Interview: Byron makes big changes in a year

Byron at 255 before the RRL

TR: Hey Byron!  Congratulations on your 1 year anniversary at the RRL.  
I have loved getting to know you over the last year, but for those who might not know you...Introduce yourself…( Job, family, #kids, ages, background in sports…)   Can you describe where you were in your life, your physical condition (weight, energy level, blood work, cardio shape) how you felt one year ago?

BW:  This is my fifth year living in Chattanooga, and I moved down here from Virginia to teach physics at Baylor School.  I am, 29 and married to my wonderful wife (and great supporter of the last year of early RRL workouts), and we have an 8 month old son, John Henry David. We live on Baylor's campus, as I am also a dorm parent.

A year and a half ago, I decided to start working out, mainly cardio, and some body weight workouts.  However, I had hit a plateau, and was not making a lot of progress.  I weighed 255 lbs., had trouble sleeping, and my energy was crashing at the end of the class day.
 

TR: That is a very similar situation to so many people in the United States right now.  People get focused on their job and forget about their physical health.  What was the motivation to make a significant change in your life?

BW:  I was motivated to change my life and my health for my future children and my family.  I was finding myself worried about my health, and I could see myself getting heavier and heavier.  At my heaviest, I weight 268 pounds in the summer of 2014, and it was then that I started to turn around my diet and my level of activity.

TR: Having children or considering having children in the near future is certainly a major motivating factor to improving your health.  I know that was the primary reason that I regained my athletic life after a layoff to focus entirely on my job.  When I realized that I would be responsible for another life, it lit a fire.  When that fire starts, there are lots of things you could do to make a change, but you chose to check out, perhaps the far end of the scale.  How did you hear about the RRL?

BW:  Mike Drew!  One evening he told me about his workouts, and while it shocked me what he was describing you all were doing, I thought, "I want to be able to do that!"  Mike challenged me to join him the next morning, offering to drive.  I took him up on it, and well...it was a crazy workout day.

TR: That is awesome.  Mike is a great role model.  He gives it everything he has and has also made some significant improvements in his strength and conditioning.  I often hear guys talking about their first day at the RRL.  I would imagine that it could be a little intimidating by all outward appearance, but exactly the opposite once you are a part of it.  What was it like for you?  Do you remember what we did?   How did you feel?  What did you think?

BW:  When I got into Mike's car to drive over, Mike said, "well, you picked a good day."  Mike showed me the board, and explained where the warm-up was listed and the spot for the day's workout.  There I read, "Young."  I remember doing the "warm up" and thinking, "Woah, this is what I do to 'work out,' and there's more?"

Young was a challenge.  I ended up doing 2 rounds of Young, and it was painful the whole way.  Also, that was the first day I did a burpee...

(Young is a workout that we do on a beautiful gradual hill that is about 1/2 Mile long.  We do 5 burpees at the bottom of the hill and 5 burpees at the top and we repeat this 5 times for time)

That day at Baylor, I had more energy all day than I had had in a long time.  I was fired up!  Now, don't get me wrong, I was also in pain!  I do not think I made it to the RRL the next day.

TR: That is quite a change from doing nothing or very little to Young x 5!  Good job.  I am sure you were sore.   Plus...you met a whole new group of guys willing to get up at 5 am and get after it.  What made you come back?

BW:  I thought the RRL was crazy.  But I was also attracted to the challenge.  I wanted to get stronger, and I wanted to push myself, and that's what happened on that hill.

TR: You have become extremely consistent in attendance.  How did you do it and what is your schedule like now?

BW:  At first, I was pretty inconsistent.  However, I found that the more I came, the better I felt.  I found myself growing stronger and stronger, and no doubt does this motivate me.  But, in addition, the RRL community is a motivating one.  When you miss a day, you not only miss out on getting stronger, but you also miss out on sharing that workout with the great men at the RRL.  They challenge you to grow, they help you learn how to work, and we have a great time.  

In all seriousness, whether it is Kevin running with me on my first 5k, or Matt Greenwell helping me pace my first 5 miler, or any guy motivating me with a kind word, the men at RRL build each other up.  I am grateful for all of them.

In the last couple of months, I have landed on coming Monday through Thursday.  I would come on Friday, but I am usually up until 12:30 or later because I have dorm duty on Thursday nights.

TR: Making big changes in your physical activity is one thing.  Over the last year, how has your diet changed?  How do you eat today?

Weight on the decline but still eating the cheese

BW:  I eat more vegetables and fruit.  I eat less bread, consume less sugar, eat far less fried food, and I have tried to be more mindful of how much cheese I eat, but really, I still eat a lot of cheese...I like cheese.

Anyways, In general, I am more mindful of what I am eating, making some changes.  But I do not feel like I have drastically changed my diet.

TR: Just looking at you, it is obvious that you have transformed in one year.  How much weight have you actually lost?  What results have you had inLifting, Running, Skills, etc…?

BW:  I now weigh about 240, having lost over 25 pounds.  However, I have lost a lot more than 25 pounds of fat.  I know I am getting more fit when all of my pants are too big.

While I do not know all my numbers, a year ago, I scaled every weightlifting workout we did 50-70% Rx.  I am now doing a lot of our workouts Rx, which is a lot of fun.  It has taken a long time to build up to it, but it feels great!

Before coming to the RRL, I had not run a mile on actual pavement in about five years.  Today, February 6th, I ran over seven miles on Stringer's Ridge (the longest run I have made to date).

TR: Man...that is incredible.  Great work!  Those are significant improvements.  Making big changes and getting better is alot of fun.  Is that your favorite thing about the last year or is there something else that you really like about the RRL and what we do here?

BW:  The community and the challenge are my favorite parts without question.

TR: What is your least favorite thing?

BW:  We don't play enough Coldplay during our workouts...

TR: Ha!  That is hilarious.  (Everyone at the RRL knows that I really don't like Coldplay on the workout playlist) It seems that everyone has at least 1 skill (bear crawls, cleans, handstand pushups, double unders, etc…) that they are pretty good at or even the best of the group.  What would you consider your best skill?  Is it picking the workout music?

BW:  I get low and dominate those squats!  I can kill some wall balls...

TR: You definitely can!  Rest assured...there will always be plenty of squats and wall balls.  We have done so many different things and types of workouts in the last yearCan you tell me what workout sticks out as the most challenging to you over the last year?

BW:  I am remembering a slog of burpees and thrusters...over and over and over...so tough.

1 year later, Byron is a stud

TR: Do you have an absolute favorite workout that we have done? 

BW:  My favorite is Young...it has a special place in my heart!

TR:  Ah...Young.  That is a good one on its own...plus it was your first with us.  How about a least favorite? 

BW:  I don't have one.

TR: Really...I take that as a challenge...just wait til Monday.  Do you track your workouts?

BW:  I track my runs, but not my numbers for our other workouts...now that you mention it, I am going to start!

(We use www.beyondthewhiteboard.com.  You can search Toms Garage/RRL and see the workouts and results daily.  You can also join the gym by sending me a request)

TR: Tracking is an excelent way to stay motivated by seeing your exact progress to this point.  Also, you can easily point out places where your training is not working based on your results.  Maybe you are going too hard, maybe you need rest.  Generally, your results speak volumes on the effectiveness of the training.  I really like to track everything because I can quickly see if I have done a workout before and I can have a target time or weight to strive for.  It makes it more fun for me.  Tracking is also a great way to set goals.  You can see your progress and forecast what an achievable goal might be and what a far reaching goal would be. Speaking of goals,,, What are your goals for 2016?

BW:  My goals this year:
Be able to do pull-ups unassisted,
Run in a race (and maybe more after that)
Get down to 230 pounds.

TR: You will be able to accomplish all of those, and I will help.  Here is a way you can help other people.  There are lots of people who find themselves in a very similar situation to where you were last year.  What advice might you give them?

BW:  You can do it!  It will be tough, but totally worth it!  The expense of time it takes to workout is paid back many fold by all the energy you gain!  All areas of your life will improve!  You will sleep better, you won't lose your breath when walking up steps, you will feel smarter, you will pick up your kids without worry of not being able to!

TR:  Thanks so much Byron!  Great work!  So glad to have you in the RRL.

Weight Loss Contest Comes To A Close

Post Selection...November.  Definitely heavier than I would like to be despite working out 6 times per week

2 months ago, we decided to throw in $100 and have a winner take all weight loss contest.  I was interested because I gained alot of weight while doing the preparation for and actually doing Goruck Selection.  I read in Get Selected and other books, plus articles on Goruck main page that you should come in heavy and I did.  Rucking large loads over great distances did make me burn a ton of calories but I had no problem replacing them with 2 quarts of Talenti Ice Cream and a massive volume of food.  I did this pretty much every night. 

I ate more last year than I may have ever eaten in my life.  I also trained more than I ever have.  I guess the extended sessions and long miles kept it in check, but I did find myself seeing numbers like 187 on the scale and I was not happy about it.

I played around with dropping some weight and it worked on and off but I was not committed.  The contest gave me some added motivation. 

We had weight loss achievements of 18 pounds, 16 pounds, 10 pounds, 5 pounds and one guy gained 2 pounds.  

Today at 164

I started at 182 pounds on July 1.  Today I weighed in at 167 before the workout, 166 after and 164 after my favorite morning ritual in my private office.  Chris Curtis actually beat me by 1 pound at the start of the workout, but the guys said that the contest was based upon percentage of bodyweight.  They said I won, but I conceeded to Chris who said we should just put the money towards some more equipment.  I'm fine with that.

So how did I lose 18 pounds in 2 months? 

Zone/Paleo/Mike Dolce

I started out with simple 4 block Zone meals and 2 snacks.  I did feel better and my pants became a little looser, but I did not lose a single pound for almost 3 weeks.

I dropped all grains and processed foods while maintaining Zone portions and began to lose weight.  During this time, I read the book, 3 Weeks To Shredded by Mike Dolce.  I liked what Mike had to say and his track record of training fighters to make weight in the UFC was impressive.  Johnny Hendricks, and Ronda Rousey are 2 fighters that I follow and Dolce is their guy.  In the book, he gives the exact plan, exact portions and timing of the weight cut for Thiago Alves, another fighter that I follow. 

Mike's advice is similar to Paleo and Zone but even simpler.  I implemented what he said, incorporated some new foods like the Breakfast Bowl with Oat Bran and enjoyed the food and the results. 

I have never been a big vegetable guy and always felt that my leafy green vegetable intake was far below where it should be.  This was fixed on Fathers Day when my kids and wife gave me a Ninja blender.  I highly recommend this thing.  I thought it would just be a Vitamix knock off, but the more I use it, the more I think that it is actually superior to the Vitamix.  Lots of attachments and options come standard and I have been making a morning post workout shake like this:

4 leaves of Kale

3/4 cup blueberries

Carrots

Brocolli

chia seeds

Ice

water

blend til liquid and drink.

It changes pretty much every day depending on what vegetables we have or are left over but that is the basic idea.  I have eaten or drank more vegetables since Fathers Day than I have in the last year.  I pair that with a few eggs and either drink butter with my coffee for fat or eat some nuts. 

Note: I am a big fan of the Vitamix or Ninja but not of Juicers.  Juicers extract the juice and separate the fiber out of the end product.  This is not good.  The Vitamix or Ninja just chops up the entire food into tiny little pieces.  It is a big difference and I far prefer the entire food over the extracted juice.  Its just like eating a salad, but faster and easier for me.

Other days, I eat Mike Dolce's Breakfast bowl and may have the shake for lunch. 

Dinner was meat and vegetables with a portion of fat pretty much every night.

I like to look at what 20% of effort resulted in 80% of the results.  In this case, what was it that I did that really made a difference?  The answer is preparation. 

I planned what I was going to eat and how much of it.  I took a cooler to Lacrosse Games, when traveling or when fishing and had my food ready.  I planned snacks and had them prepared the night before. 

This is pretty much the difference from what I was doing before, making no progress and actually seeing the weight come off.  When you are not prepared, you settle for what is available and that is usually complete crap, fast food, or what you think might taste good.  If this happens every now and then, no problem.  But when it happens 40% of the time, you wont make progress.  Despite what your mind is telling you, if you are not prepared everyday, the shit food gets in more than 30-40% of the time.  It doesn't seem like it, but if you were to keep a food log it would become obvious. 

That is what worked for me but here is what Chris Curtis said he did when I asked him:

"Portion control, reduced carbs. Carbs stick to me like glue. Ran a lot. I have a hard time with weight if i don't run.
Lets face it, when u start out over weight, common sense goes a long way. A child telling u, u have a belly, will provide good motivation!"

So now what?

I feel good at 164 and feel like it is a sustainable weight for me.  I would like to stay under 165 for a while and see how I feel.  Now that I am here, I can maintain this weight pretty comfortably if I stay prepared, pack food and have snacks ready.  I will also enjoy one day per week of cheat meals where I will truly eat whatever and however much I want.  Stay tuned for pictures of these epic cheat meals.

Chip Lusk and the Birth of a garage gym

The men and women of the RRLanta at a Goruck Challenge in Atlanta.  Chip Lusk, front row center

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“This group has made life richer for our family. The garage guys look out for each other’s kids and property, we help each other out with projects, we laugh and argue, we talk religion, sports, politics, family and work, and we hang out at our neighborhood park and pool with our families and each other. Some of us have spent vacations together and shared holiday meals together. I feel lucky to know these guys."

-Chip Lusk on the RRLanta

 

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Chip Lusk and the birth of a garage gym

Recently we ran the Ragnar Trail race which is an event that goes on all night.  We have done these events before but on the roads and each team has vans and leap frogs through the 100+ mile course.  The trail event was much different as all teams simply camped in a central area and sent runners out from there.  This format allowed for way more camaraderie and fellowship. 

We were fortunate to camp next to Chip Lusk, RRL alumnus who moved away from Chattanooga for a job opportunity and quickly recreated our setting in Atlanta.  I was very impressed with Chip’s RRLanta group as they were just like ours.  While we all miss seeing Chip, I have to say that I am very impressed and proud that he has been able to build a strong community right out of his garage.  I caught up to Chip to ask him how he did it and learn more about his group.

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TR: Hey Chip, great to see you at the Ragnar Trail event!  I loved seeing what you have created from your garage.  Tell us a little about your group.

CL: Hi Tom – RRLanta is similar to the original RRL. I learned from your leadership. I am confident that much of what I say will sound familiar to you.

Our group is mostly a bunch of dads. Their ages range from mid 30s to mid 50s, but I think most of us are in our mid to upper 40s and feeling younger each year. We have lawyers, bankers, business owners, sales brokers, a doctor, and (it is the ATL) some commercial real estate guys.

TR: How long have you been hosting workouts from your Garage?

CL: We moved into our Atlanta home in July 2011. I worked out on my own five days a week until approximately Thanksgiving. That’s when I was joined by a friend who wanted to get back into shape. Within a month, he had lost 25 to 30 pounds. From December to April, it was the two of us. Then, we were joined by two more friends, who also saw immediate results. Next, word of mouth took over. Neighbors saw guys losing weight and getting stronger and wanted to be involved.

TR: Why did you want to set up your own rather than just joining a gym?

CL: The main reason I wanted to set up a garage gym was to develop community. I missed the workout community you developed and I wanted to recreate it in Atlanta.

I welcome anyone. While we have only a few rules, one of them is no ‘a-holes’ allowed – this one has never needed to be enforced, but I’ve joked around about it a couple of times.

TR: Tell us about how it started?  How did you get the first few to start coming regularly?

CL: It started in a bar over a couple of beers in the Fall of 2011. The friend I mentioned before was between relationships and looking for some positive changes in his life. We agreed to meet at 5:30 am Monday through Friday. The results followed and spoke for themselves.

Honestly, the best sales (I use that term loosely) tactic is when our community swimming pool opens each summer. Suddenly, neighbors are noticing that the new ‘garage guys’ have lost their beer bellies and now have abs and upper body strength.

TR: How much does it cost?

CL: I don’t charge anything for the workouts. It is my gift to our community. With that said, good CrossFit equipment is expensive. To get started, I bought the first round of equipment (about $3k) for the garage which arrived on two wooden pallets from Rogue. Since then, the guys usually pass the ‘equipment replenishment fund’ hat every six months to collect money for new equipment. These donations are completely optional and capped at $200 per person.

TR: What time do you workout?

CL: Guys start arriving at the garage between 5:15 and 5:30 am to stretch and warm-up. During the school year, we are done by 6:30 am, so everyone can get home to help get kids ready for school. In the summer, we have been known to go until 7:00 am.

TR: You probably have lots of different athletic abilities at your garage.  How do you create workouts that all of your athletes can do?

CL: We have all different fitness levels. The beauty of CrossFit workouts is that they are easily scalable. I like it when we have eight or more guys because then usually everyone has someone at his level. If we have a new guy, then I always do a form demo, encourage him to scale and tell him what that looks like. It is smart to scale. I often scale workouts myself.

TR: Did you, or do you face any challenges with neighbors/your wife/children/police?

CL: My wife is a tolerant champ. She understands that this community is important to me. These guys hold each other accountable and help each other out. We have become great friends.

My kids think I have an obsessive addiction to CrossFit – they’re probably right, but I see it as a way to stay fit and build a kick-butt community of trustworthy men.

My immediate neighbors are intrigued and (fortunately) good sleepers. I reserve tire flipping, sledge hammer striking and heavy weight dropping workouts for special late workout days.

We live in an active neighborhood. There are bikers, swimmers, runners, speed walkers, and dog walkers. Many regulars pass by the garage to say hello. Overall, the neighborhood has been supportive of the garage/street workouts.

TR: How many people show up on a regular morning now?

CL: We typically have about eight to twelve guys.

TR: How do you determine your training?

CL: Training is determined by what we have on our event calendar. If Ragnar, then we do more running. Our typical week is a CrossFit WoD on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Cardio (run, swim or row) on Tuesday and Thursday. And, a small group long run on the weekend.

Lately, we have been focused on Hero WoDs, but my favorite format is a team WoD.

TR: What events has your group done together?

CL: We did the Atlanta GoRuck Challenge in 2012, the 2013 Tennessee Ragnar, the 2014 Atlanta Ragnar and the 2014 Atlanta Tough Mudder. We do the Peachtree Road Race together each year – it goes right by our neighborhood. We also do family workouts in our neighborhood park several times a year. And, we’ve had lots of parties together to celebrate events and life.

TR: What events are you currently preparing for?

CL: We have a small group planning to do Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon in Fall 2014, so I am adding long(er) runs on the weekends. We have two 12 man teams going to Miami for the 2015 Florida Keys Ragnar. But, our next fun team event is this coming weekend – the Best Butt in Brookwood Hills – it’s a BBQ cooking competition to raise money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The garage has several four man teams who are each cooking butts, ribs and briskets on our Big Green Eggs. One team is doing an open pit whole hog. We plan to set up an outdoor movie theater and watch classics, like Fletch and Caddy Shack while the BBQ cooks.

TR: What does this group mean to you?

CL: This group has made life richer for our family. The garage guys look out for each other’s kids and property, we help each other out with projects, we laugh and argue, we talk religion, sports, politics, family and work, and we hang out at our neighborhood park and pool with our families and each other. Some of us have spent vacations together and shared holiday meals together. I feel lucky to know these guys.

TR: How big is your garage and what equipment do you have?

CL: I have a normal two car garage, which will still hold one car when no one is working out.

We have two pull up bars, two sets of rings, seven Olympic bars and lots of bumper plates, three pairs of kettlebells, two sets of dumbbells, two plyo boxes, three med balls, a squat rack and bench, two C-2 rowers, one GHD machine, and lots of jump ropes, logs, sand bags and AbMats. I’m sure that there are things that I’m forgetting.

TR: How did you collect equipment?

CL: I am always watching for a good deal on a piece of equipment we can use. Occasionally, I’ll find a good opportunity on Craigslist. Most of my equipment came from Rogue Fitness.

TR: Many people follow our facebook page and this blog that have expressed interest in starting their own RRL-style group.  What advice could you give someone who would like to get a group started?

CL:  Building a RRL-type garage is a good way to develop community and stay in shape. Here’s what worked for our group:
Find resources – find a few go-to websites for workout ideas.
Be consistent – set days and hours that are easy to remember and then rarely deviate.
Communicate – establish a google group email distribution list and then add the guys that have been to the garage. We use the list to organize events, long runs or even to ask who’s going to the pool on a Friday afternoon.
Communicate, more – establish a forum to communicate the daily workout. We use a Facebook page – RRLanta. Guys that miss the workout want to know what it was.
Encourage – it is okay to critique form, but do not criticize performance
Have fun – we bought a 40 cup coffee urn this past winter. Now, we usually have a cup of coffee at the end of the workout. I can’t think of a better way to start the day.

TR:  Thanks Chip and congratulations to you and your group for creating a rich community!

Matt Ate Chatt, then became Country Strong

Matt Beach, aka “Country Strong”, is an RRL regular, a social media guru and a hometown, Soddy Daisy boy.  I liked Matt as soon as I met him and I have watched him transform mentally and physically since his first visit to the garage.  Every time he tells a story,  I think I like Matt more.

Matt’s road to fitness has not been all sunshine and rainbows, though.  He has had some of the same challenges that we all do; travel, work and family obligations, but he has also had a serious injury.  Matt recovered from a back injury through surgery and is back to completing really, really tough workouts.  

I sat down with Matt to ask him about his journey.

TR:  Tell us about your background and where you were before you started working out with us.
 
MB:  I’m married with two wonderful kids. Hometown is Soddy-Daisy TN. I’m an avid outdoorsman – I’m very passionate about fishing and hunting. Love sports but my favorite was soccer. I started playing when I was 6 and ended when I was 23. During that time I played in several rec leagues, select teams, high school, and college. I weighed 155lbs when I graduated high school and could run like a deer. Mid college I got into weight lifting and was also looking for a way to stop smoking. I quit smoking cold turkey, started eating more which went into lifting more weights and other regiments. When I was 24 I had weighed 225lbs and was in great shape. Was soon married – career took off – tons of travel in the many positions I held – then kids…you could say the stresses of life took its toll on my health and I found myself weighing 265lbs, out of shape, and not feeling good about myself. I had started a blog 2yrs ago that was titled “Matt Eats Chatt” – it was a food blog where I would post all my favorites dishes from restaurants that I had been to within the Chattanooga area – one day I was eating lunch with three of my closest friends. One of those guys I hadn’t seen in a while and he had heard about my food blog. The first words out of his mouth when we met was “Matt Eats Chatt huh…Looks more like Matt Ate Chatt – what happened to you?” I’ve heard that being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it’ll always get you the right ones. Literally after that lunch I went home and knew I had to make a change.
 
Side note – whenever I wore a red shirt of any kind my brother-n-law would yell out “Hey Kool-Aid!” if he saw me out.
 
 
TR:  How did you find out about us?
 
MB:  My across the street neighbor and fellow RRL member…Kevin DiStasio (The Colonel) mentioned the group to me. Prior to deciding a change needed to be made, KD nicknamed me “Country Strong” – I told Kev that I was making a big change in my eating habits and wanted to have a great fitness routine and accountability. He said the RRL was the perfect place.
 
 
TR:  Do you remember the first workout you did with us?   The first week?  First month?
 
MB:  Little over 2yrs ago – on a Saturday afternoon – It was me, Kevin, Dougy Fresh, and Wyatt. I don’t remember the exact count or name of workout but I do know it was the first time I had ever done a burpee, thruster, and a wall ball. That first visit was all I needed. I showed back up that following Monday morning and was addicted. I’ll never forget meeting Clay Watson for the first time – after Mondays workout Clay came up to me and said “The hardest part of doing this is getting up in the mornings and showing up.” He was right! Showing up was the hard part – getting thru the workout is easy when you have a group of guys pushing you along the way.

TR:  What results did you see?
 
MB:  The pounds started falling off. I was tracking my calorie intake using an app called MyFitnessPal and not missing one morning (when I wasn’t traveling for work) at the RRL. Even when I traveled I would do one of the many travel workouts that are posted on the Fitness Truth website. By working outside at the RRL – my hotel workouts went outside also. In less than a year I went from being 265lbs to being 215lbs.
 
 
TR:  Why do you think you stuck with coming to the RRL?
 
MB:  The camaraderie  among the men. Everyone always pushing each other to be better…whether it be at the garage our outside of the garage.
 
 
 
TR:  How is what we do different than other stuff you may have tried and not stuck with?
 
MB:  I was trying to do it by myself. Running, lifting weights, Running, and lifting weights in the same route, doing the same range of motions over and over was boring. With the group that we have, the many different styles of workouts, the surprise and anticipation of the Whiteboard (not knowing what the workout is until you show up) makes the RRL great and completely different than anything I have ever done.
 
 
 
TR:  You also had a previous back issue that became a problem.  Tell us about that.
 
MB:  I’ve had several past back problems. I did heavy construction for most of my teen years and into my twenties. Back problems were common. One morning at the RRL I was doing a back squat. It was more weight than I had ever tried and when I went down I broke proper form. When that happen I ended up with a bulging disk in my lower back. Instead of proper rest I kept pushing myself over the next few months….ruck workouts, GORUCK Challenge, a Tough Mudder, and other scheduled workouts and work travel. It came to a point when I couldn’t even sit down for a short period of time without pain.
 
 
 
TR:  What did you do about it?
 
MB:  After several chiropractor visits, yoga, stretching/mobility workouts I finally went and saw a local neurosurgeon. Immediately after seeing the MRI results he requested that I have surgery as soon as possible. A few weeks later I went under the knife and came out with immediate relief.

 
TR:  The other day, you told me that it was exactly 1 year ago that you had surgery.   How did the recovery go?  How do you feel about your strength level/ flexibility and overall health now?
 
 
MB:  Recovery was great, but 5 weeks of doing nothing was hard. The majority of the first two weeks was my laying on my back and only getting up to eat and restroom breaks. The remaining 3 weeks I set a goal of being able to walk 3 to 5 miles every other day. The last week I did a total of 14 miles. The last doctor visit I was giving the green light to get back into my normal workout routine, but he wanted me to be a bit cautious and more alert to what I did. I haven’t had any problems. If anything I feel 10x better. But I am cautious. My work travel has picked up a ton and doing hotel workouts seem to be the norm. Since being back I’ve completed a Triple Murph (with ruck), Run-Burpee-Run, and a Tough Mudder with a 30lb ruck (loaded with beer).
 
 
 
 
TR:  How did you overcome this adversity?
 
 
MB:  My family. My wife and even my children are huge supporters and my biggest motivation. Everything I do I do for them. Living a better life mentally, physically, and spiritually so that I can be a better husband and father for them.
 
Also – if you’ve ever had a “Dicky Do”…then you know that you never want to go back to having that.
 

 
 
TR:  How did you return to regular workouts?
 
MB:  Slow and light weight. That and Jody Bankston with his watchful eye. Jody was there for the first few weeks when I returned and made sure that I wasn’t over doing it. I also did a 100 day mobility challenge using YouTube videos from Kelly Starrett Mobility WOD Channel.
 
 
 
 
TR:  What did your Dr say about returning to full activity?
 
MB:  Be cautious for the first couple of months, listen to your body, and if there was the slightest pinch then he wanted me to back off. Other than that he definitely wanted me to get back to where I was before the surgery. I think he even came to the RRL a week later.
 
 

 
TR:  You have done a lot of events with our group but also outside of it.  Which are your favorite?
 
 
MB:  Hands down the GORUCK Challenge. Team building is huge with this event and doing it with 26 of your friends made it even better. Training for the GORUCK was also a blast. Many early mornings starting at 3am or 4am and creating ruck obstacles within down town Chattanooga was very fun and very tough. I’ve done three Tough Mudder events. The first one was with my wife in Kentucky. It was a great experience but even more so doing the event with her. The other two were in Atlanta and my last one was in Charlotte NC. The Charlotte one was a bit tougher as I did it with a ruck sack filled with 28 cans of beer. I was probably the most popular person on the course (due to the beer) but there wasn’t any other rucks that I saw. The only reason I did it with a ruck was due to the GRC and looking at ways to challenge myself even more during the TM event.
 
I’m looking at doing a Spartan Beast either this year or next. Ultimate goal is to do a Death Race.
 

 
TR:  What does your wife think about your workouts?
 
MB:  She loves it! Its something we have in common and it’s an area that’s helped improved our relationship. When I say improved I mean sex. I’ve increased my stamina by at least 30 seconds. She sees me being more active with the kids and having more energy to do with them which is what it’s all about for me. Being a better family man….and better in the bedroom.
 
 
TR:  Are you preparing for an event now?   Is there something you would like to do in the future?
 
 
MB:  Another GORUCK Challenge. I’ve done Chattanooga but I want to do a different city. I’ve been looking at Charlotte, Jersey, NY City, or Philly. The GRC will be done with a few of my coworkers. They’ve heard me talk about it and now they are wanting to do one. It will be the same coworkers that I talked into doing the Tough Mudder. The Spartan Beast is definitely in my sights. There’s one in October in SC but I’m not sure I can with my current travel schedule. We shall see.

 
 
TR:  Anything else you want to tell us about the group, overcoming adversity, losing weight or events that you have done?
 
MB:  If you’re ever in Chattanooga and want to experience a life changing atmosphere then visit the RRL! The mental toughness that we as a group have achieved together trumps anything I’ve ever been part of and I’m looking forward to the future of living a better life.