Long time sports broadcaster Nick Charles passed away on Saturday after battling bladder cancer since 2009.  Charles began as a taxi driver and eventually became one of the most highly regarded broadcasters that our era has known.

Renowned CNN sports broadcaster Nick Charles dies at 64

Although Nick Charles is most recognized for his career at CNN, many boxing fans know him from his more recent work as a ringside commentator.  In 2007, he won the Boxing Writer’s Association Broadcaster award. A year later, he won the Sam Taub Award for excellence in boxing broadcasting journalism.

As for his struggle with cancer, I was not aware of his illness until recently.  Back in March of this year, HBO granted Nick Charles a wish to work ringside for one last night of fights.  It just happens that I was working in the corner for a fighter that night.  All it took was a brief glimpse over to him to realize just how sick he was.  Here was a man who I had seen on TV for many years who I almost did not recognize.

Upon returning from the fights that weekend, I began following his battle against cancer.  Shortly after, I came across the video below.  It was filmed a few months before his passing.  Within the video, Nick Charles explains his situation and offers useful advice that we can all apply to our own lives.  I’ll warn you though, the video is a definite tear-jerker…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzEDVmPVBVU

Boxing fans may also be interested in the next video.  Within the clip, you will see Mike Tyson visiting Nick Charles shortly before his passing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lrcy8Xopf4

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Find that little kernel every day that brings you pleasure and joy — and fasten onto that. That’s what’s going to make life worth living. Always look for the best. – Nick Charles

Below is a tribute video to former middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler.   Hagler was one of the greatest middleweight boxers of all time. He reigned as the undisputed champion between 1980 and 1987.  During that time, Hagler is perhaps best known for his epic fight with Thomas Hearns (watch it here).

I was fortunate to run a 5K race with Hagler many years ago at the International Boxing Hall of Fame.  I was honored to meet him as I had grown up a fan of his tremendous work ethic and determination.

All aspiring fighters can certainly learn from Hagler’s dedication to the sport.

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To learn more about his career, you can watch a full documentary through the following playlist.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=45269E4F4A23D1C5

You can also watch each video through the embedded player below. The arrows on each side of the player can be used to navigate from one video to the next.

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If they cut my bald head open, they will find one big boxing glove. That’s all I am. I live it. – Marvin Hagler

Below is a new tutorial about training with a homemade T-handle.  The T-handle was discussed previously on the blog back in 2008.  The new tutorial addresses many of the questions that have arisen since the original posting.

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For more homemade equipment ideas, please refer to the link below:

Homemade Exercise Equipment Archives

June 2011 Update – This entry has been updated with a new video link.  The previous video was removed from Youtube

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David Goggins was featured here in a previous entry.   The video below is as inspiring as the first.  He’s obviously taken his body and mind to a level that many will never see.  I always enjoy this kind of story.  Here is an individual has who defied logic.  He’s done things that experts wouldn’t consider possible.

And no, I’m not suggesting that we all run 150 miles a week.  My reason for enjoying this story is simple.  It is a slap in the face to the limits that are often imposed upon us by others.  The only way to find out what you are capable of doing is by finding out for yourself.

Perhaps we do not know as much about the body and mind as we’d often like to believe.

An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory. – Friedrich Engels

People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do. – Lewis Cass

In the past, I’ve posted compilation videos of various fighters in training (ex. Fedor, Ray Robinson, Mike Tyson, etc.).

Below is a new addition that was recently sent to me through Facebook.  Within the video, you will see Georges St-Pierre in action.  It is well worth a look…

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I’m doing this job, because I want to be the best. I don’t want to be number two. I want to be number one. I’ve always been like this. And I don’t want to be just number one, I want to be the greatest. That’s my main goal. When I do something, I want to be the best of the best. – Georges St-Pierre

In 1995, Gerry Duffy weighed almost 240 pounds and was smoking 50 cigarettes a day. After years of abusing his body, he finally was inspired to lose weight after seeing a picture of himself that he hardly recognized.

Fast forward to 2011 and the now 43 year-old man just finished ten triathlons in ten days. In case you are not familiar with a triathlon, Gerry swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and then ran a full 26.2 mile marathon each day. He did this ten days in a row.  For each triathlon, he had to complete the required distance in 22 hours or less. Finishing earlier obviously gave him more time to eat and sleep before starting the next day’s event.

A brief recap of the event can be seen below.

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Completing ten triathlons in ten days is an incredible feat for anyone.  It is literally mind boggling as there is hardly any time to eat and sleep before starting over again the next day.  Gerry’s accomplishments are even more incredible when you consider where he started.  How many overweight adult smokers believe they have the ability to complete a triathlon?  Many have already given up on the possibility of pursuing a healthy and active lifestyle.

Fortunately, Gerry Duffy has shown us all that it is never too late to start.  We all possess the ability to reinvent ourselves and start something new.

“A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.” – John Barrymore

Below is a video of a 70 year old grandfather showing off his skills on a pull-up bar in the Ukraine.  Clearly, age isn’t the crutch that many make it out to be.

Use it or lose it…

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Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. – Mark Twain

Life hasn’t been easy for Sarah Reinertsen.  She was born with a bone-growth disorder which forced her to be amputated above the knee as a seven year-old child.

It took several years before she became comfortable with her body image.  Never in her wildest dreams could she have guessed that she would eventually grace the covers of major magazines such as Runner’s World and ESPN The Magazine, but that is exactly what happened…

In her own words,

It was around the time I was 11 years old, when I had a burning of the bra moment where I cut the form and ripped off the foam exterior of the [prosthetic] leg because I knew I wasn’t fooling anybody. Like I knew I was part metal, part machine, but that was a big transition for me. Being comfortable enough to take off the cover, that foam exterior, and really expose my disability. But I remember when I started running, being in the gym for the first time. I started lifting weights and I was like, “Wow, I got a biceps under here! I got some quad under here!” I remember feeling, like, totally empowered. Like, “I have this weird-looking leg, but I can get these really ripped arms!” Like, “Look at this leg; this could be a leg of steel.” And that totally motivated me. It was like I could create the body I want. Granted, I can’t change this [she puts her hand on her prosthetic leg], but that’s OK. I can sculpt the rest of my body.

I also remember feeling like, “I’m going to show them.” Like, I’m going to be the most ripped, badass girl in the school. That was my goal. And I loved that feeling. Like, you can create the body you want. And I’m not talking surgery.

Once Sarah got started, she was hard to stop.  At age 13, she broke the 100-meter world record for female above-the-knee amputees.  That was only the beginning.  Shortly after, she became the youngest member of the U.S. Disabled Track Team.  She was only 16 years old when she went to compete in Barcelona as part of the US Paralympic Team.

Over a decade later, she became the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

Her completion of the race in many ways symbolized the rest of her life.  It didn’t come easy.  In fact, her first attempt to finish the race in 2004 resulted in failure.  She was disqualified after failing to meet the necessary time in the bike portion of the race.  She came back even stronger in 2005, finishing in just over 15 hours.

Her relentless determination and desire shouldn’t come as a surprise however.  Sarah has had to work harder than most people throughout her life.

As she describes,

Look, I’ve had to always work out harder just to walk down the street. You know what I mean? I hop in the shower everyday. Standing on one leg for hours. I ski on one leg. So just physically, to live, I’m using my body way more just to keep up. So I think my body has been trained its entire life. Not just in the gym, but just to like get up and do [whatever]. I feel like I’ve been training my whole life for this body, but I don’t know if I wasn’t born this way, if I had two legs … I could be a fat slob. I don’t know if I would have become an Ironman. I don’t know if I’d have become a marathoner. So maybe in some way, that was part of the gift that gave me this body.

As you can see, Sarah doesn’t make excuses.  She didn’t blame her leg when she failed in 2004.  She got right back in the gym and started working harder.

She’s worked hard for everything that she has accomplished and is still going strong as at age 36.  She continues to compete in races around the world as she refuses to be sidelined by her disability.

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For those interested, the video below was filmed shortly after her participation in the Ironman.  It is well worth a look to see what this woman has endured and accomplished throughout her life.

If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. – Mary Engelbreit

Following a recent video tutorial, I received three messages through Facebook from people who were surprised to finally hear my voice.  It appears that many are still not aware of the video tutorials that I have been posting all year.

For your convenience, I have compiled all of the video tutorials within a Youtube playlist.  You can access the full playlist at the link below.  Currently (as of June 6th), there are 14 tutorials totaling over 90 minutes of footage.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2B9BB16835A80D2E

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You can also watch each video through the embedded player below.  The arrows on each side of the player can be used to navigate from one video to the next.

These links will remain valid as I continue to add videos to the playlist. I hope to compile several more hours of footage as the year unfolds.

It has been over four years since I posted a video about Rohan Murphy (here).  As you may recall, Rohan lost his legs at birth, yet began wrestling as a freshman in high school.  He refused to be sidelined by his disability and eventually went on to wrestle at Penn State University.

In the time since, Rohan has been quite busy (which should come as no surprise).  He now works as a motivational speaker and is training for the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Below is a recent video of him that was emailed to me last week.

For those interested, here is the Nike commercial that he mentions above:

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Stories such as Rohan’s are welcome reminders that our own problems are often insignificant when compared to those of others.  Whatever we are dealing with could almost always be worse.  While many pity their own situations, others such as Rohan keep moving forward despite inconceivable circumstances.  It is impossible for an able-bodied person to understand what it would be like to wake up without legs.  Rohan knows no other way, yet doesn’t want our pity.  He’s too busy working towards his goals and inspiring others along the way.

I’m amazed at the drive and obvious passion that resonates throughout this young man.  His ability and desire to keep moving forward is beyond inspirational.

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“I accept my disability as a gift.” – Rohan Murphy