Writing a BOOK!! Well, In the Process of Writing One

Im here to give you a snippet of my book that I have been writing and will continue to write. It will go in somewhat detail of how I got into working out and also how I got into training high school athletes and the impact I try to have on them during the off season. It will also give detail into the type of kids I have worked with in the past and some of the life lessons I try to teach them along the way. I hope you like it…

My Journey via High School and Working Out

Working out to me was just a thing of the past. Everyone liked to do it, but for me I just didn’t see the need to do it. When I was growing up all we did was jump rope, play basketball, or tackle football in someone else’s yard. You by no means played in your own yard, due to the fact that you didn’t want your mom or dad to come outside if someone got hurt. I don’t think it really clicked with me that what we were actually doing was working out, except it wasn’t with any type of weights. Our Middle School in New Town, ND had a Middle School Football team, but I’m not sure how serious I even took it at that point. I was small, overweight, weak, and all I knew is if I didn’t play some sport I was going to be in the band. There was no turning back now. I didn’t want to be in the band. So, I stuck it out and went for it. I got lit up in practice and also during the games, but there was no quit. I remember a game we played and at the time I was really thinking, “Why in the heck are we even out here today. It’s cold as all get out and if I get hit out here it’s going to hurt pretty bad.” It was so cold and I knew that all I had to do was stick it out for 4 quarters and this game would be over. The game did end quicker than anticipated. I can’t remember if we even won. Once the horn sounded, I knew I just had to shake hands and go back to the school and change. It was OVER. As I continued through 6th, 7th, and 8thgrade I didn’t even think about what it meant to be an athlete. To be honest, I am not sure I even cared. I just wanted to go to practice, be on the team, and eat the snacks afterwards. Exercise, eating right, and getting into shape didn’t even cross my mind. 

9thgrade came and went. I was only around 165lbs at that time and I remember being at practice with all of these guys that were way bigger than I was, so instead of tackling them I stepped around them. I wasn’t going to be the center of a huge laugh fest. I knew better than that. I would much rather get chewed out, than pick the grass and mud out of my facemask. One guy in particular on our team was a Vanderbilt University commit back in 2000. I admired how huge this guy was and his work ethic on and off the field, but I was not about to get trucked in the middle of practice. I believe it was a counter sweep play and I was playing defensive end. Down. Set. Hut. The QB handed to ball off to big ol’ Matthew Tant, I looked up and said there is no way I’m tackling this dude. He’s like 3x the size of me. I’m puny and there ain’t no way I’m bouncing off this guy like a pinball. Indeed, I didn’t, I let him run on by me. Case was closed on that play. Never trying to tackle someone that big anymore. 

I wouldn’t call myself the most athletic, but I thought I might have something inside of me that would get me motivated to work out during my 10thgrade year. That was a big negative as well. Just felt like a rolie polie. Big and round and ready to roll. I was more caught up in playing video games than trying to work-out. I can’t pinpoint which ones I was hooked on, in regard to video games, but it was like a darn near succubus that took all of my time, effort and energy. That’s all I wanted to do. Video Game after video game.  It wasn’t until my best friend from school, Jacob, tried to encourage me to get rolling with some type or workout regimen. Unlike myelf, he started working out with the beast of a running back I mentioned earlier. Jake was at some point curling 135lbs on a straight bar, and lets be honest, that was impressive as a High School Athlete. Jake looked like he could start for a College team as a Sophomore. I knew he might be on to the secret sauce that I needed, but it wasn’t until I met a guy named, Wayne Collier. And no, he is not my dad. Although my dad is Wayne as well. 

Mr. Collier probably could have been my dad, but let’s get to it. His son Aaron was an incoming Freshman and I was pretty impressed with this kid. Here I was, 6’1 like maybe 195lbs and I was a fart in the winds chance of being a starter. His son Aaron, was a jacked Freshman coming in and liked to workout. I had a brief conversation here and there, but never really stuck to committing just quite yet. It took a bit of convincing, but I took the plunge. By the way, Mr. Collier was a former body builder who competed in the what I think is the early 80’s. I didn’t like committing to working out, but I soon learned to like it. Some days it was tough, but I knew I had to suck it up and deal with it. If this dude has a son as a Freshman, who is yoked and looks like he eats nails for breakfast, I’ll start to listen. So, the journey starts and there is no turning back. You might be wondering why of all people would I listen to a bodybuilder for my workout advice. Well, I’m glad you asked:

1)   Our High School Strength and Conditioning Program Sucked- it was a whiteboard workout, a.k.a. find it online and write it on the white board. I know where you might be going with this. Heck that probably sounds like your coaches too. Well, maybe they had the same workouts. Who knows, but I was always under the impression that when it was written on the board that there was a race to see who could get it done the fastest.

2)   Mr. Collier was in his late 40’s or early 50’s and this dude could rep out 225lbs on squat more times than I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. Squats= not going to lift today for me. Plus, I’d never seen any of my coaches demonstrate how to properly do a squat. So, I’m definitely not listening to them. This dude practiced what he was preaching to me. That was an EASY no brainer for me. LISTEN to this GUY!

3)   He also had a structured workout plan. We tended to lift heavier sometimes, but then other times there were days that we went lighter for more reps. There was always some sort of cardio before or after the workout. Heck, I remember one time we even hopped into an ABS class at the gym. I was like, “I’m an offensive lineman, not some dude with a 6 pack.” Let’s just say I was hurting for quite a few days afterwards. It worked!!! I was finally going to see my ABS. Whelp, don’t get excited because I’ve been searching for those bad boys for 33 years and counting and let’s just say they are covered by a layer of love. Lots of love. Or baby fat? Your call!

So, in order to give you a brief run-down of what we did on a daily basis, I reached out to Wayne because what I thought was written down definitely was no written down in my notebook I used to keep track with. Keeping track always led to the best outcome. Here is laid out plain and simple a 3 Week Rotation of what we did at the glorious Harpeth High School Fieldhouse and the infamous Boost Fit Club, before it got all corporate and stuff. 

Week 1

Monday Workout- Chest and Back 

Bench Press- x10, x8, 6, 4, 2     Last Set-AMRAP- at least 15

One Arm Row- 3x10-16 each side

Incline Seated Chest Press-x8, x6, x4, x2

Single Arm Seated Chest Press- x8, 6, x4, x2

Standing Cable Chest Fly- 3x 10-16

Lying Chest Fly-3x10-16

Tuesday- Leg Day

 Back Squat- x10, x8, x6, x4 x2- AMRAP 135lbs

Leg Curls- 3x10-15

Leg Ext- 3x10-15

Standing Calf Raises-4x Fail

Seated Calf Raises-3x Fail- Feet Wide, Feet Close

Wednesday- REST Day or Cardio

Thursday- Shoulders and Arms

Seated Military Press-x10, x8, x6, x4, x2

Lateral Raises-3x10-16

Straight Bar Upright Row-3x10-16

Barbell Shrugs-4x10-16

Straight Bar Biceps Curl-3x10-16

Seated Hammer Curls-3x10-16

Triceps Rope Extensions-3x10-16

Single Arm Triceps Ext- 3x10-16

and it continues but you can’t get all of the behind the scenes quite yet.

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P.S. - Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you: 

1. Let's Talk About Your Goals.

Most gyms want you to simply adapt to their program, but I want to help you achieve your goal is the best possible way for you.

If you'd like to get on a personal call and discuss what you'd like to achieve and get my help in developing a plan to get you there, I'm happy to get on a free coaching call to help.

Just reply with 'Call' in the subject line and we'll get it set up.

2. Train With Me...For FREE.

If you'd like to come in for a free training session...1 on 1 or group...I'd love to have you in as my guest. Training somewhere new can be out of someone's comfort zone, so I want to make it as easy as possible for you to see if this is the best place for you to reach your goals.

Just reply with 'Train' in the subject line and we'll figure out what type of session you'd enjoy most and when coming in would be convenient for you.

3. Try My '28 Days To Look & Feel Great' Program.

I'm going to be taking a few new clients through a 28 day program to help them look and feel great as they get back into a routine this Fall.

If you'd be interested in learning more, reply and put '28' in the subject line.