John Greaves III's Blog, page 27

Destroying The Myth? by Mike "Bird" Parrott

Living in your father’s shadow is something not many young men would like to do. Recently, Generation Iron director Vlad Yudin had an opportunity to interview Sergio Oliva Jr to discuss “Destroying ‘The Myth”, his perspective on following in his father’s footsteps.   “The Myth” was the moniker given to his father Sergio Oliva Sr., the 3x IFBB Mr. Olympia as well as one of only three men to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger in a bodybuilding contest. Today, Sergio Oliva Jr. is also an IFBB Professional Bodybuilder and winner of multiple bodybuilding contests so far in his career.

Being the son of a prolific figure such as a 3x Mr. Olympia poses its own set of challenges and trying to not be just like Daddy could seem nearly impossible. As a grown man, I wish I could be an adopted child of Sergio Oliva Sr. just so I could say that he was my Dad! Unfortunately, I am not but fortunately, I have a son of my own. While listening to the nearly 14-minute interview, you can hear and almost feel the sadness and grief as Sergio talks about what it was like growing up with his father. I can only imagine the level of discontent Sergio Oliva Sr. felt towards bodybuilding having coming up through the ranks at a time when racism and social injustices were the norm. “A hard head makes a soft behind” is an old adage that is reiterated throughout many American homes. However, a child’s behind could be spared with a little care and nurturing in order to grow the person mentally as well as physically. It seems that Oliva Sr. did not wish to break loose from the “old school ways” and stop being so bitter about whatever or whoever he feels may have wronged him.

It can become challenging when our children travel down a path which we did not pave. Moreso if we don’t agree with that path! However, I would like to believe that a sensible parent would accept whichever life-choice their children choose and assume a role that is supportive and helps them grow. That being said, I will not pretend as if I am the beacon of perfect parenting. I can become frustrated when my children do not share my interests. For example, my ten year old daughter loves to workout in our garage gym with Dad but my eight year old son is content with never lifting a single weight! Their attitudes toward training could change as they age but that doesn’t stop my emotional reaction when my son would rather play Xbox than knock out a few squats before school.

What keeps me from lashing out toward my boy is the fact that I know he will train with Dad when he is ready. I cannot force him to do something that he genuinely does not want to do. Instead, I search for what interests him and bond with him in that way. Whatever path he decides to take, I will do my best to learn everything I can about it in order to do my part with preparing him to be the best that he can be. At about one-third of the way through the video, Sergio Oliva Jr. who is a member of Team Labrada as a sponsored athlete, referenced his apparent jealously toward Hunter Labrada for his bond and connection to his father, Lee Labrada. At that moment, I knew that the best thing I could do for my son is to support him in whatever he likes and chooses to do; assuming it is legal and ethical of course.

I will not attempt to judge a man that I have never met or could ever live up to. Sergio Oliva accomplished more in his lifetime than I ever could dream. However, I could learn from the information presented by his son, the one who shares his name, and could maybe use it to become a better father towards my own children. In this life, the only thing – besides taxes – that is certain is death. How we choose to live our lives is up to no one but ourselves. When we finally meet our end and pass on into what awaits us on the other end, what will our legacy say about us? I cherish my legacy. My children are that legacy. Their perception of who I am, or was, as a person means everything to me. Therefore, I must do all that I can to ensure I leave more positive influence on everyone that depends on me.

Becoming a father is certainly a blessing and has an inexplicable joy that accompanies it. But being a parent is not designed to be an easy job. It is often thankless and unenviable.  Many people avoid it like an infectious disease. Being a father does not come with a manual which explains what to do when faced with the numerous challenges of fatherhood. Please don’t let this frighten you.  As fathers, one goal we have in our lives is rearing our children in the image of what we believe success should be. It doesn’t matter if it’s following in our footsteps/path or allowing the child to achieve their own destiny.

Mike “Bird” Parrott has been certified as a personal trainer and is currently studying as a strength coach. He provides nutrition counseling and exercise programming. Two of his  athletes have become National champions with numerous others achieving many National, American, and Military records while under his tutelage. Moreover, he has assisted with and facilitated over 10 powerlifting meets spanning a 5-year period. He is also a certified state-referee for USA Powerlifting. With only a few years of competition experience under his belt, he is a member of the U.S. Air Force Powerlifting team and is credited with a 245 kg/540 lbs. squat, 152.5 kg/336 lbs. bench press, and 275 kg/606 lbs.* deadlift for a (cumulative) total of 672.5 kg/1,479.5 lbs. with a bodyweight of 86 kg/189 lbs. Contact Mike by filling your information in the contact form below!

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Legacy Building by John Greaves III

image courtesy of www.musculardevelopment.com

Legacy is more important to me with every passing year. I recently watched an interview with up and coming bodybuilder Sergio Oliva, Jr. on the Generation Iron YouTube Channel and it was pretty eye-opening. As the son of an iconic bodybuilder, you’d think that Oliva would have a leg up on the competition but he revealed that wasn’t the case. Apparently Oliva, Sr. was pretty bitter about how he allowed himself to be tricked by Arnold into losing an Olympia and the racism he suffered when he began bodybuilding in the IFBB.  He allowed that to affect his relationship with his son to the point where the junior Oliva says that his father gave him zero help with his bodybuilding career.  In some ways, Junior said that Senior actively made his career more difficult.  Contrast that with another Cuban American father son bodybuilding team. Lee Labrada apparently gives his son Hunter a ton of support and advice to help his heir in his chosen career. According to Oliva, Jr.  it’s an even more bitter pill to swallow because he’s sponsored by Labrada and sees the rapport between the Labradas on a regular basis.

It was a gut check for me.  How am I supporting my own children?  Am I supportive of their goals, dreams and aspirations whether or not they fit into my “master plan” for their lives?

I wasn’t introduced to weights by my father.  My dad is not into lifting or any other kind of exercise for that matter. I found lifting through a series of seemingly disconnected events.  But I am a father who is seeking to pass on the benefits of strength training to my own children.  It’s yet another reason that I value training at my home. I wanted all of my children to grow up in an atmosphere where being healthy and fit were normal parts of life.  That being said, I don’t push them into lifting. I don’t want to be overbearing or try to make them fit into some preplanned, cookie cutter career.  I would hate, at the end of my Iron Journey, for any of my kids to say that I didn’t support them in their goals, whatever they are, and I definitely don’t want them to think I tried to stand in the way of their success.

I think that Mark Dugdale’s DVD Legacy is another great and eye opening discussion of the concept of a father’s legacy and I encourage you guys to check it out.  You can order it from the store at markdugdale.com.

As for Sergio Oliva Jr.? Judging by this pic on Instagram, he’s figured out the key to not allowing his past to embitter him.

 

John Greaves III is a freelance writer in North Georgia. He is the founder of Garage Gym Life and a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. John’s diverse athletic and writing background allows him to write about a variety of topics from sports to business. You can find out more about him including how to have him guest post on your blog, write for your magazine or ghostwrite a piece for you by clicking here.

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Weekly Motivation featuring Jedd Johnson

Training in the garage by yourself is tough. You usually don’t have the camaraderie of other gym members to help push you.  To help out, we combed the web to find videos that will help motivate you to keep striving to be your best.

Today’s video features Jedd Johnson of www.dieselcrew.com showing the first four minutes of an EPIC 4.5 hour grip session in his home gym.  Video shows the first exercise which is deadlifts with a band in the middle to force the lats to engage. It’s a great training tip as well as motivating to see Jedd and his two guest lifters, tugging 535 off the ground set after set.

Stay motivated and keep training until people want to post videos of you!

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Diet Week One: Feeling Stuffed

I’m on a diet for the first time in my life. This is my post #2 of my record of the journey to reclaim my dream of a truly in shape physique.  I highly recommend you start at the beginning if you want to dig into why I’m doing this even though my strength sport of choice is powerlifting not bodybuilding or physique.

The first week of the eating plan was rough.  I fired off an email to Nate King, the owner of The Grit House because I was having trouble adjusting to the sheer volume of food he’d outlined for me to eat.   Here’s the text of our email exchange:

On Jun 5, 2016 6:32 PM, “Grit House” wrote:

Hey John.  This is your initial plan that I want you to eat for the

next 2 weeks.  We will use this to establish a baseline for your

caloric needs.  Once we know what you need for optimal performance we

will add additional food choices into your plan.  Please stay as

consistent as you can with this and try not to waiver off of the plan.

The better you adhere to what we have here the easier it is to dial

you in.  I am fine with coffee and teas as long as you don’t pass two

cups a day.  Look this plan over and let me know if it is something

you can stick with.  I tried to incorporate your food likes as much as

possible but the majority of your items contain fried items.  We may

need to do some tweaking on this plan but I feel its a good place to

start.  Pay extra attention to how you feel while eating these foods.

If you feel tired, bloated or hungry then let me know.  The goal here

is to perform at a higher level while leaning out the body.  If you

have any questions please ask.

-N8

On Jun 8, 2016 8:41 AM, “John Greaves III” wrote:

Ok here’s the verdict about my first full day (yesterday)

1. I had trouble finishing all of the food. I felt stuffed most of the day and actually had to divide my pre workout meal in half. Half before,  half post workout. Then I waited thirty minutes and had my post workout.

2. I absolutely hate rice krispy treats. Is a cup of sweet tea or a bowl of cereal with honey an acceptable alternative?

3. Bowel movements are regular but I still felt stuffed all day.

4. I had energy for the workout but I’m not due to take caffeine until I am two weeks out.

5. Bodyweight was 205 first thing this morning and 208 last night after training. (I weigh in on Friday July 15.)

On Jun 8, 2016 8:51 AM, “Grit House” wrote:

Thanks for the update.  Feeling full and having trouble finishing the food is common at this point.  Your metabolism is slow.  What we need to see is whether or not you gain or lose weight with this volume.  You can substitute cheerios for your rice treats.  I prefer Almond milk if you have to use milk.  I would not put honey in it.  Others foods can be added once we know where you need to be.

In any case, I stuck it out and when I weighed in on Sunday, June 12 the scale showed 200.  My scale is a pound heavy so that means, I’m 199lbs. Good start.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

Height: 5’9      Age 42

Goal: Physique recomposition.
Weight:
Goal: 190-195lbs    Starting Weight: 202lbs  Current Weight: 199lbs
Waist
Goal: 31 inch         Current Measurement: 38 inches Starting Measurement:  39 inches
Chest: relaxed
Goal: 44 inches  Current Measurement:                      Starting Measurement: 43
Arms:
Goal: 17.5 inches flexed/16 relaxed Starting Measurement: 17.5 inches flexed/16 relaxed  unchanged

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Remembering Why I Started

I’ve never been in shape.  That’s an embarrassing admission considering that I’ve been lifting weights or at least exercising for 23 years.  I

Not the best starting point. June 1992; 130lbs

started out as a skinny kid and that didn’t change until my girlfriend at the time had to rescue me from under a bar loaded to 135lbs. I weighed five pounds less than the weight that was pinning me to the bench at the YMCA and I never wanted to feel that humiliated again. I started lifting weights and the habit has stuck with me through two decades and some change, an overseas deployment and at least one thirty day stay in a federal disaster area.

But I’ve never been in shape.  I’ve gotten close, back when I would cut weight to fight but I’ve never had the sort of physique that turns heads, that makes others envy.  None of that’s important. What IS important is that I’ve never developed my physique to the point that it fulfilled that subconscious promise I made to myself years ago as I read every muscle magazine I could find.  That quiet resolution I made behind my own back to be more.

Time for that to change.

So last week I started to make that change.  I began a different diet, increased my water intake. Hired Nate King, the owner of The Grit House Gym and a physique competitor to keep me nutritionally honest.  Our goal is not only to get the flab off but also to help me create a year round eating plan that will make sure I keep it off.  Won’t be easy, my palate was born in West Africa and it loves foods cooked in raw palm oil but my eyes grew up seeing tons of guys with ripped physiques who eat the same foods.  Nate and I just need to figure out how to make it work for me.  Oh yeah, and I’ve got a meet next month so we’re trying to keep my strength levels as high as possible while I lean out.  Hey if it was easy, everybody would do it. I don’t care.

Time to become who I should have been years ago.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3 ESV

Height: 5’9      Age 42

Goal: Physique recomposition.
Weight:
Goal: 190-195lbs    Starting Weight: 202
Waist
Goal: 31 inch          Starting Measurement:  39
Chest: relaxed
Goal: 44 inches  Starting Measurement: 43
Arms:
Goal: 17.5 inches flexed/16 relaxed Starting Measurement: 17.5 inches flexed/16 relaxed

John Greaves III is a freelance writer in North Georgia. He is the founder of Garage Gym Life and a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. John’s diverse athletic and writing background allows him to write about a variety of topics from sports to business. You can find out more about him including how to have him guest post on your blog, write for your magazine or ghostwrite a piece for you by clicking here.

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A Garage Gym Life

I stopped by the USA Powerlifting Summer Showdown Saturday, June 11th intending to only stay a couple of hours. I was there to support  my Gogginsforce teammate, Perry Ellis, Jr. at the meet but  I’d been awake for about 17 hours straight by the time it started so I was eager to pop in and leave.  Man I’m glad I stayed!  Because I stayed, I got to watch Nikita Koba compete and actually hang out with him for the first time. I originally met Nikita through an Animal Barbell Club seminar I organized about a year ago at Iron Beast Gym in Gainesville, GA and we’ve subsequently competed at a few of the same meets.  It was a pleasure seeing him again and even more so when he introduced me to his training partner, Mike Braga. Mike’s a fellow former Marine and we hit it off from the start.

The event was great from start to finish, despite the $25 entry fee which I think was a bit steep.  By comparison, the Arnold Sports Festival has more vendors and is $10 cheaper for a day pass. One thing I loved was that the Georgia’s Strongest Man contest was going on less than fifty yards away so I could easily see what was going on.  In fact, about halfway through the day, I got a message on Instagram that one of my fellow writers was there watching, Dustin Reed another garage gym powerlifter try his hand at strongman.  I headed over there and we had a great chat about marketing and the business of writing.

Then I headed back to the powerlifting area and got drafted to take video with Steve Goggins’ camera.  He messed up by leaving me unattended with his phone.  I took selfies with the judges, Bryce Lewis, random competitors, people in the stands and Perry’s wife in between videos of Perry lifting.  The best was when I took a selfie and sent it to Maliek Derstine on Facebook Messenger.  (Steve’s face was hysterical when he realized the next day how many selfies I’d taken with his phone!)

Needless to say, Perry put on a show as usual, narrowly edging out Bryce Lewis for the Best Overall award.

Congratulations to him and to Nikita Koba who broke a Georgia State Squat Record and who made my day when he introduced me to Mike as “the Garage Gym Life Guy”.

By the time I got home, I’d been awake for 23 hours but it was well worth it.  I was also pretty pumped when I checked my weight the next morning before cardio and found that my bodyweight was back down to 199 after ballooning up to 208 the previous week. I realize that it was probably water weight but I don’t care.  I’m back where I was. Now it’s time to get back to the task of transforming my physique from weekend warrior to legitimate strength athlete.  I’m tracking my progress towards that goal in a series of blog posts under the category Becoming Who I Should Have Been. Watch for it!

 

John Greaves III is a freelance writer in North Georgia. He is the founder of Garage Gym Life and a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. John’s diverse athletic and writing background allows him to write about a variety of topics from sports to business. You can find out more about him including how to have him guest post on your blog, write for your magazine or ghostwrite a piece for you by clicking here.

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Outtakes: Activate Your Healing Factor by John Greaves III

I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some very strong athletes but sometimes I have to cut material to fit a publication’s space constraints. Well lucky you, because I post those “outtakes” here for your reading pleasure!

While we’d all like to have Wolverine’s healing factor, the reality is that we don’t. Hard training can take a toll on the body if we don’t adequately recover.  For today’s article I decided to do something different and share some of the recovery tips I’ve picked up from some of the great lifters and coaches I’ve had the privilege to interview. Check them out!

Andrea White, “My normal recovery is foam rolling, stretching and laying on my acupuncture mat. If needed, an Ice Bath to relieve soreness and inflammation.  After meets I deload, anywhere from 3 days to a week, after that I’m going nuts if I’m not back at the gym.”

Perry Ellis, Jr. I do a lot of little accessory stuff a lot of machines, a lot of bodybuilding stuff and rotator cuff work, upper rotations, outward rotations, band pull aparts and

photo credit: Ro Asgari/Recon Photography

lately, I’ve noticed that doing delt work seems to help too. Massage, I use deep tissue massage once every month or two, I like ART (Active Release Therapy) chiropractor work, I have a regular sports chiropractor who does great adjustments and then I have an ART chiropractor who gets the ART tissue work done and then just resting. I do Epsom Salts  and my wife walks on my back, I get that, cause I think that’s great too. Ha ha.

Zahir Khudayarov, “I’m afraid that I have very little to say about recovery-issue. What I do after a major training is sleep. Sleep 15 hours per day for many days. I try to do a little stretching (I’m very lazy at that), and easy training. Especially good exercises are back

Zahir Khudayarov is the first man to squat 500kg raw.

extensions or reverse hyper, different kinds of ab curls, good mornings with small weights, lunges with small weights. I might do cycling or other aerobic training, or I might be too lazy for that. I do my normal accessory training sessions after a hard training session, but I don’t do speed training earlier than after a week from the extra hard session. Speed training requires totally recovered muscles and nervous system, even though the weights are small. Generally concentrated and slow exercises are ok for unrecovered muscles.And I might use muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory pain killers for a couple of days. I don’t change my eating after a hard training, but eat my normal foods and take my normal protein shakes”.

Samantha Coleman “Massage has helped me a lot. I have a lot of pinched nerves. I always have one in my left leg, I have a few in my upper back which can make it difficult to do lifts. I find it hurts the most in the bench press but chiropractic helps a little bit but I find that deep tissue massage is just better. It just helps me recover better”.

Maliek Derstine, “I have two different chiropractors and a masseuse that I see on a bi-weekly schedule all year long. My masseuse performs myofascial, Graston work, TRT, which also aids in my recovery”.

 

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John Greaves III is a freelance writer in North Georgia. He is the founder of Garage Gym Life and a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. John’s diverse athletic and writing background allows him to write about a variety of topics from sports to business. You can find out more about him including how to have him guest post on your blog, write for your magazine or ghostwrite a piece for you by clicking here.

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Weekly Motivation featuring Buck's Gym

Training in the garage by yourself is tough. You usually don’t have the camaraderie of other gym members to help push you.  To help out, we combed the web to find videos that will help motivate you to keep striving to be your best.

Today’s video features Doctor Allen Buck and what’s motivating about it is he’s opened a gym in a barn on his property that he then invited co workers and the public to share with him. It’s truly an inspirational story about how being a home gym athlete doesn’t mean you have to be anti social!

Stay motivated and keep training until people want to post videos of you!

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Ross Enamait Says Originality Is Overrated!

photo courtesy of rosstraining.com

We have some awesome writers and athletes who contribute to Garage Gym Life. But we admit that we don’t know everything. So we scour the web to find the best articles from yesterday and today (we’d get them from the future as well but our DeLorean is in the shop) and bring you the links here. Today’s article comes from innovative combat strength & conditioning coach Ross Enamait. Enamait has been the subject of two Thursday motivational videos and he’s well known for his methods which lean towards low tech and less expensive but highly effective.

Find out why he says Results > Originality by clicking the link below!

Source: Originality Is Overrated

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What Powerlifting Teaches Us About Galatians 6:2

I’m in the midst of processing photos from a recent powerlifting meet (which side note: nothing makes you miss the platform more than being surrounded by lifting friends and being in the the middle of the atmosphere again.)

Spotting is a crucial part of every powerlifting meet.

As I’ve been processing through them, something stood out to me for the first time since I began lifting. No matter the weight, there were always spotters. Not once was there a lifter who got under the bar and someone say ” That’s an easy load to bear, they can do it alone.” No, each lifter got the support they needed without outside judgement determining if they could go the course alone.

Where am I going with this? Well it’s much like when we bear the weight of the burdens of this world. Too often we try to do so alone. I learned from a bench experience that when you leave out your spotter you can end up in deep waters. Just like in lifting, we need supporters nearby. They don’t carry the load for us, but there are there to catch us when the weight becomes to heavy to bear.

Praying for a neighbor

We were called to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”- Galatians 6:2. To not let the burden of another crush them. We are to be alert to the needs of others to help make them lighter. We are also called to share our burden with others, to humble ourselves in admittance that we need help.

So if you see a sister or brother enduring their burden, don’t assume they are strong

enough to bear it alone and when you are enduring your own burdens, don’t be so prideful to say ” I’ve got this, I can do it alone.”

Let’s be each other’s spotters. ‪#‎lessonsfromlifting‬

Kaela Kennedy is a professional photographer, amateur powerlifter, wife, mother and Children’s Ministry Director for The Journey Church in Paulding County, GA. She occasionally sleeps but is never far from her camera.  Powerlifting has given her the chance to blend her passion for Jesus, photography and exercise. See her work or contact her to book a photo shoot at Kaela Kennedy Photography on Facebook or read more from her by visiting her blog, Beloved Inspiration.

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