There’s a lot of shenanigans on this website and most of it pertains to lifting weights and eating meat. I’ve always thought that 70’s Big was more of an attitude, a mindset that could be applied into life. This mindset would entail gritty determination mixed with blood and sweat.
There are moments during training where I’ve hung my head, drained. My sweat would drip to the floor and blood would trickle into my socks. It’s a feeling of being truly alive when being battered, bruised, and bloody is worth the gain.
Typically I don’t like to share too much about my personal life on this website. It keeps it from becoming too “bloggy” and reserves my sense of privacy. However earlier today I helped bury my grandfather and learned a great deal — enough that I thought it would help you.
When we the pallbearers finally placed my grandpa’s casket in place, the men from the local Veteran Affairs played Taps for him one last time as they readied, aimed, and fired their rifles. It was at this moment that I realized how great of a man he was and how proud I was to have been loved by him. After serving in the Air Force, he and my grandma had a family in a rural area. He worked every day of his life on railroads and farms to provide for his family, including my mom. There was never any doubt my grandpa was committed to his family. Not ever. He was married to my grandma for over 50 years and took care of her despite having heart attacks and strokes in the last ten years. He and my grandma were always there for their children including when any of us grandchildren were born. He poured himself into working hard his entire life, always smiled, and was at peace with loving his family. My grandpa was the epitome of a father figure, one that every person should have.
The reason I bring him up is because his consistent hard work and good nature are a beacon in a cynical society. He toiled throughout his life for the benefit of those that he loved. Nowadays we have the luxury of avoiding such labors, yet training is one of those activities that can knead this lesson out. It is the physical representation of committing to something, doing it with fervor, and accomplishing what you set out to do. Look inward to your own life for that source of inspiration whether it be a loved one, a public figure, or character and combine that inspiration with what you’ve learned under the bar. Now harness that feeling, that bleeding conviction, and use that in your life whether it be for your love, passion, or ambition. Use it to achieve more than what you have right now. Family, love, work, school, knowledge, skills, or abilities…never again will you lay idle.
Some men rollover and quit. Others step out into the world every day to be the best they can be. Which are you?
57 thoughts on “A Lesson”
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“Some men rollover and quit. Others step out into the world every day to be the best they can be. Which are you?”
Excellent final thought. I like this. A lot.
Good post.
Long long long time lurker, Sorry to hear about your loss dude. This was a timely post, thanks.
I’m interested in hearing 5 things that each one of you wants to accomplish in the next year or so. Only one of them can be lifting/athletic related.
Wow, great post, Justin.
1. Get into grad school
2. diet down to 10% body fat
3. Break my addictions (caffeine, internet. food)
4. Teach myself Spanish
5. finish this semester with all A’s
1. Crack the top 50 in USAW 105kg weight class
2. Buy a house
3. Finish grad school
4. Travel outside the country for the first time
5. Stop drinking
Thanks for sharing Justin.
1. Improve on being a great dad
(I think I will never be satisified on this)
2. Love my wife more each day
3. Promote at work
4. Read thru Starting Strength with my son
5. Be stronger in body, mind and soul
Sorry to hear about your loss.
V inspiring words written about your grand father
>only one of them can be lifting related
Aw piss.
1. Go to USAPL raw nationals and total over 1450.
2. Get a job I can enjoy that has something to do with training.
3. Finish translating either 2 full books of the Iliad or one major work of Plato well enough that I wouldn’t be ashamed to have a large audience read it.
4. Get a good voice coach again so I can sing in places other than the shower and subway.
5. Figure out why the hell I am still bothering with post-secondary education.
1. Improve thoracic/shoulder mobility.
2. Learn to play the acoustic guitar.
3. Finish my degree.
4. Learn another language.
5. Spend more time at the beach.
question about comments from yesterday:
how did puke bring that video to your attention when I posted that video on the 70’s big facebook page 10 days ago?????
DOES THIS MEAN YOU DON’T READ EVERYTHING I POST AND WATCH EVERY VIDEO I SUBMIT?
shit sorry I didn’t actually read this post before I posted that, I meant for my trolling to be funny not disrespectful
real great post.
i would like to live up to my potential by
1) reading all of books on my list.
2) sleep more before 12 at night.
3) win my next two competitions.
4) spend more time with my folks.
5) stop wasting time worrying about food intake.
1. Write a book (novel)
2. Get married
3. Pay off truck and contribute my maximum contribution of $5000/year in my Roth IRA
4. Finish master’s degree
5. Deadlift 600lbs
Excellent post
Things I am looking forward to doing:
1) marrying the woman of my dreams in a month
2) hope to finally find a job that I love
3) be more open minded and explore all that life has to offer
4) be content with my physique
5) start a family
1. Go 6/6 in my first meet
2. Graduate Early
3. Get into PT School
4. Visit my friends at their respective schools as one last hurrah
5. Spend more time with my family as a whole (no more skipping thanksgiving etc)
Sorry man, my grandfater 93 yrs old and a WWII veteran who served with the army in the south pacific, he just broke his hip last Friday.
1) Get a new Job
2) Go to grad school
3) Train my dogs
4) Get stronger
5) Crush my enemies
Good post.
1. Finish my novel (about eighty percent through right now) and get started on the next.
2. Get the splits.
3. Get back into drawing (actually starting this today).
4. Keep encouraging my wife in her new hobby – lifting, of course :D
5. Figure out why I keep talking to my dog all the time even though I know she cannot understand me.
Sorry for your loss, Justin.
1. Defend this dissertation and earn my PhD.
2. Find a job.
3. Make more time to spend with my family/friends.
4. Learn to be a little more patient with everything and everyone.
5. Compete.
This was a good exercise. I really struggled to think of things that had nothing to do with work or lifting. But that’s the really important shit, ya know?
Sorry for your loss Justin. Your Grandfather really does sound like a Great man and Father figure, definately someone to look up to.
Its sad to see so many “men” these days not living up to their responsibilities as Fathers, the world needs more men who commit to working hard and looking after their families like your Grandfather.
My 5 Goals for this year are:
1) Be a better Father to my little girl and to the next little one due in March
2) Get my Professional Engineering License
3) Work hard everyday and continue to gain respect at work
4) Finish the basement of my house (rec room, play room, etc)
5) Total 1000 lb (350+250+400)
Smart move not making this site bloggy. When you do mention your personal life it’s always for a good reason. This article was an important lesson.
1) Get another article published in a peer-reviewed journal.
2) Finish book draft, submit proposal.
3) Get a permanent job I like and can survive on.
4) Record and release a CD.
5) Compete in a run and a lifting meet (I’ll settle for mediocre in both as I’ll never excel in either discipline.)
1) Pull 495 for reps
2) Start learning Spanish
3) Find a better job
4) Buy a house
5) Drink more/better whiskey
I buried a veteran grandfather a couple years ago that possessed very similar qualities. Truly a person to aspire to be like.
Lost my gramp in February. Replace Air Force with Army and skip the railroads and we have the same story. My dad is “dad strong” and gramp was dad strong times 2. Sorry for your loss Justin.
1)Procreate.
2)Pay off credit card debts.
3)Buy a 70’s era pickup truck.
4)Turn my hobbies (hops growing and home brewing) into a small business.
5)Maintain weight while revealing the abz (bro).
1) Win the 105k class at the Arnold, and Wilks 480ish at worlds.
2) Travel to another country for the first time (lifting related, I’m a cheater)
3) Stop biting my nails (this is fucking impossible)
4) Read a book
5) Be better at staying in touch with family and maybe visiting them more often, right now I’m quite bad at it.
6) Work harder at work
7) Platinum in Season 2 of League of Legends (top .2%)
Totally unrelated…
The globo-gym directly outside my office window is having its lunch time ladies Body-Pump class and RDLs are on the menu…
Did I mention I love my office!
1. Further enhance my skills as an acupuncturist/herbalist to bring greater health and vitality to my patients
2. Continue to build my practice and assume the responsibilities of being my own boss lady
3. Remain injury-free, so I can be She-Ra powerful
4. Find nerdy, 70’s Big guys and gals in Chicago to bond/lift with
5. Exercise more patience with myself and others – show more gratitude
When did this turn into a thread about everyone’s lame new years resolution type goals?
Very sorry about your grandpa, Justin
Goals:
1. Make it through the 2012 budget cycle at work without having to lay anyone off
2. Squat 500 and DL 500
3. Read a book my daughter likes and get her to read a book I like
4. Keep mentoring the kids on the block in lifting and math (largely separate andradite)
Goals for the next year…
1. Be a better husband every day
2. Become a better lacrosse coach
3. Try to learn something new (that is not work related) everyday… SYSK Podcast – Justin, you know what I’m sayin
4. Spend more time with my parents and sisters, and my wife’s parents and brother
5. Visit friends and family that have moved away from Texas
6. Sit in the mountains, and possibly ski down them
7. Do something to help my community
8. Keep abreast on our current political landscape
9. Pay down a good chunk of our debt
10. Stay healthy so I can continue to train and play lacrosse
Andradite? WTF? Damn you, autocorrect. Should have said “endeavors”
Again, sorry for your loss Justin.
Wow, hadn’t realized training had consumed so much of my life lately, it’s hard coming up with non-lifting related goals.
1. Wrangle debt
2. Finish my business plan
3. Run a gym full-time (again)
4. Finish my basement
5. Finish my yard
1. 242lb weight class whether I compete or not
2. Build up savings and 529’s for 3 kids
3. Walk dog more often
4. Sleep more than 5 hours
5. Try this whole “eating better” thing that seems to be all the rage.
Slán abhaile to your grandfather. He appears to have been a doubly blessed man: for the life he led and for having a grandson who received his teachings and will carry his spirit of integrity and passion forward for the next generation.
I keep trying to write something here about how I can relate and I’m empathizing with you, but everything I write feels crass and dogshit. So, condolences.
More than one of these is athletic, but more than 5 are not.
1. Marry the love of my life on October 15 of this year, hopefully without going crazy from the planning.
2. Make the Dean’s List this semester and all subsequent semesters.
3. File or complete a graduation plan so I know exactly what I have left and when I’m going to do it.
4. Start contacting other schools about my (planned) second undergrad degree and also grad programs.
5. Bench 315, Squat 405, Deadlift 500, Press 200, Pendlay Row 225, all for 5.
6. Get my fiance/soon to be wife on a lifting program in order to restore her strength and confidence in roller derby after the ACL reconstruction she had in March and help her understand the importance of strength training and the nature and necessity of recovery in her career as a roller derby skater.
7. Attend a 70’s Big Lifting Workshop.
8. Read anything by Aldo Leopold that I haven’t read yet.
9. Get my bow and release fixed, start shooting it again and practice regularly.
10. Start learning judo.
I’m surprised and impressed by the number of writers we seem to have on here.
Sorry for your loss. You sound blessed to have known that man. Excellent post.
1. Squat 405# for 5RM, Pull 500# for a 1rm.
2. Get back to training 3x a week MMA just for fun and training(retired from pro with a 3-1 record in March 2010).
3. Rise up in my LE agency
5. Save up for a down payment on a house.
Most importantly, grow in my faith as a Christian husband to an awesome lady.
Sub goal: get the heck back to TX.
1. Continue putting my daughter in sports stuff (she’s 4 in November)
2. Learn more about photography so the wife and kids have better vacation pics to look back on years from now
3. Make an effort to call my parents more, it’s easy to get caught up messing with the kids and suddenly it’s too late with the time zone difference
4. Keep earning respect and being successful at work. the promotion stuff will work itself out
5. Compete in a USAPL meet and total 1300, 220 or 242 weight class would both be fine
6. Read through and understand that Kilgore anatomy book and apply what i learn to training
yeah, had 6 total and 2 about training. those are in no particular order.
Oh! I meant to add:
7. Do more charity work. My first attempt can be found here:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/mikehumphries/powerlifting
I wasn’t originally going to pimp this on here, but that Race for the Cure link last week seemed to work out.
Sorry to hear about your loss.
1. Pass my AFOQT and gain admission into MOCS Winter Class 2012. Actively trying since October 2010.
2. Add 40lbs to both my Deadlift and Squat. As well as gain more mobility and gymnastics movements.
3. Pay off all debt (almost there) and start building on my savings.
4. Simplify my life more and increase focus.
5. Tighten my diet more and drink less beer.
I’m very sorry for your loss, but glad to hear you had a grandfather who sounds very much like my own, and for whom I served as a pallbearer only weeks ago. This post is a great testament to him.
Way to open the floodgates, Justin. A lot of you people need to be more specific with your goals.
Losing my grandfater, aka “Pop,” was a tough experience. He was a helluva Man. Best of luck to you and your family during this tough time. Like I’ve said before, I hope you have lots of good memories. When Pop died, my Dad put together some of his old articles into a book: http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Managers-Scratch-Pad-Employees/dp/1438941080
Pretty cool. I’ve considered doing something similar for my Mom. That’s probably the only goal worth listing here. It sure makes seeking a new deadlift PR look petty.
Brisket – agreed. My personal goals are usually laid out according to the “SMART” methodology. Benefits of being a consultant for so long. http://topachievement.com/smart.html
‘SMART’ annoys me because ‘attainable’ and ‘realistic’ are essentially the same for this purpose. A curse upon partially redundant acronyms.
There are some other variations, but the major point of SMART is specific and measurable. Most people say “I want to get better at x” and that’s not a goal, merely a hope.
–Justin
Hi Justin , Like someone before said long time lurker first time poster. Sorry for your loss, and thank you for keeping up this blog, your writings are much appreciated.
1. Compete in first oly comp
2. start finish and pass my masters in sport psychology
3. Set up Adversity Athletics not for profit barbell club.
4. get a real job.
5. raise enough money to set up oly club through making and selling prowlers and other stuff so I can buy equipment.
Keep up the good work!!!
Hugh
Sorry to hear about your loss of your grandfather. I lost my last grandfather about two months ago so I know how it feels to lose a strong positive role model in your life.
My list is as follows:
1. Graduate nursing school with an associates degree in May 2013 with honors.
2. Become a nurse extern at a local hospital in an ICU setting.
3. Get accepted into University of Tennessee-Chattanooga’s nurse anesthetist program and graduate.
4. Still be a good husband and father during all of the schooling I’m currently undertaking.
5. 400lb deadlift, 300lb squat, 225lb bench press, at least 150lb shoulder press by my 34th birthday next July.
Justin – I’m interested in hearing what your goals are.
Justin,
I am sorry for your family’s loss. It sounds like both you and your mom had someone very special that you could depend upon, look up to.
I like the idea of goals at other times of the year than the typical new year resolution nonsense.
1. Find a lifting coach (and a gym) where I can really lift – not the S&H gym I go to now
2. Be much more patient with some of my family members
3. Reduce the crap/clutter in my house
4. Take up the violin again
5. Stop worrying about all the stuff I can’t do anything about
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Sorry for your loss, Justin. Your grandfather was part of great generation that all of us can learn from.
In the next year I plan to:
1. Marry the woman I love.
2. Contact an old friend once a week.
3. Spend at least 30 minutes a day reading something that improves me.
4. Spend more time actually listening to my parents.
5. Squat 500+ and total 1400+ raw in the new 204# class of USAPL.