Forward

Books, beans and broomsticks, these were the tools that forged my body in the beginning.  It was the summer of 1974 and I was tired; tired of being skinny, tired of life’s trials, tired of being scared, tired of being tired.  So, at the age of thirteen, with my life’s savings of four dollars, I ordered a bodybuilding course.  I had no weights so I used my encyclopedias, cans of beans, a broomstick and two chairs as my gym.   Looking back, I can see that I was a natural as a personal trainer.  After a couple of weeks of using the bodybuilding course, I was inventing exercises and getting better results.  By the time that I started eighth grade in the fall, people were asking me how I had made such a noticeable transformation.  Soon I had a core of five people that I was training during physical education class.  Talk about a foreshadowing of things to come. 

For some reason that winter, I forgot about bodybuilding and didn’t start again for two years.  But, something happened to me the previous summer.  I had experienced an event that had spoken to my soul.  A piece of the missing part had been found, a part that has helped shape and define who and what I am.  The weights started a burning ember that grew and forged me, as a hearth, hammer and anvil shape a sword.  Those early days taught me to push myself further than I ever thought I could.  That summer is still a touchstone that I visit when life gets too strong and all I want to is retreat to the back of the cave and lick my wounds.  This event shaped the foundation of discipline that I continue to draw from to this day. 

People are searching for something missing in their lives.  And, while I am not suggesting that fitness is the answer to all of life’s troubles, I am convinced that it serves as a good foundation for happiness.  To be happy in other aspects of life one must be able to enjoy the fruit of their labor.  Health, fitness, mobility, and ability are “enablers”; happiness multipliers if you will, to all other areas of living.  To have children, or grandchildren, and not be able to play with them for more than a few minutes, if at all, is one of the greatest tragedies that I can imagine.  Perhaps you can think of instances where life enjoyment was diminished by the inability to physically participate in life’s activities.  If so, don’t let this happen to you again.   

At 44 years of age, I have seen and done things that others only dream (and have nightmares) about.  I have served my country for 22 years and been around the world while serving in the U.S. Air Force.  Sacrifice, tears, love and honor have been my creed.  Goodbye hugs and kisses, before tearful departures, were snags in the fabric of my family life for many years.  I have seen the beauty that is God’s creation.  I have also seen more than my share of death and destruction, while cheating it on more than one occasion.  Through it all, my unshakable faith in my God, love of my country and family…and that smoldering ember has kept my gait swift, eyes bright and heart open. 

I have always wanted to write this book.  To help people become more than they think possible is part of who I am.  I have done it for over 30 years.  I want to pass on the spark, this ember that has smoldered, and at times, blazed gloriously.  I would be overjoyed if something I said made a difference in another person’s life.  While my book will focus primarily on physical development, perhaps the journey will ignite a spark that serves as their touchstone.  Maybe it can simply be a way for someone to grow - muscles and character. Perhaps (as in my case) in a dark hour it may be a signpost that leads to the crossroads, and to the way home. 

The purpose of my book is not to merely provide you with another training program.  There are already thousands of training programs already out there.  Some work well; others are there simply to sell magazines.  It is not my intention to introduce the status quo, change a few items, and then call it groundbreaking news.  Quite the opposite – Most of my techniques have been around, in some form, for many years.  I have simply applied them in a fashion that encourages maximum results in a minimum amount to time.           

I want to initiate and cultivate logical conscientious thought into the fray and challenge traditional ideas.  There are fundamental elements to fitness and body building (yes!  You are a bodybuilder if you are working to improve the shape of your body).  The word “science” has been used far too many times in conjunction with the words health, fitness and bodybuilding without applying one shred of logic or fact.  Yet, every week I see a new “miracle diet” or “fitness gadget” that promises to melt fat and give you the perfect body, without dedicating any real science… but a lot of marketing.  Even worse, some use partial or incomplete science to market a product which serves to confuse people even further. 

The misconception that has guided the fitness world is the notion that more is better.  This idea permeates our society.  And, in some cases is actually valid.  For example:  If you were told that you would get a higher (more) return on an investment, I think you would agree that it would be a good thing.  Conversely, most restaurants offer the opportunity to upgrade your meal to larger portions for a nominal fee.  At first, that seems like a great idea until you look at the condition of the average US citizen.  Over sixty percent are overweight or obese.  Unfortunately the same mindset occurs in the fitness world.  The notion that “If one set of a particular exercise is good, then ten must be better” seems to be the guiding theme in most fitness plans.  It has been my experience over the past 30 years that this is simply not true.

Fitness and bodybuilding can seem quite perplexing to novice and intermediate participants.  In fact, some advanced level members don’t have a basic understanding of the bio-chemistry, kinesiology and nutritional dynamics involved. As far as I can tell they have achieved success through sheer genetics and determination, and in some cases pharmaceuticals.  It makes me wonder how much further they would be with the proper application of a few basic principles. 

In some ways the confusion isn’t so surprising.  Think of the relatively small amount of fundamental fitness and nutrition information taught in public schools.  Couple that with the overwhelming number of fad books, hype magazines, and cash flow web sites available in this so called information age.  And, to make matters worse, they seem to contradict each other.  The systems that might actually work have made themselves systematically complicated to impress the public.  This only serves to discourage people in the long run.  What the public needs is a scientifically sound, logically applied, simplistic system.  Sound too good to be true?  Read on yee of little faith.  

Purchase seminars and books here

   Back to Applied Fitness Index

   Contact Us