Is Lack of Coaching Killing Your Gains in the Gym?

One thing that's often the culprit behind stopping you from making progress toward your exercise goals is uncertainty. Sometimes you're not sure if the thing you're doing is the right thing for you. At other times it could be a question about exercise technique. Sometimes you may have a nagging ache or pain that you're afraid to irritate. Frequently you may be unsure as to what routine you should do. There's so much misleading workout advice out there nowadays in social media to where most bodybuilding beginners have been led completely off course. I know this is going to be a mind-blowing realization for some people, but just because a famous fitness influencer on Youtube posts a certain exercise or workout routine doesn't necessarily mean it will actually build your physique. Believe it or not, social media is not real life. 

The advice you get from your local gym trainer will help bring you back to the basics so you can focus on the things that truly matter for muscle building and avoid the inessentials. I guarantee that most of it is pretty basic, straightforward stuff. Here I am being coached on proper pull up form by one of the trainers at my gym. 

Skip the gimmicky variations and just focus on what actually works for you. Remember, fitness in the real world that gets results is usually a simple, boring routine that looks about the same every week, allowing you to apply fundamental principles (training hard, progressive overload, adequate sleep and rest) and get 1 percent better over time. Trust the process and stick with the tried and true basic movements. And always remember: there are no shortcuts. 

A Heads Up

Once you've learned how to read New Testament Greek, anything else will feel unsatisfactory. You've been warned.

The Healing Power of the Ocean

I grew up on the beach. Even today, when I'm at the beach, I'm a different person. The power of the ocean is magnificent. Think of a huge northeast swell at the Northshore of Oahu, for example. When I attempt to enter the surf on days like that, I never feel less in control of my existence. At other times the ocean is asleep, like a glassy and flat lake. The ocean is, in fact, never the same. Wave size can even vary according to the time of day.

What is true of the ocean is true of us. Our moods ebb and flow like the tides. All the while you can't wait to plunge in. It's a scientific fact that the ocean has healing power. Before Becky passed away we were planning on one last trip to Oahu. I booked a room at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach for a week. Suddenly she was taken from me. "Do I still go or not?" I asked myself. I went. For 7 days I celebrated the life of the most beautiful person I had ever known. I surfed and swam and snorkeled, basking in the warmth of the Hawaiian winter sun. A sound mind in a sound body. The ocean makes for both. My spiritual life mirrors my physical one.

The ocean causes, among other things, relief from anxiety, better stress management, and enhanced mental powers. I can attest to all of the above. You and I, each of us, must find what works for us. Will the ocean do for you what it does for me? Will it give you renewed emotional and physical health?

You'll never know until you try for yourself. 

Kailua Beach, July 3, 2025. 

Blowing Up My Biceps

Hey folks. Getting bigger biceps definitely involves a lot of hard work. That was my goal at the gym today. 

The first thing you must learn is if you have a strong enough mind-muscle connection in your biceps. You discover this by forcefully contracting your biceps muscles while lifting. The first exercise is the strict biceps curl. Perform these curls to failure. When you do, your veins will start popping. 

This is the result of lowering the weight slowly and controlled. 

The next exercise requires nothing but a pull up bar and your own bodyweight. In order to build bigger biceps you simply flex and hold as long as possible and fight the negative, as I am doing here. (Thanks to my trainer for videotaping me.) 

By allowing yourself to slow down on the eccentric, you are taking advantage of the time under tension that allows you to get the most out of the exercise. Once you nail the mechanics of the strict curl and the pull up, you can bring the same form into your other exercises. Remember, it's not the exercises you are doing, but how you do them. Today I blasted my biceps and I think it shows. By making some slight tweaks to the exercise, you will be sure to get the form right every single time. 

P.S. After the gym, I got in a 10-mile run at the High Bridge Trail. It netted me 22,435 steps. Glory be to God! 

The Indomitable Human Spirit

This is me today after I got back from the gym. 

And these are my steps and calories. 

But that's nothing compared to what I witnessed on Youtube today. I have never seen anything like it and will probably never see anything like it again. A man climbs Everest -- and then skies back down from its summit. And it's all captured by drone. 

I can't believe what I just saw. This is something I never thought I would ever witness. And he did it without supplemental oxygen. This is insane. For the first time ever, climbing Mount Everest was the easy part. 

I once told my family I would be climbing a tall peak. They thought I was talking about Everest. Had I started my fitness journey 40 years ago, I might have attempted it. To me it's the ultimate challenge in mountaineering. 

The indomitable human spirit. 

The Self-Discipline to Train Hard Enough

Many people in the gym fail to train hard enough. Way too often we lifters underestimate the true effort and capacity to grow. Rather than working harder with less, we simply add more sets to our workouts. But the only way you're really going to grow is with effort. 

For years I struggled to get this right. I still struggle. Effort is not something that comes easily to older lifters who are always worrying about injuring themselves. But the fact remains that if you want to see greater muscle growth from your workouts, you are going to have to push harder. I can say for myself that it's my desire not just to get as big as possible or to have a generally "aesthetic" look, but to keep striving for improvement in my overall health and fitness to the glory of God. I realize it's human nature to never be fully satisfied with your progress, but the way to balance that out is to give yourself credit for the progress you're making along the way and to recognize the simple fact that if you train hard and consistently, keep your calories under control, and maintain a healthy body fat level, you're already ahead of 95 percent of the population as far as health and fitness is concerned. 

The question I keep asking myself is, "Am I training hard enough to build muscle at my full God-given potential?" For years I hugely overlooked the importance of training intensity. The bottom line is that muscle growth is an adaptive response to stress, so if you're not performing your sets close enough to failure your body doesn't have any real incentive to put on new muscle mass. So with this in mind, going forward I will be committing myself to a single training program with the same exercises in the same basic order on the same days while practicing to get really good at those specific lifts in terms of form and technique. I will also focus on taking the majority of my sets to about 1-2 reps short of absolute muscular failure. That level of intensity should be high enough to trigger a significant muscle building response but also low enough to prevent injuries and overtraining. 

Muscle growth doesn't happen overnight. Neither does, say, learning to read New Testament Greek. If you're going to fully commit to your bodybuilding goals (or your academic goals for that matter), you really have to harness your self-discipline, which, thankfully, is a fruit of the Spirit. 

Thank you for stopping by! 

Like Father, Like Son

Reuben ...

... a chip off the old block :) 

The Pursuit of Loneliness

I love books with the words "The Pursuit of ..." in their titles. Samples include:

• Rosen's The Pursuit of Liberty.
• Tozer's The Pursuit of God.
• Bridges' The Pursuit of Holiness.
• Tarver's The Pursuit of Purpose.
• Mitford's The Pursuit of Love.
• Harris's The Pursuit of Home.

In his brilliant book The Pursuit of Loneliness, sociologist Philip Slater argues that our culture is forcing all of us into a state of loneliness. Americans, he says, seek competition instead of community, involvement instead of engagement. The result is a permanent state of isolation for many.

Am I lonely? After all, I live alone and have done so for 12 years. The answer is no. I have cured my loneliness with solitude. The solitary man finds pleasure in life, including exercise. He often becomes engaged not only in meaningful relationships but also in activities such as weight training or long distance running. I am that man. By God's grace I have discovered peace inside of pain. I see the miracle that each new day represents. I am no longer learning from books but from experience.

This is what aging has become for many of us. In what others call the twilight years, we are more alive than ever. Through engagement and exercise, we are reinvigorated with energy. That I experience all this as a single man does not detract in the least from the tiny flame still ablaze in my heart. 

That's about it.

• Love Jesus.
• Be you.
• Be kind.

Everything else pretty much falls into place. 

P.S. Today's gym session:

Today's steps. 

The Journey of a Lifetime

Today's run.

10 miles.

22,000 steps. 

I loved every one of them. 

Does it take effort?

Yes. 

But I'll gladly accept the effort involved.

Every day that you run you are one step closer to wherever you're headed. 

The only person you have to outrun is the person you used to be.

Every step takes you closer to the person you want to be.

For better or for worse, your body is the only one you will get.

What you decide to do with it is up to you.

Being an athlete is a journey.

It's an odyssey of self-discovery.

And it can be the journey of a lifetime.

Should You Use a Greek-English Interlinear?

We need to try to stop being pedantic and instead be wise. Deciding whether or not to use "helps" is a very personal choice. Frame your choices through this lens: If it helps you to master your goal, go ahead. I used bands to help me learn the pull up. 

Many students use interlinears to help them learn Greek. I cannot possibly tell you what's best for you. Unsure? Ask your trainer or your teacher. They will help you sort it out. But in the end, the call is yours.

Good Night, Farm

Never Give Up

One day your future self will thank you for never giving up. 

Saying "No"

Most people are surprisingly respectful of "no thank you's." When I say, "Thank you so much for the very kind invitation, but I will not be able to accept it," most people are amazing.

Don't be afraid to say a polite "no."

Loving Me Some Uncials

My morning devotional comes from Mark 1:12 and following. 

I find that writing out the text in all caps and without spacing helps me read the text more slowly and deliberately. 

Honestly. Uncial script deserves more love than it's gotten. Texts written in scriptio continua are crunchy and delicious. 

The Risky World of Online Education

Online education is a tricky subject. I'm not against online learning per se. Good grief, I learned Greek via correspondence with Moody Bible Institute. My concern is this: more and more, face-to-face options are rapidly disappearing. Again, not saying that online classes can't be meaningful. I'm sure they can be. But they can never be substituted for a teacher's physical presence. They will never replace a professor patting you on the back after an exam, sharing life with you over a cup of coffee, or chatting with you during classroom breaks. People have always craved community. This is no less true of students. 

Let's not overcomplicate this. Online education is fine. For many, it's the only option. But they will often leave you hungry for something else, something deeper, something truer, something you can't get on a screen. So take an in-person class if you can. Remember the theology: Christian education is likeness education. Jesus said so (Luke 6:40).

Howdy Y'all!

I just realized that I've now lived in the rural South longer than I lived in Hawaii (19 years) and Southern California (27 years). Which made me scratch my head when I stumbled upon this map the other day. 

Apparently I live in the "Could be Deep South" part of Virginia. Okaaaaay. Tell that to the people you meet at Bojangles. But what really piqued my interest was the fact that Hawaii is designated as "Not Southern." Say what? Even a brief glance at a world map will show that I was born and raised in the southernmost state in the union, meaning that I am from the DEEP DEEP SOUTH. 

Man. Can't trust anything on the internet these days. 

Practice Makes Progress Not Perfection

Every Sunday I like to take a few progress pictures, including these photos I took this evening. 

I've been consistently doing this for well over a year now. I take these pictures to remind myself that no matter where you start, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. 

I hope these pictures will resonate with hundreds of men who are trying to start their own fitness journey, regardless of their age. 

For a year straight I didn't miss a single week of workouts. Day in, day out, no matter what, I did what I had to do and stuck with my vision. 

I hope my journey is not only a reminder to myself but to every single one of you to take action and move past the dissatisfied version of yourself. More than anything else, strength training is about tenacity, durability, and trying daily to get the best out of yourself. As with life, weight lifting can involve great sacrifice and effort, but it can also bring rewards of exhilaration and achievement for persevering, which are all gifts from God. Celebrate your accomplishments but don't rest on your laurels. Use the momentum from one goal achieved to work toward others.

Love,

Dave 

A Mindset for Winning

It was a great week of running/walking to get in my daily steps. 

75 miles is the distance from Raleigh to Greensboro. Thank you, Lord, for the strength! Legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said, "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable." I carry that mindset into every week of activity. It's been the key to many accomplishments and it's helped me through some very rough times. I hope that this blog inspires you to "run to win" on your terms, in running and in life.

Have a wonderful week! 

A Most Lovely Day!

... and perfect for an early morning drive to the cemetery. 

As per usual, everything was perfectly manicured. 

Of course, Becky's not here. She's in the presence of the Lord. And one day I will join her. Amen!!

A Celebration of Married Life

Becky and I said goodbye to each other in person 12 years ago this morning. The Lord gave me 37 wonderful years with this amazing daughter of God. I wouldn't have traded it for the world. This beautiful Southern belle made me the happiest man in history. 

Through these years, God made Becky and me more like his Son, writing a lovely story with our life together. I hold myself supremely blessed -- blessed beyond words -- that the Lord saw fit to allow us to grow together, learn together, and serve him together. The latter is the most eternal part of our union. Serving together revolutionized our relationship. 

I could not imagine living my adult life without Becky. We learned a lot of things, mostly the hard way. I married a woman who had strong convictions about everything. (As if I don't have any.) Through give and take we figured out how to handle that. Eventually we became whole, with just the right blend of work and fun. She was good at her half and I tried to be good at mine. (She benefited from my youngest-of-4 "hang loose" Hawaiian chillaxed attitude, while I benefited from her eldest-of-6 get-right-at-it personality.) In every difficult place we leaned hard on the Lord our God. His word kept us grounded and connected like nothing else. Apologies? Aplenty. Ugly words? Not often but they were there. Exactly-wrong gifts to each other? Yes, but we meant well. Eventually we stopped trying to change each other. (Every marriage has to do this at some point.) We learned to accept each other -- the great parts, the mediocre parts, and the "that's-so-weird" quirks too. Who really cares if you have to pull the toilet paper from the bottom? 

I'm amazed at how quickly those 37 years flew by. No one enters marriage with a guarantee of success. The best we can do is to look to Jesus, trusting him even if we don't see results for years. He is the only constant in marriage as well as in life. Nothing can happen -- no loss, no tragedy -- that cannot be survived through his love. Isn't that the loveliest truth you've ever heard? Marriage is sacred work. Little in life is more important. We can learn to love each other and grow in healthy ways but only if we cling to the Savior.

Married friends: Please be tender with yourself and your spouse. Give shocking grace to others, and they will give it back. Be humble under God, and your marriage can be that safe place God dreamed up. It really can.

My Message to Men over 40

Today's nugget: 

Your grandpa was probably stronger than you are. 

And he never stepped foot in a gym.

Something's not adding up here.

I know it's hard to exercise when you've got jobs and kids. 

I get it.

But remember: Later = Never.

Your family deserves the leaner, healthier version of you.

Right now choose one thing in your life you can change.

Take a daily walk.

Cut down on soda by 50 percent.

Hydrate more. 

Get better sleep.

Eat cleaner.

Start TODAY.

Fix it before it's too late.

This is me tonight.

73 years old.

Planning on a 50K race in December.

Looking forward to surfing in Hawaii next summer.

Hoping to teach Greek until I'm 80. 

I remember when I thought this wasn't even possible. 

But with God all things are possible. 

Appreciate you, brother. 

When You Face the Silent Scream of Pain

Hey folks. If you're ever in Switzerland, be sure to visit Geneva, that beautiful city on the lake. When you're there, you'll be greeted by none other than the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. He's waiting there for you silently, not far from John Calvin's church. 

Swiss sculptor Auguste de Niederhäusern completed the statue in 1913, just prior to his death. The figure of the prophet embodied sorrow. Hunched over, the "weeping prophet" mourns the fate of his people. 

Every time I see the statue of Jeremiah I give thanks to God. The words of the great prophet (found in Jeremiah and Lamentations) came from a pain-filled past. And as his gaze looks down on you, you easily think back on your own heartache and grief. 

Tomorrow will mark the 12th anniversary of my wife's death from cancer. Her passing reminds me that the Christian life isn't just about the Scriptures or the church or missions. It's also about a Person, a Safe Place to be sequestered, a Soul-Lover who understands the journey I'm on because he completed it himself. Corrie ten Boom, one of my favorite theologians of all time, put it this way:

Look inside and be depressed.

Look outside and be distressed.

Look to Him and be at rest. 

If you, dear friend, are facing the silent scream of pain today, or if you're just tired of running your race, please remember that though terrors in this life surely await us, life is still worth living -- celebrating even -- if we keep our focus on Jesus. 

In essence, that's the message God told the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. That same God today promises us adequate strength through all of the hardships of life. 

Getting the Big Picture

Today my focus was on delts/shoulders. 

Plus getting in my steps.

Training can get mundane, boring even. But not if you keep in mind the big picture. Imagine running your next ultra. Imagine the condition you need to be in for the race. Then imagine crossing the finish line. Knowing that each step of your "mundane" workout is getting you closer to that big goal will keep you moving forward. 

The same holds true, by the way, for the study of Greek! 

Giving the Creator a Standing Ovation

Loved my 10 mile run in Farmville today. 

The drive there was absolutely gorgeous. 

And the High Bridge Trail was as lovely as ever. 

"The proper response to the world," wrote William Carlos Williams, "is applause." As I ran, the whole creation broke out in thunderous clapping. Emerson once spoke of the "magical benefits of air, landscape, and exercise on the mind." Running develops our physique and creates a harmony between body and spirit. On the trails, I give the Creator a standing ovation. The place you do this may vary from mine. But find that place, and you will discover the peace that passes all understanding.

After being gone from 7:30 to 3:00 today, it felt good to arrive back home. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like the farm.

It's Doable, Folks. I'm Proof

A year ago, I set for myself the goal of reducing my body fat by 50 percent. Cutting your body fat in half sounds unrealistic, but it's doable. I'm proof. I lost 40 pounds in 10 months. That's an average of 1 pound per week. It all began with a starting point. You say, "Okay, this is where I am now."

 "And this is where I want to be." 

Once you have that information, you can start your journey. All this takes is 3 full body workouts per week, plus maintaining at least 10,000 steps per day. And that's it. It's really that simple. 

Once you've seen even the minutest bit of success, you'll be motivated to push even more. One of the keys is to push yourself in the gym as hard as you can. 

If you never train to failure, you'll never end up training hard enough for optimal muscle growth. 

As I've said a thousand times, most average lifters in the gym don't train hard enough when it comes down to it. You don't need to train to failure on every set, but you do need to train to failure occasionally to get an idea of where that point is. High intensity training provides benefits you simply can't always gain from leaving a number of reps in reserve. When it comes to volume versus intensity, many lifters place the emphasis on volume, thinking that it's all about how many sets they perform. They hugely ignore the intensity side of the equation. Effective hypertrophy training is actually pretty straightforward. If you're working out 3 days a week for an hour or so and doing a handful of sets per muscle group, you can easily get the job done. Building serious muscle takes months of consistent training and proper nutrition. Plus you'll want to get in at least 10,000 steps per day. Today I did only 18,500 steps because this was my day for weight training. 

But I always aim for at least 12,000 daily steps. 

The bottom line? Fat loss can happen relatively quickly when everything is dialed in -- nutrition, diet, sleep, training, and steps. 

It just requires patience and consistency.  

The Pull Up Is Where It Is At!

Guys, seriously. The pull up is the BEST exercise for back and arm strength period. Your back will look jacked! 

Amen!!

Saw this on my drive into town this morning. 

This truck is owned by one of our local farming families. Their Scripture verse is right on! 

Created for Community

As I've aged, I've found my priorities changing. I find myself wanting richer, deeper, more intimate relationships with my family and friends. A man speaking about relationships? Yes indeed. Like women, men have a primal need for closeness. God created us for relationships. As we men age, we discover that we're not only getting older. We are moving from competition to connecting. Before she died, Becky did most of the connecting with our kids on an emotional level. But as I've come into my own as a widower, I've come to realize that emotionally connecting with my kids and grandkids is deeply enriching. One of the things my loss of Becky did for me was to make me value and cherish my family more. I've also noticed that to love others correctly we must first love ourselves. The self must first be strong and whole before we can offer true and lasting love to others. Love is a positive sum game where both sides can and should win.

As I look forward to the winter of my life (how did it arrive so quickly?), I want to be a man who joins the "I" to the "we," whether that's in my family, my church, my profession, my mission work, and even my hobbies. Every healthy relationship makes an honest attempt to marry the "me" with the "we." 

Thanks for reading. 

Today's Steps

Every one of them fun. 

Happiness

Happiness is not an external measurement but an internal thermometer. Nothing on the outside will ever make someone unhappy, happy. And nothing on the outside will ever make someone happy, unhappy. The key is to find a balance between constantly striving for higher goals while also appreciating your current condition. 

You Have What It Takes

The whole ...

• Lift 3 days a week
• At least 10k steps per day
• Eat real food
• Stay hydrated
• Sleep 9-10 hours per night
• Stay consistent

... thing really works. 

Build a routine and stick to it. Not a diet. Not a cut. Not a bulk. Not a challenge. Just a routine you don't break. It's about showing up daily, even when it's boring. Doing the small things over and over and over again. Making it a part of who you are. 

You have what it takes now. It's time to take action. 

Today's steps.

The Gym Is Not the Goal

I don't train so I can live in the gym. I train so I can live outside of it. 

Kailua Beach, July 5, 2025. 

Conference on the Byzantine Text (March 2026)

Speakers are Abidan Shah, Elijah Hixson, Maurice Robinson, Mark Ward, Dwayne Green, and yours truly. Please join us! 

Why We Train as 70-Year Olds

I don't train just to feel good or to look good. 

I train so that I can chase this little guy around the farm. So that I can pick him up without my back hurting. So I can be present in his life in those moments that matter most to him. 

Whatever your age ... keep going.

Strength Training: A Waste of Time?

"You don't need to lift weights to gain muscle and strength as quickly as possible" said someone who's never lifted. 

Can Negative = Positive?

As we approach the end of 2025, what's the biggest truth you've learned from the year? I'll choose this: Only time will tell if an event in your life this year was a positive one or a negative one. Sometimes what appears at first to be a negative experience can actually be the first step to changing your life for the better. The opposite can happen too, of course. God wants our all, and he will not rest until he gets our all. The man who has God for his treasure truly has everything. 

Off to class! 

Walking and Weight Loss

As a runner, I will readily admit that walking is one of the most (if not THE most) effective exercises to burn calories. Sure, intense aerobic exercises expend more energy per minute, but those are much more difficult and they are sometimes more dangerous to sustain. You can lose a significant amount of weight just by simply walking.

• Low impact.
• Easily done.
• Whole body.
• Just listen to music.
• Phone a friend. 
• Enjoy the views.
• Share someone's company.

An hour long walk is roughly 3 miles. This burns about 300 calories. Walking at least 10,000 steps a day and eating at a calorie deficit has me down 40 pounds since last November. It's not a magic bullet, but it does offer me an excellent advantage in terms of "calories out" for the day. 

The Meaning of Baptism

In this picture I am about to be baptized at the age of 8 in the Pacific Ocean by my pastor Rudy Ulrich. 

I'm sure some of you were baptized outdoors as well. I recall once reading about a church in Africa that baptizes new converts in the ocean. The candidate is literally thrown into a wave "in the name of the Father." At this point he or she is washed back to the shore. The church leaders quickly pick up the now drenched convert and throw him or her into another wave "in the name of the Son." This is repeated a third time "in the name of the Holy Spirit." 

(Interestingly, as a lifelong surfer, I've noticed that waves often come in sets of three!)

The point of this church's baptismal practice apparently is not simply to emphasize the name of the triune God. In baptizing people this way, converts are given a tactile experience that indicates to them the struggle of the Christian faith. "Hey, follow Jesus if you want to, but man, it's going to cost you!" I'm reminded of Paul's famous "encouraging message" to the believers in Asia Minor (Acts 14:22). "Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through hard times."

Baptism means death. It means, "Hello!!! Ready for a fight? Ready to face temptations that blitz you daily? Ready to love people who tick you off? Ready to exercise the marks of a true Christian -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control?" 

No one is ever ready to do all that. But you have to start somewhere. In the New Testament, you got saved, and you got wet. Baptism was THE public pledge of total allegiance to your Lord and Master and Savior and Redeemer and Best Friend. 

I never want to back off from something because it looks too hard. Jesus is always there to help us in our Christian walk. He's even there to pick us up when we fall. You have to learn to push the doubts aside and keep on going. Life is just plain tough work. But the task is made easier when we consider that everything we have is a gift from God, freely bestowed. So I should give it back freely in return. 

No Need to Over-Translate Greek!

Tonight in class we're having a quiz over prepositions. One thing we want to do is avoid over-translating Greek prepositions when a compound verb is used. 

Mark 1:21 is a case in point. 

Here the repetition of eis doesn't necessarily indicate emphasis. 

It's probably just the redundant use of the preposition that developed during the Koine period. This means that translations such as "And they entered into Capernaum" are probably over-translations. "And they entered Capernaum" suffices. 

Our new subject tonight is the Greek personal pronoun. Should be tons of fun!