Hulk no like break…

We all know the feeling...

Alright y’all, with there being about a month in between Hulk challenges, I’ve been telling everyone I will be offering classes in between to keep everyone’s fitness palate up to standard! I also want to remind everyone of classes going on here at Anytime Fitness off Santa Rosa ave. so that the options are endless!

March 28th, April 4th, and April 11th (all Wednesdays) I will be bringing back my BOSU class for 3 weeks! This class starts at 6:30pm and will be $15 per class for the hour. The class will have to be a sign up class since I am limited to 12 people only (e-mail me at AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com to sign up!). I also have to give Anytime Fitness members top priority, so if you are NOT a member of the gym but would still like to try it out you can also e-mail me and I will be sure to put you on an alternate list in case Anytime Fitness members don’t fill up all 3 weeks. Due to the limited numbers, once you sign up you are signed up for the cost. I will need 24 hour cancellation if you’re not able to make it. I can’t wait to bring this bad boy back!

April 3rd and April 10th (both Tuesdays) I will be running Tough Mudder style circuit work centered around building total body strength, endurance, flexibility, oxygen utilization, and variant forms of movement. The class will be at 6:30pm both days and cost $10. It is a very high paced workout with very little break time. I encourage those who sign up (E-mail me at AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com. Limit 25 people due to space) to NOT have this workout be the first time you’ve worked out in awhile ;).

April 5th and April 12th (Both Thursdays) I will be running a Hulk style core workout emulating what a regular “Hulk style” core workout would look like. High paced, high volume circuit work with a focus total core utilization (not just crunches). The times will be 6:00pm both days (right before Zumba at 7:10pm!). E-mail me to sign up (AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com). 25 people limit due to space.

Zumba will be on going! Every Monday at 6:40pm and every Thursday at 7:10pm! I personally Zumba MOST Thursdays, and if you need a Hulk like presence at Zumba on Monday, I’d be glad to go (barring conflicting schedule) if it means you’ll go! If you’ve never Zumba’d before… Then get out of your head you’re going to be a laughingstock and ridiculed. It’s a great workout that coincides with the Hulk mentality… Get out of your comfort zone! ZUMBA!

Every Friday morning at 9:30am I will still be doing Tough Mudder training with the exception of the 20th of April (out of town). I will be announcing additional group led style runs/circuit training within the next week!

Anytime Fitness’ own Heather Muysken also has circuit style boot camps available EVERY Monday and Tuesday nights at 5:30pm! The cost is $10 a class, with punch cards being available at the gym. The last two weeks of April TRX group training will be available in the daytime and evening as well!  E-mail Heather at Heatituppt@me.com to find out more information! Click HERE to “like” her Facebook page!

Lastly, Heather is also running a Foam Rolling Seminar on April 15th (Sunday) at 10:30am. Sign up sheet is at the gym. The cost is $10 and the cost is needed to be put down WITH your signature so as to hold your spot (same story as my BOSU class, limited availability so get your spots held!) Also like my BOSU class, top priority goes to Anytime Fitness SR Ave members first. E-mail Heather at Heatituppt@me.com to learn more!

So there you have it… options to keep you busy until Hulk X runs amok and leaves a big green foot print on Sonoma County! Again, e-mail me at AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com if you have any additional questions! I look forward to Hulk smashing with all of you 🙂

Hulk Helping Hearts – Dylan Von Lahr

Dylan Von Lahr (The one on the right)

Alright Hulkamaniacs, here is a chance where we can flex our “helping” muscles. That chance however comes with an unfortunate story

Above, you will see Dylan Von Lahr. If you have not had the pleasure of meeting this young man, then let me tell you a couple things about him. He belongs to Anytime Fitness off Santa Rosa ave. and he is pretty much a staple at our gym. He’s one of the sweetest, caring, loyal, and compassionate people you could ever have the graceful luck of meeting. Working at Anytime Fitness off Santa Rosa Ave, I had the pleasure of seeing him multiple times on a daily basis. Whether on my lunch when I would walk to Trader Joes (where he works) or at the gym listening to him and Alex pump some hardcore death metal through the aerobic room speakers as they work out like champions, I had the pleasure of having many a conversation with him. Whether giving him tips on how to get the results he was looking for at the gym, talking about our beloved 49ers, or shooting the shit at TJ’s, I always enjoy talking with Dylan. He has a brightness and warmth about him that is hard to emulate and even harder to describe. He strikes me as the “give you the shirt off his back” type and I am pretty confident I’m not wrong about that.

About a week and a half ago, Dylan’s light flickered. Details spared, he got in a car accident that has him hanging on literally for dear life. He went in to the ER with a 2% chance of recovery with the hope that he would hang on if taken off life support. Well, I’ve been told he has been taken off life support and is still with us. He’s in a coma, but the word I’m getting is that he’s being the fighter that everyone knows he is.

Where does Hulk come in? Well, we come in with the strength of numbers and power to do good in the community, THAT’S where we come in. Hulk, there are a lot of us. We KNOW we are a force, I want to show it. Trader Joes has done the “heavy lifting” so to speak and created bracelets to sell at $5 a piece with every bit of the proceeds going towards the medical expenses coming from this unfortunate circumstance.

$5. It’s $5. I repeat, only five dollars. I hope to see everyone get a bracelet. Here are the options… Either go to Trader Joes on the corner of Kiwana Springs and Santa Rosa Ave and inquire about buying a bracelet to support Dylan, or give the money to me and I will make big “bracelet runs” whenever I go to Trader Joes. If you’d like to help from afar, e-mail me at AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com and I can set that up. Either way, it is cheap, easily accessible, and helps out a fantastic member of the Santa Rosa community.

Alone we are small, but together we are strong. I have a “benefit Dylan” boot camp I’m thinking of doing (I just need to get in touch with the right people hint hint wink wink if you’re a member of Dylan’s family reading this… E-mail me at AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com). Tye Rivera also has something up his sleeve utilizing his unique guitar making skills in a way that only Tye Rivera could pull off. Rather than summarize what he’s doing, I’ll give you his exact words:

“I am taking a collection for premium materials to make a uke to be auctioned off with 100% of proceeds going to Dylan! I have some material that I have already put work into that will be part of this project. If you are interested in donating to this project let me know. (TyeRivera@Gmail.com) I will be starting a website with pictures showing progress of the instrument to be posted in the next few days. My ultimate hope is to get a local band to play at a local brew co. the night of the auction and gather not only bids for the instrument but donations in Dylans name.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this Hulksters and friends of Hulksters alike. Let’s help out not only such a wonderful human being by the name of Dylan, but his friends and family who can use all the help they can get I’m assuming.

Hulk Helps Hearts. Let’s show everyone just how much…. AhhhOOOOO!!!

– Hulk

Tough Mudder – Temecula Slideshow

I wrote about the journey, and now you can see it:

We are already training for Tahoe (Northstar) going down September 22nd and 23rd of THIS YEAR.

To register for Team Hulk – Tough Mudder CLICK HERE

Saturday‘s team name is HULK and password is hulk2012

Sunday‘s team name is Team Hulk and password is bangerang

To get added to the Team Hulk Tough Mudder Facebook Group CLICK HERE

For more information, E-mail myself (Josh Cox) at AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com

AhhhhOOOOOO!!!

– Hulk

Tough Mudder 2.0 – In My Eyes

You'll see me in the bottom left hand corner then moving towards the right you'll see Justin Zeuiderweg., Kim Yoxall, Ron Kennedy-Klein, and Carlo Piscitello. The man in the center was sending us off to destroy that course!

I’ve been here for a bit now deciding on how to approach talking about this Tough Mudder Temecula experience. It was AMAZING for starters, and there sure was a lot that happened sandwiched in between a 48 hour period. With all of these new memories still getting digested, it’s hard not to do a little cross comparison between Temecula and Tahoe. What makes it especially hard is that’s the biggest question I get when asked about Temecula by those who went to Tahoe but didn’t go to Temecula.

Let me tell you… it was its own separate beast…

The Tough Mudder Pledge has been recited and we are good for take off!

For starters, the last time around in Tahoe we made the drive in good time, got there VERY early, set up shop at The Larsen’s cabin, and rocked some family style dinner before TRYING to get some sleep a midst the nerves and excitement.

THIS time around however, was a different story on MY end. Most everybody got to Temecula on Friday and spent the day on Saturday either participating in the first day of Tough Mudder, spectating, or preparing for their day on Sunday. ME? Well, I had some Hulking out to do… 2 boot camps on Saturday to be exact! Short story shorter, I rocked the 2 boot camps, got a 1pm start time for hitting the road with the Unicorn, and made it in to Temecula around 9:30pm. Just enough time to get a bite to eat and sleep on the floor of Megan Gill’s hotel room (thanks for the floor space guys!) and wake up at 5am to prepare for the massacre about to take place…

PS if you guys want some good stories about what happened on SATURDAY, talk to Cory, Megan, Shaleena, or T-Bones about that one ;).

Some of the toughest women I know! Oh, and Adam... 😉

So 5am rolls around and everyone has that “I’m tired but anxious and excited all at the same time” kind of energy. Rightfully so, considering this thing is no joke! Some breakfast (or attempts from some) and wardrobe preparation later, we are on the road and on our way to Maggie Schuck and Justin Zuiderweg’s campsite where they have a back door entrance straight to VIP parking for the event. It’s all about who you know…

Don't let my smile fool you... those wires felt like Satan peeing on you. Jamie's face is a more realistic impression.

So after some checking in and Hulk hugs we make way towards ground Zero…

Let me tell you, the setup and sign-in process was INFINITELY less stressful than Tahoe. Lines were shorts, the process was efficient, everything was wide out in the open, nobody had any issues with their registration, and it was agonizingly easy to find everybody. Think the exact opposite and that was the sign-in process at Squaw Valley (which many of us agreed is probably a big reason why it’s not returning to that specific location).

Had to stop and take a picture with 2 of the Toughest mudderfuc... Aw, you get it 😉

Once everybody has been grabbed and tagged, we get wind that they are calling for the 8am start timers. That’s us! We make sure we have everybody and make our way to the start line… Where the NEXT difference between Norcal and Socal rears it’s beautiful face. BEFORE you start, you had to climb an 8ft wall to just simply get into the START PIT. Right away I’m thinkin’ “Awesome, a challenge before the challenge… I LOVE THIS!”

In Hulk fashion, we hurdle it like it was a speedbump and resonate in the energy bouncing off the metaphorical walls as the realization sets in that we’re really going to do this thing… Being the first group to go for the day, the energy is EXTRA special. The seal was yet to be broken, and that was where we came in… As the master of ceremonies starts to gather the Mudders and get everyone so geared up their faces hurt, that’s when us Hulksters found it PRIME to show everyone the chant…

I can proudly say that even though we had quite a few less people in Squaw, the chant was JUST as loud as in September. Hulksters really know how to make that “AhhhOOOOO!!!!!” reverberate!

They stayed like that for 5 full minutes until the marines got creeped out and kicked them off...

I do want to mention that the master of ceremonies was hilarious. He was also spot on with his motivation. He made it a very precise point to emphasize that the team work and camaraderie were THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of doing Tough Mudder. Shoot, we are HULK! That’s what we came for! He also made a very precise point to name a lot of the injuries he’s seen over the years that didn’t sit well seeing as how we’re tryin’ to get geared up, not tear up because we feared up! Regardless, the message was loud and clear… You WILL get hurt if you don’t respect the course and play it smart. Message: received.

I wish they caught the OTHER log I carried with that one! 100% not joking 🙂

Finally, after a series of “HOO-RAHs!” we were good to GO! The beginning, as excited and amped as you are, is hard to let loose because it’s so packed. I also forgot about the orange smoke canisters that make your lungs feel like you’re breathing in napalm (I might be exaggerating…).

All I can think of is Resevoir Dogs... WE ARE HULK!

Right away, exactly what I love about Tough Mudder got shoved right in our faces. The Berlin Walls. It’s not the walls themselves that I love about Tough Mudder, it’s what those walls represent. Fear.

I’ve always felt that a good leader in a situation like this doesn’t take up the front, but secures the rear. No man left behind. Fears, physical limitations, apprehensiveness… I’ve got you. The caboose is my home. What I LOVE about that is seeing fears get conquered. Realizations made. “I can’t!” turning into “I did…” To see timid voices transform into “WOOOOOO!!!!” when the reality hits that your worst fear has turned into one of your greatest accomplishments.

 

Shaleena manhandled that business!

I know that the Berlin walls were exactly that for a lot of people. Someone the other day asked me “What’s the big deal behind climbing those walls? I mean, they’re really not THAT bad…” to which I replied “Well that’s easy to perceive if you’ve never had an issue with your body weight or strength abilities.” For me, when I see those walls my inner fat kid starts to cry. I get a little nervous as this wave of butterflies take over that feels like a swarm the size of my car. Then, just like that… it’s gone. It’s similar to the 8k that I ran recently. Mentally it was the equivalent of a marathon for me, yet physically I did very well. There are some things you just don’t forget…

Given that tidbit of knowledge, I’m FAR from a small percentage of people who feel that way. So when you have that swarm of butterflies cascade over you, it makes the feeling of actually DOING IT literally euphoric. As a team, we conquered the walls like they disrespected us. We did it as a team, through and through. From top to bottom, everyone made it over with a smile on their face and a triumphant fist in the air that screams “What’s next?!” I LIVE for that!

 

Laree did this thing with Bronchitis!

I think once this wall was hurdled, there was a collective exhale from a lot of people. The energy was lighter. The  smiles were brighter. The eye of the tiger was more… tiger-y. It’s at this point the course became a blur of memories and moments. Some of favorites:

• We happened to pass by the parking lot TWICE during this course. Both times Lorna says “I can see my car Josh… it’s right there… You can’t stop me…” I deemed it an official obstacle for Lorna 😉
• The first time you get pissed on by Satan happened to be very early on. You had to crawl through mud with live wires hanging (ie: The badass picture of Shaleena Gibson in the white crawling along the mud). It was the first “wake up call” because you pretty much weren’t getting out of that thing without getting a little crispy.  Well I had been zapped twice by the time I made it to the end. When I had passed the last row, I rested for a moment. Turns out I didn’t pass the last row… I stopped resting VERY quickly.
• During much of the first half of the course I was running back and forth between the front of the group and the back of the group. This one guy happened to see me whenever I’d be waiting for the Team but he missed whenever I’d run passed him (because I’m just that fast apparently). After a few times in a row of this he finally yelled “What the f**k man?! What are you, a leprechaun?” I told him “Better believe it! I’ve got secret tunnels all over this bitch.” That was the last time I saw him :).
• When we had reached the plank where you jump into the water, I did the damn thing (looked way higher here than at Squaw I think due to the fact that you were jumping into a smaller body of water) and eagerly awaited the rest of the Hulksters to rock Casbah. The same thing with the wall only on a grander scale happened here. From screaming “your LIP KIM!” (she has “why not” tattooed on the inside of her lip) to Shaleena’s epic story to how she made it off that thing right on down to Lorna getting literally pushed off by the Marine (with permission mind you, I don’t think that Marine would have served her country another day had it not been permissed haha), this obstacle gave us everything it had and lost. It said “fear me” and Hulk said “no.”
• Jumping in the ice bath, I managed to get so numb that I wasn’t even sure if my extremities were working. Megan and I were trying to get out at the same time (I say “trying” not because we got in each others way, but because of the whole “extremities not working” thing) and I remember being against the dumpster wall thinking “I have no idea if my legs are evening working. I wonder if they’re making their way over the side of the dumpster yet? Hmm… We’ll find out!” In case you’re wondering, I got out.

 

No man left behind... AhhhOOOOOO!!!!!

One highlight I need to separate from the bullet points is coming around the bend with Adam, Kim, and Lorna and Ron in tow and seeing THE WHOLE TEAM waiting for us at the top of the water slide. While the 5 of us in the back knew we were near the end, we didn’t know that everyone was going to wait for us the way they did. To put it in perspective, in Squaw we all celebrated after the finish line. We finished close together, but it was so extreme that the last quarter of the course everyone just needed to finish at their own pace. This time around however, right BEFORE the finish line, everyone waited so we could finish together. It was a true Hulk moment. One team, one dream. I couldn’t have been more proud, and that’s the buddha honest truth.It is also worth mentioning that Jodi Curry is my own personal super hero. A separated knee kept her from completing the course at mile 8 of 11.5, but it’s what she DID with that separated knee that blows me away and puts her in the stars as far as admiration goes. She separated her knee NOT on mile 8, but around mile 6! She went TWO MILES with her knee popping in and out when finally, while carrying a log around the hill, her knee waved the white flag and mutinied. I told her, and I will tell you all, I would NOT have continued had I done to my knee what she did. You can think of me what you will for saying that, but I know that deep down, if I did what she did to her knee to MINE, I would have given MAYBE a quarter mile before the realization that it’s done for me set it. Not Jodi though… her knee had to take her out FOR her. If there was ANYONE that I thought was going to pull that off it was Jodi. So I just wanted everyone to know that Jodi was one of the toughest mudders on that son of a bitch and had she not suffered an injury that has held FOOTBALL PLAYERS FROM PLAYING IN THE SUPERBOWL (aka when put in perspective it’s a little hard to be viewed as a failure don’t ya think?) that she would have been the first across that finish line. How do I know that? Because she literally led us all day. We were in her shadow. Her slim, svelte, white chocolate shadow as she kicked up dust with her getaway sticks and dared us to catch her. I even told her ON the mountain before she had to get wheeled out “This was just the mountain’s way of putting you on our level!”I still stand by that.

One Team. We are HULK.

In conclusion, this Temecula Tough Mudder might not have had as much uphill challenges or ridiculous elevation levels, but in its place were some challenging ass obstacles and voltage I will never forget. As far as the spirit and essence of Hulk that I saw on that mountain? Well I can proudly say we whooped it the same way we did Squaw… With a Hulk SMASH! We left our mark and blazed a trail to convene the two groups who did Squaw and Temecula and form one SUPER GROUP ready to take on Northstar with the type of ferocity Northern California has yet to see.

Yup, that's me falling flat on my face in mud. Those wires? Attached to 10,000 volts. It is not a drill. I repeat, it is not a drill.

Who’s ready?

CLICK HERE to get to the Tough Mudder Northstar page. Search for “Team Hulk.” Password: Bangarang. AhhhhOOOOOO!!!

I could have hugged that man forever. Justin did the whole thing with a BROKEN FOOT. He earned that headband...

For those who have NOT heard the Tough Mudder pledge:

As a Tough Mudder I pledge that…

* I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge.

* I put teamwork and camaraderie before my course time.

* I do not whine – kids whine.

* I help my fellow Mudders complete the course.

* I overcome all fears.

Many thanks to such a wonderfully gorgeous human being by the name of Maggie Schuck! She did both days (had to bow out the first day when her man Justin broke his foot, needed to sleep it off, and decided to do Tough Mudder again and get that damned head band!), and on the second day took a million pictures! She was also integral in helping organize and make sure we all made it to the start point together regardless of hectic schedules all around. Maggie, you are a saint!

PS I will be posting a slideshow shortly with all the pictures we took of this round (trust me, there are TONS) but until then, here is the slideshow from LAST September in case you missed it 😉

 

Black Light Special 5.0!

You can't imagine how much fun we're having

Black Light Special 5.0 is here! I couldn’t be more excited, seeing as how I have the most black lights I’ve ever had and some of the rowdiest “Bad News Hulksters” this side of the Mississippi all the back on to the OTHER side of that very same river. AhhhhOOOO!!!!

Basically, I want everyone to wear whatever neon or white clothing options you’ve got. The flashier the better! I’ll provide the black lights and festivities if y’all bring me some flare! Be careful with those white shirts though… think “CSI.”

Black Light Zumba this Thursday night!

We’re going to be Hulk smashing your upper body right before BLACK LIGHT ZUMBA KICKS OFF!! I’ll be sure to leave your hips intact so they can swear to tell the truth, the WHOLE truth, and nothing but the truth in order to prove that your hips beyond a shadow of a doubt do NOT lie (Shakira Shakira).

Notice the shovel? We dug in the dark!

Lastly, I want to congratulate everyone on the number of inches lost! I will be posting the top totals on the boards along with number of people who measured over the weekend (because I missed quite a few of you). The halfway measuring point is something I highly recommend, but if we are not able to get your halfway measurements done due to schedule conflicts, well then we will be SURE to get them done at the end! NO EXCUSE! 🙂

Like I posted in the Facebook Trinity forum, take away from the measurements that you took part in this weekend what you’re supposed to take away. If they weren’t what you were hoping they were yet you know why, use it as a chance to pick yourself up by the bootstraps! We’ve got 5 more weeks, PLENTY of time to get rockin’ and work on breaking some of those “not so good for you” habits! If you haven’t lost much weight but your inches tell a different story, remember that! When it feels like you’re giving your all and the scale isn’t listening, remember that your body IS changing. It’s been a long and short 5 weeks… meaning we’ve gotten a LOT accomplished in a very minuscule amount of time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same applies to fitness. It took a long time to build the habits a lot of us are trying to break, so don’t beat yourself up too bad if you’ve still got “bad habits” left after 5 weeks.

We’re at the official half way point… imagine what the NEXT 5 weeks are going to bring! I know I’m excited…

– Hulk

PS here is the “No excuses” video I told some of you about…

Lastly, I love this song and wanted to share it. Reminds me of Hulk. Let’s pave our own way and ROOOOOOLLLLLLLLL!!!

 

Which would you choose?

Which would you choose?

 

So last night… I posed a question for Team Hephaestus. That question was NOT the one above. I had flubbed my own exercise with Hephaestus so I want to thank them for being the guinea pigs for a successful point made on Saturday. Don’t get me wrong, I was still able to make my point, just not quite as smoothly. So, Hephaestus… THIS was the intended exercise ;).

TODAY I posed the question of “Which would you choose? 60 minutes of discomfort for a day of positivity or  60 minutes of comfort for a day of negativity?”

The response was OVERWHELMINGLY positive. Talking only a couple of people chose to spend a day negatively, and one of those people even wrote down “I’m a glutton for punishment.” How cheery…

The point I was making is that we ALL have a choice, only it’s not always so black and white. How many times have you PROMISED yourself that you were going to start eating breakfast in the morning because you know it’s important. Because you know it is going to keep you on the pathway to being who you’d like to be. Because you know it will kick start your energy and leave you feeling good all day. Because you know that it’s an issue and you’d like to make good on at least ONE promise to change some of your ways. You may not be perfect all the time, but you can change some of the big things, right?

Then, that alarm that you set for 30 minutes earlier hits… You look over and don’t take more than a moment before you go “Nope… SLEEP!” and slam that snooze button for jammin’ back to dream land for a few more minutes.

That, my friends, is choosing a moment of comfort for a days worth of kicking yourself. You’ll try all day to say “oh it’s ok, I mean how important was that goal REALLY? I mean, I’ll DEFINITELY get up early and make breakfast tomorrow…” yet somehow, tomorrow never comes… You then fall into the rut of forever saying “tomorrow”… Today. You will forever be reaching for tomorrow when you choose a moment of instant comfort (sleeping in a bit longer) in return for letting yourself down and feeling secretly bummed about yourself. All day. Until “tomorrow.”

How about when you say to yourself “I need to do more… I’ve got a routine right now, but I’m complacent. It’s not as hard as it used to be and damnit I know I can push myself a little bit hard. You know what, I’m gonna add that extra gym day in! You know what… make it TWO extra gym days in! That’s what I NEED!”

Then, on the first “extra gym day” day, you start looking at the clock when it comes to quittin’ time… As each hour draws nearer and nearer to “go from work to the gym” mode, your brain starts to creep on you. It says “Really? Today? I mean… Today sucks… We’re tired you know! You still have errands to run, you crazy? You’re gonna choose the GYM over errands? That elliptical isn’t going to get that set pile of dirty clothes started! Dinner isn’t going to cook itself!” and so on and so forth so that by the time it comes to punch the clock and head to the gym, you’ve already convinced yourself that going to the gym after work would be the WORST decision you could make, all the while knowing that you’re going to regret that decision later. You KNOW you’re going to regret that decision, yet you go home anyway…

I can bet you 99% of then go home, sit on the couch, and “rest” before you end up doing your errands. That “rest” turns into a storage wars marathon/ nap (YUUUUUUP!) followed by those errands getting pushed into the ever popular “tomorrow.” If not getting done tomorrow, then guess what… 10 bucks says that you started your errands when you would have been back from the gym (or a trail, or a soccer game, or whatever floats your boat fitness wise) ANYWAY.

Again, you chose a moment of comfort (NOT going to gym… WOO!) by trading in the “I’m willing to feel down on myself for the decision I made” card.

What I’m trying to say is that when given the black and white choice of a moment of discomfort for a day of positivity or a moment of comfort for a day of negativity, you ALL (for the most part :-P) chose to feel good about yourself. I challenge you all to take a moment of discomfort: getting up a little bit earlier for breakfast… Drinking on the weekends a little less often… Packing those lunches you swear you’re going to pack and never do because you “just don’t feel like it”… Actually MAKING it to that gym appointment you made for yourself… and recognizing that you are setting yourself up to feel good ALLLLLLLLL DAAAAAAAAAY.

I hope you realize that you ALWAYS have a choice. ALWAYS.

 So remember Hulksters… The choice is yours. Which would you choose?

This holds true for every one of you...

 

And for good measure…

– Hulk 

“Hulk” is the newest food group!

Sometimes, we tend to do the wrong kind of smashing...

Alrighty everyone, I’ve had an idea for a bit that I tossed out today in regards to getting together as a group and discussing everything under the sun in regards to nutrition! From sharing recipes to talking about the struggles that come with a healthier lifestyle so you can maybe get a different perspective or hear a few tips and tricks maybe you haven’t heard before. Well, when I tossed the idea out there, it was received so well that rather than e-mailing those interested, I felt it necessary to sound out a mass hulk post! Another action I’d like to take with this “Hulk Food Group” is to answer any questions as a group and address the question to everyone. You’d be surprised at how many people have the same question you do!

Those who would like to bring food journals for me to look over are more than welcome to do so! Click HERE to get some easy to use food journal templates that you can print right from the website and keep track of what you’d like me to look over! You can also get a simple notebook and document that way as well. If choosing that method, please still check the template website and seeing the basic info I’d like you to keep track of for me :).

The goal of this is to unify! To support! To encourage! To listen! To speak! To broaden your nutritional horizons! To get a better grasp of the MENTAL side of changing your nutritional lifestyle for the better! I have already talked to a couple people (and a couple more I still need to contact) that would love to come guest speak in the future. When that happens, best believe I will post about it :).

I would like to get this started next Wednesday, February 8th at 7:30pm (after Team Poseidon meets) at Anytime Fitness off Santa Rosa Avenue. If you are not a part of Team Hulk or a “hulk associate” then please e-mail me at AllLevelsTraining@gmail.com so that I can be ready for a new face :).

This first HFG (Hulk Food Group) I will be providing a post workout juice mix to any Hulksters who worked out prior as a “thanks for staying!” along with a “this will make it so you can sit, listen, engage, and not feel like you’re going to die.”

This coming first HFG, I will also be starting it out. I will go over whatever struggles I’ve experienced during the week nutritionally (I go through lots daily, trust me!) as well as providing a quick, easy, and healthy “homemade protein bar” recipe to share with anybody who would like one :).

Lastly, if any of you get the chance, please check this film out. That intangible energy that is hard to explain that makes a Hulk workout so lively… They talk about exactly that in this movie, among many other intriguing perspectives that will leave you thinking for sometime after the ending credits have rolled. I still plan on putting up a post about this movie in relation to “Hulk” and the connective energy you all harbor, so be on the lookout for that :).

– Hulk 

What’s next? 2 months of delicious insanity

Yeah, we're pretty badass.

Team song; Introduced. Chant; instructed and implemented. Sound offs; Loud. Energy; infectious, kinetic, and monstrously growing. What do we have left?

2 months of Hulk smashing the hell out of this challenge, that’s what.

I wanted to give y’all just a glimpse of what Hulksters got to experience of the course of getting their team song introduced to them. Here is a “video” of Apollo gathering around and gearing up for the song “The Believer” by Common. It’s less of a video and more like an audio excerpt. I keep it dark so that emotions can be expressed comfortably without fear of embarrassment or judgement and the song and message can be fully absorbed. Lights off means focus on. After listening, I urge you to go down to the post below this one and check out the song by pressing “play” on the video, while subsequently reading the lyrics.

Powerful stuff if you let it be :).

One final note… TRINITY TRAGEDIES TONIGHT!!!!!!!

– Hulk

Apollo: The Believers

We Believe

Tonight, Apollo’s team song was shown to be “The Believer” by Common.

If you read my write up on Hephaestus’ team song, then you’ll see that I have a process when I search for the team song. Well, I had done m diligent research on Apollo and had an idea of the style of song I was looking for. I also wanted to pick a song that would do Apollo justice. Apollo; The God of light, truth, music, and healing. Apollo; The strongest Titan Mt. Olympus had ever seen amongst the Titans. To be made up of so much good and be MIGHTY… Isn’t that what Hulk is all about?

Apollo is almost ENTIRELY comprised of Hulksters who have been fighting the good fight with me for YEARS. The handful of newer people (1st or second challenge) are so game set and ready that I knew I needed something a little different for this team. Apollo, before the challenge, I knew was going to have a personality all its own, and boy was I right…

When I was browsing through upcoming albums, my eyes shot immediately to Common’s name. I’m a huge fan of Common, and given that little tidbit I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when I had noticed the album was title “The Dream, The Believer.”  I think I had decided that I was going to find Apollo’s team song on here at this very moment. Before I had listened to a single song. Hell, before I had even looked at the track listing!

Once I had the album, my eyes AGAIN instantly darted to “The Believer.” How could I listen to another song? Why am I not listening to it already?

I got 4 lines in and I knew I had found Apollo’s song. Apollo; Light and truth. The Believer.

This song, as important as the verses are (VERY open to interpretation!) and as impacting as the chorus is. I chose this song for the FEELING it gives you. Go back to my post about Poseidon’s song… Read up on the vagus nerve. That very nerve gets struck when I listen to this song the same way it does when I listen to “Shake It Out.” This song represents everything I feel about Hulk to me.

I believe in the light that shines and will never die. I believe the fire burns, we’ll stay alive. They will talk about us, like they talked about the kings before us.

They will talk about us.

AhhhhOOOOOOOO!!!!

– Hulk

[Hook : John Legend]
I believe in the light that shines and will never die
Oh I believe the fire burns, we stay alive
They will talk about us
Like they talked about the kings before us
They will talk about us

[1^st Verse : Common]
These are the words of a believer, achiever, leader of the globe
Feeding souls of those in need
I bleed the blood of the struggle
Walking over troubled puddles
Hustles in my chest, no hustle no progress
Extremities of life and it’s process
Birth of a son, death of another
With love I can rest both mothers
And told ‘em, who’s in control is the one that’s above us
I walk where money talks and love stutters
Body language of a nation going through changes
The young become dangerous, pain gets spent into anger
Anger gets sent through the chamber
It’s tough when your own look like strangers
We are the sons of gangsters and stone rangers
If he could how would Ernie Barnes paint us
Look at the picture, hard not to blame us
But time forgives and the Chi where the young die often
Do they end up in a coffin because we haven’t taught them?
Is it what we talking we really ain’t walking
Dudes, hustlers pay, how much did it cost ‘em?
Find myself on the same corner that we lost ‘em
Real talking, in they ear like a walkman
Thoughts spin around the corner to the World
When I see them, I see my baby girl
Believe

[Hook : John Legend]
I believe in the light that shines and will never die
Oh I believe the fire burns, we stay alive
They will talk about us
Like they talked about the kings before us
They will talk about us

[2^nd Verse : Common]
The lord lives among us
The young uns hunger become a means to get it
By any means necessary, under pressure
Children feeling lesser, with the steel up on the dresser
Killin’ will aggressors, destiny’s children
Survivors, soldiers, in front of buildings they eyes look older
Hard to see blessings in the violent culture
Face against weapons, sirens, holsters
That ain’t the way that Langston Hughes wrote us
Soul controllers on the shoulders of Moses and Noah
We go from being oppressors to Oprah
Cultivated to overcome ever since we came overseas
Today and the way that you can see we determined
Solar keeps burning, shawty’s know to keep learning
Lessons in our life, but life stripes that we earning
Took raps advice that Christ is returning
Like a thief in the night, I write the beacons of light
For those of us in dark alleys and parched valleys
Street kids spark rallies of the conscience conquerors of a contest
That seems beyond us, even through the unseen, I know that God watches
From one King’s dream he was able to Barack us
The prophets, nothing can stop us
Believe

[Hook : John Legend]
I believe in the light that shines and will never die
Oh I believe the fire burns, we stay alive
They will talk about us
Like they talked about the kings before us
They will talk about us

I know I know I know our dreams won’t turn to dust
They will talk about us
I know I know I know our dreams won’t turn to dust
They will talk about us
I know I know I know our dreams won’t turn to dust
They will talk about us

Poseidon: The Earth Shakers

The Earth Shaker

Tonight, Poseidon’s team song was shown to be “Shake It Out” by Florence and the Machine.

This was the song that I had chosen first out of the 3 songs. It was something I battled with back and forth for a long time, because I used this song in a big way during “Holiday Hulk.” I like to make things new.. exciting… I don’t like feeling like I’m short changing anyone or rehashing old stuff because I’ve got nothing left better to say…

I was on the elliptical one early-in-December morning, listening to it on repeat and trying to weigh how I felt about making this the team song for Poseidon like I had done the last several mornings when out of NOWHERE, a realization punched me square in the jaw, sent a wavelength to my heart, and all was clear:

“This song isn’t rehashed… IT’S PERFECT”

Once I realized I was trying to talk myself OUT of something that shouldn’t be talked out of, I was able to focus on WHY it was so perfect. It’s a statement. It’s a cry for help. It’s a warrior scream. It’s a proclamation that you’re not going to let ANYTHING, let alone the devil, jump on your back and stop you from dancing. Poseidon is known as the Earth Shaker, causer of Earthquakes when his temper flares. When that devil hops on your back and clutches on to your shoulders tightly… SHAKE IT OFF. You are POSEIDON. You are HULK. YOU SHAKE THE EARTH WHEN YOU’RE ANGRY!

This song, to me, is something that takes me to a place of elevation when I hear it. Everyone has something called “The Vagus Nerve” (which, if you’ve seen the movie “I Am” by Tom Shadyac, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. If not, look for a post on the movie in the VERY near future… It was nothing short of a life changer for me for many reasons that many of you will be sure to relate to!). This nerve is the longest of the cranial nerves and wraps around and through your neck, thorax, and abominal organs. It is what is responsible for when you witness something touching and you get a sudden seize in your throat muscles, your arms tingle up, your stomach slightly tightens, your face gets tingly, and your eyes well up. It’s the feeling of elevation in your chest that all happens in a millisecond. That is the Vagus nerve. There are different levels of intensity in which the Vagus nerve is triggered, but we’ve all got it and barring a genetic anomaly it all works on us (some people are triggered differently than others).

For example, here is a video of a cat trying to resuscitate another cat unsuccessfully:

 

Odds are, your Vagus nerve went off.

That Vagus nerve, only in an inspirational sense, is what gets triggered in me every time I listen to “Shake It Out.” It signifies to me, like I hope it does to you, that I alone control how I feel because I alone am in charge of the power I give to OTHERS to “control” me. It’s a song that provides not a only a daily reminder, but sometimes an hourly reminder. A 10 minute reminder. A song that as Hulk we have the power to breathe in with our lungs and project out with our hearts.

So veteran Hulksters, be ready to experience this song in a whole new way. New Hulkamaniacs, get ready to live ;).

AhhhhhhOOOOOOOO!!!!

– Hulk

Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It’s always darkest before the dawn

And I’ve been a fool and I’ve been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I’m always dragging that horse around

All of his questions, such a mournful sound
Tonight I’m gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues drawn
But it’s always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah

I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I’m gonna cut it out and then restart
Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It’s always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah

And given half the chance would I take any of it back
It’s a final mess but it’s left me so empty
It’s always darkest before the dawn

Oh woah, oh woah… 

And I’m damned if I do and I’m damned if I don’t
So here’s to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I’m ready to suffer and I’m ready to hope
It’s a shot in the dark and right at my throat
Cause looking for heaven, for the devil in me
Looking for heaven, for the devil in me
Well what the hell I’m gonna let it happen to me

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah