Building a brand. ..

When building a brand,  it's like being on a diet or weight loss regimen.   Slow and steady always wins the race.  As I embark on a new endeavor,  I'll be using a similar formula for Jurassic Fitness.

When I formed the Addicted Crew Dj's, it was only DJ Soul Jah and myself initially.   It took a little while for him to see the vision but he was able to see what I was trying to build.   We started with free mixtapes, then branched off into t-shirts,  before adding a few more Dj's into the mix. 

A lot of people have asked if I've stopped Dj'n, of course not, music is a part of me.  I'll be using my background in music to do workout mixes,  and to bring the Addicted Crew DJ's, and fitness into the same world.   At times my wife think that I'm taking on way to much,  but in order to be successful in life you have to have more than one hustle.   This is just the beginning for the Addicted Crew DJ's, and Jurassic Fitness.

I'm never going to deter of my path of becoming a successful trainer,  and with the business knowledge I'm receiving from Full Sail, the sky is the limit.   You'll still be getting my crazy "Stupid Ish Saturday" workout videos,  and free fitness and nutritional tips.   I'll also start hosting free boot camp classes to help America's fourth fattest city to fight the war on obesity.   When I came up with the slogan for the Addicted Crew DJ's,  "It's more than music it's a movement", this is what I was referring too.

Shot out to my team DJ Soul Jah, DJ J Millie, and DJ TNY, and most importantly my beautiful wife Cassandra; it's time to go to another level.   Without y'all, this would still be just a dream in my head.  I LOVE YALL FOR REAL!!!!!

It's never easy. ..

People always search for the quick this and the quick that,  i.e fast food,  quick oil change,  10 min abs etc... Nothing in life worth having is free.  A lot of people are scared of hardwork,  and want things given easy.   Take fitness for instance, I get asked daily what do I do to stay in shape.

Truth to the matter, it's the tortoise and hare concept.   Slow and steady always wins the race.   How many people do u know that's started a fad diet,  lost ten pounds got comfortable started eating again and gained fifteen pounds back? Fad diets don't work,  eating clean,  training mean is what's proven.   The biggest misconception is that u have to get on the hamster wheel and do marathon hours of cardio to lose weight.   That couldn't be further from the truth.

If u want to lose weight it all starts with what u eat.   We've all heard the phrase u are what u eat,  nothing has changed from all these decades it's true.   If your diet is trash,  your body will be as wide as a trash bin.   In order to lose weight u must eat clean,  that means lean meats,  green veggies,  tons of water.   That's just the beginning though,  u have to get to the gym and work,  lift weights and do some high intensity cardio for about 20 minutes the times a week.

That's the key,  If u eat clean,  train mean,  drink plenty of water,  sleep and repeat.   You will reach your weight loss goals,  it won't be overnight.   It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a change,  8 weeks for others, and 12 for you to feel like a brand new person.   So what are u waiting for,  u did promise yourself this year was the year you was going to be in the best shape of your life.   #jurrasicfitness

Planet Fitness is a joke...

So I was scanning thru a few of the gym websites I frequent on the daily, and was really flabbergasted about a story I came across.  Planet Fitness the gym establishment recently removed their squat racks because a customer claimed that it was intimidating.  This has to be the biggest load of caca that I've ever heard, ummmm Planet Fitness you really removed the squat rack?  I have to admit I've never stepped foot in a Planet Fitness, do they even have trainers there?  If so, why don't the trainers show and explain to the customer the importance of doing squats.  Squats are one the most important exercises that you can do.

I really don't get the "fitness" portion of Planet Fitness, what gym establishment has pizza night, ice cream socials, or Krispy Kreme night for their patrons.  I don't really get this method, is it so you can fattening them up to keep coming back.  This really seems illogical to me, do they not realize that once a person gets fit, they will continue to come back to maintain their current level of fitness.  This establishment also has so many stupid rules it's ridiculous, better yet its borderline stereotypical/racist.

Anytime you drop a weight, grunt, or really get loud to push that last set out, a silly alarm goes off called the "lunk alarm."  Is this a gym or a country club???  I would love to see a real serious crossfitter go workout there, they're constantly dropping weights.  There's other gyms out there for you to go train at instead of going to this country club of an atmosphere, which is nothing more than a corporate joke.  I don't have any affiliation with any gym, I suggest doing research on what works best for you and your fitness goals/needs.  If you think pizza, ice cream socials, and Krispy Kreme donuts are what's best for you to lose that muffin top, then Planet Fitness is for you.  If you're serious about training, and reaching your fitness goals, don't even waste your time here.

Heart & Soul….

A lot of times people waste energy by putting their heart & soul into things that don't have any substance.  How many people do you see bury themselves in things that aren't a healthy lifestyle?  That could come in the case of food, liquor, drugs, men/women, even work.   Everyone needs to have an outlet to release, but you should choose things that could help you grow as a person.

It took some time for me to find that perfect balance of things that's important to me: 1. God 2. Family 3. Gym 4. Friends 5. Work….4, 5 will rotate occasionally but the three that's constant is God, Family, and Gym those are the three who will never let me down.  I love all three, and I find enjoyment with all three, GYM is the floor, Family is the walls, and GOD is the roof that keeps us safe.

I chose to pour my heart & soul into the gym almost a year ago, and that's something I have zero regrets about.  Most of 2013 I was dealing with multiple health issues, 3 back procedures, knee/calf problems,  sleep apnea, and I was the heaviest I've been.  I was tipping the scale at 242 lbs, I started noticing that most of my jeans were getting tighter and tighter, and my friends started joking that I was gaining weight.  At the time, my wife was pregnant with our youngest son, so I was just blaming it on her pregnancy.

Actually, the pregnancy wasn't the problem, it was my love for food that was the problem.  That's when  I had my aha moment….about two months before my wife was due to deliver, I decided I would change my unhealthy lifestyle.  Going out to eat during lunch everyday with my coworkers was a thing of the past, I decided to start working out in the gym during my lunch break.  My workouts went from me trying to drop a few pounds, to intense training sessions.

A new me was created, a new found passion was formed, and countless research and studying ensued. I found I wanted to know everything I could about working out, clean eating, and becoming a personal trainer.  I don't know everything about everything, but I know enough to help you change your lifestyle.  Even though I won't be certified until March, I already have 5 clients that I work with; not bad for the old ripped guy in the gym.  It's not the starting part that's hard, it's the not quitting that's the hardest task you'll face….Make it your mission statement, NEVER SETTLE, FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION, AND WHEN LIFE GIVE YOU LEMONS MAKE LEMONADE!!!!!

Put your heart & soul and everything you do, and you'll be amazed at the end result.  SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE, FAD DIETS DON'T WORK!!!!!!!!

My Fitness Journey

In May 2013, I made the decision to change my life through proper diet and exercise.  Along the way I found my niche in wanting to help others obtain their fitness goals.  Through countless research, and trying different workout routines I finally found out the difference between exercise and training.  Exercise is something you do to maintain a certain level of fitness and not going above that.  Training is pushing your body to limits you didn't think you can handle.  The most important thing about training is setting goals, shattering those goals, and setting new ones to achieve.

There's no easy way at setting out to achieve your fitness goals, you have to have that mindset to go out and TRAIN hard everyday.  There will be times that you don't want to go lift, you'll want to indulge and some overly fatty foods, and be lazy; but those are the times you have to grab your pre-workout, and go lift some heavy iron.  I choose to workout 6 days a week, 5 of those days working a different body part, and on Saturday when most people would choose to be their lazy day, I'm in the gym no later than 8 a.m., getting it in with my hardest workout of the week.  I've created a different Saturday workout regimen that, I've infused others to try.  It's called Stupid Ish Saturdays, that's when we go in and knockout one of the hardest workouts you'll ever try.  No two workouts are ever the same, and you'll be completely exhausted afterwards, but you will fill a sense of accomplishment.

Here's an example of the workout we finished today:

Stupid Ish Saturday Workout (Power Moves)

3 min jump rope

50 reps weighted pull-ups (25lbs)
50 reps squat press
50 reps deadlifts (225 lbs)
50 reps weighted dips (45lbs)
50 reps squats (225 lbs)
100 reps walking lunges (100 lbs) **50 each leg**
50 reps flat bench (185 lbs)
50 reps burpees
100 reps 1 arm DB snatch 40 lbs **50 each arm**
50 reps pushups
50 reps leg curls

Since my fitness journey began I've lost 40 lbs, have started the process of getting a degree in Exercise Science, and I've already began training a few clients to help them reach their fitness goals, and build my resume in the process.  Once I receive my certification in March, I plan to start teaching FREE Saturday morning bootcamps all around San Antonio, to help others.  San Antonio was rated as the 4th fattest city in America a few years back, and I want to help others get off the vicious cycle of dieting, teaching them proper nutrition, the benefits of clean eating, and the purpose of training and not exercising.  My overall goal is to compete in my first body building competition in Nov/Dec, open a gym within the next 2 years, so stay tuned for the website, gym, and one on one personal training (whether live  or over the world wide web).