September 2008. My life is about to be changed forever. I am driving with my buddy, waiting to take a left hand turn off a single lane road. Looking off into the horizon, I see a car that appears to be partially in my lane coming fast. I look over to my buddy and begin to say " I think this guys going to hit us"... Lights out. He hit me head on. I lost consciousness, and was about to enter into the darkest season of my life.
Several weeks later, I am still in the hospital working through the injuries. Ive got multiple spine injuries, disk herniations and nerve damage. I had a surgery on my hip to repair the damages there. My right foot does not move when I tell it to move. The whole body is in pain, drowned out by an IV drip of whatever feel good narcotic they had me on. I attempt physical therapy, but was not nearly in a mental capacity to give it an honest shot. Then they gave up on me anyway, saying I was injured beyond what they could repair, and my insurance wouldn't pay for anymore sessions.
Here come the dark ages of my life. I spent the next two years traveling to doctors all over the state. Renowned orthopedic surgeons, traveling all over in hopes of finding a solution. I was told that I would never walk right again. Crutches, canes, and walkers would be my life. I would never be able to walk on my own two feet. I had a hover round. I had a wheel chair. I had a cane and relied on it heavily. I was a pathetic excuse of life, and my next two years were a reflection of that.
Enter exercise.
I had reached a point of being sick and tired of being sick and tired. The last several years resulted in the worst version of myself possible. Everything had to change. I had some monumental moments during these years, and not any of them good memories I would want to live through again. A remarkable thing happens at rock bottom. You are forced to either evolve, or die. Grow or decay, such is the nature of life. So I decided to revisit this exercise concept. Figured any effort was more than I was currently doing. I felt weak, alone, and terrified. And I did not have a clue what to do. But all of those felt like excuses, and I was DONE with excuses. I needed to go from excuses, to effort.
November 2010, I threw out all canes and crutches, wheel chairs and hover round. I limped badly, had no gait to my walk, was in a ton of pain, but was driven as hell. I felt what it's like to be the weakest, most intimidated person in the gym. But I did not quit, and the results that happened over those next few years were life changing and remarkable.
I got in shape. I learned to walk again. I learned to squat, push, pull, and hinge. I fell in love with moving my body. There was so much pain, but the pain got progressively better the more I learned. The better my form got. The more muscle I grew around my bad hip and bad back, the more support they had. My mind was blown, and my passion was born.
I realized we are all capable of doing what we are capable of doing. I may not be able to do backflips, but I sure am a lot father along than I was. I became a gym junkie, and craved every moment I could spend in the gym. I met motivated and driven people. I learned we all came from struggle of some sort. But what we all had in common was a burning desire to be better, and fitness was our vehicle to get there.
It wasn't too long after this point in time, where I heard a mentor of mine, Gary V say something that once again changed the course of my life. He said, and Im paraphrasing, find out what your passionate about, figure out how to make money doing it, and you'll never work another day in your life. That hit me like a train. I entered into personal training school, quit my job, and went all in on becoming a personal trainer.
My mission was simple. I wanted people to find the same belief in themselves that I found in me. I knew it was possible to overcome all of the things that hold us back. I knew it was possible to train even with past orthopedic concerns. I knew what it was like to be intimidated as all hell at the gym. I hade a burning desire to help lead others away from the pain and darkness I had gone through.
Fast forward another 10 years. Ive seen stroke patients paralyzed walk again. Ive seen major spine injuries overcome. Ive had clients have open heart surgery, knee replacements, hip replacements, all have overcome to be stronger better healthier versions of themselves. I know almost anything can be overcome, and that no matter where you are at in your journey, you deserve a chance to be your best.
Exercise MUST be a part of your personal excellence.
This is where my burning drive for fitness comes from. The deepest darkest parts of my soul. Truly saved my life. Ive been blessed to see it change countless other lives since mine. It will change yours too.
I'll leave you with this.
"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential, these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." -Confucius
Your forever work out partner.
Coach TJ
