FC Strength

This is a short guest post from my good friend and fellow certified underground strength coach, Laureano Ibarra. Larry currently coaches and heads the strength and conditioning program for some of the nations top and up-and-coming figure skaters in Colorado Springs. Don't let his job title fool you. Larry is anything but a girly man. He grew up in Venezuela, was an accomplished figure skater, and has trained and competed in both Muay Thai and MMA. Not to mention he has more tattoos than a biker bar and is built like a brick sh#t house. He has something to say about the state of affairs of our young "men" in the world today. These are some strong words from a strong dude clearly sick of how the sheeple are acting. Keep reading and be prepared to take notes. Enjoy...


Okay, I'm going to rant a bit ... what the f#ck has happened to men nowadays?! They're nothing but a bunch of whiners and complainers. Every article I read has to do with folks getting their "fee-lings" hurt. I grew up knowing that thick skin saved you from getting a bunch of good ass-whoopings. And even if you did get one, you didn't complain about it. You were thankful for it ... seriously!! We've become uncultured, uneducated, unskilled, weak-minded, rude, disloyal, lazy, and entitled.

Here's my advice:

1. The world doesn't owe you anything. That means you need to work hard and work smart. Stop thinking that everyone should give you a hand-out or risk getting that hand slapped and possibly cut off.
2. Read a few books. I'm talking about actual books (not that Twilight BS). Get out of your bubble and soak up a little culture.
3. Expand your vocabulary. Words like "swagger" and "ballin" are not words. They make you sound like a moron.
4. Seek to learn new skills. Dressing yourself is not a skill and even if it were, we're doing a horrible job of it. Think more along the lines of welding, building a house, fixing a car, playing an instrument, etc.
5. Learn how to defend yourself. Mommy and daddy won't always be around to protect you and your own, and the government sure as heck doesn't care.
6. Toughen the hell up. I don't need to go over this one.
7. Appreciate things. Having an appreciation for art, music, or nature won't make you a sissy. However, being a sissy makes you a sissy.
8. Be nice and respectful. No one likes a jerk or a pervert. Don't be "that guy".
9. Be faithful and loyal. Cheating on your girlfriend or wife doesn't mean you have "mad game" and lying to your friends doesn't make you a good one. "Do unto others ..."
10. Don't bad-mouth the military. You don't do what they do or see what they see. I'm sure they would love to hear about how you spilled your venti vanilla latte on your Burberry tie but they may be too busy dodging bullets while lying in a hole in a foreign country.

Thank you Larry for some good, solid advice. We get so caught up in trying to become what everyone wants us to become that we forget about the basics: respect, honor, knowledge, and loyalty. We have to stop allowing the system to create frail and naive sheeple. This especially goes for our so-called generation of "men" already in existence. People will always follow by example. Are we setting the right ones?

Let's tie this into training. Far too many people are so caught up in every fad diet, nutty exercise program, and doing what everyone else is doing. STOP. If you're getting crappy results from what you're already doing figure out why. Read up on nutrition and training (like my blog) and learn something that you will be able to not only help yourself with but others as well. Become more affluent with the terminology used in both facets so when you continue your exercise education you actually know what you're reading. If you see some one that's using horrible form or looks like they have no idea what the heck they're doing in the gym, lend a helping hand. They may later turn into a great training partner. You never know. Most of all, TOUGHEN THE HELL UP!! Getting into shape, cleaning up your diet, or improving your lifestyle for any goal is not going to be easy, so don't let anyone lead you to believe otherwise. There will be days you want to quit, but you can't because no one else can do it for you.

Stop being a part of the sheeple epidemic and TAKE CONTROL!!

In Strength,
Franco Crincoli