How do we evaluate our days? Some days, we sit back and think, "Dang, I wish I could have done more." But how can we simplify the evaluation of our day-to-day? There's many ways we could do this. I think of it as a two-pronged approach. The self and others. Individually, did I grow today? This means did I learn something, did I train something, did I read something, did I listen to something? As a contributor, did I give today? Did I do a good deed, did I help someone out, did I reach out to a friend, did I call my Mom and give her a conversation? It does not have to be in the form of money, time, etc. It could be the gift of a conversation or presence. 

TL;DR 1. Did you grow today? 2. Did you give today?

Part 1: Seek GROWTH.
It's got to be an intentional process. The pursuit of your best self is a journey. If you aren't walking on the journey, looking where you are going, actively take steps, and finding that path, then you are leaving a potentially better life behind. We've got to ...

If you're a new wrestler, you may be nervous about what the season will look like. Will you do "good"? Will you like it? What is going to be like? What do I do to be good at the sport?

Well, I am here to tell you that you probably already have every trait you need to succeed at this sport. It's a matter of applying these traits. 

Here are a list of 10 traits and concepts that you can focus on in your first wrestling season. 

1. Attitude. Be a positive influence and presence. You signed up for something. Show that you want to get the most out of the situation and sport. See the commitment through. See how far you can grow and improve in the sport. You can bring a positive attitude on Day 1. 

2. Effort. Work ethic is universally respected and recognized. Your coaches and teammates will see your work ethic and effort. You can do this on Day 1. 

3. Focus. Coach is showing a technique. Instead of having your mind in the clouds like every other teammate, be different. Pay attention. Thi...

The Short version: One kettlebell and one TRX (suspension trainer). 12-16 kg for women and 16-24 kg for men.

The Long version: At-home training can seem daunting. You don't have the barbell rack or barbell or weight plates, the cool cardio equipment like an Assault Bike or Rower, and you don't have the motivation or camaraderie of fellow gym-goers.

Well, there's a starting point to solving this problem. A strong one at that!

The first at-home training tool to buy: A kettlebell.

Highly versatile training tool. It can get you strength, power, and conditioning. It can provide push, pull, hinge, squat and carry movements. The space required is about 1 ft by 1 ft. You can take it anywhere (outside, in the garage, in the yard, in the basement, to your friend's house, etc.) It's inexpensive compared to other fitness equipment ($100 KB vs. $900 Concept 2 Rower).

Place to buy Kettlebells:

Rogue Fitness: https://www.roguefitness.com/conditioning/strength-equipment/kettlebells

The...

No equipment? No problem. 

If we are without equipment, we lean on Teddy Roosevelt's famous phrase, "Do what you can with where you are with what you have". Simple as that.

But the problem is you are probably a teenager who does not know anything about how to design a strength and conditioning program. Okay, that's a problem and that's also where I can come in and provide help. 

Program Goals

Each training program we do should have defined goals. The recommended goals should be tied to two things: 1) physical qualities 2) performance outputs.

What are physical qualities? Absolute strength, relative strength, anaerobic conditioning, aerobic conditioning, balance and stability, muscle mass, agility and speed, leanness, muscular endurance, tissue resilience. As wrestlers, we need to master a lot of these! That means we need 1) organized training 2) productive and effective training 3) lots of training. 

The program goal from a physical quality standpoint is muscular endurance and ti...

The Importance of Physical Fitness

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

Strength training benefits an individual's life in a variety of ways. Over the years, the stigma has slowly been beaten down. What stigma? The stigma around strength training and it being "bad" or makes people (especially worried women) about being "bulky".

Okay, now that we have decided that strength training is good and worthwhile for our health, performance and weight management, let's get into how.

Now, where to begin?

 Push, Pull, Squat, Hinge, Carry (The Dan John Special)

One of the simplest methods, popularized by Dan John, is the strength training template of:

These are fundamental movement patterns. If you get strong at each of these movement patterns, you will feel athletic, mobile, capab...

What are your principles? 

What do you stand for?

How do you behave in adverse conditions?

What is your backbone?

What is your foundation?

These are all questions that lead you to do some thinking. Ultimately, the reason I ask myself these types of questions is because I want to get the most out of my potential as a person and I want to get the most out of my life. We have tremendous talents, inspiration, influence to give to the world. But the distractions and attention-grabbing stuff (TV, social media, marketing, advertisements, other people), natural tendency towards laziness and energy conversation, and the negative experiences and self-doubt, they creep in and then take over our lives. Mediocrity establishes its place in our lives and sits heavy. We can fight back. The way we do so is leaning on discipline and principles. It guides our decision making. 

I have come up with 5 principles that guide me in my daily life. I believe these 5 principles can lead to success in any ar...

 Hi, my name is Raymond (Ray) Yagloski, Jr.