Critical Bench: Speaking of the Marine Corps, tell us a little about your career in the corps and how it affected you life today, on and off the platform.
MK. The Marine Corps was just something I had wanted to do for a long time to test myself mentally and physically. In boot camp I was selected to go through a special screening program and was lucky enough to eventually be selected for Presidential security duty. I ended up spending most of my first two years in the Marines stationed in Washington DC and my last two years at Camp David the Presidential Retreat.
I was already very disciplined and motivated before going into the Marines but I learned a couple of very important lessons there. I thought I had pushed my body to extremes before that but while in the Marines I learned that my body could take so much more than I thought it could. I realized that I could suffer through sleep and food deprivation, total physical and mental exhaustion and still keep going. I realized then and there that is was my mind that was weak and not my body. That has had a huge carryover to my power lifting success and a big reason why I often sleep no more than 3-4 hours per day and I’m still able to make progress in my lifting. I also learned how to channel and focus my anger and aggression and use it to my advantage. Before that I was too nice and lacked a real killer instinct. The Marines taught me that sometimes to do the right thing you need to be cold heart hearted and lack compassion. It gave me a mean streak that I could bring out and use to my advantage. I never had that before the Marines.
Taken from CriticalBench
Edit:
I always lifted throughout my time in the Marines and while most times we were encouraged to lift there were times the people of my chain of command gave me a very hard time about it. When I finally became big enough to exceed the height and weight standards (at 5’9" my weight limit was 185lbs) my gunny threatened to punish me by having my kicked out of the presidential security program I was in and send me back to the fleet Marine force. Fortunately because of my low body fat and because I was still one of the best distance runners we had they allowed me to go to a Navy doctor to get my body fat tested and he wrote a waiver for me which allowed me to weigh over the prescribed limits.
Edit numero dos:
My first set of weights was milk jugs filled with sand and my first bench was a 2"x12" laid across two cinder blocks. A year or two later my dad made some lead dumbbell plates for me by melting down lead from old car batteries.
That’s badass. “Hey dad, I need some weights.” “Here’s some fucking lead for yah, m’boy.”
suprisingly lean 15 weeks out (and always lean for a PL) This guy is the man. I wish I was that lean just walking around. Tris do look flat in the pic, I think its just the pose. Guarantee with the weight this guy pushes hes got some good tricep development!
[quote]caveman101 wrote:
presidential bodyguard - this guy is my hero
jeez, why did they give a hard time for being over 185lbs while still being able to perform?[/quote]
It’s the military, that’s why. Enlists fall in line
[quote]caveman101 wrote:
presidential bodyguard - this guy is my hero
jeez, why did they give a hard time for being over 185lbs while still being able to perform?[/quote]
It’s the military, that’s why. Enlists fall in line[/quote]
When I was in the Canadian Armed Forces in the early 90s I was about 210lbs and they gave no end of grief. The Master Corporals used to always say during morning PT “No more dessert for Nards!” (though I wasn’t known by that nickname yet, but whatever) Though I did the 2 mile run in the 14:00-15:00 range.
I have a pic somewhere of me then and I know I was just over 200lbs…I’m damned sure of it, but damned if I don’t look about 165.
[quote]caveman101 wrote:
presidential bodyguard - this guy is my hero
jeez, why did they give a hard time for being over 185lbs while still being able to perform?[/quote]
It’s the military, that’s why. Enlists fall in line[/quote]
When I was in the Canadian Armed Forces in the early 90s I was about 210lbs and they gave no end of grief. The Master Corporals used to always say during morning PT “No more dessert for Nards!” (though I wasn’t known by that nickname yet, but whatever) Though I did the 2 mile run in the 14:00-15:00 range.
I have a pic somewhere of me then and I know I was just over 200lbs…I’m damned sure of it, but damned if I don’t look about 165.[/quote]
I’ll rephrase, it’s the United States Marine Corp.
LOOKING GOOD!!! I AM TRAINING FOR MY FIRST SHOW AS WELL IN MAY. I WAS LOOKING FOR SOME HINTS ON WHAT YOU GUYS DO FOR CUTTING??? I HAVE RECENTLY BUMPING UP MY CARDIO TO 20-30 MIN EVERY TRAINING SESSION, AND HAVE A FAIRLY STRICT DIET. ALSO WHAT IS A GOOD LEG WORKOUT??? I HAVE A HARD TIME SQUATTING HEAVY BECAUSE OF BAD BACK AND KNEES. PLUS ON MY I FEEL THEY ARE THE ONLY REAL BODY PART THAT IS LACKING. I KNOW I HAVE TO GET SOME PICS ON HERE TOO. BUT ANY INFO IS GREAT AND BENEFICIAL.
[quote]drmzappas wrote:
LOOKING GOOD!!! I AM TRAINING FOR MY FIRST SHOW AS WELL IN MAY. I WAS LOOKING FOR SOME HINTS ON WHAT YOU GUYS DO FOR CUTTING??? I HAVE RECENTLY BUMPING UP MY CARDIO TO 20-30 MIN EVERY TRAINING SESSION, AND HAVE A FAIRLY STRICT DIET. ALSO WHAT IS A GOOD LEG WORKOUT??? I HAVE A HARD TIME SQUATTING HEAVY BECAUSE OF BAD BACK AND KNEES. PLUS ON MY I FEEL THEY ARE THE ONLY REAL BODY PART THAT IS LACKING. I KNOW I HAVE TO GET SOME PICS ON HERE TOO. BUT ANY INFO IS GREAT AND BENEFICIAL. [/quote]
IN THE STICKY IS A LINK TO STU’S FIRST CONTEST PREP, HIS SECOND IS ON THE FIRST GOD DAMN PAGE…
[quote]drmzappas wrote:
LOOKING GOOD!!! I AM TRAINING FOR MY FIRST SHOW AS WELL IN MAY. I WAS LOOKING FOR SOME HINTS ON WHAT YOU GUYS DO FOR CUTTING??? I HAVE RECENTLY BUMPING UP MY CARDIO TO 20-30 MIN EVERY TRAINING SESSION, AND HAVE A FAIRLY STRICT DIET. ALSO WHAT IS A GOOD LEG WORKOUT??? I HAVE A HARD TIME SQUATTING HEAVY BECAUSE OF BAD BACK AND KNEES. PLUS ON MY I FEEL THEY ARE THE ONLY REAL BODY PART THAT IS LACKING. I KNOW I HAVE TO GET SOME PICS ON HERE TOO. BUT ANY INFO IS GREAT AND BENEFICIAL. [/quote]
Turn off the caps lock numbnuts.
It only makes you look like a moron it doesn’t grab our attention in any way except negative.
