Young Jedi

Two years ago, I was 250 pounds and 30% body fat. I was lazy and afraid of treadmills. Today, I am happy to say all of that has changed. It's so weird to me now that my body has gone through all of these changes. I mean, sure, I've worked hard. But even that doesn't seem like it should be enough. The weirdest thing for me though is when people ask me for my advice about their fitness.

Today, I was joined in the gym by a high school senior named Jesse. Jesse is a really cool guy who asked me to help him bulk up a little bit. I'm always really confused when people ask me to help them. "Really? Me?" There are so many more people who are so much more qualified for this job than I am. But lo and behold, Jesse showed up today and we had a really good workout. I can't say I really did much. I just did what I normally do and Jesse followed suit. It was cool though to have somebody look up to me for something I never would have dreamt of (if you would have asked me two years ago). 

I feel like there are so many times when we feel completely unqualified in this life. Whether it's for a job or a sport or a promotion or a relationship or a gift or whatever else, we often feel unqualified. The world today is a "dog-eat-dog" style competition where we are constantly comparing ourselves to everyone around us and it's very rare we can ever match up. What I want you to know today is that you are qualified. 

In the Old Testament, God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses protested and said there was no way he could do it. He said he wasn't a good speaker and, because he stuttered, there's no way anyone would listen to him. God knew all that about Moses. God handcrafted Moses, of course He knew Moses stuttered. By the world's standards and by Moses' comparison of himself to others, he was not going to make a good leader. God thought differently. 

Moses had the right heart. God knew that Moses was willing to show up and do whatever he was led to do. That's was really Moses' only assignment - show up and let God take care of the rest. In this life, God has so many "assignments" for each of us. We need to quit comparing ourselves to others and coming up with excuses why we can't fulfill our calling. God will never lead us to a place and leave us there alone. He will be right beside us, working through us. All we have to do is show up.

What is God leading you to do? What are your excuses? Are you willing to show up? 

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

Workout:

Barbell curl: 95 pounds

Skull crusher: 95 pounds

Forearm barbell curl: 95 pounds

Dumbbell triceps overhead extension: 100 pounds

Dumbbell hammer curl: 50 pounds

Dumbbell forearm curl: 20 pounds

Dumbbell forearm twist curl: 55 pounds

Triceps cable push down: 120 pounds

Dumbbell inward hammer curl: 60 pounds

Triceps bench dips: 10 slow dips x 5 sets

Forearm rope: 22.5 pounds

Bungee biceps: 3 rounds of 15 seconds fast curls followed immediately by 30 second isometric hold

Triceps weighed captains chair dips: 35 pounds - 3 sets of 10 fast paced dips followed by one dip to the floor achieved as slowly as possible

Best Songs of the Workout:

***I actually only got to listen to about 3 songs the entire workout because Jesse was with me and we were talking as we were doing the workout rather than me just listening to music. So this time, I'm only gonna choose one "Best Song". Otherwise, all 3 songs would be listed here.***

1. Bois ! by Max Boublil (recommended by my little brother, Ethan Perry. It's a weird French song about water, but I can't help but get pumped up by it and this song definitely would be on this list even if I'd gotten to listen to 20 songs during my workout. It's a winner.)

Till next time party people,

Peace and much love.