A tribute to my teammate, Donny Shankle

Go Be Unforgettable
    by Lindsay Taylor

Day by day, rep by rep
You work to get stronger.

Slaving in hours
Like a forsaken monger.

Pushing and Pulling
On bars so fast

All the while
Still collecting your cash.

Show these young pups
You're not planning to stop

As you lower their PR's
Down from the top.

Deep breath and one more drive
 Explosive through the heels 

There goes another jerk
It's almost like sex appeal.

Hard Work and Determination,
Your other middle names

Never giving up,
Pushing hard through the game

You are King of this jungle,
The Shankle Almighty

Your rule of the World
Will be precise and timely....

Now tighten your Pendlays,

Kiss your Grandpa's chain

Today your goin' on like a gangsta'

Gonna make red kilos rain!

You've done it before,

A million times in your head.

Now open your eyes

And slam down your heal tread.

"You'll already be remembered,"

I've said it before.....

"Now go be unforgettable"

As you walk proud across that floor.

Dear Readers,
Seems like this is the year of the Shankle. People from all around the world, whether they know him or not have started to come together to do what it takes to get this man to the top. He is a leader. He has proven to be able to do things that until now have never been believed could be done. I just wanted to take this time to not only cheer my teammate on as he pushes forward in pursuing his hopes and dreams of this year's Olympics, but also take a minute to thank everyone else who has helped him along the way. Everything you do, big or small, verbally or monitarily has helped him better himself and his lifts and I see it everyday first hand. I know he would be in aggreance when I say Thank You is never enough. Now, let's start a Shankledemic and all join in to wish him well. You can never have too much good health, strength, or confidence in life. Comment below if there is something you'd like to say to Donny Shankle or find him personally on his blog and drop him a line. And again, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for all your love and support.

xoxoxox,
Lindsay Taylor
   Wonder Woman!

US Cryotherapy....who said it's not cold in California

Today my teammate Tom Sroka and I got the special opportunity to visit USCryotherapy in Roseville, CA. We have both been dealing with some issues as far as aches and pains go and even just overall recovery lately and really need to "nip this in the bud" before Nationals. The good thing about hurting while you're under the care of Glenn Pendlay is.....he takes care of you....and QUICK.

Tom and I, unknown to what we were getting ourselves into assumed for the worst. We packed for Anartica and even planned our coffee stop for as soon as we were done. All we knew going in to it was this room was -200 degrees farenheit.....yes that is a NEGATIVE sign, not a typepo, and that we were signing up to step in. We kept our peptalks short before our pluge and knew that we were going into it together and no matter what we were coming out together!

Prep:

Short shorts....Tom wore chonies

Sports Bra......Tom oppted not to wear one of these

Long Socks (90's style with the scrunch)

Slippers (The world is always better with a slip on comfort foot warmer)

Two sweat bands to cover the ears....NOT FOR SWEAT

Sars Mask......hopefully NOT for Sars

and MITTONS....big enough for wiggle room

Now, I can't speak for Tom on this but I know personally I have grown to appreciate ice baths. Obviously not for the enjoyment of the cold but rather for the benefits they give and I swear they make me more energetic....however, appreciating something is not loving them, in fact I still dread every ice bath I take. The moment right before we walked into this chamber of hell froze over that sense of dread started to take over. Moment I knew it was going to be better was when Aaron (awesome cryo staff man) says....."anyone have any music they want me to put on, you can dance in there!" YES......this is about to be a good time! We strapped in some top seceret CalStrength black market PR music, closed our eyes, took a deep breath, and made our first step into the fray! Three and a half minutes went surprisingly fast probably because of our awesome dance moves. As soon as we steped out and started our "warming up" cardio I instantly, and I litterally mean INSTANTLY felt better! After the chamber we both did a localized treatment, went and ate, and then repeated the process. As far as I can tell I feel great. My elbows, which have been my problem area for awhile now feel great as of this second and I just finished my training for the night. I still feel energized and overall mobility feels really good. If I were to judge this theraputic modality of recovery I would without a doubt give it two thumbs up! I love it! I am already planning my next trip and I am yelling it to the world....well all of you, my readers at least. If you're anywhere close to this area you should check this place out! I promise the staff is great, they will take extra special care of you, and you will feel better once you're done! I know I do!!

USCryotherapy

Faster Recovery-Better Health

 

Cold air therapy is being widely used in Europe, Russia, and other parts of the world in peak performance training, recovery from sports related injury, and general wellness. the US Cryotherapy products, the most revolutionary advancements in cold therapy technology, generate extremely cold air up to 4 times colder than standard ice packs or baths, without lowering the body's core temperature. Treatment exposure last for up to 3 minutes (walking in our four person chamber)

Benefits:

-Faster Muscle Recovery

-Effective Pain Management

-Feel More Energetic

-Enhanced Well-Being

-Improve Sleep Pattern

-Promote Healthy Complexion

For more information check out their website at www.uscryotherapy.com

And if you go, tell them this really cool weightlifter chick named Lindsay sent you!!

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
-Thomas Edison

A Weightlifter's Love Letter....

Dear Love,
When I see you my heart starts to race. My head instantly goes places of a brighter future together. One where we can dance off into the distance happy of all we've achieved. Pitter patter, pitter patter my heart hits hard against my chest. Sometimes I'm not sure if it's a good thing or if its a heartattack about to happen but it warms me. You give me butterflies everytime I put my hands on you, just like the very first time we met in that dark forbidden corner. Every day is a new day, and I have to win you over time and time again. Sometimes you play so hard to get, forcing me to my toes but deep down inside I know I have to try to stay back. Your heavy weight is sometimes such a burden, but it draws me back always begging for more.  You leave me happy yet always unsasified. Always wondering what's next for us, what bigger plans you have in store for our lives together. I lay in bed at night still thinking about you, about our next time together, whether it will be joyous or a fight. And yet I long for our fights. They make me stronger, they make my heart want more, and they make my legs fall out from underneath me. Still I come back. Give me more. Bring on the fight, bring on the challenge, bring on the pain. I'm in this till the end. Nothing you do to me is going to push me away, and no matter what I'll still fall in love with you over and over again. It's a journey, and no body said it was going to be easy. Push me and I'll pull you. Work with me and together we can be the best. Let no compromise be made, there is one goal in our relationship and once we get there we can smile together looking off into the distance over a nice glass of wine. Our future is bright, it is promising, it is our destiny together. You are strong and together we are unstoppable. Thank you for being a part of my life, for reheating my blood, for giving me back my drive and ambition. I was so lost without you and for that I am eternally grateful. Let us grow old together and always remember how far we've come. Now that I have you I couldn't imagine life without you.

Oh, bar, I will see you tonight where we will dance once again.

xoxo

   -Your Wonder Woman

I am the wrecker of steal...

“Why am I not in bed, like everyone else, dead to the world? Why do I do this, live with the constant pain, the suffering, the sacrifice? Why? Because I can. Because pain tells me I’m awake. Reminds me I’m alive. Who am I? I am the wrecker of steel. I am the crusher of mediocrity. I am the face of destiny. I am Animal...”

Broadcasting Live Today at CalStrength

Well guys it's Friday, and if you follow Cal Strength weightlifting at all you'll know that today is MONEY DAY! If you would like to partake in this event you can log on by clicking this LINK at 2:00pm Pacific Time. Also, sign on to the side and chat with Coach Pendlay! Give a shout out to me if you want!! wink wink! hope to see you all there!

Some days it just "Is what it is"

I hate those days you wake up and your hair won't do what it's supposed to do, like it has a mind of your own. Or the ones where you try on 15 different outfits and still can't come up with something that looks just right. Or even the ones where you start your day an hour early to run your errands and still manage to hit 1.5 hour stand still traffic. It's like it's destin to happen from time to time, kinda like that song I used to listen to when I was a kid, "Ironic," by Atlanis Morissette. Those days are going to come. Those days are going to test you.

Days like these in the weightlifting world will test you more than anyother. They are the days that warm up weights feel heavy. When you can't for some reason hit the bar in the right place on your hips.....or even hit your hips at all for that matter. They are the days that you catch everything forward but still somehow manage to fall backwards to your platform. These days test your character, they test your heart, they test your champion bloodflow. These are the days that make you stronger than ever both mentally and physically. These are the days that make good days SO worth the pain. 

These days downright suck, but somehow you manage to make it through. And the best part is.......after you pull that bar for the last time in that aweful practice, hit a weight that is still 20 kilos lower than your best but manage to make it look  pretty good compared to all the rest, you somehow find a smile. It's a smile that first starts in your belly, warming you up from the inside knowing that somehow you're going to live to see another day. It takes a warming sensation into your arms and legs letting them know that you're thankful for them sticking in it with you, and now they can rest.....knowing hopefully we won't have another one like that for a little while. Finally, your smile makes it up to your face.....radiating out with more glow than just any other normal day smile because damn it that sucked, and it's over, and you're somehow better than you were before it started even if it doesn't feel like it. It's a smile that you earned! 

It's a love, hate relationship on days like this......or maybe you just hate to love them? I don't know, but what I do know is this.......Champions fall from time to time, cowboys get bucked off their horse, Donald Trump has hit rock bottom, and being a true champion results in what you do when you're down there. What you do before the win, what you do when you're hurt, what you do when you're not ranked #1 and you so badly want to be. Champions are a breed so different from all the others. Sleep is different, work is different, training is different, and love is different. Be a champion, make life hurt, and get the hell up when you fall. You will survive this terrible day and tomorrow will be brighter because of it. Take these days to get strong because these are the ones where everyone else quits. I won't quit. Never. It's not in my blood. I will welcome these days and then hit them in the butt with the door when they leave. Come join me in being a champion.