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| Farm Raised Fitness |
As I type late into the night, I want to share with you my journey from the beginning. Why? Because I am in a very retrospective mood. You'll understand more in my next blog post.
I grew up with strong male role models. My father and grandfather were construction workers and farmers. As a boy I remember watching the turtle move in my dad's arm. Only later to learn it was not a turtle but actually his bicep. I remember my grandfather having a legendary grip. He could drop any man to his knees with a handshake. My grandfather's face may have aged but his arms were immortal, holding a Greek statuesque shape his entire life.
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| My Grandfather (Papaw) |
In Kentucky your family name sets the tone for your existence. I had certain small-town societal pressures to live up to. You would, in a sense, surely follow the steps of your forefathers. Strength begets strength, friendliness begets friendliness, ad infinitum.
In the South there are two types of strength: stout and soft. Stout was my specialty from a young age. Because I was one of the smallest boys in my class I had to make up for the size differential. For what my frame lacked in size my nervous system, tendons, and muscles made up for.
Stout is associated to those who's strength outplays their size. An ant is a great example of stout because an ant can lift 50 times it's weight. Soft is the inverse of stout. You may look the part of being strong, but when put to the test you underperform.
So here we are in the beginning.
Johnny was a small, stout, young man.
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| Farm Work |
Farm work was never easy but it helped me develop a respect for manual labor. Nothing beats putting in a hard days work and actually seeing the fruition of your work. Planting a garden, putting up a fence, square bailing hay, or feeding cattle, all of these task reconnected me to the source of living off the land.
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| Black Belt in Taekwondo |
Taekwondo was my first true passion. I was introduced to it because of having issues with being sick often as a child and having asthma. My doctor said to my mother: put him in a martial arts class. A few weeks later, bam, I started what would be a 3 year intensive Taekwondo track that ended with me achieving a black belt at the age of 12.
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| Football |
My football story is an interesting one. In high school I was more interested in Sports Medicine than actually playing sports. During the summers I would attend Sports Medicine camps and learn about anatomy, injuries, and sideline care. It wasn't until college that I decided to go for it. I walked on my college football team with a few friends and proved, to myself, that I was an athlete and could do anything I put my mind to.
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| Bodybuilding |
After quitting football I needed a new athletic focus. The energy spent working out for 2-3 hours a day in the gym needed to be directed toward a new goal. A friend mentioned doing a bodybuilding show and I said why not. Six months later I shaved all the hair off my body, put two coats of tanning lotion on, shaved my head, and won my first bodybuilding show at The Bluegrass Muscle Classic.
Bodybuilding was another great discipline for me but it had negative affects on my personality. The drive to always look for improvement didn't allow for much contentment. I was hungry and grumpy often. Over time, this didn't suit who I was as a person, so I moved forward and moved West to San Francisco.
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| Gymnastics |
Gymnastics was introduced to me by my great friend Carl Paoli. Gymnastics turned my world into a playground with endless potential for fun. My inner child would scream with excitement when Carl would show me what was possible with the human body. This played a pivotal roll in my development as a trainer. I grew a deep appreciation for understanding the principles of human movement. And, when juxtaposed to my bodybuilding years, I began smiling again. I was happy.
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| Running |
I always joke that my running development was aided unfairly. I moved to Spain for over half a year and forced myself into a long-distance running regimen. My Spanish friend Miguel wanted to run a marathon so we signed up for one in Gothenburg, Sweden. Everyday after school, and after my siesta, we would chase the sunset along the Mediterranean sea. Nothing is more motivating than running along castles and beautiful coastline in a foreign land.
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| Yoga |
Gymnastics quickly showed me my weaknesses. Flexibility was a major issue for me. I could barely touch my knees. Who cared if I could squat 500lbs but couldn't touch the floor with my hands? I knew if I wanted to be a better mover I needed to work on my mobility. That's when Yoga presented itself. I was working at Equinox at the time so I had classes I could easily attend. Yoga class was perfect for me because all I had to do was show up and follow instructions. Yoga taught me patience, how important breathing is in movement, and that slowing down is a great thing.
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| Pilates |
My biggest influence in the last 4 years was Pilates. My now wife, Robyn, completely overhauled my views on what true strength is. Small cues suddenly were gigantic challenges for me. I had become more flexible but I clearly lacked the ability to articulate my spine and engage my muscles on a deeper level. Pilates has become a strong base to anything I do now. It's principles apply to all movement.
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| Rock Climbing |
Few things have been really challenging to me. When I went to a climbing gym for the first time I became very frustrated with my inability to climb proficiently. I began with bouldering, which is climbing short routes without ropes, and initially thought I would crush it. The routes are numbered from V0, the easiest, to V15+. Each step up V1, V2, V3 is a significant difference in difficulty. I did a few V0s and quickly developed the dreaded forearm pump. I was using my upper body too much and not using my legs. No matter how strong you are your arms will not have the endurance to hold up to repetitive climbs. So, naturally, I fell in love. My stubborn self got a membership and began climbing incessantly. Gradually my smooth technique developed. The biggest thing I've learned from rock climbing is the importance of body position, how to coordinate all four limbs, how to use the push pulls of your body, and that you must breath and stay relaxed to perform maximally.
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| Dance |
Without every discipline before me I would have never had the opportunity to appreciate dance. Dance has always been an ambiguous discipline to me. I, like many other people, assumed dance was just some thing people did in dance clubs and musicals. I didn't fully understand the history and influence dance has had on all forms of fitness. Recently, I've taken on modern dance with my friend James Graham and ballet with Andre Cravens. These two dance techniques are so different from one another but equally challenging. Similar to Pilates, dance has shown me the years of practice and work that goes into great positions, beautiful transitions, and fluid, effortless movement. And now Dance is my latest challenging passion. My goal is to retrace it's evolution so I can further evolve myself.
Thanks for following me through my fitness journey. My best advice to you is to always be open to developing new relationships. Life is too quick to be stagnant. New friendships are the best way to challenge your mind and body. When you share passions with one another new life develops between you. And you'll grow in ways you could have never imagined.
Always be you but don't be afraid of changing. Reflect on your life's journey and get excited about writing the next chapters.
