Cornerstone of America

#24 - Bruce Trout

February 22, 2020 Alex Joudy Season 1 Episode 24
Cornerstone of America
#24 - Bruce Trout
Show Notes Transcript

One week before his wife was due to have their first child Bruce stopped to help with a car accident on his way to work. While helping he was hit by a car and almost lost his life.  Bruce was then rush to the hospital and in surgery all day with life-threatening injuries. Thankfully now he is recovering and doing well but he had to lose his left leg from the knee down. When faced with the choice of either losing his leg or keeping it and taking the chance it might cost him his life, the choice was clear. Losing his leg would mean being with his wife and seeing his  baby girl grow up.

When you listen to Bruce's story and the people that where there tell what happened, you come to realize, that by all accounts, Bruce should not have survived. 
There are many contributing factors for his survival.   His wife, his unborn daughter, the quick thinking of some amazing individuals who happened to be there that day as well.

Bruce also had been strength training for a couple years at the time of the accident.  At 5'2" and 120lbs prior to starting this program, Bruce worked extremely hard with the Starting Strength program https://startingstrength.com/  and Coach Nick Delgadillo, he put on 20lbs of muscle and was lifting twice his body weight on most of his barbell lifts.

This added muscle, strength, and ability fight through adversity no doubt helped him survive this ordeal.

Not only that, Bruce was back under the Barbell, minus his lower left leg, training less than 2 months after his accident. 

Bruce's family and strength training helped save his life, and it's the driving force behind his incredible rate of recovery.

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https://startingstrength.com/author/nick-delgadillo

https://liftfightwin.com/

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spk_1:   0:10
all right. I want to welcome everybody to the cornerstone of America. Podcast. I am your host, Alex. Johnny and I am I'm honored to be joined by Bruce Trout. And this is kind of interesting one every episode. That is probably about 25th episode, Bruce. And, uh, you know, So I'm new to this field in general. Overall, over the last six months and every guest I've had on, I've either known personally or, you know, it's somebody I kind of follower know about. And, you know, they have an interesting story that I want to be able to talk to them. And I've actually just gotten to know you in the past week and just know about you over the last couple weeks, so I'm literally gonna be actually asking us to get to know, you

spk_0:   0:50
know, that's fine. That makes it easier for me, you know? So,

spk_1:   0:52
yeah. So, uh, actually, you know what? Just telling myself, man, How old do you where you're from? And you know what do you

spk_0:   1:01
So Yeah, I'm 32. Um, turned 32 in October. I live in Bowling Green, Ohio. I'm not from here originally, but I've been up here for about 11 years now. I met my wife up here and, uh, kind of just stayed around. It's a college town, so I came up here to go to school. And, um, I can't live with a buddy of mine who at the time needed a roommate for his master's and ah, met my wife. And I'm just kind of stuck here now, So, uh, which, which is fine. It's ah, pretty small town. But, uh, it's pretty place, actually. So, you know, I'm not too unhappy about it, but so it's what I do s o. I worked for a components company where we build rough and floor trusses. Eso contractors I don't want to do on that step by hand on the site takes a lot of time and money for that. So they ah, sim blueprints to us. We draw it all up and building in our, uh, plant and then ship it to the site so they could basically just nail it up and go. And, um, it's a weird industry. I fell into it very randomly and ah, but it's still surprises me. How many houses air getting built every day, All day. It's incredible, man, like we ship out 45 loads a day. So that's and that's really only in the northern Ohio and Michigan area. And that's everyday man, five days a week for five units that are going out to build a house and some someplace around, not too far away. So, um, and I designed the trusted, so I work. Luckily, I worked from a computer. That's something I transitioned to transition into, Um, actually, not that long ago. So just about six weeks before I had my accident. So, um yeah, it's a It's one of those weird kind of this, but there's a lot of the more we talk. I think the more there's just a lot of serendipitous moments, you know, things just line up. It's it's just hard to explain how it was possible, you know? All right, so So I'm able to keep my job. What's the plant manager for about a year. So I was on my feet all the time, you know, making sure guys were not slacking off or whatever the case making things you're gonna build correctly. And, um so I was always, you know, 89 hour day on my feet all day. So it was a blessing to be switching over to where I can sit up, sit down all day, you know, work from home. Even so,

spk_1:   3:37
Yeah. So, you know, comic operations management. Basically, Yeah. Yeah, I did that for over two and 1/2 years after I left the, um, Jim industry for a little while. Yeah, And actually, if, uh, if you ever get a chance and go listen to a few episodes Ah, I I've ranted Ah, against the massive corporate model and the uselessness of, like, the redundancies of, like, a lot of reports.

spk_0:   4:02
Oh, yeah. It's not student.

spk_1:   4:04
Yeah, it's pretty. We'll get to that if you want, but, um, so yes. So speaking every accident so some people may be asking. Okay, so who's Bruce and wife to show? Ah,

spk_0:   4:15
good question. I'm pretty much a nobody, for the most part. So

spk_1:   4:19
And Bruce actually works out utilizing the starting strength method, and my wife is a starting strength coach, and I just happened to be on their instagram page a few weeks back, and I happen to see a repost by Bruce. Is Coach Nick Dog a deal, right? He used to coach you. Yeah.

spk_0:   4:38
Yeah. And you know that the moment to actually. So

spk_1:   4:41
yeah. Okay, cool. So that makes a good guy. I've got time to win When we hosted Ah. Couple starting string seven hours up here when we had our gym. Eso won show everybody what happened, man.

spk_0:   4:50
So, uh, Okay, yes. Oh, on November 22nd of this last year I was on my way to work. And, um uh, so I'm on my way to work. I'm coming up to big intersection to get onto the highway. I have to drive down the highway to get to work, and, um, the car pulls off. Thio is getting off the highway, doesn't yield its t boned flips over lands in the media. And I'm maybe 70 yards away from it. And so it's about 6 30 in the morning, still dark, and ah, so my Holy. You know, damn, dude like that's like, That's no good, you know? So I didn't think too much about it. Um, but I drove up real fast, got into pulled off the road a bit and run out to the car to see if anybody was seriously injured. Um, I'm not any empty or anything, so, you know, I really didn't have a plan, but I just figured, Hey, you know, maybe somebody needs some help. So I ran out, and with it being so early, you weren't a lot of the cars around. So, um, it wasn't like, you know, if it's a fender bender, maybe I just keep on going. But so, uh, I get out, I run up to the truck that was up on its roof and ah, you know, I'm yelling And hey, you know, if anybody needed help and I'll never forget, the guy kind of squirms down through the window, and he's just like, Yeah, we're good. Can you just call the police? Call 911 is like, Oh, yeah, sure. Okay, awesome. Good. I don't have to do anything. Do you know what? I have to try to CPR. You know, technically, I'm trained, but you know, So, uh and then Ah, I don't remember this, but I did call 9 11 and right at that moment I was struck by another vehicle that was coming, Thea, opposite direction. I was heading south bound. They were heading north bound. So and it's the south end of towns and speed limits. 55. So, um, I No, I called 911 because it was on my call on my phone, but I don't remember any of that. And I was hit by the car and att about 45 mile an hour or so. And, um, it actually threw me into the truck that was upside down. Um, feet first. I mean, this is all just what they told me. I don't know. I don't remember any of this, of course, but, uh and so my left leg was thrown through the black, the back window of the truck, and it's, um So I had a the compound fracture in my tibia. My femoral artery was severed in two places. Um, and you know, a broken foot. My knee was completely destroyed. Um, and then, uh, I woke up nine days later, without a foot. So is they put me into essentially a coma for a week because they had to. It was pretty extensive situation for them, of course. So, um, yes, that's that's kind of the that's child up. And I was hit by an oncoming car. Um, trying to be a hero, I guess. Put. Ah, so So, Yes. So that's what happened. Um, pretty intense situation. Pretty serious. Uh, I lost. They had to go through 21 units of blood to get me stabilized. So which the human body's holds, like 9 to 11. So for the first little while there, I didn't have any of my own blood in me, Which is a kind of wild thought to have, you know, to me, uh, kind of hard to fathom that, but yeah, so that put me in the hospital. But that's the gist of it. Trying to help out somebody and, uh, got hit by an oncoming car.

spk_1:   8:48
Damn it. Oh, I mean, like, there's so much to impact there. It's insane. Just like how your life just changes in a heartbeat. So you called 911 and then you woke up in that days later.

spk_0:   9:00
I So you know, memory is fickle. Ah, it's not that great. Certainly not as good as people think usually, but, um, I had thought I left my phone in my truck originally, like through it, you know, like man, I went up and I was thinking I told the guy. Okay, let me go back to my truck, turn around, walk and get hit. But, uh, my wife's like, No, you know, I scrolled through, you know, I was looking at your phone when they gave it to me, and you called 911 so but, yeah, the last thing I remember, um, is the guy asking me to call my one and tell Tell 9 11 and tell me that he was okay. And even that might not be accurate, You know what I mean? So do

spk_1:   9:45
you know where you on the phone number one when it happened, or was your phone in your pocket?

spk_0:   9:49
Well, haven't I think I was on? But I was told later that, um, so there were several cars that had stopped just shortly after I did. I have no recollection of that, but that's what I've been told. And I guess many people were calling, and I don't think my Michael never actually went through. I guess they were a Kevin's have dropped calls because everyone was doing at the same time or something. I I'm not really sure how that works. but that's what they told me so. But I certainly I don't remember being connected to anybody. Um, like I said, I don't even remember having the phone at all. I thought it was in my truck, So

spk_1:   10:23
valuable. So for a lot of people don't realize so as soon as you mentioned the ephemeral artery being said,  that's a major one. That's the one where that gets severed. You don't have a medical attention. Within a few minutes, you depending on how severe and how bad you can bleed out in 20 minutes. Glass. Basically.

spk_0:   10:41
Yeah, well, so this is the first serendipitous thing. So the the next closest person to stop I was a young lady named Morgan who was an off duty MT. Her and I were both at the truck, she says. I don't remember seeing anybody else, but so she actually got hit by the car as well. She got clipped on her shoulder to her labor. Um, but, um, I think that's what it was, but she got she got clipped, kind of got wing, you know, but was alert enough to come find me moaning in the median and stopped another oncoming car told this kid She said he was a young kid, told him to get out, took his belt off and tied a tourniquet around my leg. And then, uh so and then she had already called the police, which I should have done before you got out of the truck in hindsight, But you don't think that really. You know, you think someone's injured, but anyway, luckily, the police arrived pretty quick. The mt arrive Pretty quick. Pretty quick relative to my me being hit. So this kid who I have no idea who he is, But this this young girl's telling him just pulling aside, you can pull it. The cop shows up, he happens to have a tourniquet in the squad car. Um uh, military style tourniquets. So they get that on me, and then the empty the ambulance gets here soon enough, they come put 1/3 1 on. Um, so, yeah, I would have died. Um, and statistically, it probably should have Really, um, which is a and her notes. I don't know if it's truly set in yet. Mentally. You know what I mean. But

spk_1:   12:26
it just happened. I mean, when I messaged you first on it took him, you know, and again just to give everybody limited context. The reason that was one of the reasons why you no bruises on the story. Now, I was looking through feet that I got. I saw that post by Nick. Basically usual in your I think was your first or second workout back into it. Right. And I was looking at the work out in this stuff and I said, Oh, this is cool. And then kind of restore literate. This'll just happened. You know, not that long ago it was maybe a time. Yeah, about three months, right? You said November 22nd. Um, and I remember when I messaged you throw some he were in. And maybe this kind of gives a little bit of context to Ah, you know who you are when your comments, uh, your friends back was I gotta pull this up because I don't wanna butcher this. Okay, here goes. Hey, Alex, I really appreciate you reaching out to me. I think it would be interesting in front of chat with you, but I'm a bit hesitant because I'm a pretty boring guy. Aside from the freakish accent that I've had Be nice. So you seem like a nice guy. And given the fact the fact that you found with you starting strengthen your there's some weirdo searching for amputees to talk big conversation. So, um yeah, that's my wife laughing in the background.

spk_0:   13:35
Well, if you can't if you can't laugh at yourself, you know? Yeah, and I've always I've always kind of been that way. And so you know, why change now? It's been, you know?

spk_1:   13:43
Yeah. And that, Like I said, that was what you posted. And you just kind of getting back into working out again. And you have been You've been training for a couple years at that point, as far as like with this starting straight from the stadium building because you're, you know, this is not your natural like a big guy, right? So that's calling Yes of the string training model in that, you know, you start put on some muscle and get stronger, and and you started It's, um, pretty pretty big numbers for yourself. And then I remember what part of the post being just adjusting it? Getting back to Barbeau training without a lower leg on your with your lower left leg and then, you know, the being humble of this horse. You know, your numbers, like the CCB. You warm up, and now it's like and the way you approach to me, that post something kind of connected for me where, like, if you're gonna talk to this guy, especially with, like, the kind of podcasts I'm doing into the people and talk to Nish now, like I said, Okay, you know me sort of a message and see if he's interested. Give it a chat into your response with players like, Oh, yes. So we could

spk_0:   14:38
you know, it's I mean, uh, sometimes maybe I'm even a little too humble this far, you know, because it's like I just I try to really keep my ego in check. But But no, I'm kind of go back. Yeah, I'm a small guy, madam. Five foot two. Um, so I mean that Sure, you know, but ah, luckily, my wife doesn't care because she's 58 but, um, aim high, you know, But that literally. Yeah. So what's Ah? I had been lifting for quite some time, um, before starting straight before I started following it started drink program, but it was glamour muscles, You know what I mean? You know? So I had a okay upper body, but I had the chicken legs. You know what I mean? So, um, but yeah, put on a good £20 of weight in the first probably six months and most of it, you know, I'm a pretty lean guy in general. Just so, um, yeah, my legs got real big relative anyway, And, uh, you know, put on a little bit of but for my wife. So that was gonna go And, uh, yeah, I was You know, I was pretty happy. You know, I did a starting strength competition, actually done in Chicago a couple years ago. Did Okay, you know, it's fun. So we are the the 30 shrink thing is awesome in. I found that 2017 um, pretty close to when they first started the online coaching. Um, got Nick pretty quick. Got with him, And I was a blast man. Did it for for about 10 months. I think before I kind of figured all right. I mean, I could probably take care of it for the most part by myself. You know

spk_1:   16:21
what 20 years? One of their sayings is, You know, the stronger you are, the heart of your to kill

spk_0:   16:26
just to that point. I mean, um, so real quick, I guess. I don't know. It's that interesting, but I found starting strength. Ah, through a podcast called Parliament are demanding,

spk_1:   16:39
right? Yeah.

spk_0:   16:40
Right. Yeah. I listened to a podcast with Matt Reynolds back in early 2017. And, uh, so I'm like, man, there was a phrase he said, and I'm kind of paraphrasing, but he said something, You know, we have several £500 dead lifters that are female, and so I'm like, Okay, what? You know, I'm doing something wrong, cause you know, I'm a small guy, but I should, you know. Okay. And then I looked it up, Found Rick had actually done a podcast on there with him. And so yeah, it was It was awesome. It was probably the best experience ever had. But Rip just was saying that, you know, like, hey, the shaggy are the hardy are killing to some. You know, I took that as a mantra, man. I just started like man. Yeah, you know what you know I got. Yeah. I mean, there's just It just makes it made sense to me. So, um, but kind of fast forward into me getting hit when my dad had kind of made a comment. He's like, You know, if you hadn't got added all that muscle, that might have ripped your damn leg off, You know? I mean, I don't know. There's just a lot more. Is that the cut? The laceration on my upper thigh was about 270 degrees, and it went all the way down to the bone from the inside and then down and around. So So I mean, it damn near did cut my leg off, but it had a couple extra inches to go through, you know? So if I were walking around £25 lighter, like you were a few years ago, who knows, man, You know. So, um yeah, man. Shockey hard are. So now I'm like, Dude, I got I gotta keep working now, man. I mean, you know, I doubt I'll get hit by a car again, but hell, you never know. So I'd better start getting back in there trying to add on some weight.

spk_1:   18:33
You know, like I've been a trainer and in the gym in the street for almost close to 20 years now, but, um, it's with the interesting about that is ah, that you You know, when I realized how recent your accident was and you know you were lifted again, Um, not from a from a standpoint of, like, where you send people mentally aren't ready to get kind of back into it. But that's that's part of it, right? And you you started lifting again. It was probably almost around the three month mark, right? Energy nor being in February like that?

spk_0:   19:06
Well, yes. So I got I got out of the hospital in the second of January, Spent about six weeks in there. Um, and then I was still pretty laid up. Um, the entire time they had this, what's called him? Metal ex ex, fix external, external fix later. And so they basically just screwed into my bone in a couple places and rigged up this very rudimentary metal cast, essentially so that my leg couldn't banjo. I was in the hospital and hopes that some of my knee would heal on its own and kind of give me some range. So it's free. Laid up for about a week with that, Um, but yeah, I started lifting probably two weeks or so once I got home about, um And then I did that for about a week. Just kind of because they told me. Look, somehow I managed to have a totally mangled left leg, and the only other injury was a broken collarbone. So I had I mean, so they're like, Look, just you can get back to lift in your upper body. In fact, we you know, I think that's a good idea. So when you feel comfortable, you know, go back to it. So I said, Well, you know, I'm sitting my ass not doing anything, you know? So it's like, Yeah, I'll just get out to the gym, get out to the garage and get after it, you know? I mean, so then I got with Nick. Probably another week later, he hit me up because, you know, Nick follows me. I follow him. So, um, he's like, Hey, man, I love to just volunteered to coach him in, You know, try to help you out through this some, like, well, not gonna pass that up, you know? So I thought I'd been working with him now, so yeah, it was is probably, um, mentally January for sure that I was lifting again. So no time to waste, man.

spk_1:   20:53
Well, yeah, that and that's another thing, too. Is ah, the type of shape you were in, right? Lose the fact. You know, like how fast you got back into training because the you sustained, it's kind of hard to find a doctor. That would actually it's a good question. Did you have any objections from the doctor's? The doctor's not like you just walked out of the hospital. All right.

spk_0:   21:12
Yeah, I know they were, Um yeah, I just said three appointments yesterday, So I'm seeing you weekly. Really? I'm checking in with guys, but with some of the doctors and whatnot. But no, they were, um no, man. The whole thing it was so I don't want to ramble, but I'll get into a little bit of this because they were more surprised. It how I had healed. And I don't want this to sound I mean, I had nothing to do with it. I wasn't, like, all right, he'll, you know, and having this, you know, total control over myself. But for whatever reason, um, I held up really well. They worked. They told my wife I later found out that she should be prepared for me to be handicapped forever because they thought I was gonna lose my entire leg. Um, and so if you lose your leg leg with hip, there's no process is for that. So I'd be on crutches in a wheelchair forever, and

spk_1:   22:10
they even above above the amputee where you have a Marie. It's a total game changer in regard to look, you know, the ability to articulate with a processes and whatnot.

spk_0:   22:21
Yeah, so exactly So they were not because they had to take, uh, head to take in vain out of my good leg, and so it into my bad leg so that the blood could recycle. Um, and they really didn't think it would work. And ah, but they did it, Thankfully. So And but so they were just so kind of taken aback by how well I was healing for whatever reason. And so they were I mean, they gave you no objections, you know, they're like, Look, dude, get after it. So I'm, like, Good. Look good. That's all I need, you know? So just give me the okay, So and Yeah, it was crazy. I had a lot of doctors and surgeons and whatnot that didn't work on me. They would visit me, visit my room in the hospital because they're just, like, how the hell you know I can't believe it. Good to meet you. You know, it's like you're freaking freaking nature. Some weird thing happened, you know, they were so surprised that I didn't lose a lot more, you know? But so yeah, they were all for it.

spk_1:   23:21
Unbelievable. Man, that's that's crazy. Um, Well, and then So Yeah. So you start training, you're getting back into training again. And what's that adjustment been like? I mean, I I've got an idea now, just by seeing a few year posts and briefly chat with you and I'm not talking to right now, um, knowing you were going to attack this, but at the same time, what was the feelings like going through? Um, three months ago, I'm squatting this much, and now I got it shimmy in from a chair over the bench and kind of re just and, of course, next doing his best to kind of make adjustments. So what with that and so mentally, Well, it's like,

spk_0:   23:57
um, yeah, I don't know, man, like the lifting has always been, um, very enjoy, very joy filled thing for me. Like I love doing it. It's And when I started, you know, squatting and dead lift. And I really started liking it, cause, you know, you lived in a lot of weight, and it's like, Man, I love this challenge and everything. So eventually, the hard part was not getting back into it so much as realizing how much loss I had. Um, I lost about £25 in the hospital. Um, and I'm already a small dude. You know, I was walking when I got hit. I was walking around in about 1 40 which for my height, feels pretty good for me. But that was hard, you know, Like I said, I'm a lean guy. So to get out of the hospital weighing 1 16 and you know, that was probably the hardest part was like, man, I'm not so bummed out about the leg or anything. It's like I'm now I'm skinny is shit again. Like, what's going on here? Put down true guy. It was, uh yeah. So it was. It was hard to kind of deal with the fact that bench pressing the empty bar bell was a challenge. Um, I don't know that I'll never forget that feeling. It was just like whole my you know, And, uh, it was

spk_1:   25:22
really You have the number one just the amount of weight you lost. And just going through that your body physically, a traumatic experience of, like, losing part of your leg. And then you get the fact that just like relearning how to balance, right, a lot of people don't know, don't lift or don't really understand or never really learned how to actually bench press. You get a lot of your drive from your lakes. Yeah. So also now losing one leg, I'm guessing you don't have a full process is here because there's no way for a free meal,

spk_0:   25:49
right? Well, everything is, for the most part, healed, but, uh, well, I just Yeah, it's incredible. Dude, I the I mean, it's under Norman. It's crazy. But, uh, in fact, yesterday, though, I just start so I have to. The process is ah, the residual which sounds way better than start needs to be shaped, um, so that it's more of a ball and socket type fit. So I just started that yesterday, so I have a essentially, like a panty ho type deal on my leg right now that that shrink in the end. Um, so I won't be in any kind of prosthetic for probably five or six weeks. Even that's gonna be, um you know, I'm not gonna be able to do much. The big problem is I don't have a deflection, Really? So even if I were to have apiece on right now, I can't bend my knee enough to to get my leg into position to drive. So and that was hard because I took the starting strength. Very serious. I'm a I like to think of a pretty coachable guy, so I mean, I was, um you're trying to stick with, um, form as best I could, so I mean, I totally understood the significance of Blake drive and, you know, using that, getting a little bit of the arch in the back and all that stuff, so yeah, it's hard because I don't have much of that right now, you know, because when I push off with my right leg my teacher over a bit, it's it's hard. And I'm starting to get used to it now. But, you know, for the most part, using no leg drive it all trying to get back into it. So it's, you know, Okay, I guess it just makes my chest stronger, so that's fine. Whatever

spk_1:   27:34
you follow. Ah, Casey Mitchell. His paint on this graham is that one legged monster.

spk_0:   27:38
Oh, yeah, I know of him. I don't follow him, but yeah, Yeah, do that, Zach.

spk_1:   27:42
Yeah, There's some crazy pictures when he first, you know, got her in the i. D. Blast was in military to give people a little bit of background, and he wasn't a big guy at all. Um, and the guys, that frickin beast now and get the records and he had that it was, you know, almost lost his arm and amputee from the similar invitation. Like yourself. Yeah, it's it's pretty motivating for special people who have been to some things. But now I remember him telling a story about how just learning had a all, although all the balancing things, everything you don't think about when we have two weeks and you want

spk_0:   28:13
Yeah, I mean, just like gesso. You know, I'll drop the bar onto the safety pins in order to move the hooks, you know, to do some whatever in just picking that up on one later. It's just Yeah, it's It's really hard, and it's kind of hard to describe. I mean, I guess just if anybody's interested, just go try to do it on one leg. You know, you'll find out pretty quick, it gets old, man, that's it's no fun. But, you know, you know, my thing is just kind of Ah, I don't know, man. What are you gonna do? You know, I can't change it right now. And so, uh, way have a newborn.

spk_1:   28:49
I'm just gonna bring that up, and so real. I know you're pregnant, right? At the time of the accident, nine months. So she was like, any day now type thing, right?

spk_0:   28:57
You had to do date with the due date was the first. Ah, I got hit on the 22nd. So she ended up giving birth on the third But

spk_1:   29:07
you just come out of her coma at that time. Were you Still

spk_0:   29:09
I came out. I came out on the 29th. Um, I was really fully awake on the 30th that next. So I got hit on a Friday. Was in, was heavily sedated till the next Friday, was back to my And that's a crazy thing I had No, I had no brain damage or anything. So Saturday and once the anesthesia wore off, just like, What's up? How's it going? What's what happened to go? You've got no foot, man. Like I will. Damn. What the hell? You know, like, what? Don't you know? But, uh, so that Saturday, I kind of went through. I was in ah, intensive care unit for the leg. Sunday comes I'm still in there, but the nurses air like, well, they kind of realized how pregnant my wife is because she wasn't showing much. You know, I'm a small guy. Our baby's a small little girl, and my wife's pretty tall, so she wasn't shown a ton. And I don't think people I don't think some of the nurses really noted realized how far along she was. So, um a nurse comes in on Sunday that I hadn't worked with and ah, my wife's with me. I mean, she was, I don't know, we could go into that, But my wife was incredible, man, but she was with me the whole time. I mean, just a savage didn't give to, you know, just didn't care at all about the pregnancy is far. It's like Justin Leonard, defector, you know, But, um, nurse finds out she's due in a few days, and she's like, Well, hell, we got to get you out of I c U. So you're gonna have a chance to go see the baby being born. So they pulled some strings, got me technically just down the hall. But in a lower, um, security situation, I guess you could say, um and then they call me on Monday. The doctor comes in and kind of talks to us on Monday. One of the orthopedic surgeons. His name was Dr Tank, by the way, which is awesome. I'm, you know, bif upset by this. Duty comes in and cowboy boots, it's just it's incredible. That guy was a monster man, but ah, he's like, well, and he was straight shooter. He's like, uh, well, if I were you, I'd call your overdue I n. I'd try to get your self induced if you have any. If you want Bruce to be down there at all because he's gonna be in surgery on Thursday and Friday for sure. So if you don't have the baby by Wednesday, you won't be able to be there. So that's what we did. The O B g Y n just happened to be on a 24 hour shift. She got induced, Um, on Tuesday night. And then Wednesday morning, I was down there watching my baby, being bored in a wheelchair with my leg all wrapped up. And it was It was wild, man, but yeah, she was. It was a crazy experience, say, and that's the thing. I mean, it didn't go as we planned, but ah, man, I really shouldn't have been able to be there like just just everything. I should have been healed up enough. You know, she probably it's It's awesome that she didn't go into labor through all this, you know. I mean, it's I can't imagine the amount of stress that she was under its Um, as far as I'm concerned, she this whole situation was much worse for her. I mean, I was asleep for a large part of the real serious stuff, you know? So I don't know what you know, but yeah, newborn on the sir, and I'm you know, So my wife and I, both in the same hospital floor apart, recovering from some situations, and it's wild man is Well,

spk_1:   32:32
that's that's crazy, man. I mean, I remember. Well, first of all, just being able to be there is is huge. You know, I have I've got five kids and I was out. Oh, we had a homer strollers. I was at all the birth. Um, their memories. You can't You don't make up. Especially the first. The 1st 1 is so cute, right? Yeah, for you to actually be able to to have been able to been there, um, it's just with all the circumstance and the amount of adjustments and everything that you've had to go through in the last few months, you and your wife with just being a first time dad is so such a shift, even after the pregnancy is for all you guys out there who don't have kids or are pregnant with their first. Finding out you're gonna be a father is one thing. Um, but there's nothing like the when your family unit goes from two people to 50 also. Now there's three, right? Right there. That changes everything. And they have to go through that. And you're so fresh out of just going to dealing with the accident, losing your leg and now started wrap your head around that did that. I could see where some people were just might crash and burn with that. But for you, was that a driving force of or at least part of it of Just kind of hit the ground running with Okay, that's a reality,

spk_0:   33:44
my little girl. You mean like, Oh, dude,

spk_1:   33:46
because there's no time to kind of just

spk_0:   33:47
No, no, you don't exactly know. It's like, Look, uh, and I say, you know, it's I totally understand wanting to just sit back and be catered to and kind of be down in the dumps. Um, and, you know, Look, I have rough days, man. You know what I'm saying? Journal? He notes for those out. Yeah, so but, you know you just don't. And so for me, I kind of I talked to, you know, quite a few people about this whole thing, and, uh, not to judge anybody else but not everyone who has a child. Businesses was necessarily like planning on that. And my wife and I were like, This is what we want. We're gonna get it like I can't wait to be a dad. She can't wait to be a mom, you know, like, we're this is I want this more than anything, you know. So to me, it's just in fact, So this is kind of a crazy story, but, um, little story kind of flash back a little bit, but so in the ambulance, when they got me into the ambiance of the scene, I told them I got a baby due in a week and I got a wife and you can't let me die. And then I blacked out, and I had that memory and I thought maybe that's just some cool memory I made up in my head, you know? But my wife got a card while I was in the coma. I think was the 26th or so from a friend of hers whose husband is a friend of the e M T. S. And he told them about that not do. This guy was just like, you know, he's like, Yeah, he said this and then, you know, So we were just like, man, we got to keep this guy alive, you know? And she wrote that down in a Christmas card. She said, uh, I knew when Bruce said I have a baby on the way in a wife. So don't let me die that he was gonna make it. And my wife of the time is that what the hell? How the hell do you know what might you know? Like, what is what? I woke up. So, you know, I I don't know. I really think it's they kept me alive, Not only where they had motivating driving factor for me to recover, but, um, you know, I don't you know, stuff's kind of, you know, it's complicated. Death is, you know, I don't know. I think, um, I just wasn't willing to die to a small degree. And that's, you know, obviously a lot of other factors worked out, and that's the reason I didn't. But they were, um that's all I could think about in that moment. And so, yeah, I think it was absolutely driving. I know. Waas so And right now it's like, you know, I can't. Even though she's only two months old, she's not gonna know what's going on. She will remember any of this, at least second teller. You know, even in those circumstances, you know, you don't stop moving. You know, I'm saying you just it's easy to stop and you want to stop. But that's not how you get things done. And it's not how you get back, you know, to where you were. Um, so, yeah, I can't I can't afford to do it. I love my wife about my little girl. Um, way more than I like the idea of just sitting around being a bum, you know, I'm saying and just kind of given into the to the handicapped idea, you know? I'm saying so. So yeah, they're absolutely right now. They're probably my only driving factor. I don't really care about much else, you know? I just need to get back. I need I need to get things done for them. So because I am, um, at a disadvantage. But, you know, that's that's kind of my mindset is like, Well, just because I'm, you know, kind of knocked up a little bit messed up. That doesn't mean everything else stops. We could still have an intruder. We can still have a fire. We could still whatever. Like, I gotta be Whatever part I can get stronger and Maur, um, set up to deal with a situation I got to be doing, you know, I can't work my leg right now, but that's fine if I got a, you know, drag you while I'm just on the floor, like, at least now, you know I'm strong, you know, get it. That's my thing is like, if I gotta walk on my hands in order to get you out or whatever the case that I'm sure is how we're gonna do it. And so I better be ready and capable of it, you know? So, yeah. I mean, I think about those things all the time. You know, it's like, this is no time to waste, man. And I say that a lot, but it kind of a broken record, but it's like there just isn't like.

spk_1:   38:19
And then we wanted so recent into just the timing of, you know, the accident and then your daughter being born like right after that it's like you said, they just there's no time to sit around and have a and I don't mean Thio, you know, sound callous about this, but basically just have a pity party, right? It's, you know, I got a wife, I got a daughter brand new daughter relying on me down, and I got to hit the ground running best. What's really cool is you already had a home gym set up. You want to talk about some stuff being in your favor with this accident, you don't have to worry about trying to get to a gym and try to set this whole thing up. So ah, has there been some adjustments in with regards to you know, your layout? Now that the way, the way the gym was set up,

spk_0:   38:56
I'm either on crutches or a walker, and right now I'm pretty much only on the wheelchair are the crutches. Sorry, snow. But the one thing basically all I did was get a little bit stronger. So that I could, you know, grabbed the rack as I move around it. But I now my my did bars air constantly set up so I can use those to swing around, but, um, yeah, I mean, the setup is essentially the same. The big differences. I gotta hop around rather than, you know, I can't just jump over the safety bars. I gotta walk around to get the plates on and off. Know that, but, um, no. I mean, you know, it's just I didn't really I don't know. Maybe it's I didn't think much about trying to make it easier, you know? I mean, I just stop. No, I'll just I just need to get harder about it gets stronger, and I'm not gonna, you know, So, no, it's not much different. All I did move, I had the 45 hung up on the top of the rack. I moved, I moved the peg down to the bottom so I could just kind of, you know, lift it up and get going on that way. But other than that, I mean, it's pretty much as it was. I mean, I do seated press from now, So safety bars are a little higher every once in a while for that, but no, I mean, I don't have been reading. Ah, it's kind of slightly off. But I've been Ah, I'm almost done with David Goggins. Book. You can't. Herbie can't hurt me. And ah, you know, I just look at that. I read that book, and I'm just like, man, I don't get, you know, fuck. Just it's just a leg, man. You know, it's basically just the Shannon a foot. Like, if I can't deal with this and just keep going with it and and not make a bunch of excuses and, you know, just fucking lifted up, get stronger, figure out how to balance, you know? You know, you like you said, it's no pity party. There's no time to be. And I don't mean you If someone were to have to change of things, I'm not saying that they're any less. But for me, it was just kind of like no, man. Just don't bitch about it and just figure out how to do it. You know what I mean? So So not much has changed. Um um, Now I'm strong enough to get the 40 fives on the bar, which I wasn't at first, but so that's nice.

spk_1:   41:15
Well, yeah, that's barely like a month, and that's it. That's the awesome thing about about strength training. We always tell our clients, my wife and I, um, special people that kind of come and go on, you know, on a training regimen. But consistency wise, A lot of times people are surprised how fast they get back to their numbers before and we tell more time. You know, strength is Brazilian man strength the universal and, um, you build up that basin, that foundation, Even if you you know you have a catastrophic injury, you take time off lifting whatever it is, taking your body back to somewhere. It's already been versus trying. Thio, do something. Look as you think about how long, how long it took you when you first started training to hit certain milestones. And now, even with this accident, how fast to your body's getting back into being able to do certain things within just a couple months post accident and then just barely a month of training again. It's because of what you did beforehand, and that's one of the one of the biggest benefactors of strength training is I mean, all the benefits, everyone, but number two, if you do have to go through something like you're going through just that it makes the recovery someone. Why do you think athletes recover so much fashion? Average person. Besides having the access to a top shelf medical treatment, it's, you know, the kind of shape they're in their condition. Rain makes a huge difference.

spk_0:   42:27
Yeah. I mean, you're I was to some degree prepared for this, you know what I mean? Like, and it's certainly not something that was planning to have happened. I don't recommend getting hit by a car, but if you're going to, you know, you'd be much better off being a strong as you could be and being prepared for something like that. So, like I said a little, you know, I really have had really took that little phrase to heart, man. Like I got to be ready for the you know, the things you can't forecast for. And this is one of those things. And so, you know, I'm happy. I'm happy that I spent all that time and it wouldn't it It fell off pretty quick, you know? But it came back justice even faster. You know what I mean? So, like I said, I you know. So what is it? The middle of February 3 or four weeks ago, I could barely bench the bar. And yesterday I put up 1 60 it felt like, you know nothing.

spk_1:   43:25
See, now, if you were just starting to train and right, we're having it. Yeah, Living the bar. He's not jumping up to 1 65 Wait three weeks.

spk_0:   43:35
No, not even no. No, you're not So and so Yeah. I mean, it's so it all worked out, man. It's like, uh, somehow or another everything. And I You know, my life has kind of led up to this point, and it's prepared me to kind of deal with this, you know? So we're hitting a head on, you know? My wife's behind me about it. You know, she's nervous when I go out to the gym alone are out to the garage alone because it's not connected to our house, but it's like, Look, you know, you'll be fine. I'll be fine. Don't worry about it. You know, I got my phone fall down, off crying come lift.

spk_1:   44:05
More things to worry about is like when your bench pressing Just don't clip the Don't quit the bar. We had a saying in our gym, you know, clips kill. You know, everybody we are in the mansion was like, You go Google How many times people hurt themselves or actually died in a garage gym set up because they put clips on the bar and with the invention, or they don't have any safety set up that bar drops on their chests and got no way to rule to another place drop off. Yeah, so,

spk_0:   44:27
no, I believe me, I I I guess I mean, I had I was pretty careful to begin, right? You know, when I first started, cause I mean, did you? I don't know. To me, it's it's well worth taking a little bit of time because, you know, like you said goes, you'll watch a guy have the bar fall on him without having safeties without having proper spot or whatever the case like. It's no fun man. You know, it's it's terrible. So and the clips thing, it's like not you should be able to slip, you know, turn that thing up and try to get those plates off. You know, they don't be, you know. So, um, yeah, I feel pretty good doing it. Um and, you know, I'm a I'm not taking this lying down, but I'm also, you know, I'm I think I'm pretty aware of what I can and can't do. You know, I'm smart. It's like, Look, if I can't if I really don't think that it's a smart move, I don't do it, you know? I mean, so I can't have any again. It's going back to my daughter, my wife. It's like as much as I want to move up and do all these things, I also can't afford a setback. And if I can make better decisions to avoid that, I should

spk_1:   45:32
with interesting again. You know, the ah analogy with strength training is ah, it's kind of set you up before this because if you guys don't know about this storm strength model where spring training, I can just lend your progression, you're literally choosing to make something harder as it gets easier. So you stress agitation recovery, Right. So you do away, you do work set, you know, whatever it is, whether it's bench or squatter dead lift. And ah, we do your three sets of five. Um, you know, one day and then the next day or the next day you're training and you're like, All right, cool. What did that? Now we add five. You don't just keep doing it. And you think of no way you trained before And I used to train that way, too. For the most part. Come bodybuilding style, have poetry program. If you don't have a novel onto that as well, because you should still be anally there. For the most part, you do the same weight, maybe more. Maybe you had a couple more reps here in the area, and eyes get stronger over a few weeks. But this program is designed it. Every time you trained, you add £5 at two and 1/2 pounds at £10 just depending on what your program is in your coach, where you are in training. And you know that's what you do now with rehab, right? Every day, a little bit more, not way too much, right? Because then you're gonna I thought you fast, right. Have a setback with that program, you're choosing to make something harder every single time you do it. What I found interesting was ah, I saw one of your videos that you posted of because you were talking a little bit earlier about just not. You don't have that. The process, you see, actually, number one, you go to the molding process and then also having the articulation in the knee itself. You were doing a ah, basically, just some home physical therapy where you had your late up on look like a foam rubber, right?

spk_0:   47:04
Actually, it was it was a container of baby. Well, physical therapist is like, this is actually like, perfect, you know, use this. You had to try to work on some flexion and extension in such.

spk_1:   47:17
Yeah, so, yeah. So Bruce, just like, you know, sat down and had his ah had the container underneath where? The years. And it's just working on flexing that, you know, the part of the sum for the lake was and just just getting a little bit of movement. Uh, and then so do you do that every day is part of your rehab.

spk_0:   47:34
I do that particular thing and then just in general. I'm always extending it, always working to try and get it to move, because that's the hardest. That's really the hardest part of this whole process is my My knees tour up, and they don't really want to go back in and do reconstructive surgery. They don't have to because there's been so much trauma already.

spk_1:   47:56
That's right, actually, tour of the knee itself.

spk_0:   47:58
Well, it's your ligaments are gone. Yeah, he was destroyed. So

spk_1:   48:02
how much s o how much movies you have now is how its three month post?

spk_0:   48:06
Not much. Not much more than I had. I mean, it's really, really slow. Um, so I'm not really from the knee is pretty complicated. I'm not really, But I can I can move it. Aiken extend and flex a bit, but, um, yeah, but as faras, the reason it's stable it all is because they let it heal that way. And so my muscle, you just it's just stiff. That's how they wanted it to hell so that it would be stable. So But they didn't go in and read. They didn't go in and reconstruct anything. So, um, I'm not sure which one. Exactly. controls the extension at M C L. Maybe or whatever. But either way, something there, they said. I think they said the M C L can potentially heal on its own overtime. So it's kind of I have two things like, You know, I have the prosthetic guys. They're saying, What? You gotta work on getting that motion in the knees. And But I have the orthopedic surgeon who's just super happy that it's stuck a stiff and stable, you know what I mean? So it's kind of fighting this. It's a bit of a dichotomy there, but ah, right now, I'm just working. The biggest thing is extension. If I could get full extension, I can lock into the leg. Um, I need 60 degrees inflection in orderto walk normal. Um, but if I don't have that, there's other ways we're gonna go about it to to at least get me walking with a limp, you know, so that my big thing is extension trying to get that set up so I can actually get into it and start walking around, cause ah, you know, I can't carry my girl around. Can't you know, I'm very much I have to sit on the couch. My wife, you know, that's the only interaction really have with her is I sit on the couch or chair, whatever the case, and my wife brings it to me and that so and that's, you know, like going back to the bride thing. Like you feel like you can't take care of your family to some extent, you know? So it's a bummer, really bums me out. But it also it fuels me. It's like, what better reason to keep pushing every day than than that, you know? So

spk_1:   50:17
yeah, and ah, so did they give you any Ah, timetables for is about how far out you are If you continue the patient right now, Thio, be ableto start going through. That process of getting a process is about six weeks. I stop bad, man.

spk_0:   50:31
No, it's not. I mean, so I'm really close on my extension. I need about 8 to 10 more degrees to get to be able to lock in. So, um like, like I was saying earlier, I'll do this kind of shrink wrapped process. They got this basically a sleeve, just a sock that goes around. And so that'll be. That'll be 3 to 4 weeks. There's their timetable. Is before I'm shaped up enough to fit in. And then right around Week 45 I'll get a silicone sleeve brown week five or six, I'll step into a prosthetic so that they can kind of see how things were. So, um, so, I mean, I'm I'm not as far out as I thought. Originally, I thought this was gonna be, like, six months to a year or something. You know, when I was first in the hospital, but, um, when they saw me, uh, specials for the prosthetics doing I'm in. You're pretty close, man. We can get you walking, you know, it's it might not look normal or like it did for a little while. That might take some time, but ah, you know, you'll be walking here within the next couple months for sure, to some degree. So So, yes, It's all been really fast mint. To be honest, it's crazy, like you go from pretty much dead two, you know, getting pretty close to where we were and and about two and 1/2 or three months. It's like, I'll take that. I guess you know we'll

spk_1:   51:57
shoot. You know, life doesn't stop. You said you could just kind of choose just, you know, sit on the sideline or Okay, well, this is the new reality now, and we just gotta adjust and kind of roll with it and keep moving and starting out like what's what's going on? What are we doing here with it and go from there. If you started adjusting a little too some of the final form called notoriety because you're you're starting get known a little bit on social media, you know, they re posted that, you know, you made and people started to know you. And the way social media works is it's kind of that Give me telephone. You know, you tell a friend, and that friend tells a friend of whatnot will do the same thing. Yeah. Have you started getting adjusted to that, or, you know, that whole products like rain and people just reaching out to you, you know?

spk_0:   52:38
Yeah. I mean, like I said, I'm pretty. I almost even hate talking about it because it's like, you know, because real quick the you know, I didn't actually save anybody. I didn't actually really do anything. And I was the by Everybody else walked away from the accident. No problem. So, um, so I really feel uncomfortable with, you know, man, I got probably a dozen or more random. Well, definitely more, but specifically about a dozen. Maybe a little more than that. Random people who sent cards to the hospital. And it was just like, uh, you know, you're a hero. Here's some money. Just I mean, just people supporting, you know, But it's like I didn't really do anything I said, you know, my dad's always like, uh, just told me, Said he'd look, but you were willing to to do something, and that's kind of what matters to people. But, um but yes, so we did. Um, we did three newspaper interviews, the local paper, Um, and we actually did a, um interview for the, uh, Toledo news here in Toledo, Ohio. So and we did two follow ups with that, and we're doing another story for the actual hospital paramedic. A Toledo, um did they wanted they wanted do a pretty legit expects story? Honest, I think basically so they could say, Look, this guy was died, but we saved him. So come to us. You know, we're really good. It's been of my biggest thing is like, I hope that I can help people if they need. I'm not so much interested in, You know, it's uncomfortable. People stopped me in the store a couple times hair. You, Bruce. You know what it's like. Yeah. Dude, I'm sorry. I don't do I know you like No, no, no. You know, it's like, you know, I guess I'm so I don't know that I'll ever get used to people saying such nice things, because And in my from my point of view, I I didn't do a lot except for get hit by a car s o. But, um, I the support's been incredible. Ah, I don't even know. There's I don't know a better word for it, but that doesn't seem to suffice, but it's I mean, they go fund me page that my wife's friend put up I mean in, uh so you know, I'm getting used to it to some degree, but, um, no, I like I like people. Get a hold of me and say, Hey, man, you know you're inspiring. I hope that I enjoy that a lot. I hope that people can. I hope that if there are people out there that are struggling to get moving, it's like, you know, I posted one a few weeks ago. Words like it's not really in this kind of my thing. It's not really about what I can do as much is like, uh, what you could do, You know, if I can do what you can do it. I'm just some dude, you know, five foot two. So I'm still like I'm something. Be a player that was born with these crazy genetics or whatever. Like I'm a small, skinny guy who just put in some work, you know? So I would say I'm probably never gonna get used T o random. People hit me up and saying such such nice things because it's like, Man, they don't even know me, you know? Ah, but I do hope that it could be helpful, others because, I mean, that would be awesome, you know? So I like hearing that inspires people that makes you feel good. You know, I'm glad that I can. That's really the whole point of kind of doing those posts. I really don't know if I would have otherwise. Ah, but some close friends and family would like. Look, man, you know, people might get something out of that. So So throw it up and you know, if you can help somebody, you know, why not So But it's fun. It's fun. I can't deny that it's kind of cool, but it's It's pretty surreal, definitely.

spk_1:   56:36
You know, like I remember we were chatting a little bit before we do this over the last few days, and I think one of the biggest things you know, morning things like you haven't I wouldn't mind talking about kind of boring guy. And I Like I said, I think one of the reasons why you argued the response. It's not about like you didn't actually eat, accomplish anything if you're going to even put it that way inside it About that, it was like your dad said, Number one. You you you were willing to do something and then your approach to wife after and what I think that that's what resonates with a lot of people. At least you know, I come with you for myself. That's gonna work with me. Was a father, your new father, the training and and seeing how how you have attacked life afterwards with it, which is not just, you know, it's like humble confidence, right? If your humble about it and but you're you're confident about, I'm not gonna just sit around and do nothing. This is my life now, and I'm gonna tackle the same way I did with these other things in my life. And just and you know, when I got a new daughter take care of and I got a wife and I'm not gonna just sit around and just have this pity party, you know, before with it. But you've also posted about the surprise and just the attention you've gotten. And again, I think that's one of the reasons why you know, people will have seen something and where it is inspired. Help. Mandy, this is gunning for me, you know, And it's not even about like like I'm not going through anything, you know, a SZ, faras. Anything of that nature goes, you know, Justin, all stress of being a father husband and we went up, but nothing this for like what you're going through. So that is inspiring you know, when you do see one of your post come through and, um, you know, it's interesting. You see, you're watching a video of you doing overhead press, right? And then there's the struggle with the, um you know, your balance overall because you've got one that said it to you right now. You don't have a prosthesis. Yes, there's nothing. Plant with the other foot, right? I'm again. Somebody who has a gym in their garages. Well, I'm saying they're going Setting up that camera must have been a pain in the ass. It Ugo I sometimes get burned out on ah, the social media and all the video stuff half. And I don't have to I choose to do to promote my podcast to kind of go that part of it too. So, yeah, just so I'm aware of that process. So as I watched your videos, I'm thinking about the behind the scenes part of it. What? No, no.

spk_0:   58:47
Yeah, I I added a lot of those because, you know, a lot of right goes, it's like a three minute video because it's like, All right, hop over. I put it in the tripod, start the video. Hot back over. Get under the bar. Put the belt on, Get myself set up. You know, I cut all that out. So you're not watching a bunch of nonsense, but, um,

spk_1:   59:04
they have what they call. They have absolute where you could do, like, a voice command. Like start, stop record. Yeah,

spk_0:   59:10
have a damn have a damn button that I cannot find that came. Became with the damn tripod. That gluten used to my phone, and I can't find it, but, you know, um, I don't know. It's maybe kind of stupid, but I kind of like doing it hard the hard way. Ah, again, That probably falls back on. You know, my pride. I try to not have a big ego, but I try to be, you know, take pride in who I am. And and and as much as I kind of like the hard like, you know, my garage is cold, It's not heated, it's not insulated. You can't see my breath in the videos. But, I mean, it's, you know, 15 or 20 degrees here in Ohio right now, snow on the ground stuff. So it's like, you know, I I I have a little heater done do much, but it's like I kind of like the idea of doing things the hard way, you know? So, um, my thought is just kind of like them. Or I have to hop around to get this stuff done, the better. I'm gonna be a hopping around, And so when the time comes or I need to hop around, I'll be really glad that I was doing all that goddamn hopping around. You know? I'm saying so it's like, um, I think it's just, you know, something about doing things the hard way. I kind of like, you know, and the more I do it, the more I realize, you know, I just kind of crazy I journal quite a bit. I have for years, and, uh, it really kind of helps me put my thoughts together. But I had been, uh, writing down for quite some time that I really needed to just be better in every aspect a little bit better every day. Stronger, smarter guy got a baby on the way. I gotta be is prepared for this as I can, and I get hit by this car. I have all this crap happened, and I think about it a few weeks into the hospital, and I think about it more and more now. And it's like, you know, my my my wishes kind of came true because, um, there's if I don't sit around and just take, you know, have a pity party. There's no way that I'm not going to be a better, harder person dealing with all this stuff. So, you know, this whole time, I'm thinking I got to be better. I got to be strong. I gotta be harder. I gotta be all this stuff and it's like, Well, it's almost like the universe or God or whatever. You know, kind of think they're kind of like, OK, if that's what you want to deal with this man, you know what you get If you can get back to Owen, Uh, the normalcy of your life, it's It's not as easy as it was your harder than you were before. And you're more prepared to deal with the hardships. And so, in a weird kind of sick way, I kind of feel like this was the answer to my prayers or wishes or whatever the case you know, It's like, OK, you wanted a challenge. That's gonna make you better and harder. Here you go. You know, deal with it and get some shit done, you know? So it's I'm almost some days, they're not that way. But for the most part, I'm almost kind of, you know, I'm happy to answer the call. You know, if that's what the university No, life's always trying to kill you, man. You know, nature is always gonna worry. No one gets out alive. So it's like, All right, dude, that's how you wanna play it, you know? All right, I'll push on, bulldoze through it. That's fine. So I don't know, in some sick way, I'm almost happy it happened because otherwise I might have just kind of been happy with the mediocrity that that I was kind of in my own. My own personal opinion was in, so you know, it's crazy, but I kind of like it almost did some weird ways. You know, I like doing it the hard way. Yeah, yeah, it's a big challenge, but that's what strength training, you know, going back to that like, you know, I'm a small guy, were like I said 1 40 was like the pinnacle man. I was I was drinking 1/2 a gallon a day. Just maintained, like of milk. You, Tina. I did the go mad for about three months, and I was pretty. You're not off to a pretty hard man, but, uh, you know, I'm squatting, you know, 3 65 um, for you, for reps. You know, dead lift in 3 70 or whatever doing rack pulls at 3 70 Whatever the case, I bench press to 80 at 1 37 You know, like it was those air. And you know, this just like your wife would know it. And some of the people that might listen to this We'll know it like when you get under the bar with a weight that you've never had. And you remember how hard it was last time you were under the bar, and now you've added another £5 to that. You know, you That's just you know, Manu. You struggle through that. You know what I mean? When this When that weight starts getting up there, it's like, man, you know, you're get blood vessels popping under your eyes. You just I mean, so, you know, I think back to some of those moments when I was seven p ours and, um, you know, for me, I was really happy with those numbers. To me, those were huge numbers, you know, for And so I'm like, man, and I knew how hard it was. It's like I can deal with this man. I know how to struggle. I know how to push through stuff that, you know, feels too heavy. But when you get down in the hole and you're starting to come back up, it's like, Well, just keep just keep going, man, like, yeah, it's hard. But, you know, it could be done. You know, I'm saying so. It's hard, but it's not impossible. You know, I just kind of keep living with that thought. You know, the struggle. I know how to struggle. So this is just another one of those things, you know,

spk_1:   1:4:42
Right? You know what strain training you, especially with the starting strength program. It's so mental when you start getting up in the weight starting hit because it was special. When you're doing with Hubble Linear Progression LP, you're doing your work sets are three sets of five s O to give people that don't know that. Well, some context. Let's say you're set up to Dok today. I'm 1 to 25 43 sets of five. That's my work. Wait right so that you do your warm up here on the bar and then you throw on play. Okay? There's one thing you're gonna do. Five from 1 35 4 for 1 85 100 You basically you do a 54321 or a 531 Warm up, up to your work. Wait In the 83 sets of five, well, you start basically when you first start the program overall, you basically just start with the bar and you just keep adding weight, you know, 5 £10 at a time until not told it's hard. But just until because you need to have that room for growth. But just until the bar slows down. And then once you do that, it's a really cool every time you lift. And if you're training three days a week, you know, usually the program is you squat three times a week, you devil three times a week and then you alternate bench and overhead press. So all these the four major lifts every time you lift your adding £5 it doesn't sound like much especially for our, uh is you're just getting a former technique down and then just training your CNS, your central nervous system to adapt to the stress aspect of it. But as you keep going and you do get stronger, but the weight does get heavier, you get eventually at the point where that, Rep said, is like if you were going to do what's called an R P rate of perceived exemption right when you started, if that was like a ah a three and attain on the heart scale. Now you get to like a seven or an eight, and then you do your warm up of like that day supposed to squat to 75 3 by five and you hit 2 65 for one, and that was a grind. So I think this is what I'm going to with his long, roundabout thing. Is the mental struggle right? It's not that you physically can't do it. For the most part, it's very, very few times where you physically can't do it. It's, uh we have a saying during your head. You know, when we're it's the number. It's the perception of the how hard it is. And ah, um, and then you start getting ahead. How heavy this and you do one. So you do one set, right? You do your three. Your first set of five, it was a grind. And then he racket. Then you go, Shit, I got two more or one rep And who's a grind? I got four more.

spk_0:   1:7:00
Yeah, Yeah, man, I many a nights words like it's Tuesday night, sit laying in bed and, like, Damn! And I'm gonna set a PR tomorrow, and I'm pretty scared of not, you know, it's like damn Okay, I hope I'm not too tired after work because I'm gonna be left in a way I've never lifted before. And yesterday was like I was gassed. Ma'an, you know? So it's like, Yeah, mentally. Yeah, man, it plays on you. So, you know, not only was I being physically prepared to get hit by a car, but I was being mentally prepared to to be able to push through the struggle and know that It's like, Yeah, you might be scared. And believe me, this is a scary situation. I can't lie about that. I mean, it's you know, I don't know, it's it's scary. And I'm not some superman who just is like, Yeah, whatever. No, man, it's sucks, you know? But I can I know that I can push through things that I thought I couldn't because of strength training. I know that like, Oh, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to live what I'm supposed to tomorrow, and then I do it and it's like, No. And so with this is the same thing, man. It's like, Look, I don't You know, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do this or that, but I just gotta go do it. Doesn't you know, and just push through

spk_1:   1:8:18
it? You know, the thing I love about training is the fact that you know you're eventually gonna fail. And what I'm you're not like I just said earlier. If you're not gonna just infinitely keep adding weight and keep hitting all your recipes, you know, you're and the program designed that way to Then you make adjustments and then you step back, you take one step back, two steps forward and the way it's designed so and that's what I get it with. The whole thing is it's so good for you mentally to train, especially the strength. Training in general is great but strange training where it's not some random program and you walk in. You know what I feel like doing today? Like, you know, you know, you know what you're gonna be doing sets reps and waits three weeks from today, under treating block, the average block is anywhere between six and 12 weeks when you got a programmed out and you make adjustments along the way, depending on what's going on. But for the most part, you know what you're doing. Today is like Saturday the 15th on the 25th of February. I know what I'm doing with program that day to dio having that mentality in that ability. I've had people ask, you know, uh, my myself or my wife or even clients, you know, we talked to them. They were awesome power lifter. Were you training so hard for you see, like life, I'm training for life, you know, whether it's you got five kids or one kid or no kids. And just whatever whatever life's gonna throw at you, I mean, you know, you think about just these analogies like that. We've talked about this past hour about how strength training has prepared you for what you're going through right now. It makes a huge difference. That's why I tell anybody, no matter how old you are, you know, 15 45 90. It's It's so crucial to be able to even if you don't train just to go willingly choose a hardship to go, you know, to go pick up and and pursue something, and to make you know, to make yourself better.

spk_0:   1:10:01
Yeah, this whole thing. And it's just like this particular situation that I'm in my wife is in. Um, what kind of joke? A joke around about it, But it's like, man, nothing like we've been through about the worst thing you could think of, baby like life is all downhill from here, man. I mean, like, we're you know, we're gonna get hit with some hard stuff. There's no doubt, but we know what we can get through because we've already been through it, you know, and so that's the same way where it's like at the end of the day, for me anyway, It was like, All right, I know I'm scared of this weight or whatever. It's a PR I barely got last week. My form was bad. I fucking was high on the squad or whatever the case, you know, But it's like, but I did it. I didn't think I could do it two days ago, and I ended up doing it. So it's like just meant yet. But it's just pushed through, man. And I did it trained. I didn't really miss. Probably missive workout. Maybe one when I was training with Nick and I trained with him for about 9 10 months, and it's just it builds so much confidence in you, you know what I mean? And so mentally, it's like in a lot of people are somewhat surprised about how I'm handling this, but like, you like it just kind of a broken record. But it's like I was testing my mental strength for months in a you know, years and to where it's like, Look, yeah, it's scary, but I've been through a bunch of scary stuff before that, I didn't think I could do, and I did it. So it's like, How is this any different? You know, just you just do what you just get under the damn bar and stand up. You know,

spk_1:   1:11:40
right before Ah, Before we let you go here, man, I wanted to ask you a couple questions, and I'm gonna make sure I didn't forget about one. Was. So, what's your training looking like right now, you know, because obviously, you're not squatting right now. But what what's your program looking like right now while you kind of go through this process.

spk_0:   1:11:55
So, um and I post pretty much my whole My whole workout is pretty much posted. I mean, um, real quick, I kind of use That is accountability, You know where it's like. Look, I'm doing this and it, you know, if you know, people get used to maybe seeing it or whatever. I feel this account, I feel more obligated or whatever the case to make sure I don't fall out of it. But right now, it's all upper body. I mean, eso I do. Do I bench every day? Well, I bench every session my shoulder press every every session. Um, and then right now, I'm dipped doing dips every other. And when I do dips, I do bodyweight chins. When I don't have dips in the pro in the for that session, I do wait a chance. Um, and I got I got a new phone yesterday and freakin lost the last workout. So but so I benched, um, 1 60 which actually should've won 65. But it's fine. It moved pretty well. I just messed up. Shoulder pressed 90. The shoulder presses the thing that I'm bench, I think I can figure, you know, the shoulder press, because I also have this collar bone that's kind of shaped weird now because I broke it. So it's kind of sticking out a little bit. Some of that's different blood. Yeah, so that was the only other injury I really had was a broken collar trick, but that kind of fell by the wayside, given the severity of my leg, you know, so whatever. But it's fine. And but, ah, the shoulder presses that is the big one. Because, as you all know, I mean without being able to plant your feet without having hip Dr. You know, it's so, um, I pressed 90 for three sets of five yesterday, which was I mean, I'm really pumped about that. And then do it. Wait a chance. I did it. Three sets of five with £25 hanging off, so I'm happy to have that. I mean, I couldn't even do it one the first week I was back from the hospital, You know, I'm sure so frail and messed up, so but a lot of chocolate milk had just eaten. Like it's my job, you know? So to get back some weight, but so So, yeah, it's all of her body right now. Um, I'm thinking here, pretty soon I'm gonna get a safety bar, like, kind of hang on to the rack and do some waiting. 11 leg squats. So but yeah, right now it's all over body, um, which I love. She's a every day, You know, I'm the chest in the arms and all that. So but three days a week, just like anybody else going to the program. Um, I'm kind of he's got me on him a little bit more advanced right now, so it's kind of like a heavy, light, heavy kind of set up. Um, but, ah, I love it, man. I love left in every way. It's It's just I don't know. It's awesome,

spk_1:   1:14:48
you know? I mean again getting back to not only the physical, um, benefits that you get from it both before and after the accident. But also, like the mental just every day when you finish a workout like there's that since, I mean, there's a sense of accomplishment, right?

spk_0:   1:15:04
Yeah, it's awesome. I mean, and it's ah, the more I accomplish under under the bar bell, the more I realized, OK, well, I could do more around the house, you know, get myself down into the basement do laundry, which my wife hates me going downstairs. They're upset, you know? But it's like, but

spk_1:   1:15:22
we'll get it so new for you guys, right? I mean, yeah, man once and you have the accident to rehab, your daughter being born, you the whole thing and it's still too fresh, you know?

spk_0:   1:15:33
Yeah, absolutely. But get back into the gym. It it brings Beck. Ah, it feels like normal. You know, it's what I was doing for and to be able to that and driving or two huge things where it's like because I lost the left foot. So I'm able to drive since I'm not on any pain medication. So that was huge, you know, but that it just instills mawr independence, you know, into where it's like, OK, well, now strong enough to do this stuff in the weight room. So So now I know I'm strong enough to deal with this inside the house or whatever the case, you know? Uh, yeah, it's mentally. It's been by far the best thing. You know,

spk_1:   1:16:13
it's awesome. That s r u You back to work full time now?

spk_0:   1:16:16
No, I'm I go back in March 9th, technically. So I'm on short term disability. I've got quite a bit of appointments and things, and, um, my job is the company I work for has been I mean, I can't even really describe how good they've been to me. That's awesome. So but march 9th right now is kind of the date, um, that we're looking at. So, um, see, I'm excited. That'll be just one more thing to kind of get back into the normals, writing as much as I like. Not working. Just focus in on her neck. And another thing. See, Now you got it. You got to start getting back to it, you know? I mean,

spk_1:   1:16:55
yeah, that's cool. Last question for you. And I think I only answer to this, but what is your cornerstone? Especially

spk_0:   1:17:01
now? Well, yeah. I mean, my wife and my baby. I mean, that's really what holds it together. You know what I mean for me. So, um, yeah, that seems like the simple answer, you know, but the easy way to go. But, I mean, it's there, you know, there would keep me keep me going. You know, I'm saying they're my foundation. My wife is. I mean, it's really hard to put into words how incredible she is. This this. I mean, especially when you're talking about a corner. So, you know, that's the That's the most important piece, right? You know, that's where everything comes from. And, um, you know, I just think about my wife. We're about 35 minutes away from the hospital that I was at, um, great hospital here in Toledo, Ohio. Um, which is another one of those lucky things, You know, they just happen to be there like one of the best hospitals for orthopedics and on this side of the country. So, um, but I just think about her every day. She was there most days. She slept there. She's nine months pregnant. She's It's hard to articulate this without sounding a little. I kind of don't have made. Maybe. But, you know, I kind of believe now that I love my wife. I loved her 100%. I thought because I didn't realize it, there was more there, you know? And I go through this situation and I realized, man, I was probably only like, 80 because I didn't know her, like this is I didn't know she was capable of this. She probably did. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, even more so now it's like, Man, I don't like having her in my corner. I mean, that's what I mean. I don't know. I don't know. I think what a hell, Maybe whatever I guess. But realistically, I don't know if I would have survived if I didn't have her in the back of my mind. You know, I'm saying so just kind of something about it. I mean, like I said I went through. I mean, the sheriff Ah, there was at the scene told us that he had to leave the scene because it was the worst thing you've ever seen in his crew out. And I think about all these little tidbits that people get back to me. And it's like I think about my wife to share of showing up to the house. Ah, knocking on the door. And, you know, you watch any movie. That's not a good thing, you know? You're saying, um, where she answers the door and she's you know, I just think of that moment where they're saying, Hey, look, he's been in an accident. He's being life flighted to Toledo. Um, life flighting. Anybody is never a good scenario. You know, when you need a helicopter in order to get you there fast enough. Uh, so I think about the drive. Did a 30 minute drive she took with my brother in law, not knowing what she was walking into. Um, not No one. For the first few hours. If I was gonna live now, no. One for the first week. If I was gonna have to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Ah, and I didn't see a break. Didn't break down once, and so for me, there's no better quarter soon for my foundation. You know, I'm saying, and of course I love my baby girl. But I think I think you really kind of have to love your kids. Just a hair less than your partner, you know, and kind of remember that that's the foundation of the family. And as much as I love my kids, uh, or you know how much you love your Children, all the stuff you can't forget about the other person in your life that's really making everything. So I love my daughter. The only thing I love more than my daughters, my wife. And it's just by a hair. But my wife is no my wife's Iraq. And ah, I think the scenario would have been much different if I didn't have her so easy. Answer. Maybe, uh, writing cheesy man. It is. There's just no other. There's no other route. I mean, right for me. That's not, you know, she's everything. So

spk_1:   1:21:19
that's that. Maybe management that we can know there's a better way to end this podcast, man.

spk_0:   1:21:23
Good. I hope it was fun. It was a lot of fun for me. Yeah, it was great to talk to you. Um,

spk_1:   1:21:28
I appreciate you coming on, and I really do. I appreciate you coming on. I appreciate you being as open as you a CZ you've been and talking about it. I'd love to have you back on again. Um, a little down the road, I forget your prosthesis and kind of given up date. And Syria, right?

spk_0:   1:21:42
I just want to say real quick. I hope anybody that happens to listen to this, um, if I could be an inspiration to him up, it's awesome. And with all the support I've gotten, if anybody ever needs anything Ah, like I kind of said it imposed a week or so ago. Direct message. Me no one else has Toe here. Whatever is bugging you if you need someone to talk to or whatever. Ah, I'm a stranger, so I'm not gonna judge you. You know, So, but, uh, I really appreciate having me on, uh, it's been a lot of fun. It's kind of surreal, but I appreciate it, man. I really?

spk_1:   1:22:19
Definitely martyr, man. Happy came on, and we will do this. So just no man. People are watching and people inspires. And it's really cool to kind of see what you're doing. How are you coming? Back and again just to remind everybody just frickin happened.

spk_0:   1:22:34
So yeah. Absolutely, man. Yeah, I appreciate it, Alex. I really has been a pleasure time around

spk_1:   1:22:41
the weekend going out into yours and I before talking.