The Body Slam

Tonight in Nick Dinsmore's professional wrestling class at Ohio Valley Wrestling, we learned a difficult and dangerous move - the body slam. In every move we've learned up to this point, the person whom the move is being performed on controls the entire fall and gets to choose when everything happens. The body slam puts your body (and safety) completely in the hands of someone else. This is an incredibly scary feeling. Just knowing that if someone slips or quivers, you could get seriously injured changes a lot about how you learn to trust people. The opposite is also true. Knowing that with any wrong move you could seriously harm someone else is also an overwhelming feeling. To learn to trust others and to gain the trust of others is extremely difficult to do. I think that's in all forms of life, but especially when it comes to physical safety. However, I can say that I trust the other students in my class, and I trust our instructor and I think they trust me too. Once that trust is felt and given, it really changes the way you look at people. I know that I feel a lot closer to the other students now because we have this trust that has grown.

(This is a video of me receiving a body slam and then giving one.)

Even more important than physical safety is eternal safety. God is the One who we can trust with that - as well as all other aspects of our lives. It's really difficult to give all of that trust over, but once we do, it will change everything about our relationship with Him. Once we realize we can trust Him with everything, and once we actually do give Him all of ourselves, it will draw us closer to Him. Getting closer to God is more important and better than getting close to any person. And trusting God is more important and more beneficial than trusting anything on this earth.

People will let us down. They will hurt us - sometimes intentionally and sometimes otherwise, but they will let us down regardless. God never will. He always keeps His promises and He can and will handle anything we throw at Him. Give your life over. Trust Him. Get closer to Him and your life will forever be changed for the better.

"For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does." Psalm 145:13 (NLT)

Till next time homies,
Peace and much love.

Things I Just Don't Do...

There are a few things in life that I've decided just aren't for me. These are things which I've decided that, for whatever reason, are either too disgusting, too weird, or just too dangerous for me to take part in or attempt. Let me tell you some of the things that Stu "shalt not" do.

- Stu shalt not listen to One Direction while working out. There's a lot of music on my playlists which I understand is highly controversial. However, One Direction is where I draw the line.

- Stu shalt not use a port-a-potty. These disease infested filth holes are not a place where I will place myself. There are only a few things in life that I think I'm actually "above". Using a port-a-potty is one of those things.

- Stu shalt not change a poopy diaper. After I'd already initially posted this entry, my friend, Kim, reminded me of this commandment of mine. Poopy diapers are horrible. I don't change them - not for anyone else, and when I have children's of my own, my wife will need to take care of the poopy diapers cause I just don't deal with that.

There's one of my commands I'd like to focus on tonight though, and that's this one: Stu shalt not do flips.
See, I've always wanted to do cool looking flips. Front flips, back flips, one and a halfs, gainers, etc. but I had an experience which traumatized me. When I was young, I jumped off a diving board and tried to do a front flip. Instead of landing the flip, I landed flat on my back. Ever since that moment (which was over 10 years ago), I just don't do flips. Well, when you're trying to be a wrestler, you've got to flip.

This is my third week in training and each class has gotten progressively more intense, and more fun. But the intensity level means that the danger level is also raising. We've been working on a "bump" called a "flip bump" since day one of class. Let me try to explain. Basically, all you do is flip forward and land on your back. It seems simple enough, but every single instinct in your body will try to prevent you from landing on your back. Landing on your arm, shoulder, legs, even butt are acceptable, but not your back. That, paired with the fact that I just don't do flips, has made this an extremely daunting task for me.

Yesterday, I decided I was going to go for it. I was supposed to land the bump twice. For the first attempt, I used a spotter and I nailed it. So, my time had come. I was going to attempt the flip without a spotter for the first time. My spotter moved out of the way and I stood there, looking down at where I was to land. Though my feet were planted firmly on the ground, it seemed like I was a mile in the air. I took a deep breath and continued to stare. Then, all of a sudden, something awesome happened.

Everyone in the class started cheering for me. "You got this, Stu. You can do it! Just go for it! You got this!" And I was filled with so much confidence. I took one final breath and leapt into the air, twisting my body forward. In the air, I remembered the accident that happened last week where I landed on my neck. This was not going to be the same. I flipped forward, and landed square on my back. Everyone erupted in applause and I felt amazing.

I needed some pushing and I needed some encouragement. Without those people there and without seeing them all go before me and prove it was okay, I don't think it would have ever happened for me. But now, I can do it.

Jesus did the same thing for us. He went before us to show us that no matter what we face, we can deal with it. He stands with us to show that we don't have to have fear. He will "spot" you and encourage you every step of the way. Let Him be there for you and you won't have to have any fear.

With Him, you can do the impossible.

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NLT)

Till next week homies,
Peace and much love.

Broken Down

Tonight in class I made a huge mistake. There are all sorts of different ways to fall in wrestling and tonight we were practicing some of those falls. There's the "back bump" where you essentially just fall backwards, the "flip bump" where you do a front flip and land on your back, and also one called the "handstand bump". The handstand bump is the bane of my existence (pun intended).

In the "handstand bump" you do a handstand and then kick your legs so that you again flip over and land on your back. Tonight, I seriously screwed up on a handstand bump. I did the handstand fine, but when I went to kick my legs, I missed the flip and released my hands. This meant that I fell straight downward, landing on my neck. Immediately, all my classmates said, "Ooooooooooooh. Stu, are you okay?" I lie there for just a second in my shame, but also seeing if I actually was okay. I sat up and gave a thumbs up sign - meaning I was okay.

It hurt. My pride and my body were both broken, but I finished out class strong and didn't give up.

Our spiritual lives will take hits a lot of times. There will be disappointing situations, sins that keep coming back, addictions, deaths, broken hearts, people who let us down, and all sorts of other negativity. But what we can know for sure is that no matter how many times we get knocked down, we can always get back up. No matter how many times we are disappointed, there is always hope. And no matter how many times we mess up, there is always grace.

Believe in that. If you've been beaten down lately. Whether it was a minor injury or a completely debilitating incident, know that God is right there with you, ready to put you back on your feet.

You can always give a thumbs up, no matter the situation.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT)

Till next time,
Peace and much love.

Head-locked

Today was my second day of class, and it was just as cool as the first. Already, I feel like we've learned so much. Now, I don't yet have my wrestling license, so I'm not able to do as much as some of the other students in the class, but I'm trying to learn everything I can and be the absolute best I can be. It's tough. This is definitely the most intense thing I've ever tried to do in any sense.

My body is sore and gets pushed harder and harder. To those who say professional wrestling is "fake", I try to correct them and say that it's "well-choreographed". That's because there really are a lot of things that hurt in real life. Sure, it's all about selling the moment, but it can cause serious harm and my body is being pushed harder and harder with every sequential class.

[This is my instructor, Nick Dinsmore (WWE's Eugene). In the top left, he has me in a headlock about to pop my head off. In the bottom right, we are just hanging out after a good class.]

Here's what I know for sure though: When I feel like giving up, I can always go more. There are some things in class that really are extremely difficult. There are times when I watch things I will be doing and don't think it's even possible for me to try, but then I remember that nothing is impossible and every time I've given up in the past, I've regretted it. I don't want this experience to be like that. 

Our spiritual lives are the same way. We can feel like we are being pushed farther and farther - and we are! Why? Because God wants us to grow. My instructor for professional wrestling is Nick Dinsmore (WWE's Eugene) and he pushes all of us in the class to do our absolute best. He doesn't ask more of us than what our best is, but he does expect that we give it our all. If not, why even be there?

God is the same way. He expects our best. He doesn't expect more, but if you're not going to give your best to Him, then why even bother? But God knows our best, not us. So when you feel like you're being pushed to be better, you probably are. God never wants you to settle, but always strive to make your best better and keep learning from Him and drawing closer to Him. 

Don't give up. Don't give in. Keep pushing yourself and give your absolute best. Then, next time, you can be pushed a little farther. Over time, you will become more and more of who God wants you to be. 

"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT)

I'll be back next Tuesday night. 

Till then homies, 

Peace and much love!

Commence Phase Two

Many of you have asked, "What's next?" After completing phase one and making such a huge deal of it, I didn't think I could just quit there. But Phase Two can't just be a repeat of Phase One. It can't be all about just getting bigger and bigger. Phase Two has to push my body, mind, and spirit farther than I ever thought possible. After all, Bane is much more than a body. He's an entire persona of evil and intimidation. So, that's what I've chosen to focus on in Phase Two.

So, what is Phase Two?

Beginning tonight, I am enrolled in and taking classes at Ohio Valley Wrestling - the official trainers of TNA Wrestling!!!

The course runs for ten weeks, two nights a week and all culminates at the end with a "Homecoming Show" where all those in the class get to perform. So that's Phase Two. Now, let me tell you how this is gonna work.

I will be posting just once a week on Tuesday nights and updating you on my progress. Phase Two will be much more intense and I promise I won't disappoint you with these posts explaining everything. This week, I'm posting tonight and tomorrow night in order to explain it all. But, let me just say...

Tonight was amazing, and I can't wait to keep moving forward with this. I'll keep you posted on how it all goes.

Just remember, God can take something that seems really weird and turn it into something amazing and beyond anything we can imagine. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Get excited for Phase Two!!!

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20, 21 NLT)

Phase 1: Complete

So phase one of Becoming Bane has ended. Let's review:

 - I began at 183.8 pounds and 11.3% body fat. 

 - My goal was to weight 200 pounds by January 1, 2013 (today). 

 - I began the project on September 15, 2012 which means I had a little over 15 weeks to gain right around 16 pounds of muscle. 

 - All of this had to be done without the use of any steroids.

 - Many people said it would be impossible...check out the results below to see if they were correct.

Here are the measurements from the beginning of the project:

Waist: 36 inches
Biceps: 14 inches
Neck: 16 inches
Chest: 42 inches
Shoulders: 21 inches
Forearms: 11 inches

Here are my statistics:
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 183.8 pounds
Fat content: 11.3%

Here are my measurements from today:

Waist: 36 inches

Biceps 15.5 inches (Growth of one and a half inches)

Neck: 17.25 inches (Growth of one and a quarter inches)

Chest: 44 inches (Growth of two inches)

Shoulders: 25.5 inches (Growth of four and a half inches)

Forearms: 13 inches (Growth of two inches)

        Total Growth of 11.25 inches combined in all muscles

So did it happen? Did I make the 200 pound goal? 

At my final "check-in" of Phase 1, my results were as follows:

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 202 pounds

Fat Content: 11.8% 

**********WE DID IT!!!!************

There is absolutely no way for me to tell you how much all of you reading has meant to me throughout this project. Phase one is complete, and I reached my goal because of God's power and because He placed all of you in my life. Thank you so much for encouraging me and reading - even when things weren't going so great. 

Let me end this huge endeavor of Phase One by saying this:

Don't ever let anyone tell you anything is impossible. 

When you find out where God is working and join with Him to do the things He loves doing, there's no way for anything or anyone to stop you. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the only reason I was able to accomplish this goal is because I relied on God to get me through it. To many of you, that will sound silly, but I know it's true. There were so many "experts" who said I could never make it, but in the end, God showed up and did more than I ever could have imagined. That's what He loves to do. 

I know that many of you have made goals for yourselves in 2013 - make sure you team with God to accomplish them! He never designed you to work alone, so don't try it. Find out what He wants for your life and go for it with everything you have. When it's all said and done, I promise you won't be disappointed because He will show up and do so much more than you even thought possible.

So what's next? 

Like I said, Phase One is complete, but Phase Two begins on Monday. I'll be taking a brief hiatus from this blog until then, but I'll be back on Monday to explain everything and let you know what we're all going to accomplish together in Phase Two. I promise Phase Two will be much more intense than even Phase One was. I will be pushing my body, mind, and spirit to their absolute limits, and you will all be able to join with me and see what happens when we go further than we ever thought possible. 

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT)

I love you all. 

Till next time homies...

Peace and much love