Top things of 2012

So I thought I'd put down my own personal top things of 2012. Hope you enjoy reading it. After all its just a bit of fun. Maybe some serious stuff in there too :)

Sporting Achievements.
This is tricky to narrow down to just a few key ones. I sincerely believe this has been the best year for British sport that I have witnessed in my 38 years. British cyclists dominated on every stage. We hosted the Olympics and Paralympics and British teams in both performed above expectations and did this nation proud. As part of the Europe team british golfers helped stage the greatest comeback in Ryder cup history to defeat the Yanks in their own back yard. Some Scottish bloke did ok in tennis too by all accounts but I cant stand him or the sport so he's got no chance of ever making my lists, even if it was my top 100.
So here are my top Sporting Achievements of 2012.

1) Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour De France with Chris Froome in second and Mark Cavendish winning three stages. Total British domination.
2) Sir Chris Hoy winning his 6th Olympic Gold Medal to become the British athlete who has won most gold medals in history.
3)  The Europe Golf team winning the Ryder cup. From being so far behind it looked done and dusted they turned it around on the final day to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Seve would have been proud.
4) David Weir winning four gold medals at the Paralympics. The man is an absolute legend. I mean when would you ever see a runner even compete in 800m, 1500m, 5000m and Marathon at a single olympics, let alone win gold in them all?
5) Sarah Storey winning four gold medals in cycling in the Paralympics. Yet another British sporting legend. Sarah has competed in both disabled and able bodied championships at various times in her career and was twice British track pursuit champion.

Movies of the year.
I've not done a lot of cinema going this year so I'm not totally up to speed with everything that's out there. I have generally enjoyed what I have seen though. Some films that really had no chance of ever making it into my list and to be fair I will never even bother to rate, are the Twilight films. I mean Sparkly vampires that can go out in the daytime. Erm NO! Bram stoker didnt create the whole vampire genre for some yanks to just change the rules. I will say that the films in my list may not have all been released this year but I've watched them this year and after all this is MY list.

1) Headhunters. This is a foreign language film based on the bestselling book by Joe Nesbo. Its a darkly funny film about a top performing corporate headhunter and part time art thief. Gets himself involved in a bit of a mess. Like all Nesbo books, the story is really well crafted, imaginative and intelligent. Definitely worth a watch.
2) Thor. Do I really need to say more? My followers on twitter are well aware of my obsession with all things Norse mythology. Thor is the ultimate!!
3) Avengers Assemble. Cracking action flick and it has the mighty Thor in it. say no more.
4) Prometheus. A lot of people seemed to think this left more questions than it provided answers. Personally I disagree. It answered a lot of things and tied many others together. Great film
5) Hunger Games. Got a lot of criticism but I enjoyed it. Maybe because I think Jennifer Lawrence who played Katniss Everdeen is pretty hot.

Books of the Year.
I used to read a lot when I was younger and I kinda got out of the habit, so this year I decided to read a lot more again. I've read some cracking books and some utter shite it has to be said.

1) The Phantom. Joe Nesbo. The final book in the Detective Harry Hole series from Norwegian Author Joe Nesbo. For some reason although its the last in the series its not the last to be published. The Bat was the final one to go to print despite being the first in the series. Ive still got this to read but that will doubtless be my number one of 2013. These books are awesome. Detective Harry Hole is a legend. I strongly recommend this crime thriller series of books.
2) The Drowning. Camilla Lackberg. Another book in a series. This one by best selling Swedish Author Camilla Lackberg. This girl comes up with some interesting plots and interesting characters. Set in a small Swedish coastal town (Tanumshede) its basically a detective (Patrik Hedstrom) and his wife writer and researcher wife (Erica) who solve murders in the area. Again well worth a read. My only criticism is that Lackberg isnt the best at writing conversations between men, other than that its pretty good.

Inspirations.
I've mentioned inspiration in one of my earlier blogs and some things that inspired me in 2012. The thing about this is that many people see inspiration as taking human form but personally I think that's not actually the case. Inspiration is drawn from achievements, acts, examples etc, not the actual person. My top inspirational things in 2012 were.
1) Hiroshi Hoketsu. This guy competed in equestrian in the Olympics this year at the age of 71. His first appearance in an Olympics was in 1968. He has competed in every Olympics since then except 1988 when his horse was quarantined. What was inspiring about this for me is this guys dedication. His highest placing ever was 9th. Despite never seriously challenging for a medal he has never given up and has total dedication to his sport. An example to us all.
2) Felix Baumgartner. Felix is the man who sky dived from the edge of space. Inspiring in the sense that he was determined to realise a dream and to break records. He achieved both despite the risks to his life. He broke the altitude record by 26,000 feet, free falling from over 128,000 feet. He achieved a speed of over 800 mph, becoming the first man to break the sound barrier in free-fall.
3) Retired Japanese Engineers. Following the nuclear reactor meltdown as a result of the Japanese Tsunami, a group of retired engineers and power plant workers formed a group called the skilled veterans corps. Their offer to the Japanese government was to go into the power plant and achieve cold shutdown. They wanted to do this so the younger workers would not be exposed to radiation. Their rationale was that most of them would have a maximum of 15 years left to live and radiation exposure would take 20 to 30 years to kill them so they would not suffer this kind of death, whereas the current workforce (many in their 20's, 30's and 40's) did not deserve to suffer that fate. This was quite possibly the most admirable thing I've ever witnessed.

Things that made me happy.
This is my personal list of things that really made me happy in 2012. Personal achievements and other things that mean a lot to me.
1) Losing 64 lbs. This was the year I made no resolutions but in March decided to change my lifestyle and improve myself for me and me alone. And I achieved the first of my goals. i cant describe how much better i feel about myself and the future as a result of it. Best thing I've ever done.
2) My son getting top marks in his GCSE.s Despite being the youngest in his year (August born) he aced his GCSE's and got into college. One of my proudest days. The way he is going with his Maths, Higher Maths and Physics at college I have a feeling there will be many more days like this.
3) My Daughter being picked to go to Lesotho in February with her school to help refurbish an Orphanage and School. Out of the whole of her year only 14 were selected and Kate was one on the basis of her voluntary work in school on things like Anti-bullying as a mentor.
4) Re-discovering weightlifting, setting promising new personal bests and having a new direction for next year with realistic goals to compete in power-lifting.

Hottest Women.
I've no doubt this category will cause some controversy, but as its my list Ill pick whoever I want haha! Listed in no particular order of preference.

1) Mary Elizabeth Winstead

2) Jennifer Lawrence

















3) Gina Carano

















4) Katherine Heigl













5) Emma Stone










6) Noomi Rapace



















7) Kate Beckinsale

















8) Zooey Deschanel

9) Rachel Mcadams














So those were my top things of 2012. I'm hoping 2013 is filled with many more of the same and better. Ill finish off with a quick list of shit things from 2012 that are best forgotten.

1) 50 shades of grey. How this ever got published is beyond me. Yes I've read it and I have to say it is the most utterly shite piece of writing I have ever had the misfortune of reading. The standard is that of a 12 year old at best and the actual story-line is ridiculous. I actually pity the millions of women who got so excited over this. They really are not in the real world. They need to get out more.
2) My former fat self. Less said about that the better.
3) Another year of being single. Lets hope its the last one. 6 of those from the last 9 isn't something I relish a continuation of.
4) Austerity Measures. Just an excuse for the government to grind people down more and more when there is actually very little need for it.

I could probably write a hell of a lot more in that last section but its now midnight and I really cant be arsed.  :)

Hope you didn't get too bored reading it.

All the best for the new year and I hope its a cracking one for you all.

Scott.

My Journey

2012 started pretty much the same way the last 8 or 9 years have started for me. Overweight, unfit, single and generally unhappy.

I've never been much one for new years resolutions. I happen to think they are pointless personal promises that the vast majority of people will fail to keep. So I guess the easy way never to fail at a resolution is never to make one in the first place. So I started 2012 once again with no resolutions.

In order to understand where I am in my life I think I need to take you on a tour of everything up to this point. Well, everything regarding training, sport and its importance to me. So sit back grab a cuppa and enjoy the ride.

When I was young I could take on the world. I was strong, fit and had bags of potential. I competed in hammer throwing and reached international level, representing Great Britain before injury ended any dreams I may have had of reaching an Olympics, let alone winning gold at one. I think, if you have never been in that situation where everything was mapped out, goals were clearly defined it was inevitable that I would achieve them then it may be difficult to fully understand me. All that was required was to keep working hard, keep improving and keep my focus. Not a problem!

Then it happened! It was a 1RM testing session and Deadlifts were the final test of the day. I got my maximum up to 280kg (617lbs) and was going for 290kg (639lbs). Lifting is something my coach Steve was always meticulous about, especially technique. ALWAYS FORM! FORM FORM FORM! That was the mantra. So strict was he about this that before I was even allowed to pick up an Olympic bar, I had to practice the techniques with a broom handle for months first. For some reason I lost concentration as I was lifting, kicked my arse out halfway up. Bang, my back went. I literally had to be carried out of the gym. Months passed and all my doctor ever said was "Its muscular" It took me months to persuade him to let me have an x-ray. This showed up nothing. Getting a scan was going to be impossible. In the end, following 2 years of moving like an old man, unable to train, hardly able to walk, in constant pain, I was referred to a friend of a friend who was an chiropractor. He diagnosed rotated lumbar vertebrae. A few sessions of spinal manipulation and I was fixed. The problem was that in those 2 years, all of the supporting muscles etc had changed shape and now required work to re-establish themselves.

I worked hard at it and after a few months decided it was time to pick up a hammer again. I had lost so much, and it was a huge struggle. I persevered but after about 6 months I came to the realisation that my desire just wasn't there anymore. I had no drive, no motivation, I'd lost it. It wasn't that I didn't want to compete or didn't want the feeling of winning anymore, it was just hammer throwing. Looking back I know now that a large part of it was that I couldn't cope with losing to people I used to beat easily week in week out. So I made probably the most difficult decision of my life up to that point and I retired from the sport. I quit, I gave up. I don't regret retiring but I do regret that I gave in and I was weak.

I decided at that point to find another sport to throw myself at and make work, so I took up rugby. I played for a local team before being scouted to play for Gateshead Thunder in Rugby league. I played semi pro for almost 2 seasons and I loved it. It helped get me fit again, I lost a lot of the weight I had gained whilst I had been injured. Then injury struck me again. I got hit low from one side and high from the other and pop went my right knee. Cue more time on the sidelines. I had to have an operation to remove damaged cartilage. When I was healed the rugby had passed me by and Gateshead Thunder had relocated and I couldn't get back in.

It was around this time that a guy called Willy Robertson (a hammer coach from Scotland) rang me out of the blue asking me if Id be interested in competing in Highland games. The timing was pretty good so I took him up on it. He coached me on the various techniques and acted as an advisor. I had a lot of success at the games, finishing second overall in my first full season at under 25 level. The only downside to this was the travelling and time away from my young family. Every weekend during the summer was a 500-700 mile round trip to compete. It put a huge strain on my marriage and so I decided sadly that I had to call it a day. Then came my first period of wilderness years. I did nothing sport or training related for maybe 6 years. I just worked ate and slept (working two jobs).

Around this time I took up Jiu-Jitsu. My son too. It was something we did together. Some of my friends were heavily involved in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu too so I gave that a go. I was part of a great team of lads and I loved it. We trained 3 or 4 times a week and then we entered tournaments. Around this time my marriage ended. BJJ was the one thing that kept me sane at the time. I needed it. So I threw myself into it completely. I was huge weighing in at 334lbs (151.5kg) So I fought in the Super Super Heavyweight division. We took a team to the London Open (widely accepted at that time as the British Champs). and I won, by Submission (Ezekiel choke). I was over the moon. Id found something I could compete at. Then the inevitable happened. During a training session pop went my right knee again. More time out of action. It took 6 months to get back to a level where i could train again. This time I'd be more careful. Put the injuries behind me and make something out of it. If only my life could be so simple. Two weeks back in training and pop goes my other knee. It was at this point that I decided to Quit BJJ. I didn't feel the regret about it this time like I had with hammer throwing. But this time I could rationalise it on the basis that I was older now and wasn't prepared to cripple myself for a sport that wouldn't pay the bills.

BJJ days I'm Standing far right My son is centre front and my brother standing far left.

Then came my second period in the workout wilderness. This time it lasted for 5 years. I did bits and pieces but nothing serious, it was all pretty half hearted to be honest. Id go to the gym and do cardio but Id get bored and stop going. Id go swimming regularly then Id get bored and stop going. This is the time I guess I was doing the new years resolution thing. I was the January gym devotee, and the February dropout. i just didn't have the motivation, desire, goals, or any reason to stick with it. I figured I needed competition to drive me. But I couldn't think of a sport I could excel at without realistic risk of injury. After all I had two dodgy knees and a suspect back. Plus I was as fat as butter and was I really interested enough to put the work in needed to get to a level where I could really train for something specific.

The answer to all of this was no. It was a no almost as big and fat as I was. I had become lazy, a couch potato, a lost cause really. So this cycle of train a bit eat a lot diet some, and then fall of the wagon again continued for those 5 years.

What changed? I cant honestly answer that. As I've briefly touched on in one of my other posts, I woke up one day in March this year, a fat, single 37 year old. Looked at myself and thought, what have I got to offer? What am I doing with my life, my body, my health. The answer was not "nothing". It was far worse. The answer was "Every bad thing I should't be doing". So I started to change things. I joined a gym, I began counting calories. At the gym I did cardio, just cardio. In the first couple of months I went from 304lbs (138kg) down to 275lbs (125kg). I felt better, healthier. Previously I would have lost interest at this point, but for some reason I stuck with it. By the end of July I was down to 255lbs (115.6kg). At this point I changed my diet and started eating cleaner. Still calorie counting but being more careful where those calories came from. I introduced some circuit training and kettle bell work into my training but still maintained a lot of cardio. At the end of August I was down to 249lbs (113kg). It was easier to buy clothes, my confidence increased, I was starting to like what I was seeing in the mirror. But the thing that pleased me most was that I was more motivated than ever to keep going. I never thought about not training. I felt guilty if I had to miss a session or cut one short due to work.

Come the end of September and I was weighing in at 242lbs (110kg) Things were moving along nicely so I carried on in much the same way. I was loving it. In the middle of October I decided to include some weights in my training. Id kind of avoided them until this point. I still didn't really push myself into them, it was mostly machine weights with a bit of toying with the free-weights, the odd bit of squatting, power cleans, nothing really structured or specific. I found I enjoyed it. At the end of October I was down to 240lbs (109kg).

Progress Since March 2012

It was in early November that I sat down with my good mate Andy Rutland. A guy I had known since we were teenagers. He was a cracking Discus thrower back then. Not blessed with height or long levers as people will tell you Discus throwers need, but the guys work ethic and determination took him further than he probably ought to have given his so called "physiological disadvantage" he moved from Discus to multi-eventing, he has boxed and has completed iron man events and triathlons. This year he returned to Discus throwing and took silver in the British Masters, despite carrying a pretty severe injury. The man is a machine. In addition to being a machine, he is also a bloody genius when it comes to training systems and programme design. This being the case, Andy painstakingly went through a full on weights schedule with me. he has pretty much taken over my whole training regime and I cant thank him enough for that. Now when it comes to training I know my stuff, but Andy is on another level.

I undertook a 1RM testing week in the middle of November and we worked from there The lift I was not looking forward to was the dead lift. This lift terrified me if I'm honest. More than terrified. It scared the shit out of me. I just had visions of my injury, the 2 years and everything else I lost because of it. But like any good athlete I did as I was told. The testing week saw a return of the following....

Back squat 170kg
Bench Press 100kg
Dead Lift 170kg
Shoulder Press 60kg
Power Clean 100kg

Decent lifts considering I hadn't done any serious work with weights in the previous 18-20 years. So I followed Andy's programme. Into the first week of December and Andy planted an idea in my head. He told me to take a look at the British Drug Free Power lifting Association website. So I did, and he suggested that I should consider competing in it. It would mean a lot of work but he believes that I have what it takes to make an impact in that sport. Someone having belief in you makes a world of difference. Its a huge boost. So I gave it some thought and decided, why not? What do I have to lose?

I continued with the training and pushed myself harder. The schedule I'm following is base building. Its giving me a foundation to prepare my body for gross strength training.

This week I completed my second 1RM testing week. The results have amazed me. Only four weeks in and not even doing gross strength work and my maximums have all gone up markedly. My new totals are....

Back Squat 190kg (20kg increase)
Bench Press 107.5kg (7.5kg increase)
Dead lift 210kg (40kg increase)
Shoulder Press 77.5kg (17.5kg increase)
Power Clean 112.5kg (12.5kg increase)

210kg Deadlift

A couple of things have happened as a result of this 1RM testing week.
Firstly I have no fear of the Dead lift its gone. In fact I'm enjoying it the most. Secondly, I actually believe that I can genuinely lift the really big totals I will need, to be able to compete. Lastly (and most importantly) I've got my desire back. I have a reason to train, I want to be the best. I have my competitive mentality back and I like it. Its a buzz. A feeling like nothing else.

So that is my journey so far. I'm planning on it having many more ups than downs in the future. It has taught me a few valuable things about myself. Things I wont forget. Things I can take forward, and things I can use. I know I will never go back to the fat bloke that started 2012 and so many years before that. I wont be making any new years resolutions. This time it isn't because I know I wont stick to them. This time its because I have no need to. I started something this year that I've stuck with and built on. It wasn't a resolution that started it, so it wont be a resolution that continues it.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and if you got to the end I hope I haven't bored you. I just wanted to write this all down. Maybe you can see something in there that you can relate to in some way. If it inspires or helps someone in some way then Ill be even happier.

Anyway. Eat clean, train dirty, push yourself and persevere!!

Thanks again
Scott