The Gut Wrench Challenge & It's All about Family
Published: Mon, 04/25/11
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Hey there, !
I hope you had a great day yesterday, as I did with my
family on Easter.
You know, family is very important to me.
And not just my fiancee, kids, and our parents.
I actually have a HUGE extended family because both
my parents had about 5 siblings each when they were
growing up. So I have tons and tons of aunts, uncles,
and cousins. And every single one of them is special
to me.
Last week was a special and also emotional week
for me, not only because it was Easter week, but also
because I lost a very kind uncle.
"Uncle Denny" was the husband of dad's sister, Ginger,
and he was a great guy.
I remember when I was much younger, my dad was on
a business trip and my mom got really sick and my
Uncle Denny came in the middle of the night and took
my mom to the hospital.
I never forgot that. And I will also never forget how
many HUNDREDS of people came to Uncle Denny's
viewing last week.
I always knew that Uncle Denny was a great guy, but
to see so many countless people come and pay him
respects, to hear all of the kind things that people said
about him, and to really feel what he meant to so many
people was extremely special.
I can only hope to help out and positively affect as many
people as Uncle Denny did while he was alive.
I'm not only writing to tell you about this great guy, my
Uncle Denny, I'm also writing to update you on last week's
Grip Strength Challenge, the Gut Wrench Hold for Time.
In a way, the entire week last week was gut wrenching,
because I saw many people whom I have looked up to and
admired over the years breaking down over the loss of the
Uncle we all loved so much.
But, specifically in regards to the Gut Wrench Lift from
last week, you may have noticed that I did not post any
videos over the weekend of the video submissions.
The reason isn't because I was busy with funerals and
viewings, it is because no videos were submitted, at least
not on time.
Ya know, just like Uncle Denny and my Aunt Ginger,
and their daughter, my cousin, Wendy, and everyone else
I hold dear, I think of you, , as family as well.
Last week, I really wanted to challenge you and the rest of
the Diesel Family with a cool lift that many of you had
probably never seen or thought of before, one that I thought
would be very beneficial for many types of strength athletes
and enthusiasts.
However, as no video submissions were coming in, I thought,
maybe the lift required too specialized of equipment, but then
I was like, no it's only 4-45's and a bar...
Then I got an email from one guy who has submitted
something just about every week of the challenge, and he told
me that due to past injuries he didn't feel he could do the lift safely.
Ya know what, this is a great point.
I never want you guys trying anything that you feel unsafe
doing. I knew this one was going to be tough because when
I did it, even my glutes and hammies were tingling, and I lift
stones and sandbags and other odd objects on a fairly regular
basis.
But I kind of just shrugged it off because I wasn't warmed up
thoroughly, plus I was wearing jeans and crappy sneakers
because I couldn't find the slippers I love.
I emailed with one routine participant, Mike Rojas from
Strong 101 Gym, and asked him if I should make the
challenges easier and he said, "NO!" And I quote...
"Don't worry about making the challenge easier,
we must step up to the "challenge".
Keep pushing us to get better."
That's a great point, Mike, and I am glad you made it.
, I am NOT going to take it easy on you.
That wouldn't be right. I consider you a part of my extended
family, and I want to see you get better and stronger!
That ain't going to happen by me taking it easy on you!
Now of course, some challenges will be easier than others
just due to the nature of each individual challenge, and how
they match up to your individual talents, but they will all
test you, BELIEVE THAT!
There will be NO challenges that you can walk through
blindfolded.
No walks in the park.
I HIGHLY doubt there were any walks in the park when
my Uncle Denny was a helicopter gunner in Viet Nam,
so expect to be pushed in the Weekly Diesel Grip Challenge.
Now, today I have a ton of stuff going on, including a new
lawn mower being delivered, AND a local TV station is
coming to interview me about Grip Sport, so I will do my
best to get the video for this week's challenge up today,
but if I don't make it, I will definitely have it up tomorrow
in plenty of time for you to give it a try this week, get to
know it, practice it, and get your best take on video so you
can send me your submission.
Remember, it's all about family, !
Make it a Great Week.
Jedd
P.S. - Although I look forward to continuing
to push YOU to get better and stronger, I do value your
opinion. Plus, I'd like to see more people involved in these
challenges each and every week. If you have any suggestions
about how to make these challenges better, please reply to
this email. Thanks!