How my past helped my present - LEG DAY!

(last week): Yesterday was quad day…. always thrilling. For the most part, quad days are pretty much the same: painful, nauseating and gratifying. However, yesterday I was able to do something that I have never done before….. I made pain vanish.

As an ex-NCAA football player, I truly love the game and watch hours upon hours of football every weekend. As I was waiting for a kickoff during an NFL game, I got to reminiscing about my days on the kickoff team, a.k.a “hit squad.” I was the wedge buster; meaning my only purpose was to run down the middle of the field as fast and hard as possible and smash into the ball carriers most immediate blockers, full force. Essentially a repetitive suicide mission.

To successfully carry out this task, one has to completely disregard any concern about bodily injury, physical pain, nerves and fear. Now keep in mind, I was a wide receiver and I actually took this position for the first time when I was just a sophomore; so I was typically colliding with individuals that out weighed me by 30,40, 50 pounds or more in some cases. But I had an advantage… I could ignore the nerves, block the pain and eliminate any hesitation. That is the only way I could win that battle.

So how is this relevant to my leg day? Yesterday, after 6 sets of leg extensions, 4 sets of box squats and 4×20 back squat it was time to move on to Smith Machine front squats (on my toes). My legs were on fire, my stomach was churning, my quads felt like they were going to explode, it was well over 90 degrees in the gym and I still had a long long ways to go in this quad mutilation. At this moment, I got to thinking about the feeling in my stomach the first time I stepped on a college field, getting ready to fly down field and smash my helmet into another grown man’s face mask. The feeling in my stomach felt very similar during my workout for some reason; so I closed my eyes, imagined the smell of the grass and then visualized my other 10 brothers/teammates positioning themselves to follow my lead. I would remind myself that those men on the other side had no idea what kind of pain and physical damage I fully intended on providing to them. I wanted them to hurt. I wanted them to cry. I wanted them to suffer and fear my number for the rest of their lives. I wanted them to shake and get sick to their stomach on the 7th of every month, their child’s 7th birthday, their 7th anniversary or even when they dialed the number 7; that is the only mindset that would allow me to dominate. So yesterday, I channeled that same mindset and energy to the bar that was waiting to drag me to the ground. The bar was going to fear me, I was going to win and at that very moment…..

the pain was gone.