To all the Daddy Bears in the world!!

I just want to say Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Daddies out there, especially to mine who is always there for me and now more than ever my rock that I look up to and come to when I need a shoulder to cry on.

I love you Daddy!

Training!

Well I thought life would be a little less crazy as I left CalStrength and traveled across the country to new ventures. It hasn't though. I'm set on the idea that life is just crazy. Forest Gump was right, you really just never know what you're going to get. Of all the things going on in my life right now, one thing is still for sure....training is hard and I am loving it. Coach Ma is working every inch of my body with accessory work and I'm doing just as he asks. I feel a little more CrossFit lately as my body aches and hurts when I move, even more than the old aches and pains of before. I love it though, did I already mention that? The team, even though I haven't met all of them yet, is awesome! I like them a lot, even though they could never replace my first family at CS. I still find myself talking and thinking about them. Jon, Tom, Donny and all the others wondering how they're all doing and wishing we were all together dancing on platforms in the same room again. Change is good though, it makes us grow as people. Stronger on the bar and braver in real life. When you can adapt to change you can take on the World, and only Champions take on the World. I love my new home. I love being back in the arms of my family. I love watching my daughter run around playing in the water with her little cousin. I love the opportunity at my feet and I am taking it in full stride! I sometimes forget how strong I really am until life throws these moments of true strength right in my face. I'm ready though. I'm mad. I'm confident. And I'm determined. I'm Wonder Woman....remember!

Second Chances are Sometimes Worth the Wait

It is absolutely crazy to look at life and think we actually have it all figured out. I mean, what does it mean to plan anymore? Is there even such a thing? People plan to have a baby when they have the money saved up for it but is there ever enough money? People plan to finish school and become doctors without any rough spots or disappointments? People plan what they are going to do tomorrow and then their car blows up today? I planned for all of these things and nothing went as PLANNED.  But breaking the plan doesn't mean you've failed....it doesn't even mean that you have to quit trying. Success never came without a little failure and it sure never came to those to who gave up. I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am one of those believers that everything happens for a reason and I believe my reason is here. As  I've been mentioning in my blogs over the last little while, big things are happening in my life. I have decided to uproot myself from California and all I known for the last five years. I have decided to take what I've learned at CalStrength and put it further to work while I better my education. I have been offered the opportunity to lift on scholarship at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO under new supervision of Coach Jianping Ma and finish my education and I am taking it.

I am beyond excited for this opportunity and can't wait to see what comes next in this bigger plan. However, as one door opens I am sad as the other door closes. I truly loved my stay at California Strength and appreciate all the time that my Coach and basically founder Glenn Pendlay had to give me and I take away a knowledge that others would only dream to receive. The man took me in as a crazy CrossFitter and turned me into a crazy lifter. Out of the two, I'm not sure which is more sane? I am also grateful for the chance I had to lift with some of the best guys in the United States! On top of being wonderful athletes and lifters they were some of my best friends and comrades as well. I take a little from each of them on to my next step in this sport and I already can't wait till the day we all meet again! It will be a big family reunion that's for sure. I also thank Dave and Kathryn Spitz, Matt and Haley Johnson,  and Peter Bauman at CalStrength for giving me all the encouragement in the world while training in their facility and also a HUGE thank you to Muscle Driver USA for my sponsorship over the last year. Lastly, a thank you to my family for allowing me to leave and follow my dreams even if they are half way back across the country! These are such huge things in my life that even a thank you can't even begin to show my appreciation for.

It is such a sad thing to leave what you know in desire for something else but everyone knows life doesn't come easy. As a person you grow and feed off of these chances in life to change the world...or at least your own world! I take this opportunity head first and laugh at the thought that even though I still don't have it all PLANNED out I.WILL.NOT.FAIL. I will take this one day and one lift at a time. I will focus on what I have in front on me. I will make the NOW my very best EFFORT for TOMORROW! I am so so happy to be a Lindenwood Lion and I can't wait to see what's next for me. Stay tuned followers, because I'm about to even Wow myself!!

XOXOXOXOXOXO!!! Love you all!!!

Wonder Woman Lindsay Taylor

That little minion I spoke of yesterday....Marin Chew

Watering Young Seeds

How do you grow the sport of weightlifting? How do we make it more popular, more of a "cool" thing to do and be a part of? CrossFit turns Reebok and blows up. The world goes bonkers over 21, 15, 9 and falling to the ground bloody and the feeling of death. I DID. I started as a CrossFitter. A strong CrossFitter, hence began weightlifting. I loved CrossFit. Still do, and still respect it....from a distance, but now my love is found on the bar. It's a fine line between the argument of these two worlds. One would say CrossFit is being a well rounded best at everything. Ok.....well rounded, yes....but best, I'm not convinced? To be the best or the greatest you have to take your focal point and center it on something. Whether that be running, or gymnastics, or olympic lifting you have to be dedicated to that certain thing. Then, you have to slave in hours and hours and hours of work on just that. You want to be the best kipping pullup guy and you better believe you're going to be doing a hell of a lot of kipping pull ups.

Anyway, back on track here. Weightlifting. What do we do? How do we get our kids involved because they are the gateway to our future. My daughter goes to every local event around, sits and watches almost every practice I do, and cheers me on on every lift. SHE thinks it's cool. She think I'M cool! But how do we further that? I don't ever push her to want to lift but becuase of all the time she watches me put in she just naturally wants to do it too....maybe? She has a bar in which she does the lifts on her own. I add in a few coaching ques but am hesitant to "coach" her yet becuase right now it is just FUN to her. I want it to stay fun. Lord knows it's a twisted form of it once you get to this point. She makes lifts and smiles saying, "Look, I'm strong like my mommy!" It definitely encourages me to lift more! She does the snatch, clean and jerk, and when she's really wound up she combines the two in kind of a split snatch/jerk thingymajig! Either way, I like it because she's up and moving around.

I have another girl, Marin Chew, who in the same way watched me and started being intrigued. Her parents are friends of mine. Mom dabbled in some CrossFit for awhile but primarly is doing training for figure competitions and her dad trains Muy Thai. She came in to watch though when all our paths crossed. She's a tiny little thing who until recently was not one to really do the "sports" thing. After months of watching she, (cute, little bitty, young girl) Marin, wanted to lift big weights....LIKE MEEEE!!! I've been working with her now for about 3 months and the girl is an animal! And most of all...she LOVES it!! She has been saving up her money for the last few months  AND BOUGHT WEIGHTLIFTING SHOES WITH IT!! Her form is prestine! Her lifts are increasing every time she comes in. She's rocking leapord tights and tank tops!! She watches all my videos and reads my blogs! She knows everyone on my team from watching too much Youtube and you better believe she's stronger than all the little boys in her class!!!

So again, I ask...how do we make this sport more popular? It all starts right here with US! It starts with the Lindsay Taylors, Donny Shankles and Jon Norths. We are paving a road to all the younger people out there that WANT TO BE LIKE US! We have to stand strong as role models. We have to convince these little people that we are cool....AND WE ARE!?! We have to show them we are having fun and that hard work sure pays off! We get one little Marin through the door, and she goes and tells all her friends and they tell all their friends and soon we will rule the world!! RIGHT? Ahahahaha, well maybe not rule the world but hopefully we will grow this sport to a higher degree. What blows up fast comes down fast......long steady work holds strong. Hopefully we are the sport of the future? 

Team California Strength 2012

*missing from picture is Kevin Cornell, Robert Blackwell, and Tom Sroka

Wouldn't you like to lift like a girl???

Fight with PR

I sit in this dusty corner of the gym sipping my water, gathering myself before I go up to fight with PR. This fight seems to come few and far between here lately and I have been walking away defeated too many times. The pain getting here is sometimes a battle all on it's own. I feel so beat down on my fight up to the top. Even the lighter weights seem to uppercut me when I'm not looking. You have to be quick on your feet in this game. You have to know when to hit and have just the right spot to take him down. The floor seems to have less bounce than it did before, and the air around me is stagnant with left over chalk clouds that billow around me. The smell of sweat and tears fill the room like a must in a guys locker room after a football game. Everyone around me cheering, I think, cause I can see their lips moving but all I hear is my head telling me to pull the shit out of the bar. I hate this fight, but yet I love it. Everytime I get here I feel the bar raise a little more. Even if I don't win there's something good that always comes from it. I had one less failed attempt on my way this time. My positions are better, smoother, stronger. I am hungrier. I leave always wanting more. I know what I want, and I know what it's going to take to get me there. Lots and lots of these battles, like little stepping stones to the top of this temple I want to walk on. Everyone wants to be on top, but only special few have what it takes to get there.

Fail.

Get up.

Fail.

Get UP.

Fail.

Get. The. HELL. UP!

Do it again and again until your body can no longer be unsatisfied at what lies at your feet. Lift. Sit. Breathe. Lift again. Turn on this fight and bring out the heavy artillary. Then pack your bags for the reward at the end. Every day is a battle. If not PR today, then LIFE, or BILLS, or REAL WORLD? Get better everyday. Come everyday and most of all BRING IT everyday! Quit making lame excuses of why today is not YOUR day. You hurt? So do I. You're tired? I haven't slept yet!You're hungry? I'm always hungry! and it's that hunger that will get me through to the end. The end, where then and only then, I can sit, kick my feet up, and relax....looking down off my temple at the fight below me.