I’m a former infantry Marine who is now contracting in Afghanistan. First
of all, my biggest motivation for staying in good shape is not dying. For most of you,
that isn’t going to be your primary motivation. I need to be able to move fast but also be
able to control my breathing in order to shoot bad guys before they shoot me. That being
said, its getting cold, which makes it tough to stay motivated. Sometimes, to motivate myself to not be a lazy ass, I first chug some N.O.-Xplode, which
makes me feel like if I don’t work out, I’m wasting money. Secondly, a lot of times I come
up with some stupid workout and get the part of my brain that likes to piss people off to
tell the part of my brain that doesn’t take sh*t from anyone (not even myself) I can’t do
it. Then I tell me to “go ‘f’ myself,” and I get after it. Tracking? Good. Like yesterday,
I told myself I couldn’t do 50 tire flips (using big seven-ton tires) consecutively, no
stopping allowed. I did 51 just to throw it in my own face. As far as
workouts, I do a mixture of basic gym exercises mixed in with functional exercises. I’ve been doing these exercises for a while so I know exactly what I’m doing, but if I want some new exercises to try, sites like Hardball Warriors can show exercises in detail. Sometimes it feels good to switch it up a little.
Sometimes I may do a total strength day, others I may do total cardio. Still others I may
mix the two. Sometimes I’ll wrap a cargo strap around a tire and do 50-meter sprints, then
destroy myself with burpees. I like to do exercises that allow me to gain functional
strength and stamina, and include many different muscles. I’m not a hulk
with a barrel chest and tree-trunk legs, nor do I want to be. I’m 6’4″, about 209 pounds,
but I can run around all day with 80+ pounds on my back and still get my job done. I like
to be creative and keep my mind and body interested in what I’m doing. If I have a busy
day and I’m on the go, I can always find time to do some body squats, push-ups or
burpees.So, to recap: I’m creative with my workouts, I challenge myself and I
keep myself interested. Also, keep in mind, if you challenge yourself to do something and
you fail, it’s OK. Keep at it until you destroy the workout, then do one more.-Andrew Smith Share your winter fitness tips with us in the
comments section below.
