“If you want something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done.” -Mike Murdock
My old habits started to die at the beginning of January this year. Before, I was struggling to maintain a steady fitness plan and really wanted to get focused on gaining a competitive edge when I performed. As a roper, there were small mechanical details that needed improvement and honestly, I just wanted to find that rhythm with my body again. Seeking the help of my parents, we decided together that the best place for me to go was JRobs Performance Training. There were people we knew who trained there and who would rave about their experiences. Hearing their testimonials and reading up on the website, something was telling me that this place could be where my life would change somehow.
“Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It’s something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him.” -Vince Lombardi
Initially, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I first started to work with my trainer, John. Images of Jillian Micheals screaming at grown men laying on the ground, crying ran through my head. I imagined athletes and ‘gym rats’ running around the place flexing and doing hundreds of pushups. I wasn’t really sure if I would fit in with everyone or if I could keep up. The mere idea of me lifting little ten pound weights next to a bulky muscled mammoth scared me a whole lot. But when I started going, every presumption that had gone through my mind disappeared. First of all, no one ever yells. Or cries. Sure, there are quite a few guys with muscles thicker than my entire leg, but there are also women who go who want to lose weight or get toned. There are older people and younger people, all with similar goals to mine and all who strive to be the best they can be every single day.
“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hours- his greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear- is that moment when he has worked his heart out in good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle- victorious.” -Vince Lombardi
Besides wanting to become more physically fit, one of my goals was to build up muscles that would help me as a calf roper. It was just knowing that professionals like Trevor Brazile and Tuf Cooper trained outside of the arena that made me figure that I needed to start doing the same thing. When I expressed this to him, John asked me to run through everything that I do as a breakaway and ribbon roper. He asked question after question, trying to grasp what it was that he needed to do to help me; and when I do different exercises, he explains how certain manuevers strengthen my performance, making it easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He pushes me every time I go, asking me to give a little more than I did the previous time. His winning attitude is contagious and makes me want to work hard for not only me, but for him and the entire staff as well because I know that they are backing me the whole time.
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.” -Erma Bombeck
Little by little, I see improvement at rodeos; my dismounts are quicker and I move faster on the ground. I am even seeing improvement in everyday life when I have more energy and sleep more soundly. John helped me to not only change my food and physical nutrition, but my mental state as well. When life becomes a little more than I can bare, I know that I’ll get to go work out and push it out of my system. It’s a great feeling to know that I am finally giving my body what it deserves. The confidence a healthy lifestyle gives an individual is something that I wish everyone could feel, because if they knew how it makes you want to meet new people and experience new situations, everyone would be doing it.
