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

Hephaestus: The Fighters

The Fighter

Tonight, Hephaestus team song was shown to be “The Fighter” by Gym Class Heroes. 

When I had found the song, I was doing what I always do… browsing through albums that have come out very recently and listening to every song, hoping that if I land on one, it’ll just so happen to be that artists next single. Well, when I had come to “The Paper Cut Chronicles: Volume II” a song title immediately jumped out at me…

I had already picked the themes out for each team. I had done a TON of research on Hephaestus (and concluded that even though each team possessed an element of their personality that I hold true to my heart, I related the most to the God of War & Fire) and was hoping I could find that song that fit the mold of what I felt not only being a part of Hulk represented, but also to fit the mold of what being on HEPHAESTUS represented. 

Again, one song titled INSTANTLY jumped out at me.

“The Fighter” is a song that the instant I heard the first verse, I knew it was it. I had a Unicorn with me, and she knew it too.

This song was the first song on my playlist when I ran my first 8k.

I was listening to this song (and Phil Collin’s “Take Me Home”) right before orientation.

I’ve been starting my cardio set every single morning with this song.

Hephaestus, when you looked in the mirror, I know it was tough. I wanted it to be tough. For it to be tough meant you were going through the emotions of being there. Anything worth anything carries the weight of nerves behind it… Even when you’re just getting the nerve to realize you’ re as awesome as you’d like to believe. So hold your head up high, remember that every time you fall it’s only makin’ your chin strong, and get ready to FIGHT HEPHAESTUS!!!

AhhhhhOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

– Hulk

 Just waking up in the morning and to be well…
Quite honest with ya, I ain’t really sleep well
You ever feel like your train of thoughts been derailed
That’s when you press on… Lee nails

Half the population’s just waitin’ to see me fail
Yeah right, you’re better off trying to freeze hell
Some of us do it for the females
And others do it for the retails

But I do it for the kids, life threw the towel in on
Every time you fall, it’s only making your chin strong
And I be in your corner like mick, baby
Til the end or when you hear the song from that big lady

Until the referee rings the bell
Until both your eyes start to swell
Until the crowd goes home
What we gonna do y’all?

[Ryan Tedder]
Give ’em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live life til we’re dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they’ll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes a fighter
There goes a fighter
Here comes a fighter
That’s what they’ll say to me, say to me, say to me
This one’s a fighter

And if I can last thirty rounds
There’s no reason you should ever have your head down
Six foot five, two hundred and twenty pounds
Hailing from rock bottom, loserville, nothing town

Text book version of the kid going nowhere fast
And now I’m yelling kiss my ass,
It’s gonna take a couple right hooks, a few left jabs
For you to recognize you really ain’t got it bad

Until the referee rings the bell
Until both your eyes start to swell
Until the crowd goes home
What we gonna do y’all?

[Ryan Tedder]
Give ’em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live life til we’re dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they’ll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes a fighter
There goes a fighter
Here comes a fighter
That’s what they’ll say to me, say to me, say to me
(Everybody put yo hands up)
This one’s a fighter

What we gonna do
What we gonna do
What we gonna do
What we gonna do y’all
What we gonna do
What we gonna do
What we gonna do y’all
What we gonna do

If you fall, pick yourself up off the floor (get up)
And when your bones can’t take no more (come up)
Just remember what you’re here for
Cuz I know, I’ma damn sure

[Ryan Tedder]
Give ’em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live life til we’re dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they’ll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes a fighter
There goes a fighter
Here comes a fighter
That’s what they’ll say to me, say to me, say to me
This one’s a fighter

Till the referee rings the bell
Till both ya eyes start to swell
Till the crowd goes home,
What we gonna do kid?

Shovel day done… Next up: Team Song!

Yes we are...

 

Well, that concludes week 1… 9 more weeks to go! I am proud to say that the tabulated weight loss of the 3 teams was about 80 lbs. In 14 days, as a team, you have already managed to lose 80 lbs. EIGHTY POUNDS! I mean, you’re still settling in! Actually, obviously not… Looks to me like y’all have settled ;).

After one week, I can already see the personalities of each team starting to unfold… We’ve got the feisty rookies sprinkled with some well seasoned and oh so studly OG Hulksters for good measure in Team Hephaestus. We’ve got the cool headed, “fueled by heart and soul” robotic nature of Team Poseidon. Then, we’ve got what can only be referred to as a Hulk “All Star” team in Team Apollo, being almost completely comprised of some of the craziest, most tenured Hulk veterans sprinkled with some newbies who are SERIOUSLY ready to party. I sound like a broken record, I know, but… it only gets better from here!

I wish you all the happiest of weekends! I wish my beloved 49ers a bid to the superbowl as well! For good luck, I’m running a Tough Mudder “Beach Bonanza” workout tomorrow! Actually, more so because Tough Mudder is right around the corner… but any edge my boys can get I’m gonna go for it! Meet at Anytime Fitness off Santa Rosa Ave. at 10:30am and we’ll go from there!  

AhhhhhOOOOOOO!!!!!

– Hulk 

1st week jitters… Gone!

Oh boy, what do I say… 

It’s hard to think of the perfect words to describe how I feel about what’s happening. That’s a pretty fantastic feat seeing as how I pride myself on being somewhat linguistically clever. Clever has nothing to do though with my lack of ability to find a description for the magic that all you possess, yet only some of you know that and many of you don’t. I don’t mean that negatively, more so along that lines that sometimes the “overwhelming” factor needs to die down a bit before the full impact hits you. I have gotten message after message after glorious message of “I get it, I get what this is about now” and “I’m not scared and excited and nervous anymore, I’m just excited!” and “I can’t wait till the next workout! If I can walk to it…” right on down to “I love my team and I don’t even know half their names yet…”

Which brings me to a quick point… I don’t introduce you all with a cutesy name game on purpose. Because we’re adults. This isn’t a kindergarten circle :). I fully expect, as part of getting out of your comfort zone, to FIND OUT the names of your teammates! Ever wonder why I use everyone’s name so often? It’s a chance to look up and see who I’m talking about… To get familiar with hearing that name so often that you want to find out who they are. For every person that’s new to you, you’re new to them, so put bashfulness aside and embrace a hulkster!

So what I was saying before telling you you’re an adult was that I LOVE when the first workout is over and done with. It’s like the first time you’re learning to ride a bike, take the training wheels off, get your push off, and find out that you CAN steer the bike and stay upright! It’s like a weight is lifted off of your shoulders and what’s left is beautiful hope and a desire to rid yourself of that demonic little voice that is so good at convincing you that you’re going to fail anyway so why try? By now, I hope you can see that trying is what we do. Battling till you stand atop your insecurities and self proclaimed “inabilities” is what courses through the veins of a hulkster.

Something NO ONE can take from you is your choice to give up.  In that moment of angst, fatigue, and ache where you are firmly convinced that if there were a gun to your head you TRULY could NOT go on, it’s up to you whether you believe that or not. Don’t get me wrong, “going on” isn’t referencing perfection… Quite the contrary! “Going on” means refusing to give less than everything you’ve got. “Going on” pertains to that instance when you KNOW that if you go for one more push up, you’re going to collapse… yet you go for it anyway. At this point, you have 2 scenarios. You either really DO collapse, or you squeeze out another. If you manage one more push up when you thought it impossible… Well then there you go, you’re defying the odds and proving your self doubt completely wrong and the tangibility of the human spirit completely right. You might be saying “Well then you’re put right back into the same scenario, which means eventually, you collapse!” Yup. Bingo. What do you do when you collapse? You take that deep breathe, remember what you’re there for, take a quick glance at that shovel, and go for it again. And again. And again. Until the end comes. The end of the exercise always comes. The end is inevitable, you’re guaranteed failure is not. 

What the short story turned long really is… is that I’m proud of you. Most importantly, YOU should be proud of you. Already you have tackled something that has caused some of you some restless nights and so many butterflies you could open your own butterfly conservatory. You did it. Remind yourself of that. It gets not only better, but easier from here. It gets more rewarding than this, I mean it! That’s really saying something, because I know several of you who already know you have your hands on something magical here.

It’s up to you to let it go…

As for you Veteran Hulkamaniacs who have been traveling this road with me for a long time now? Don’t worry, I’ve got some major tricks up my sleeve this challenge ;). No Hulk left behind! This is going to be new for EVERYONE! 

I’ll leave you with a little tidbit of what you all have done so far. For those of you doing Hulk, it’s an opportunity to relive something you’re going to want to remember. It’s the little things, after all… For those of you who AREN’T doing Hulk, I want you to think of this as a window into room you can only see 1/100th of it’s actual space, capacity, and draw. These videos were taken during Poseidon’s first workout. I will be posting videos periodically of the different teams so everyone can get a glimpse in on what the House of Hulk really does :).

In this video I took the opportunity to remind Adam (a packer fan) that my 49ers are still securely in the superbowl runnings:

Then Tammey said something, and I decided to say hello:

Then Denise (owner of Anytime Fitness off Santa Rosa Ave where all the magic happens) decided that smack dab in the middle of gearing up Poseidon for their first chant was the best time to take an important phone call into the back office. Luckily the other gym owner, her husband John, got it all on video:
 

Finally, I’m able to address (only an excerpt) what the chant is REALLY all about before we get to the real thing:

The finished product:

Love,
Hulk 

Trinity – 1st Chant

I want to thank everyone who showed up yesterday for your time and energy. Saturday shook the soda bottle… Tuesday uncaps it! If you weren’t at the orientation, I want you to take a good long look at this chant, study it, and be ready to open every boot camp with it. AhhhOOOOO!

 

And in honor of the guy in the car that got a kick out of us…

 

– Hulk

Take me home.

This is home.

 

Sometimes, sitting in the corner of your room on your computer, listening to Phil Collins on repeat IS as glorious as it DOESN’T seem.

There is not a strand of words in ANY language, let alone SENTENCES that could describe the butterflies and iron weights bouncing around in my stomach due to the excitement I’ve got for tomorrow (by the time you read this; today).  

But hey, I’m all about trying… right?

Tomorrow marks another step in the greatest thing I’ve ever done. Tomorrow, anyone present will lay witness to the greatest day of my life. No pressure or anything… Tomorrow represents everything I was ever told I couldn’t do, everything I was told would not make a difference, and everything I swore I’d never be again by showcasing the beauty of the universal desire for a better life in the form of all you wonderful Hulksters, Hulkster friends, and Hulkster family members alike.

There was a day 10 years ago that I said “I will never be stepped on ever again.” I don’t remember the exact date, but I remember the DAY itself vividly as a play being re-enacted in front of me. It was sunny, yet I FELT cloudy, which was typical of those days. I was wearing my standard XXXL sweatshirt (O’neill, forest green for anyone keeping score) and a pare of Etnies with red laces that I thought could make me walk on water. I had PE first block this day, I remember that. A boy in PE (for privacy sake, we’ll call him E.D.) kept giving me funny looks and talking to his friends all class. We were practicing basketball drills (the school year was fresh, we hadn’t yet gotten to playing ACTUAL basketball yet) and it was hard to concentrate. I mean, come on… I was self conscious as is, now he’s making it noticeable? To everyone? Blatantly? So, I asked him…

“What do you keep laughing at?”

“Aw you could tell?”

“It was hard not to…”

“Ha, sorry man… but you just run so funny. Like a fat raptor. Your body shakes like a bag of water, and you look like you’re going to cry when you run. It’s just funny bro. You know?”

I didn’t know, but that’s ok. I’ve run into E.D. recently. Let’s just say if I had the same sense of humor he did, he’s “hilarious” right now. Anyways…

I thank him for that. I have no idea why that kick started my engine, but it kick started it hard. To this day I’m thankful that I was able to have such a realization at such a young age. You see, it wasn’t just a “I’ll show him!” that trickled into immaturity… It was a spark that grew to a forest fire IMMEDIATELY. That fire got me in trouble from time to time, but at least I was ready for the pain.

I’ve never told that to anyone before. Thank you for listening.

What I realized that it wasn’t necessarily about morphing everyone’s perceptions of me to be different… it was up to ME to be different. Once my adolescent brain stumbled upon that little nugget planted into my cerebral nether-regions, it was like this weight was literally and metaphorically lifted off my shoulders. In my head, I was HOPING for a 9-5 job in a cubicle that would allow me to collect a modest paycheck and not get in anybodies way. I wanted to shirk through life and try to make the pain stop by doing as little as possible. At least, that’s what I thought…

After that day, I decided that I was going to be the person I wanted to be. It’s been a 10 year shaping process that is still well in its early developmental stages, but I’d love if we could go through this journey together? Which brings me to tomorrow…

There are 75 people signed up for this challenge. I have invited EVERYONE I possibly could. I have requested you bring your friends and family if you’d like, because they’re gonna want to see this! I’ve put it out to the world that we’ve got a big event tomorrow, and it for sure will be! There could be 140 people that show up, there could be 50… Either way, that’s ok. Because tomorrow is going to be huge. Whether high or low numbers, the ENERGY is going to be tangible. You could cut it with a green Hulk knife, you just watch… Basically I just want to thank everyone for being a part of something that is so huge to me. This is more than a job. More than a means to pay the bills. This is my life, and you all trust me enough with it to take my hand and help ME go through this journey as I help YOU all with all the things I’ve come to learn in my short time on Earth thus far.

“So, what makes it different than just a regular boot camp?” you either have gotten asked a lot or will get asked a lot. There is a quote from Jessica LaVenter given to HER by a brother from her fraternity (yes, fraternity, I put that correctly) that I’ve always felt sums up Hulk perfectly;

“From the outside looking in, it’s impossible to understand… From the inside looking out, it’s impossible to explain.” 

You either know exactly why that quote is so perfect, or you’re going to find out tomorrow at 12pm…

Where it all began... Not bad for being told my methods wouldn't work 🙂