My Date With Charles Staley

Oh, that dreamy Charles Staley. A girl could talk posterior chain activation with him all night.

I’m currently in the middle of a desert, in a city that (from an environmental point of view) probably shouldn’t exist (no, not Vegas, but that’s another good candidate), to train and get my ass beat down by one of the most awesome strength coaches in the US. I am squeeing inside like a crazy fangirl.

Learning requires openness and humility. Charles tells me that the best athletes are those who show up to learn, understand, and work hard.

Many of us suffer from the “know-it-all” delusion and the fear of looking stupid. If you cast off both of these things, and regard every interaction as an opportunity to gain insight, your world will automatically get much more awesome.

Some folks would show up hoping to impress the master. I show up hoping to be humbled. If we need to throw it all out and start again — 15 years of self-taught training down the drain — I say bring it on. Today, and for the next several days, I am like a baby learning to walk. (Have figured out toilet training, though, thankfully.)

You must be willing to re-invent yourself in the face of new evidence and insight. Embrace awkwardness, shame, and stupidity. Fall down, laugh, get up, keep going, ask for help. This is the only path to enlightenment, Stumpamaniacs.