Workout Updates

Here are some of my recent workouts.

Age 30. Height 6'(183cm). Weight 215lbs (98kgs)

4-12-11
Week 3
Military Press: 105x5, 115x3, 140x5*(PR?), 105x10, 105x10, 85x10, 85x10, 75x16(PR?)
Pullups: 6, 6, 6(+22lb plate), 6(+33lbs), 10
Incline CGBP (3-4 sec negatives): 85x10, 85x10, 85x10<--just testing this out...haven't done it in ages
Rope Pulldown: 85x10, 115x10, 145x5-drop set-100x8
*I had to push press 2 reps

4-13-11
Week 3
Rack Pull (1st pin): 265x5, 310x3, 355x10(PR), 310x10, 310x10, 290x10, 265x10, 220x15
Hanging Leg Raise (Wendler Style): 6, 5, 5, 4, 4

4-16-11
Chest Week 3
Flat Barbell Bench Press: 175x5, 205x3, 230x1, 260x1*, 130 (+20-40lbs of chains) x 10, 185x8, 165x10, 165x10, 130x20
DB Row: 75x6, 90x6, 100x6, 120x4, 65x25(PR)<--speed reps on last set
DB Curl: 35x10, 40x8, 50x6
21's (EZ Curl): 80x21 (PR?)
Rope Hammer Curl: 85x10, 100x10, 115x13

*I lowered it way too slow. I needed a spot at the very bottom of the rep, after 3-4 inches I was able to press it myself.

4-17-11
Squats Week 3
ATG Squat: 180x5, 210x3, 265x1, 290x1*, 310 (quarter squats x I don't remember), 220x11(PR?), 200x10, 135x25(PR)
Cybex Prone Leg Curl: 90x6, 110x6, 130x6, 180x6(PR?), 110x20
Neutral Grip Pullups: 12
Towel Pullups: 4, 4

*I don't think I went ATG.

------Switched back to a bodybuilding-style routine------------
4-23-11
Military Press Week 1
Military Press: 100x5, 110x5, 120x10(PR?)
Seated Barbell Overhead Press: 65x12<--felt a little funny on the shoulder
Military Press: 100x10, 90x10, 90x10, 90x15(PR)
Smith Machine Overhead Press (assumed bar weight of 15lbs): 105x8, 130x6, 150x3
DB Lateral Raise: 25x12
Cable Rear Delt Flye: 10x12
Cable Tricep Extension (close grip EZ): 85x12, 100x12, 145x12, 145x12-drop set-100x12
EZ Curl Overhead Tricep Extension: 80x12, 80x10, 80x10

4-25-11
Deadlift Week 1
Deadlift: 245x5, 275x5, 310x10, 265x14(PR)
DB Row: 55x10, 65x10, 80x10, 80x10, 90x10
Pullups: 10, 10, 7, 10(with 30lbs assistance), 10(with 50lbs assistance)
Hanging Leg Raise (Wendler style): 5, 5, 5, 5, 4

Everything is going great with the workouts. My strength is almost back to where it was before I injured my shoulder. My body weight isn't as high as I would like but that's fine.

I will start a cutting diet the first week of May.

Imagine

News
No new updates for this week

Poem
Youth

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.

-Samuel Ullman

Thoughts
Do you remember when you were younger and you used your imagination? How often do you use your imagination now to produce positive results? Or do you often imagine the worst case scenario?

Let me relate a story to you:
When I go to the gym to perform my heaviest lifts I always imagine myself doing the lift the night before and also before I start the exercise. I did the same thing when I fought in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Mixed Martial Arts competitions. When I used to run I also used this technique. The other thing is that I don't say things like "I'll try", or "Maybe", or even "I'll do my best". Instead I use "I will".

This allowed me to achieve much greater results than just going and attempting something without thinking about it. I've also used this technique outside of the gym. Before I cold call or just show up to companies, I'll imagine things going great. Without doing this I am sure I would not have even started dropping in on companies.

The point here is that for most people their imagination faculty is rusty. It hasn't been used positively in so long that many have forgotten how to use it. So people just tend to creep through life without ever living. They let things like society, family, friends, or their age tell them what to do.

How can you start to use your imagination more and break this cycle?

Answer this question: What do you want to be, do, or have?

Don't answer that question quickly (unless you already know the answer). Spend some time on it. Really think about it. Don't allow your past results to cloud your thinking.

Of course the next step would be taking action.

Have an excellent week.





Doing

News
There are still some seats available for the Mastermind course based on the classic book 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill.

We start this Wednesday at 7pm.

If you are thinking about joining the course, here are some questions that you may find helpful:

1. Are you completely satisfied with everything in your life?
If the answer is no, continue to question 2. If the answer is yes, then you can stop reading.

2. Have you made a serious attempt at changing whatever you are not satisfied about?
If the answer is no, continue to question 3. If the answer is yes, then you can stop reading.

3. Would you be interested in a group that could help you start creating the life you would love to live?
If the answer is yes, continue to question 4. If the answer is no, then you can stop reading.

4. Why haven't you joined the Mastermind course?

To reserve your seat, please email: bob@oneamazinglife.com


Quote
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”
-Leonardo da Vinci

My Thoughts
How many books on average do you read a year? How many of those are non-fiction? How many of those give advice? How often do you act on that advice?

As for me, I generally read one book a week. Now of course this varies greatly depending on the book. Right now I am working my way through the Bhagavad-Gita. I've been reading it for the past month or so. Almost all of the books that I read these days are non-fiction. Not that there is anything wrong with a great fiction book, but due to my chosen profession I want (and need) to read a lot of non-fiction. To the best of my ability I apply the things I read.

I hope this story illustrates the point better.

Many people often ask me why I became a coach. It's a great question and the short answer is that I wanted to somehow help people. But that doesn't really hit the point home.

Back in 2008 I had stumbled across the book 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill. As I read the book I was stunned. Why? Because I had used the principles in the book my whole life without really knowing it. I had gone from being dead broke in 2003 to earning 150 million won a year in just three years by using those principles. I had gone from a horribly skinny man at 130lbs (59kgs) to a healthy 220lbs (100kgs) by using those principles. So I knew they worked.

I wanted to share the principles in 'Think and Grow Rich' with the world, but I didn't think anyone would listen. About a month or so later, I was watching a DVD with Bob Proctor speaking at an event in Canada. As he was talking he pulled out a copy of 'Think and Grow Rich' and explained how he read the book everyday since the early 1960's. At that moment I realized I needed to talk to Bob Proctor.

I got in touch with him and found out about getting certified as a coach. It was a massive time and money commitment. However, intuitively I knew it was the right choice to make so I went with it. Then in 2009 I had another decision to make. Do I stay with the comfort, safety, and security of my previous job, or do I risk everything and pursue my dream? Well I already knew the answer, so the choice was simple. Of course I risked everything.

Has it been easy? Not at all. The past two years of my life have been the most challenging I have ever experienced. But I learned more than I could have ever imagined in that time, and I've grown tremendously. I wouldn't change a thing.

This week I challenge all of you to jump the knowing-doing gap. Do the thing you know you want to do. Step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself.

Have an amazing week.

Wishing

News
The 6-Week Mastermind Course will be delayed one week due to scheduling conflicts.

It will start Wednesday, April 20th at 7:00pm. Because of this the 25% discount will be extended until Friday, April 15th.

If you are interested in making some changes in your life, and would like to interact with others that are seeking changes in their lives, then this is the group to join.

Full details about the course, as well as testimonials, go to:

www.oneamazinglife.com

If you have any questions, or would like to register, please email me:
bob@oneamazinglife.com

Poem

Wishing

Do you wish the world were better?
Let me tell you what to do:
Set a watch upon your actions,
Keep them always straight and true;
Rid your mind of selfish motives;
Let your thoughts be clean and high.
You can make a little Eden
Of the sphere you occupy.

Do you wish the world were wiser?
Well, suppose you made a start,
By accumulating wisdom
In the scrapbook of your heart:
Do not waste one page on folly;
Live to learn, and learn to live.
If you want to give men knowledge
You must get it, 'ere you give.

Do you wish the world were happy?
Then remember day by day
Just to scatter seeds of kindness
As you pass along the way;
For the pleasures of the many
May be ofttimes traced to one,
As the hand that plants an acorn
Shelters armies from the sun.

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox


My Thoughts
No thoughts from me this week. I recommend you read the above poem daily and put it's wisdom into practice.

Have a phenomenal week.





Taking Responsibilty

News
Many people have inquired about when I will be doing another Mastermind Course. The great news is that I've decided to start one on Wednesday, April 13th.

This course is a great way to get introduced into coaching.

You should seriously consider joining if you've struggled with areas such as:
Goal Setting & Achieving
Decision Making
Procrastination
Fear
Persistence
Self-Confidence

We meet once a week for about two hours and discuss the above topics as well as many others in detail. The meetings typically last two hours and are held in a group discussion format.

The course is based on Napoleon Hill's classic book 'Think and Grow Rich'.

Details
When: Wednesday, April 13th - Wednesday, May 18th
Time: 7:00 - 9:00pm
Location: One Amazing Life (2 minutes away from Sinsa station)
Participants: 6-10

As I mentioned before my normal fee for corporate coaching is 300,000 - 600,000 per hour, however I want to make this as affordable as possible to individuals.
Price: 200,000 won for the entire 12-14 hour course.

With that being said, I've also decided that if you register for the course by Sunday, April 10th you will receive 25% off. That means the entire course can be had for a small investment of 150,000 won.

We also offer flexible payment plans.

To register for the course, or if you have any questions, please email me:
bob@oneamazinglife.com

You can download the course outline by going to:
www.oneamazinglife.com-->English-->Menu-->How-->Mastermind Groups
Then click on .pdf at the bottom of the page.

Quote
“Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.”
-Voltaire

Thoughts
Life isn't fair. Some people were born into wealthy families, others into extreme poverty. Some people were born healthy, able to use all of their mental faculties and limbs, others were born blind/deaf/handicapped. Some people were born stereotypically good looking, others were not.
I am sure all of you realize this.

The question is what are you going to do about it?

I'll share a story with you.

After my mother died when I was 13 my father remarried less than a year later. That marriage meant I now had two stepbrothers and one stepsister. All of them were 7-10 years older than me.

My stepsister was an alcoholic and a drug addict. She had a daughter that was born in 1990. However my stepsister continued to do cocaine (along with other things) during much of her pregnancy so when her daughter was born she was very small and doctors said she would have serious mental problems.

So when I first met my stepsister's daughter she was almost 4 years old. She had autism. Up until that point she had never spoken a single word. Doctors said that she would never be able to put sentences together and she would be stuck mentally at age 3 her whole life. Over the next year my father and stepmother adopted my stepsister's daughter which made her my stepsister. I was almost 15 years old at this point and time.

Now the thing was my father was a very busy guy. He was a truck driver and he worked a ton of hours, so he didn't have time to really give his new stepdaughter the amount of attention she needed. My stepmother was preoccupied with other things in life. The other thing was we didn't have enough money to send her to a school that would have really helped her.

So, I decided that maybe I could help my new stepsister somehow. Don't get me wrong I was not some kind of saint. It was more out of wanting to help another human being plus curiosity. I read a lot when I was a teenager (I still do). In all the reading I had done I came across stories of people that overcame great adversities.
I refused to believe that it was impossible for her not to be able to grow.

Every night I would talk to her. I would help her do her homework. I taught her how to tie her shoes (which was no easy task). Eventually she started speaking coherent words. Then she started stringing sentences together. It was an incredible experience.

By the time I left for the military when I was 18 she was able to do many normal things on her own. She was almost 9 years old at the time and according to doctors mentally she was around 6-7. Today she is 21 years old, mentally around 12. Unfortunately, when I left people didn't work with her as closely as I was able to so her progress slowed dramatically. However, it is still quite impressive considering doctors just wrote her off in the beginning.

Obviously, there are numerous points to the story above.
I would like you to take away two things from this:
1. Just because people say something is impossible doesn't mean it is true.
2. Regardless of the circumstances that you were born with, or that have happened to you, you can rise above them and achieve whatever you truly desire.

Have a phenomenal week.

Opinions

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”
-Plato

Thoughts
Did you ever meet someone and you knew that you should just keep quiet and listen to what they have to say? Personally I have more than a few times so far in my life. However, I think sometimes people get so concerned with stating their own opinion that they never actually listen to what the other person is saying.

It's interesting that almost everyone has an opinion about everything regardless if they have even the slightest knowledge of the subject matter. People will spout off their opinions at anyone that is willing to listen. People give relationship advice, even though they've been in a string of bad relationships. Perhaps they would be better suited to tell you what you shouldn't do. People give health/workout related advice even though they haven't maintained a workout program for any decent amount of time.

The one that I find most interesting of all is business advice. Someone decides they are going to start a business and all of a sudden everyone around you is an expert. Most will give you a list of reasons why your business will fail and yet most of the time these people have never run their own business. Even the so called experts aren't always right. I'll share two stories with you. One from 2008 and one from one of my recent meetings.

In 2008, while I was still a defense contractor, I was in Tokyo for a few months doing some analysis work. One night I was out at a bar with a coworker of mine and this group of older business women walked in. The oldest one of the group sat down next to me and it turns out she was American. Now I had no idea what this woman did for a living but it appeared she was well known in Tokyo. Anyway, we get to talking and she asked me what I planned on doing over the next five years. I mentioned that I was gong to start a business and eventually a health club. She proceeded to tell me why that will never work (and she knew a vast amount of information related to the health club industry in Korea). So she gives me her business card and it turns out that she was the Asia-Pacific President of a huge international market research company. So she was a recognized expert in her field. And she asked me if that changed my mind. I said no it doesn't. She told me I was a fool and it would be the worst decision I ever made. Anyway, I eventually told her when I become successful I would come back and defecate on her desk. At that point she smiled. She shook my hand and said "Congrats, you will be successful as long as you maintain that attitude.". She then explained that market research can explain almost everything, but one thing that is hard to take into account is passion. She said with enough passion and persistence that anything is possible. With that her and her entourage left.

Now flash forward to 2011. I was in a meeting with the director of a market research company. He proceeds to tell me for almost 30 minutes why this business approach I am taking will never work in Korea. He then tells me to stop wasting my time and give up. He is an expert in his field and he was very adamant in his argument. Did I follow his advice? Of course not. Shortly after this meeting I sold two coaching/training packages to two companies. The funny thing is one of them is one of their rivals. It is another market research company that is ranked higher than them. I now have eight other proposals out. I would say that half of them are looking very good.

What is the point of all this? If you want to make a decision, consult yourself first. Do you really want whatever it is that you are trying to make a decision about? Who knows you better than you? If you decide to seek advice make sure you seek a worthy source. After all, asking someone who is always in debt for financial advice is probably not the best idea.

Have an amazing week.

Where Do You Stand?

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. "
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thoughts
It is quite easy to be happy with life when things are going our way. It is easy to stand by our convictions when most people agree with us. But what about the times when nothing seems to be working? What about when most are against you? This is where the challenge lies.

Where do you stand?

1. Do you find yourself generally able to maintain an emotional balance regardless of outside circumstances? If so, then you are off to a great start to achieving your dreams.

or

2. Do you find yourself one day complaining about your boss, coworkers, etc..? Then a few days later you are a happy? Then a few days after that you are back to complaining again?
If so, I will tell you that this will get you nowhere. Riding that emotional roller coaster will not lead you to much progress.

Interestingly enough most people are really not aware that they fall into category two. Why? Because they are not aware of the thoughts that are running through their heads. If you are unsure if you fit into this category, I suggest you :
I. Look back over you facebook status updates, twitter updates, text messages, etc...
II. If you keep a diary, go back through and see how often you fluctuate.
III. Make a conscious effort to become more aware of your thoughts and feelings

Remember, Thoughts cause Feelings cause Actions cause Results.

If you find yourself in category 2, what can you do?
I. Ask yourself, "Do I desire to change?". By the way the answer isn't always yes because some people have become so identified with their fluctuating feelings that it becomes part of their "story".
II. If you desire to change, the next step is to really become aware of your thoughts. You can do this through conscious effort, meditation, keeping a diary, hiring a competent certified coach, etc..
III. Start gaining emotional control. How?
-It starts with your thoughts.
Ex: Suppose you are angry at someone for one reason or another (which generally is caused by a misperception of events).
Do not suppress the feeling. Allow the feeling to go through you but stop adding fuel to the fire. Basically break the thought cycle that automatically starts when you are angry.
Then begin trying to shift your perception: Am I willing to explore other ways to look at this? Is there possibly another way to look at the situation? What can I learn from this situation? etc..

You will then begin the process of gaining emotional control.

By the way, if you are dealing with anger issues, forgiveness issues, etc...I recommend two things:
1. Start to seriously think of every single person as your mother (or another loved one).
2. Every time you think of the person that causes you pain, wish them well. Remember don't suppress the feeling. Ex: I hate xxxx. I wish xxxx would get run over by a truck......but if that doesn't happen I wish them well. Now the trick here is that you must do it every single time you have these thoughts about the person causing you pain.
Two books I recommend on that subject:
-"The Four Noble Truths" by the Dalai Lama
-"Building Your Field of Dreams" by Mary Morrissey

The above steps are not easy. But I can tell you from personal experience that if you keep doing them then they will eventually turn into a habit. Once it becomes a habit it is much easier to do them.

Have an incredible week.