HEY YOU! Nobody Cares How Much You Bench...

"I’ve deadlifted over 500 lbs, squatted 455 for reps, benched over 300 lbs and at 220 lbs can perform 25 pull ups at any time.
Impressive, right? WRONG……
Here’s where it REALLY counts.
My back hurts and I can’t play with my kids without back pain…. and some knee pain thrown in for good measure.
I wake up and walk down the stairs in pain…. hand pain, foot pain, back pain and the pain of feeling like a useless clunk of NOTHING."

"You have two choices:
1) Keep living with the pain, ignoring the issues and continue to do damage to your body.
2) Address the injuries, rebuild your weak areas and turn them into strong areas.
After feeling like complete shit, both physically and emotionally, I wanted to rebuild my body and be a better Dad and a better husband.
I also wanted to be a Strength Coach that could walk the talk, not sit behind a computer telling people what to do while I got fat, weak and made excuses for not training.
Nope.

Men should “live the code”.
In essence, as a man, you need to be strong AND healthy. You need to have a blend of strength, conditioning, flexibility and power, also known as athleticism.
You need to balance your body, get away from focusing on your strengths while ignoring injuries and weak areas. Go on and focus on attacking what will make you healthy AND strong in the long run.
Be brutally honest with yourself. Are you as healthy as you can be or are you avoiding doing the necessary work to help you move better and live a better life for yourself and those you love.
It’s time to go back in time…. again…. what’s old is new again. The men of the past were strong, agile, mobile, conditioned and athletic. They had physiques that men of today worship and they were healthy.
Strength AND Health, inside AND out. Live the code.
This is How I Live the Code now, a Far Cry from What I used to do…"

This was written by Zach Even-Esh . He posted it in a newsletter to Alwyn Cosgrove to share his story with everyone.


This is a great is a great insight to what happens if you read the wrong things. The health and fitness world is so far beyond the dog days of building it is ridiculous. Guys...Do yourself a favor. Take the 225lbs off your back that you cannot squat to parallel and focus on the movement pattern. Take the 225lbs that your friend is dead lifting off your chest because you can push it and do a quality push up. 


If you want to read how to get bigger, stronger, faster, healthier, and more agile...pick up a book by Mike Boyle, Eric Cressey, Mark Cibrario, Alwyn Cosgrove, or Todd Durkin! Put down the steroid freak Muscle & Idiot magazines because they serve no purpose in the health and fitness world! 


-JP