my therapist, guidance, manager in the midst of a chaotic life.  It is a never ending challenge that I can always meet.  It is a never ending battle that I can’t lose.  It is my best friend when no one else is around.  The clanging of the iron is a harmony no orchestra can perform.

Most importantly, I can do the same in this sport that was done for me.  I can pass on that acceptance and hope that I got as a teenager.  I might not be all jacked up and ripped like others, I may not be able to bench 500 for reps, but I can improve someone else’s life in bodybuilding.  That is a power that is stronger than anything.  That is cool.

Rock on and Rock strong.

Rock

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN INSANE FOR ME.  I APPRECIATE ALL THE SUPPORT I HAVE GOTTEN FROM EMAILS AND COMMENTS FROM YOU GUYS THIS WEEK.  I ALSO APPRECIATE THE NON SUPPORTING MAIL I HAVE GOTTEN TOO.  THEY ONLY PROVE I MADE IT TO THE BIG TIME.  LOL.

TO CLEAR A COUPLE OF THINGS UP, I KNOW I AIN’T AS RIPPED AS I SHOULD BE, BUT CONSIDERING WHERE I CAME FROM AND WHAT I HAVE HAD TO OVERCOME, I AM PROUD OF WHAT I DO HAVE GOING FOR ME.  I ALSO HAVE NEVER HAD A PROFESSIONAL PHOTO SHOOT IN MY LIFE.  ALL THE PICS YOU SEE ARE WITH A HOME CAMERA.  NOT BAD AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK IS SIMPLY THIS.  SOMEONE WHO WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT IN THIS FIELD HAS MADE IT.  I HAVE DEFIED EVERYTHING THERE IS TO DEFY.  GENETICS, ILLNESSES, DOCTORS, HATERS, DEPRESSION, INJURIES, I CAN GO ON AND ON.  I HAVE BEATEN IT ALL AND HERE I AM A WRITER AND CONTRIBUTER TO THE BIGGEST FITNESS WEBSITE IN THE WORLD.  I DOUBT THAT I AM FAMOUS, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT BET YOUR ASS THAT I AM PROUD AND GRATEFUL TO THOSE THAT HAVE SUPPORTED ME FROM THE BEGINNING.

I ALSO PROVED THAT IF YOU WANT IT, YOU CAN GO GET IT.  YOU CAN MEET THE HIGHEST GOALS YOU CAN SET, YOU CAN DO WHAT THE OTHERS SAY IS IMPOSSIBLE, AND NOTHING CAN STOP YOU IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH.

I DON’T HAVE A TITLE, I DON’T HAVE A RING OR A BELT, BUT DAMMIT, I AM A CHAMPION.  WE ARE ALL CHAMPIONS.  YOU GET UP, YOU BUST YOUR ASS, AND YOU GO IN THE NEXT DAY AND BUST YOUR ASS HARDER, YOU ARE A CHAMPION.  NEVER LET ANYONE ELSE TELL YOU DIFFERENT.    NOW YOU GO DO WHAT YOU AREN’T SUPPOSED TO DO, BE A CHAMPION.

ROCK ON AND ROCK STRONG!

Rock

I GOT A SUGGESTION THAT I AM GOING TO GIVE A TRY.  DEPENDING ON THE RESPONSE, I MIGHT DO THIS.  SUBMIT QUESTIONS THAT YOU WANT ME TO ANSWER AND I WILL USE THEM IN AN UPCOMING BLOG.  TRAINING, MOTIVATION, SPORTS, WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO ANSWER.  MY GOAL IS 10 (SERIOUS) QUESTIONS.  I GET 10 QUESTIONS, AND I WILL DO IT.  LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.  MOTIVATIONAL POST COMES LATER TODAY.

Rock

P.S. THANKS TO KING, I ALREADY HAVE 2.  SO EIGHT MORE IS WHAT I NEED.

IF YOU ARE ON THIS LIST, YOU BETTER GET TO BUSTING YOUR ASSES BECAUSE 1100 PEOPLE NOW ARE WATCHING YOU.

DBLKHULK IS GETTING OUT HIS CHISEL AND LEANING OUT.

CHICANA_PEACH IS GOING TO LIFT HEAVIER AND KICK ASS!

JAYD56 IS GOING TO GET DOWN TO 6%  BODYFAT.

DEMON_LAVAR IS GOING TO BE CUT AND BIG.

FCOGERMAN IS GOING TO BE STRONG, HEALTHY, AND A GOOD BASEBALL PLAYER.

GO DO WHAT YOU DO AND KICK ASS!

BACK WITH A BLOG LATER.

ROCK ON AND ROCK STRONG!

Rock

I ACTUALLY NEVER QUIT, BUT YOU GET THE POINT.  YOU REACH YOUR GOAL, YOUR DREAM, AND YOU CELEBRATE LIKE YOU WON A SUPER BOWL…AND DESERVEDLY SO.  BUT YOU HAVE TO REEL YOURSELF IN AND GET BACK TO WORK.  NOW THAT YOU ARE A SUCCESS, EVERYONE HAS A EYE ON YOU MORE OFTEN, HATERS LOOK TO TEAR YOU DOWN QUICKER THAN YOU GOT UP, AND YOUR STANDARDS FOR YOURSELF ARE NOW GREATER.

TOMORROW IS YOUR FIRST CHANCE TO ACHIEVE YOUR NEW GOALS.  SEE, BODYBUILDING, POWERLIFTING, FITNESS IN GENERAL IS A NEVER ENDING JOURNEY.  YOU JUST LOOK FOR THE NEXT HIGHWAY AND SEE WHERE IT LEADS.  YOU WILL HAVE TO WORK HARDER, THERE WILL BE GREATER ADVERSITY YOU WILL HAVE TO OVERCOME, BUT THAT IS OK.  YOU WILL SUCCEED BECAUSE YOU ARE A SUCCESS ALREADY.  THERE IS ONE THING THAT IS BOTH HARDER AND BETTER THAN ACHIEVING SUCCESS…

STAYING THERE AND KEEPING IT.

ROCK ON AND ROCK STRONG

Rock

My best friend in the world (literally) Ruth is doing a 5k walk for a cystic fibrosis group.  If you are able to, please go to this link and support her as she goes for her goal of $100.  Any and all support/encouragement is appreciated.  I intend to pledge $15 so her actual total is $50.  Even if it is one dollar, that is one dollar closer and they will appreciate it. Thanks for whatever it is you can do.

Rock

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=609668

I TRULY WANT TO WRITE SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL WOULD BE INTERESTED IN.  WHETHER IT BE ABOUT TRAINING, MOTIVATION, OR WHATEVER ELSE YOU LIKE, LET ME KNOW AND I CAN SEE WHAT I CAN DO.  ANY AND ALL ACTUAL IDEAS ARE APPRECIATED.  DO NOT BE AN IDIOT AND COMMENT SOME STUPID IDEA THAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU ARE FUNNY.  I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSES AND WILL HAVE ANOTHER BLOG ENTRY LATER TODAY.  ROCK ON AND ROCK STRONG!

Rock

I ALREADY HAVE HATERS.  I AM HONORED, BUT I AM DELETING THEM AS SOON AS I SEE THEM, SO REALLY…DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME.  IF YOU ARE THAT BIG A LOSER TO HAVE TO GIVE NEGATIVE COMMENTS ON BLOGS ON BODYSPACE, CRAWL OUT OF YOUR MOM’S BASEMENT, WIPE THE VASOLINE OFF YOUR HANDS, AND GET A LIFE.  DON’T RESPOND TO THIS EITHER BECAUSE AS I SAID, I AM DELETING THEM.  USE THE ENERGY MORE POSITIVELY.

Rock