I was a 19 year old, private first class in the Marine Corps when I started training. I started training due to shortfalls, I thought I could not exercise, have bad habits, like smoke and eat terrible and still do hard things.
Well I learned really quick that I couldn’t. So after basic training and my infantry training, I decided that I was going to workout everyday.
My early days of training were really basic, and that’s because I didn’t know much. I hung a pull up bar at my apartment. I would go out and run 3-6 miles and then come back and do 100 pull ups and 200 push ups.
Day in and day out, it was this workout, or something really similar to this. I would occasionally go to the gym and would find older Marines I looked up to and just do what they were doing. But I really didn’t know what I was doing.
I was small, young and didn’t know how to eat. I was 5’9 and 150lbs on a good day. I thought working hard was all that mattered, don’t get me wrong hard work is key, but it has to be in combination with goals and a well thought out plan.
I didn’t have goals or a plan. So, if you are just starting to train or have been doing it like I use to, STOP!! Make a plan, have a goal, and attack that goal.
I quickly began to gain experience though. This experience came from failing. For example, I attended Infantry squad leaders course. As the name states, it was a leadership course for squad leaders. I started out fairly strong physically in this course, we ran a lot, so I was ready.
As the course went on and weeks went by my physical abilities started to waiver, my weight dropped and I had a hard time packing gear and making long runs…
Well when you live on energy drinks and don’t eat, your body doesn’t want to perform. Shocker!! I know.
So when this course was over, I made a new plan, I was going to gain 10lbs, start running with weight, and start weightlifting more. I wanted to be ready, and I didn’t want to be thought of as a liability.
My plan worked, but I was about to find new holes in my game. To this day I feel like a Captain on a sinking ship, just constantly trying to plug holes, without causing more leaks. It’s hard, but it’s also worth it.
Stay tuned for more!
Train hard! Make less excuses
Let’s jump in…I grew up in Small Town, Utah, as a hyperactive latchkey kid. With no supervision, my friends and I spent most of our time outside playing sports and riding bikes.The older I got the more sports ruled my life, especially baseball. I liked football, but I wasn’t big and wasn’t fast so that naturally came to an abrupt end by the time I got to highschool.When I got into highschool I picked up wrestling. I was never good, but this was where I first realized how important physical training was. This was also where I realized mental toughness was something that had to be exercised, and I had a long way to go.After highschool I joined the Marine Corps Infantry. I quickly realized that throughout basic training and the early years of my service that taking care of your body was key to succeeding in this environment. I learned this by failing a lot.I was in a fight to be the best version of myself during my military years. I learned more about myself in these few years than ever before. I began to work on my mental toughness, training, failing, and trying to learn from those failures. I also learned that the military is not what you expect, but it is what you make it, and mental attitude makes up for most of how we perceive the world regardless of the situation.I will continue to tell my story, and talk about training. Stay tuned!Work hard! Make less excuses!
CJ Industries 