By Mike Arciprete
The year was 1985 and I had just finished watching what I thought was the greatest movie I’d ever seen. Rocky Balboa had just run up to the peak of a snowy mountain in the former USSR and then defeated Drago, the very next day apparently. The American flag was wrapped around him in complete glory…..classic.
I was just a kid then, but I was pumped up – I wanted to box, dunk a basketball and play stickball all at once with a fury. I was all jacked up like I had just eaten a huge bowl of Fruity Pebbles. It was a rush I never felt before, yet it wasn’t just the movie that pumped me up, it was the music.
When I was a teenager my dad bought me my first guitar, a Peavy electric. I would play for hours on end, teaching myself to play by listening to the music and figuring out the chords. This became my escape, my safe haven. Eventually writing songs became a way of life for me, and till this day I still get lost in my own world, whether listening or creating music.
For most of us, in either good times or bad, music is always there to make us happy, comfort, or even pump us up. We all have put on the radio and heard a song that reminded us of something significant from our own life, a memory from our past. Now think of how many millions of other people feel the same way about that same song. That’s a pretty crazy thought! But that’s the power of music.
We use music in so many ways and training is no exception to the rule. Everyone has their favorite playlist to train to. Whether its Rock, Hip Hop, Edm or tranquil music for your Yoga class, we use our music to motivate ourselves. Music pushes us to go that extra mile on a run, or a couple extra reps at the gym.
Sports and music literally go hand in hand. I personally know how important music is to sports and training. I lose my mind if I forget my ipod when I go train and I’m sure everyone can relate to that feeling. Or even worse the battery dies when you are right in the middle or a killer session . . . brutal. But just as music can be our safe haven, so can the gym or wherever it is you train. Its another form of release, our own inner therapy session. The best part about this inner therapy . . . it makes us better. It keeps us healthy, improves our mood and focus, and gives us motivation.
So as we enter a new season, keep a positive attitude and set your goals high. Who cares if you fail, keep going and stay focused. Plus we have our safe havens to lift us up! The old faithfuls, music and training. This autumn whether at work, at home, or at the gym, go the extra mile. Put others before yourself and achieve whatever you put your mind to. Create a new playlist to crush your goals.
As for me, I’m going to do what I always love to do and go for a long run. Possibly listening to the Rocky 4 soundtrack! So in the words of Clubber Lang from Rocky 3, my prediction for the coming season . . . ”pain”. But only after cooked up.
Mike Arciprete is a NYC Firefighter, Certified PT, Clean Eating Coach, Musician, and loves cooking and tattoos.
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