Why??? Long post warning · Spartan Project 300

Why??? Long post warning

asked in a different post about remembering your why. For me it’s more motivation than anything else in this world. My why is my son Mateo.

A bit about my journey. I had spinal fusion at 21 and fought cancer at 25. Each time I had to rebuild myself. I was always moving, always athletic but also very stubborn and never gave up. Well years later I was playing hockey and ended up destroying my wrist and needed reconstructive surgery. I realized that my last game had been played. I loved hockey but after receiving a concussion and now this it wasn’t worth it to play a game at 10-11PM with a bunch of guys that think it’s game 7. This was a turning point in my life. I loved hockey and I became depressed any time I saw my goaltending gear in the basement. I ended up eating anything I wanted, stopping my workouts and becoming very unhealthy.

Eventually I snapped out of it and looked towards general fitness. I loved it so much that I wanted to learn anything I could. I decided to check out NASM and become a trainer. I did online programming for a while and worked at F45 until a few life changing things happened. 1 - my son came into my life through foster care(chemo didn’t allow me to have my own children anymore) and 2 - COVID shut the world down. It was at this time that I started to build my home gym and turn my attention to powerlifting even though I felt like the old guy and received my powerlifting certification through ISSA. I absolutely loved the feel of competing again. I was stronger than I ever was but I was also in a ton of pain.

When my son started TKD I loved watching him. I took class when I was a kid and honestly regretted stopping for years. Well one day my son asked me if I wanted to take class too. I said absolutely. I was old, stiff, slow, embarrassed but I jumped on the mat.

A few months later project 300 came at the most perfect time. I stopped powerlifting about 5-6 mo prior and honestly didn’t know what direction I was going to go in. Project 300 made me think about my goals. I picked a few. Be pain free, be more mobile, lose some bulk and tone up. Why? Longevity for my son. Being able to chase this little dude around. He has autism and adhd so it can sometimes be exhausting.

What I learned since Dec of last year…..a lot! I learned to slow down. I learned to be grateful for the small things. I learned that what I thought was a physical transformation was much bigger then I would have ever imagined. My mental focus helped not only me but my son. He joins me a lot of the time during my workouts. Does it slow me down? Yes, but it makes me realize how I’m leading by example. It allows both of us to get what we need during the day.

New goals for reforged. Deka ultra next summer(June?). It scares the hell out of me. I’ve ran marathons, duathlons, and have done the powerlifting competitions but this is just flat out different. Deka is a beast of a workout but I fell in love with it. Both my son and I are also going to be testing for our black belts in TKD next summer as well if timing lines up. I want to continue building my strength, toning up, getting more flexibility and just continue to become a little better every day. Why? For my son.

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Why??? Long post warning