Dealing with Complainers + Training for YOUR Health

Zach Even - Esh
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I woke this morning unlike any other morning. Nothing special. Today would be another day of work and another opportunity to get better. I've got 13 days left on crutches after my full meniscus repair. I remind myself that every morning I rise is another day closer to freedom with no crutches. Hard work is my normal.

If you have ever been a fan of 20 rep squats and struggling under a bar, most likely you've taken those lessons and applied them to your life. I say "most likely" because not everyone can take the lessons from the iron and apply them to life. But those who can, ahhhhh, they become Champions in LIFE.
So, every morning, I wake up, crutch myself down the stairs and then make myself some tea before I begin writing. Maybe one day I'll return to drinking coffee. Until then, it's tea for me.

I am itching to train. It's been 27 days since my knee surgery and I have not been myself. My typical morning routine involves some calisthenics for a few minutes and then some journaling. Something like 25 squats, 25 push ups and 25 v ups really gets the blood flowing. It's so simple yet so powerful.

Below is some training I've been finding a way to make it happen while on crutches:

As you can see, my training is whatever it can be at this time. Anything I do is 100% more than zero.

When at my gym, I sneak in pull ups and dips.

With my inability to drive and work as much as I'd like, I've had some extra time to read and research other trainings. I have really grown to admire and respect Khabib Nurmagomedov, one of the world's best combat athletes / MMA fighters to ever walk planet earth. His attitude towards LIFE is truly admirable. I recommend you search "The Dagestan Chronicles". They were inspiring to watch and learn from.

I also did some research on Mas Oyama as well as Judd Reid.

I don't have to agree with all of their training but the point is to learn something and get at least one take away to apply for yourself. Perhaps that take away is to be inspired to do more, be more and push yourself further. People and Coaches tend to be all or nothing. They want to be polarizing and refuse to admit they can learn from everyone.

You will see in the photos below as you keep reading.....

Back to my routine; After my calisthenics and journaling, I get busy with my morning email. The lack of squats, push ups and ab work I normally do every morning has me going a bit stir crazy. I need those calisthenics. I crave the struggle of movement, feeling my heart beating and of course, all around hard training. You feel special when you work hard. Although hard work should be your normal.

I also feel that my writing, creativity, emotional state and everything else will be infinitely better once I can start lifting some weights, training again and having freedom without crutches. I train for the mind more so than I train for the body.

So, this morning, I sat down at the table with my tea to begin some writing. Instead of writing, I made a fatal mistake.

I opened my email first which I rarely ever do first, but I did today.....

Starting your day with emails or social media creates a day of reacting to everyone else. There is NO power in doing this and I normally won't touch email or social media for 1 hour after I wake up. And because I broke protocol, I was gifted with a note from a complainer. Yes, there are plenty of "Zach haters" out there and so first off, this Denzel quote made some sense to me (Who knows if Denzel actually said this but it did resonate with me).

So, why would someone complain?

Someone who purchased a course from me (Saying they liked it) but they did not want my daily emails. They told how they saw a testimonial from someone regarding my Bodyweight Bodybuilding Course really inspired them to invest in this course. But now, they can't afford some monthly membership for 30 bucks a month and time are tough. Listen, if something like 30 bucks a month or even 100 bucks a month is crushing you mentally and stressing you, no one is your problem. YOU are your own problem.

The email went on to tell me that they were doing their best and in turn felt my emails were too often talking about being strong in LIFE. Well, here is some simple advice; I have no time to be sensitive from someone's e mails. If you are offended from an email, then unsubscribe. No one is forcing anyone to read my emails.
You can unsubscribe at any time. So, why waste time complaining when a click of a button can remove something or someone you don't like?

Do NOT waste time. Click and delete. That is my advice to anyone out there. Complaining never helps. It's just your words with NO action. It's a waste of time. When I catch myself complaining, I want to punch myself in the face. Words mean nothing to me. I have grown into this as I used to hold words and what people say in such high regard. ACTION is everything to me. Action is the ultimate proving ground. As a Coach, I have heard every day for 25 years from athletes, parents, adults and everyone in between about what they're going to do. OK.

Talk is cheap.

STFU and show me.

Better yet, Show yourself.

You have nothing to prove to me and everything to prove to yourself. And look, maybe you DO have something to prove to others. If you do, then get to work and STFU.

Back to the story of the unhappy customer. I refunded his purchase. Why? He never asked for a refund. He complained. Complaining to me is the end of it all. I don't want money from anyone who complains. This is "dirty money" or "complainer money". It carries some heavy duty negative energy that I want nothing to do with. If you complained about me, then keep your money and stay far away.

If someone is unhappy at my gym, I don't try to convince them to stay. They've already made up their mind. It's time to refund their money even if they've been coached and we've lost that money. I don't care. Now I owe you NOTHING. You can never complain about me because I refunded your money AND you were given my best.

These complainers will complain elsewhere. They are unhappy in their own lives and they will dump it onto anyone who is in their circle of life.

So, how should you deal with complainers, haters and / or negative people?

Do this: Block, delete and remove from your life with extreme prejudice.

I've created my business and work so I never need either one, so I am never backed against the wall where I need someone or something. The famous quote from the movie HEAT is crucial here:

"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."

After covid, many of us saw that there are NO guarantees.

That company you thought was keeping you until forever? Wrong.

The 2 weeks to flatten the curve? Wrong.

"We're in this together." Wrong.

You put your heart & soul into your job, skipped holidays with family, worked weekends, missed your kids' sport games and then new administration comes in and you think they CARE to keep you? Wrong.

What does this mean? Always be working on something that you rely on nobody else but yourself.

I am a full time Strength Coach at a high school, have 2 gyms, have an online business, etc. If one goes south, then I have something else. If a partner crosses me, I have 10 other things. I am never a slave to one thing.

If someone crosses you. Delete them from your life. Don't let haters, complainers and negative zombies f--k with your chi. Onward & Upward.

Training for Health & Training Differently During the Seasons

The seasons are changing and the weather is getting warmer. I love the warm weather but change of seasons is refreshing in general. Even the Winter brings some cool, clean air and offers an opportunity to change.

In the Spring time and after my crutches are off , I look forward to riding my bike to the beach to get some leg work going. Then a jog on the beach, some calisthenics, and also jogging through knee high water. I am so inspired reading about martial artists who train in the mountains and in the elements vs training in the climate controlled, perfectly organized gym or dojo.

These photos are from Black Belt Magazine, September 1966. This is almost 60 years ago. Today, things have changed. More technology and more fancy techniques. Certainly, we have amazing MMA fighters and martial arts have evolved, but still we see the toughest combat athletes most often coming from the mountainous regions of Russia like Dagestan & Georgia.

These combat athletes do not use technology. They train and go by what is proven to work, not by wearing technology and some nerd telling you to train in manner when he has never been punched in the face or struggled under a heavy bar himself.

I have shared many of these videos to my Instagram. A short bike ride from my house is the beach. I will ride my bike there and begin with walking in knee deep water, lifting my knees as high as possible. In May, the water will be cold and good for my legs, not to mention my mind.

Last week, a wrestler from Russia emailed me to ask about training for wrestling. I told him to find a great wrestling coach and ask him. His response? "I have spoken to many wrestlers here and they told me to learn from your YouTube and Instagram." I was humbled to say the least.

Seeing these old karate training photos of Mas Oyama, I am reminded again, I need to get tougher, every day and all the time, I must get tougher. The water training is great for hips and abs, forcing you to lift your knees high every time you take a step. On the sand I will use simple bodyweight exercises: Squats, Lunges, all types of push up variations as well as animal crawls.

Fresh air is needed. I feel like a prisoner with these crutches but even if I work from home, I can only handle so much time in my office writing and working before cabin fever kicks in. When my knee range of motion improves, I will return to hindu squats. They are excellent for the legs and building your general conditioning.

Until the next time....

Take action and keep kicking ass.

F the haters. Delete them with extreme prejudice.

Live The Code 365,

Gladiator STRONG - 7 Days FREE Trial

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Dealing with Complainers + Training for YOUR Health