Taking a cue* from Jon, I’ve been plowing through Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. It’s been mostly plane and train reading, which is perfect. It’s the kind of book that necessitates periodic interruptions (and the occasional nap). And since it’s about rethinking the way we find balance in our lives, it’s also the kind of book that’ll probably come up on OpSLED more than once.

One very small point covered is that when stuck, just look at the problem. Don’t try to solve the problem, just look at the whole scenario. Not, “what is wrong,” but just “what is it?” If you skip this step, you’ll try to solve a problem that wasn’t broken, or apply a solution that fixes the symptom but not the problem. Or you might find out that there isn’t actually a problem at all: It’s not supposed to work that way**.

So how is this relevant? Well, it turns out I might be a cat person after all.

My fiancé (yes, that is still fun to say, even if it annoys all sorts of Seinfeldians out there) recently brought up getting a cat. My initial response was that I’m really not a cat person; I’m a dog person. So this immediately led to thoughts about how getting a dog isn’t really feasible due to work/travel/etc. So getting a pet just wasn’t possible at this time. Unless it was the famous goat riding jousting monkey that we’ve been talking about since high school.

And I had the obligatory thoughts about how cats are sinister and dastardly and just generally the Iago of the animal kingdom. All the things that a dog person would naturally think.

Of course, she had arguments on the flip side: cats are cute and fuzzy and cleaner, etc. But I wasn’t biting (unlike an ungrateful cat).

But the reading got me thinking, and I started to identify why I wasn’t a “cat person.” I couldn’t think of a reason. It’s not that the critters don’t have their drawbacks. That was never the problem; dogs can be a pain in the ass too. It’s just that I’d set up a giant divide for myself, and it was a crappy divide. It cut out 50% of the fuzzball pet joy. So I’ve divided to chuck it. And now there’s twice as many pets out there to make us happy! Great!

* so I just found out that the correct spelling is the billiards cue, not the “get in line” queue. Opsleds, big and small!

** This reminds me of selling cars. I had an older couple come in insisting that new brakes didn’t work because when they drove the breaks were always shuddering and thumping, and they’d had this problem in multiple newer cars. It turned out that they were engaging the anti-lock breaks nearly every time they came to a stop. I had to explain that (1) the shuddering is actually helping you stop, (2) it doesn’t mean that you should take your foot off the brake, and (3) probably you should drive a little less aggressively.
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Posted by Mike | No Comments »

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein

Yep. ‘Nuf said.

Posted by Jon Sewell | 1 Comment »

I had a pretty great squat workout a few days past, and had immediately posted this to my own personal blog. I thought I would share it here, because I think it touches on some of the core OpSLED concepts, as well as an idea I addressed in the last entry.

***

In a gym known for eccentricity, I might have just carved myself out a new niche.

I just had a terrific squat workout, five brutal sets of eight brutal reps each. Nothing to really write home about for around 90% of the gym, but nor was it too shabby for a guy who’s never taken squats seriously until the last year or so.

I wrapped my rosary around the horizontal support for the squat rack so that it was dangling in front of me while I pounded out the reps. The squats hurt. A lot. But then I’d find myself focusing on the crucifix rotating in front of me from the force of my exhales, and I’d think, “oh, yeah, I guess it doesn’t hurt all that bad, after all”.

Really kind of puts things into perspective.

I had a lot to think about tonight, and a lot to pray about, and a lot of fury that I felt OK taking out on the weights. I killed a few birds with one stone, I guess. And my legs. I’m seriously having some trouble with stairs right now. And am emotionally exhausted. It’s been a week, I’ll tell you what.

But, then again, perspective. Right. And strength. Right.

But yeah, a few people did double takes at my mumbling, struggling self squatting in front of a dangling rosary. And they nodded in seeming approval.

I might just become maniacal enough to fit in there after all.

***

There are several things here I’d like to expand on over time, but one thing that I hope immediately jumps out is that simply by getting in there, busting ass, trying my best to suck a little less than last time out, and frankly not giving a damn about what other people thought of me, I fit right in with a group of people who were a lot bigger, stronger, and badder than I.

There was a time not too long ago where I whould have avoided doing lifts I’m not that great at, out of fear of sticking out as a weakling. Obviously, this is a self-defeating strategy, as every time that I avoided a workout, I only put off actual progress that much longer.

But the truth of the matter is, it wasn’t the other, more capable, less-sucking people present that made me feel uncomfortable; it was me, and me alone. MY own insecurities, and nothing more. Nobody really gives a damn how much weight you’re putting up in the gym. What they notice is that you bring it all, throw yourself into every rep, and give Sucking Less Every Day the ol’ college try.

A whole other idea that I would like to address more in depth another time is that of my faith. It’s a shame how much popular culture has either demonized or emasculated men of faith in recent years. But plenty of the blame for that can also be placed squarely on the faithful themselves. Sadly, many of today’s churches do a pretty piss-poor job at representing the ideas on which they were founded. But, again, that’s a whole ‘nuther topic for a whole ‘nuther time.

Posted by Jon Sewell | 1 Comment »

In the never-quite-ending quest to suck a bit less daily, it’s important to have a vision. It doesn’t have to be too specific right away, but you need something to strive for, some kind of goal in mind, to effectively judge at the end of each day whether you just spent the last 24 hours sucking more, sucking less, or doing a bit of both (you’ll find this one to be the case most often, I assure you).

Here is a list of ten physical benchmarks I have set for myself. Some of them I’m close to hitting now, and some of them are likely a good ways off. But I feel that once I can do all of the following, I will be able to confidently declare myself pretty damn fit. Surely a bit stronger than the average bloke off the street, but hardly an extreme specimen, either. I’m sure that there are many people that would gawk at a list like this, and write me off as some kind of health-nut. I’m also sure that in near any gym across the country, there would be at least a handful of people that could handily smoke all these numbers.

And that’s OK. I’m a very average guy who happens to work out in a very hardcore lifting facility, so my perspective on strength, and my feeble place in its spectrum, is probably skewed. I am pretty confident that I have not the dedication, genetics, or even inclination to ever become a competitive bodybuilder, powerlifter, or strongman. However, I also have plenty of valid reasons related to my career to want to be bigger, stronger, and tougher than the average guy on the street.

So, don’t ever worry about what anyone else’s goals are, or where you stack up next to them. Worry only about how you stack up to yourself yesterday, and your ideal self tomorrow. Working to get further from the former and closer to latter, and helping others to do the same, is what OpSLED is all about!

So, without further ado, here are MY ten current (and admittedly arbitrary) fitness benchmarks. Now I’m eager to hear about your’s, so we can walk those very different but parallel paths together.

1. Bench Press 300 pounds.

2. Deadlift 300 pounds.

3. Squat 300 pounds.

4. Overhead Press (pushpress) 200 pounds.

5. 12 strict consecutive chinups.

6. 50 strict consecutive pushups.

7. 45 situps in 1 minute.

8. Run 10 miles.

9. Run 1 mile in under 7:30 (a gazelle, I am most surely not).

10. Close the #2 Captains of Crush hand gripper.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you next time!

Posted by Jon Sewell | 1 Comment »

Do you have a passion in life? What is it? …. I’ll give you a second to think.
Post them here:
What is your passion in life?

My passion(s) - family and pets, martial arts, strength, internet.

I wonder how many of you out there actually know what your passion is and/or are actually pursuing it? I have someone close to me, who’ve I’ve asked this question to a few times. The answer is typically “I don’t know” or something very vague. It actually makes me sad to hear it and I believe frustrates the person when I ask.

One of the questions that is supposed to help find your passion is “What you would do in life if you didn’t have to worry about money and had everything you’ve ever wanted?” I think about this all the time. I would open a martial arts gym, fill it with the best training equipment, mats, etc. and train. Then after I’m training, I would geek out on the internet trying to be successful there. My wife and I would travel and I’d live on a HUGE farm with a pack of dogs, birds, and other animals. Man that just gets me excited thinking about it. The thing is, I think I can do it too.

The hard part I guess is trying to merge your passion into your “real life”. We all have to work, pay those bills, and survive the daily grind. It’s part of life. But everyday I believe you should do SOMETHING that relates to your dreams and passions. If you’ve always wanted to … play guitar. Take guitar lessons once a week. Start down that path. You don’t have to go crazy trying to achieve everything you want at once. Break it down into something small and manageable. I always wanted to be a great martial artist. I started small, I took a class and it grew from there. Same thing with the internet. I was intrigued by it and wanted to be successful at it. I started small, I learned how to open a site and it grew from there.

The hardest part is taking that first step. But BELIEVE me, once you do, it will change you. You will now be pursuing your dreams and passions. Thats huge my friend.

Suck Less At: Finding and PURSUING passion in life

Posted by Matt Bryers | 2 Comments »

This post is kind of a personal thought or experiences of Being Dumb that I had after I read an amazing blog related to Not Being Dumb by a man named Russ St. Hilaire, who also happens to be my martial arts teacher and more. His blog is called Don’t Be Dumb. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for tips, motivation, and a “real” way of thinking that applies to all aspects of your life. Give it a read.

My personal experiences fighting being dumb.
Ever since I was born, I’ve been thrown into the regiment of living my life a certain way. Go to School, Get a Job, Get Married, Buy a House, Have Kids, etc. The “American Dream” as some of you might say. In fact, my Mother used to say that exact phrase to me to a certain degree. She was TRYING to put me on the path of the cookie cutter life. They soon realized I was different and did things a different way. I didn’t go to college, I didn’t have schooling on Web Design or Marketing, yet that is one of my passions and professions. I was never interested in traditional sports or little league, nor much of an athlete when younger, yet know I consider myself a good athlete and fighter. I could go on, but the point is that I am probably more successful in “life” then I would have been if I just followed “the path”. One of my favorite sayings from my other site: Fighting Techniques, Training and Fight Videos - Fightauthority.com is “Find your Path!” - meaning that everyone should find their own path in life and / or martial arts (it is a martial arts site). A path that is their own, not one laid of out for you.

The funny thing now is that in a way, I have almost done what my Mother always wanted. I did get a job, got married, bought the house, got Dogs (they’re my kids for now). But the way I see it, it was done my way. I got the job of my dream as well as have some other great side jobs and personal business that is also blooming. I married the woman of my dreams. The girl I was in love with when I since was 16 (I’ll share that story another time). And buying a house….well we all need a place to live and I LOVE my house. Lastly my dogs, you’ll all soon find out that I am big animal lover, and my dogs are a vital part of my life. So the end result was something that my parents always wanted, but I did it my way and I am truly happy.

One thing I would like to improve on, which I realized after reading some posts on Don’t Be Dumb is that I should real consider trying to help others more. Either financially, volunteering, etc. Sometimes I almost feel selfish, others times I don’t know how I would be able to do it. But after reading some thoughts and posts there, I know that should be part of my life.

Sucking Less at: Being Dumb
Sucking at: Not helping others.

Again, Thank you Don’t Be Dumb for inspiring some interesting thoughts and life consideration. Please give this blog a read. It is FULL of amazing information.

Posted by Matt Bryers | No Comments »

Its funny I just wrote a post about being stronger in life, and strength training, and now I’m gonna tell you that sometimes stuff sucks. I don’t personally think this is me sucking less, its just my body sucking less.

For about 1-2 years I have been experiencing ongoing shoulder pain. Come to find out I have a torn labrum, bone spur, and tendonitis. How do I get this stuff? If you read about me earlier, I am can be very abusive to my body. Heavy lifting, hardcore martial arts training, and just general stuff that over the years has taken its toll. I’ve always had this do or die attitude because I am so scared of letting my life slip me by, and not ever doing things that challenge me.

But in doing so, I have now broken down my body and facing surgery in 5 days. I will be out for 6 weeks. No lifting, training, fighting, etc. Shoulder completely immobilized. Freakin sucks.

I’m actually having a real hard time dealing with it. I’m scared that when I am not able to exercise I’ll become a dick (I need to get my energy out), I’ll become weak, and I might gain fat. I’ve been very healthy lately and slowing finding out what my optimum weight is by still maintaining my strength, but losing a few pounds a week. I bulked up over the holidays and hit 265. I am now down to 235 and feeling really good. My strength really hasn’t changed either. I gain weight very easily and I like to eat. I am mostly a fit guy, but I battle with some extra pounds. That is how I suck everyday. I battle my urge to pound food like I did 5-10 years ago. So like I said, I’m scared I’ll go right back up in weight, and lose all my strength.

So my challenge for the next 6 weeks is to not suck at being healthy, calm, and focused on healing. It ties back to my previous post. I need to be a healthy healing mental warrior so I can get back to being a health brutal physical fighting warrior as soon as possible!

Posted by Matt Bryers | 1 Comment »

I look around at the people I work with, the people on the street, restaurants, mall…. wherever and I see people who have given up on themselves, their body, and being a warrior in life. I guess you can look at that and see it as a dumb statement “Warrior in Life”, but seriously, thats the way you need to look at it. Everyday you face battles, whether it be struggling to finish a deadline, dealing with home issues, sporting events, or your personal issues. As warriors we need to be strong, not only physically, but mentally. And they are not necessarily separate.
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Posted by Matt Bryers | No Comments »

I would have to call myself a responsible and dedicated dog owner. We have become very dedicated to training and educating our dogs and ourselves. Dog training, and attending training classes has become an ongoing routine for us. Today, we are doing a first. Taking both my dogs to the same class. My wife and I will switch up the leadership roles between each dog.

The dogs currently recognize me as the pack leader and basically listen to what I say, though the can be stubborn shits at times. But my wife really hasn’t established that role yet. It think they believe they don’t have to listen to her.

So this will be a good thing for all of us. Instead of me just training the dogs separately, we can all work together as a family…. very cool. And what makes it kick ass even more, is my sister is coming with her dog too.

So, how is this an OPSLED thing? Being a dog or pet owner is a serious responsibility. It frustrates me when I see dogs that are out of control and owners who have no control over their dogs. Understanding and bettering the relationship with your dog improves their quality and of life AND yours. They are happier, they listen and they respect you. They learn their boundaries and live according to your rules. Dogs are pack animals and need the social environment, but also a pack leader. Once you define yourself as the leader, and learn how your dog “works” and lives, you’ll have a much better life with them. Sucking Less at being a pet owner = total OPSLED

Posted by Matt Bryers | 1 Comment »

After years and years of fighting the war of internet business…. and doing well I might add - I partnered with the top MMA internet company in the world, and about to release the biggest and baddest MMA site of all time.

I will be managing the training section. It be the ultimate resource for MMA, grappling, and striking training. No other site on the internet will compare.

Personally I am very excited about this. It is slowly bringing me closer to my dream of working purely in the “industry” that I love: Martial Arts. It is the perfect combination of my passions. Martial arts training, and the internet.

It’s perfect OPSLED - slowly building up my business, making mistakes along the way, but in the end, really kicking some serious ass.

Posted by Matt Bryers | No Comments »