No excuses, only results

So I had my comp on Saturday. I did good; I gave it 100% and left it all on the mats somewhere between the sweat and barbells.

WOD 1 (5 snatches & 30 double unders: 7 minute AMRAP)

 

After my first WOD some of the members from my gym showed up to root me on including my coach. My girlfriend Nancy was there the whole time and is responsible for the lovely pictures you see in front of you. Thanks baby I can't say it enough, and thank you for putting up with my stupid little quirks :-)

 

After WOD 3 finished shiny from all of my sweat haha!

 

So shortly after this photo was taken they announced the results. We though that I might've taken first place but they weren't sure. Then they started calling the names........

In case you can't tell that is me on top of the podium.

 

I got some cool prizes which is always awesome and a doubly cool t-shirt. Thanks to the friendly and courteous staff at Crossfit Delmar. They were friendly informative and ran a smooth operation for the competition. One thing I like about comps is the new people you meet. A cool way to network especially if you stand out :-) So I have been reading this quote it's my new motivation for all aspects of my life and it sums up my mindset. I'm pretty sure I'm going to frame it and hang it on my wall because I believe it is that powerful.

 

There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

 

I can only hope I continue to improve in all aspects of my life including the MCAT prep I will be doing this summer my possibilities will be endless if I am able to focus and make that my main priority. See ya'll next time......

 

-Michael D

 

I can only be me because that's all I know :-)

 

 



Life is a competition

           6 days and counting I will be competing in a C.A.L. event at Crossfit Del Mar as part of the Saturday night lights individual competition series. I hope I do well but more importantly I hope learn something. Every time I've competed I gain more knowledge about myself and I use that experience to better myself. For the most part that has held true throughout my life. There are some cases where I've struggled/failed at something multiple times before I finally learn to fix it. But the point is at least I fix and improve. When I think of training for a comp I think of the movie Gattaca where at the end of the movie the brothers are grown up and they decide to play chicken. The two brothers swim in the ocean next to each other going out as far as they can and the younger brother who was clearly stronger says to his older brother; "How are you doing this? How are you beating me?" The older brother replied "I swim like I'm never turning around." That motivates me to train like I'm never going to stop until I'm beating my competition.

           I got out of work at 11 this morning and cruised down the street to the Rancho Bernardo/Lake Hodges trails. I think I ran about eight miles but I wasn't really sure. I kind of just run until I'm tired or extremely sweaty and then I turn around and run back :-) I've never done this run before but it's super close to me and I enjoyed the variety of terrain. There is something tranquil about running by mountains and lakes. I enjoyed the run thoroughly and look forward to going back. As for the title of this post. Life is indeed a competition some compete for wealth, social status, food, friends, love, family, sport, or whatever the case maybe. My life is a competition too, I'm just not sure what competition I'm apart of.....yet ;)

 

 

Follow your bliss.....signed sincerely Michael Dominick

SUCCESS & FUN

      
           So after attempting the Crossfit Open WOD 13.4 (3 clean and jerks 3 toes to bar, 6 clean and jerks 6 toes to bar, 9 C&J 9 T2B, 12 C&J 12 T2B, and so on..... going up in multiples of 3) I found my self sitting at 73 reps...Well if you know me I'm never happy with just an okay score. So I went in Sunday (Easter) after work and redid the WOD. The second time around I ended with 83 reps! That means I went up by ten reps!!! For those of you who read this and don't crossfit; that is a big deal in my little crossfit bubble. In other news I went to Palomar college to return a tent to my friend Ralph because I didn't want to drive all the way to Ramona to return it. Palomar was my old place of work and to my surprise I was embraced with the warmest greetings of hugs and hand shakes. It was nice to see people having compassion and actually remembering me. Thanks guys!

         So today I went on a hike with a couple of friends out at Daley Ranch. It was nice and warm not to intense of a hike. It was honestly a very nice and peaceful hike. I can see myself doing that again sooner than later. A hike can be a great way to clear your head if you need it. I can only hope this week continues to be successful and I continue to keep smiling. In other news, I recieved an email about from someone who read my blog and likes how I talk about fitness/crossfit and would like to post it on her cancer blog. Seems a bit strange but I think it's cool that other people take the time to read what I am putting out there. On a side note, just because you think no one is paying attention that does not mean that they are not. They might just not have a response, or if they do it might not be for you to hear (at least to your face).

         I went back recently through my previous blogs......man I have some insightful messages for myself. I also found a lot of grammatical errors (I really need to work on that). In my defense I type this as it flows out of my head and rarely proof read. In my previous blogs I dwelled on certain issues and sounded like an immature child. I'm not going to apologize for that because that is who I am. I guess outside of this blog you would have to know me, but I am not considered the emotional type. I do have a big heart and I do indeed where it on my sleeve. But in reality I rarley discuss my feelings with people except with the closest of friends and family who are all 3000 miles away. So this is where I vent my frustrations, concerns, and general angst. Even then I'm okay with that because a lot of my views are not only shared by me, I just might be the only person who discusses these feelings/views in a semi public forum (which also maybe a character flaw, to be that open). The reason I bring this all up is because when I went through my previous blogs I learned that even though I feel like I am going nowhere, I'm actually going forward with my life in a way I can look back on and be proud of. Not everything has turned out the way I'd like it to be, but it's turned out the way it is and I'm okay with that.

Signed sincerely me......Oh yea here is some feel-good music that I currently like



http://youtu.be/cD8OXzZD7gU

Crossfit Open 2013 (A way to make me shut up)

November AKA Movember which explains my handlebar mustache(Battle at the Barracks 2012).

 

             So 13.1 Open WOD I only hit 130 reps making it through the snatches at 135lbs (40 burpees, 30 snatches 75lbs, 30 burpees, 30 snatches 135lbs, 20 burpees, 30 snatches 165lbs, 10 burpees, and 30 snatches 205). I can snatch 165lbs no problem repeatedly, but the cardio of burpees absolutely destroyed me. 13.2 Open WOD I did surprisingly well and earned myself 275 reps after redoing it because I only got 240 reps the first time (5 push press, 115lbs, 10 dead lifts, and 15 box jumps 24 inches). Then yesterday I did Open WOD 13.3 sigh.....not a good showing I only got 240 reps (150 wall balls, 90 double unders, and 30 muscle ups in a 12 minute AMRAP). I can string multiple muscle ups together but I didn't use my tme wisely and got spanked :( I truly enjoy crossfit because I've never come across an activity that constantly points out your weaknesses while making you stronger at the same time. It is quite the humbling experience and days like today I don't have much to say. It's like arguing with your girlfriend; she points out your weaknesses (or she could be your weakness) and leaves you speechless. But the exception with crossfit is that I want more. So far the crossfit 2013 experience makes me hungrier for success, makes me want to be stronger, faster, and bring more intensity into every WOD I do. A new motto I'm incorporating into my life is.....

 

                "Commit to excellence every single day!"

 

 

 

 

 

Confident not cocky 2013 part 1

So I'm back, finally, sort of. Man a lot has happened, first let me just start with this: "Don't stop!" "Because it doesn't work." "I may not be perfect but I will always try." These are things that might mean absolutely nothing to you the readers. But to me these are things that have been said to me or how I feel about myself which I use to motivate me. So let's look at the physical tranformation.

So this is what I looked like in February of 2012. I then decided I wanted more and so I got more, and by more I mean stronger. The transformation that took place physically has also occured mentally but multiplied by two. In other news school and work are still the same.

Crossfit is currently conducting the open. I just did 13.1, which I'm not too happy about my score.

13.1
40 burpees
30 snatches 75 lbs
30 burpees
30 snatches 135
20 burpees
30 snatches 165lbs

I only made it through 30 snatches @ 135 sigh....I'm not pleased. I think I'm going to do it again tomorrow. I could've gone harder.

So here's a video of me at Crossfit Trifecta just messing around (chill little montage).
http://youtu.be/zFebk8parg4

Oh and here's a video of kitten that was following me around my complex. I love kittens!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=551628514870487&set=vb.100000700307619&type=2&theater

So I'll be keeping you all updated to see how I fair through the crossfit open.

Updates on my life (I've been busy)!

First let me apologize for not updating sooner, this has been a busy summer for me. Okay so the woman seen above with me at the Oceanside pier is Nancy. Through some friends I was invited to a bonfire where I met Nancy, and we hit it off. She is fun, so kind, has her shit together, and isn't an alcoholic/druggie. Every weekend we do something new and fun, which I am all about. For example we watch the show Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins on the food network and we have a goal to find the San Diego restaurants featured on the show. So in other news I got some new supplements from bodybuilding.com. I purchased protein, Amino acids, Nitric Oxide, and thermogenic pills. I find myself being very sore but I'm still gaining strength and losing weight. Recently I was instructed that I don't want to lose too much more weight from my conditioning coach, this has also been the consensus from others at my crossfit gym as well. I also got some new crossfit shoes; the Reebok crossfit nano 2.0's; so far I love everything about them.  Speaking of crossfit, I have a team competition coming up with three others from my gym on July 21st. I hope we win, but I am stoked just to be competing in my first competition!

          So I'm in summer school taking my last chemistry course which is nice to knock off of the list. Quantitative chemistry isn't my ideal course to be taking over the summer but with me being so close to graduating there was nothing else for me to take. My teacher is not what you'd expect for a doctor of chemistry. She is covered with tattoos and is in her third trimester of pregnancy. She doesn't seemed thrilled to be there but what else can she do in her fragile state? So in August I'm going to Las Vegas with Nancy. Nancy booked the hotel, but I intend to repay her, she just doesn't know it :-) I've always had a good time when going to Vegas and I'm really excited to be going with her!

        That is what's current in my life. In crossfit I'm making progress but I still have a ways to go! It's nice to be with someone who has similar goals and interest and takes care of herself. It elevates me to be a better person and I'm not being influenced by self destructive behavior. Oh and if you can't tell from the photos she makes me smile. Here are some more just in case you didn't get the point! At the end of the day if you feel like you are going nowhere, keep striving in one direction. You may feel like your not moving at all but it's because everyone else is standing still, so keep digging!

-Sincerely Michael R. Dominick

Perspective (an honest mans view on promiscuous woman)

                I'm not going to mention any names in this particular blog because I don't want any one's feelings to get hurt and or label anyone. But I will say that this blog involves a friend who is very near and dear to me and he has blond hair (Hana those who know me know who I am talking about). So for the past couple of months my friend has been dating a girl who after our first hang out; I was very skeptical of. The reason I bring up my skepticism is because after that initial hang out she friend requested me on facebook, and I declined her request. Then the next hangout she asked me "why I didn't accept her friend request?" I told her "because when she screws over my friend I don't want to have to delete her off of my facebook." I then went on to say that "you can be my friend in real life," which is more valuable than the petty social status of facebook. Also I am very protective of my homies.

               Fast forward to present day and guess what? They are not seeing each other, to my knowledge. She told him that they should be friends, and from my point of view that is fine because it seemed that they have different goals in life. What I mean by my last sentence is that my friend is an extremely healthy person and exercises regularly. While on the other hand the girl he was seeing excessively drank, smoked, and her idea of a workout consisted of opening and shutting her laptop more than three times a day. Now I am not one to judge someone on their lifestyle choices because I too used to excessively drink and I smoked liked a chimney as well. But for my friend, I felt like her lifestyle was counter productive to my friends goals. I don't think two people need to be clones of eachother but those two didn't compliment one another very well. I know for a fact my friend argued with her about her smoking. Which I can tell you from personal experience; if you are not comfortable with your significant other smoking, you have three options as I see it. The first option is to accept it, be quiet about the subject, and focus on the things that you do like about her (your best option). The second option is to try to change her and control aspects of her life because you don't like them (if you try to do this YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE). The third option is to bring up the subject at an appropriate time and ask her feelings on the subject of her smoking (this option is as useless as the second option, reverting to option one is the best choice because at the end of the day a person is going to quit smoking when THEY are ready, whenever that may be). An issue I had with this girl is that everywhere we went she would point out a guy she had slept with (literally everywhere we went). It's one thing for that to be true or be in the past, but I clearly don't see the need in broadcasting that publicly. I recently had a sincere conversation about the subject with this girl, and this is going to be the MEAT & POTATOES OF THIS BLOG.

               I used to be the kind of person that I wanted to know every and anything about the person I was dating. I used to want to know about who she had been with and what not, but from trial and error have found out that is a bad idea. I've learned that if you spend enough time with someone you can find out all  that you need to know, and you can learn a lot more from an individuals current actions then you can trying to judge them by their past. A persons past is in the past, now I'm not saying that excuses murderers and rapist, but no one is perfect and just worry about how they conduct themselves while they are with you. So me and girl mentioned above in the blog sat down and had a conversation about her promiscuity and her relationships. She said something along the line of "How can you say I fuck guys over? You don't even know me, not even the slightest bit." I went on to say "I know you better than you think I do I've been around your type before, and you may not see it as fucking guys over but let me explain" (I should know, this sounds a lot like someone I used to know, thanks Goyote douche). She goes on to say "oh yeah?" So I then say "Okay so you're the type of girl who jumps from guy to guy casually having sex like no big deal. And then occasionally you will keep a guy for around for a little bit until you become emotionally vulnerable. At that very moment you will than bail because you use your unwillingness to open up emotionally as a self defense mechanism." She then interrupts and says "well your friend doesn't seem to be all that upset/hurt." I then go on to say "he is one of many that you have done this sort of thing to, and he may not be all that broken up about the whole thing, but there are plenty of guys you have done this to who you have hurt. But because you immediately jump from guy to guy you never take the time to reflect on your previous encounter because you only care about yourself (sounding more and more familiar right? ). So you think your protecting yourself at the expense of others which doesn't seem right. You say you want to settle down and get married? Well when your thirty-three and this behavior is considered socially awkward, you will have slim pickings of a significant other because all the good ones have been taken. So you might as well cut out this behavior now and stop being so promiscuous." She then left the table and wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the evening. I wasn't saying this to be malicious or hurtful I was just trying to give her a different perspective. But I guess the truth hurts......
  
                I'm sorry if you see my views as cold, biased, or whatever, I don't care this is my blog don't read it anymore if I offended you. I'm just calling it how I see it. But I too have been in this situation but fortunately for my good friend all he lost was a little bit of pride, which I think he'll get back soon enough.

Sincerely, Michael R. Dominick