Who is This Finisher Guy?

I got this crazy idea from a blog post that Jason Ferruggia did for his tribe. And believe it or not, I’ve been asked about some of this stuff below through emails and on my facebook page.

So, if you’re curious about the chrome-topped dude behind your crazy Workout Finishers, you’re about to get to know me really well…

… maybe a little TOO well. Brace yourself for some useless, but yet perhaps a little interesting info and 100% certified randomness.

1) I love pancakes even MORE than I talk about them. I once ate 13 pancakes after a Peachtree Road Race.

2) I can’t stand having dirty hands. If you give me 15 wings to eat, I’ll need 15 napkins. Yes, I use a napkin after every single wing.

3) I’m a grumpy old man when I’m driving. I can’t stand traffic and stupid drivers and I’m convinced that people who drive vans never go above 36 mph and never use their turn signal. My wife wants a van… and that devastates me.

4) Onions are stupid. Who ever thought of putting onions on pizza? That’s disgusting.

5) I hate most vegetables. When I eat a salad, it’s lettuce with vinegar and olive oil and some chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds and maybe some mushrooms. Mikey doesn’t do tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, squash,… I can go on and on.

6) I have a TV guilty pleasure… and it’s called “Dallas” on TNT. Yep, I’m a loser.

7) I work 7 days a week.

8) I get up at 4:30 every day, with the exception on the weekends; I let myself “sleep in” until 5.

9) My son’s name is Champ and that’s a fun sentence to type.

10) Most people don’t know I have a second internet business with another business partner geared towards bootcamp exercises and bodyweight workouts.

11) I joined a basketball league recently and I haven’t played b-ball in years. I’m planning on having an amazing time, yet laughing hysterically at myself.

12) I also find it hilarious that I write these tough workout finishers, yet if you put me within 10 feet of a tiny spider, I’ll scream like a 3-year old girl. Girly-man, Girly-man, Girly-man.

13) I shave my head, yet I don’t have to for about 70% of it… and I’m only 38. I started to bald when I was 15.

14) I struggle just like you do when it comes to food. My weaknesses are easily accessible starchy carbs like chips and sweets like cookies. Chocolate? No problem – but anything to do with peanut butter or oats? That’s kryptonite.

15) I played in the drum line in high school and I was the drum captain my junior and senior year. Yep.

16) My favorite superset of all time is the following:

Deadlift (usually around 8)
Stability Ball Plank with Arms Extended (30-40 seconds)

 17) I LOVE rap and hip-hop – I’m always down with some old school, too. Young MC, Run DMC, etc. are all over my Itunes.

18) Trainers need trainers, too – that’s why I sometimes follow programs from John Romaniello, Craig Ballantyne and Alwyn Cosgrove instead of writing my own for myself.

19) I train the coach of the GA Tech cheerleading team. He once held his wife above his head in the palm of his hand when she was pregnant. His core strength is ridiculous.

20) The “Thomas the Train” theme song is running through my head right now.

21) I like oats on my ice cream. What the heck?? That’s weird… and yet, I don’t care.

22) I ran a half marathon on my 34^th birthday in 2008 and vowed to never do another one.

23) My favorite workout finisher? That’s tough because I’m always changing my mind, however, there’s a classic I’ll always love and that’s the “Decline of the Bulgarians”

Do the following superset resting only when necessary. In the first superset, you’ll perform 8 reps of each exercise. In the next superset, you’ll perform 7 reps of each. Continue in this fashion until you complete 1 rep of each exercise.

Bulgarian Jump Squats (8/side…1/side)
Decline Pushups (8…1)

24) I may or MAY not reveal the Decline of the Bulgarians 2.0 in this very blog post.

25) My favorite NFL team are the Carolina Panthers and I have 3 animals in the house:

Girl cat – Carolina
Boy cat – Panther
Dog – Charlotte

Boom goes the truth dynamite

26) I once did an all out rant right here on the blog. You can read it here.

27) I LOVE beef nachos.

28) I’m a productive beast and I truly believe anyone can be when they structure their day. I know exactly what I’m doing every minute of the day until I’m done. I even plug in my workout time. However, I still can improve and I’ll probably never be satisfied with my productivity. I think that’s actually a good thing.

29) Whenever I watch something go wrong in slow motion (TV, Youtube), I laugh uncontrollably… especially when they do that funny slow motion sound effect.

30) I almost started a rap group when I was 20 called “The Bok Choy Mob”. … yes, really

31) I don’t drink and I’ve always been fascinated with how fascinated people are that I don’t drink. It’s… fascinating.

32) I own a pair of pure white Nike sneakers. My wife can’t stand them, so that’s why I wear them sometimes (even to church).

33) I can play the following song over and over while I work out… as in the entire workout. I love me some Jurassic 5…

34) My coaches Craig Ballanytne and Bedros Keuilian push me to consistently challenge myself and I’ll always be grateful for the coaching I get from them.

35) I’m a creature of habit. Before my wife became a stay-at-home Mom, I always got the mail at a certain time. One time she got the mail because she was off for some reason and I practically flipped out.

36) I’m so directionally challenged that’s it’s downright pathetic. I’ve been known to get lost in parking lots. I once got lost in Vegas and walked around for almost 3 hours. When I got back, my roommate Rick Kaselj was dead asleep and thought I had partied hard all night.

37) I’m so pumped about the “Decline of the Bulgarians 2.0” finisher, I can’t help but share it. Here:

Do the following superset resting only when necessary. In the first superset, you’ll perform 8 reps of each exercise. In the next superset, you’ll perform 7 reps of each exercise. Continue in this fashion until you complete 1 rep of each exercise.

Goblet Bulgarian Jump Squat (8/side…1/side)
Decline Triple Stop Pushup (8…1)

*The Decline Triple Stop Pushup is when you pause halfway down for one second, followed by a 1 second pause at the bottom, and then you come up.

38) Before 2011, I hadn’t been on a plane since 2004. I’m probably going to be traveling 5-8 times this year easily… and I like traveling for some reason. I get more done on an airplane than I do in a day sometimes.

39) I can watch the movie Braveheart over and over. I once wrote a bodyweight program named after it and I think I might do a 2.0 version in the near future.

40) I think the Evernote app is the greatest app in all the land. I record ideas into it all the time.

41) I once ate TWO “Baked Apple Dumplings” from Cracker Barrel back to back after my half marathon. The manager took a picture of me saying, “This has never happened before”.

42) I have to work really hard to keep off the 105 pounds I’ve lost. I can gain fat super easy, but I don’t let that be an excuse.

43) No, I don’t have a six pack and I’m completely fine with that. I can move around and play with my son (soon two sons), and that’s what counts for me.

44) When Walter Payton died, I cried like a baby. When Michael Jordan retired, I cried like a baby. When the Panthers lost the Superbowl, I cried like a baby. I no longer watch NBA basketball.

45) I hate bugs… like REALLY hate them.

46) I was invited to Joel Marion’s SuperBowl party, but I had to stay home because baby Deakan is due any day now. That killed me.

47) I start every day reading a daily devotion from Tony Dungy’s book “The Uncommon Life” and I take it with me when I travel.

48) I have a list in a word doc for just about everything including when I pack for a trip and my blueprint on how I’ll shop for Christmas. Crazy? Yes.

49) Speaking of Christmas, I start listening to Christmas music as early as September. Yeah, I’m one of THOSE people.

50) I can’t stand the New England Patriots and when they lose, my day instantly improves.

51) I can’t stand the phrase “That’s my fave”. Really? You’re so lazy, you can’t add two more syllables??

52) I can’t stand it when people call their significant other “love”. Can you bring me my purse love? You sound like an idiot.

53) Bell peppers are gross.

54) The 3 Stooges were hilarious when I was a kid and they’re still hilarious.

55) I was planning on only doing 30 or so of these. Oops.

56) After I sweat, the thought of putting on fresh clothes without showering makes me cringe.  This also includes putting on a sweatshirt or sweatpants after my workout during the winter. I will go to my car in 20-degree weather in shorts and a t-shirt.

57) I’m an idiot when it comes to handy man stuff. My wife plays that role in our house. She’s fixed sinks, installed pantry shelves and more. However, I can make an amazing Swiss Chicken dish…. Girly man, Girly man, Girly man.

58) I never dress up. I wear sweatpants or shorts 100% of the time. If you see me in a polo, it’s extremely rare. Church is an exception.

59) I can’t stand it when my lips are sticky. After I eat, I wipe my lips so much that they turn red and get swollen for a few minutes.

60) I miss the show “24” deeply.

61) I don’t get Twitter. I have an account but I don’t really do anything with it but pimp my own blog posts. Hey, it’s the truth.

62) I wear a pair of gloves every time I change diapers. Why? Because poop is disgusting.

Now you know me,
Mikey, CTT

Tags: about Mike Whitfield, metabolic finishers, workout finishers