Mental Man

Mental, Mental, Mental man.  The little mental man will climb up in your head, grab the controls and start controlling you!  The mental man will take over your emotions, confidence, way of looking at things, he will make you "Clark" weights that you could make, he will mess up your whole day.  You have to learn how to fight back and control the mental man.  If you are thinking about getting rid of the little man you are crazy,  he will never leave, he is there to stay forever!  You have to trick him, give him something else do to while you  focus and control your own mind.  I usually tell him to go on a walk, play some video games, just anything to leave me a lone.  Sometimes he will walk right into my head office and mess me up for just a few minutes, but you have to find ways to put him back in his room!  If he does not go back in his room then you might miss lifts, do bad in a competition, miss a squat or the most common of them all the "Clark"  The "Clark is where the mental man will actually break into your mind control room and unplug your lifting cord, yes I know that sneaky bastard!!!    I have tried calling the cops on him before but they wont arrest him, instead they call me crazy!  People will actually think its me "Clarking" the weight and not the mental man breaking and entering!  You can beat him though!  I have done it,  its hard but with the right amount of determination, head security guards, and big bouncers all working together,  you can come back from a "Clark" and make the lift on your next try!  Yes you can take over the controls and beat the little man with his bright yellow Hawaiian shirt and his short blue swimming trunks.  He will get all upset and stay in his room for the rest of the day, while you continue to lift bigger and bigger weight.  Mental man 2012    ..........wait........what is all this writing???? this wasn't me typing!  this must have been the mental man!!!       son of a bitch!  get back in your room!         

Shankle shirts are ready to be worn!!!!

"Shankle"  T shirts are finally up for sale on my site www.jonnorthattitude.com  check em out!  Plus a new surprise interview will be up tonight  so stay tuned!  

The Orange Room

I was woken up by the sunrise creeping through my window shades, it made my room orange, it was awesome.  The orange light that filled my room made everything look different.  Everything looked like it was in a toy story movie,  I felt like I was in a different world.  I looked over at my orange faced Fiance that was still sound asleep, she even looked computer animated. I didn't want to wake her so I got out of bed slowly and made my way to the kitchen to make some coffee.  There is something about being the only one up and awake in your house very early in the morning that is so peace full.  As if the whole world is asleep and your the only one awake.  Its like the house is alive and looking at you like "why are you up this early"?   The house was completely dark still, and then I noticed that the hall way that led to my room was completely orange.  The orange light was creeping down the hall way heading right for me.  It was slowly taking over the dark house.  I stood there in my big blue robe and my coffee in my hand just staring at the orange light moving towards me, at this point I didn't know if I was awake or dreaming.  The orange slowly hit my feet and then crept up my whole body in tell it I was a glowing orange man. 
     The cold morning air hit me right in the face the second I walked outside.  I stretched out my arms and told myself I was going to lift big weights today.  The orange light was a sign of strength, a sign that I was going to make this Olympic team in 2012.  It was a sign that I was going to keep getting stronger, way stronger.  I love this sport, this sport is home to me, it has been good to me on all levels,  I just want to take more out of it,  I want to win more,  I want to keep making more and more money,  I want to get more kids in this sport,  I love the USA. Its crazy to think where I am at today, wow, looking back a few years ago I was a lost kid in college in and out of trouble.  Only if my English teacher new that I was a paid writer, and that I had my own blog,  lol,   she would fall over.  I failed her class three times and then finally passed.  She always loved my writing, it was just the reading and grammar that killed me.  I will never forget what she told me, at the very end of my last class that I ended up passing. Ms Van Aalst said "forget 90%  of what I taught you and write the way you want to write."   That was the best advise any teacher has ever given me.   All my other teachers told me my writing was "not properly formatted, you write like you talk Jon and that's not correct."   I  always looked back at what Ms Van Aalst told me and just kept doing my thing.   Screw them, screw the know it all's, I hate only doing things one way because someone a long time ago said so, because that's just the way it is Jon.  fuck that, do things your way, do it how you want to do it.  Life is a game, life is in your hands, not theirs.  Train how you want to train, write how you want to write, coach how you want to coach, fuck them.   Fuck all them that tell you different.

The Crack Head

I had a crack head in a head lock last night in the middle of main street at 3 am in the morning in my boxers…..now do I have your attention!  Your probably wondering to yourself how the hell I got into this situation!!!!  well let me tell you, follow me to the start of this crazy story. 

      It was 3 am in the morning and I was sound asleep next to my lovely Fiance, when I was woken up by my daughter, aka, my dog aka my pit bull.  she kept barking, and it was not just a normal bark, it was a very mean scary bark that I have never heard before.  I new something was wrong from how lexi was barking, and right before I got out of bed I heard a banging noise coming from outside, bang! bang! bang!  it sounded like it was coming from the drive way.  I ran to the window and saw a shadow that looked like a man banging at my car window with something in his hand.  I yelled at him, “hey, hey you”!! “get the hell out of hear”!  he didn't even look back.  He didn't even stop banging at my window.  You would think he would become startled or scared, jump or run or even just look back, but no, nothing.  I then ran outside in nothing but my boxer shorts, and my first reaction is to knock this dude out, attack him is what I first wanted to do, but as I got closer to him I saw he had a knife in his hand, or what looked like a knife. I wont lie, I was a little nervous at this point, I started to slow down as a approached him, his confidence sacred me, I am not a small dude, and I thought I was being pretty intimidating, but this guy could care less that I was there, and that's weird, that's not even normal.  I couldn't figure out why this guy was not even startled or even just acknowledge me, did he have a gun?  a knife?  what was in his hands?  did he have Friends around the corner about to jump me?  all these thoughts were going through my head.  I kept yelling at him, and then he finally he said without even looking at me, “it wont open”    what!  at this point I was so confused, I thought I was dreaming.  I finally said enough is enough, I said, “ok mother fucker you asked for it, your about to get fucked up”!  I ran back to the front door, opened it up, and told my daughter to “get em”!   my Lexi ran as fast as she has ever ran jumping into the air and tackling this guy onto the street biting him all over. He was screaming as she was ripping his jeans like one of her toys from petco.  I told my Fiance to call the cops, then I went on yelling, “get em lexi, get em!!!   fucken get em lexi!!!!!!!   over and over again.   I was so proud of her.  He some how got up and started running down the middle of the street, lexi then started to chase him a whole block.  When he got to the end of the block he was half naked and very bloody.    He thought he could out run my dog! lol that's funny!  my dog was on this crack head like white on rice.  The main street was more lit up from all the street lights.  I then saw that his hands where empty as he through them up from lexi biting his leg, I then went into attack mode, now that I new he had no gun or weapon.  I ran and tackled him into the street, stood up and kicked him in the head knocking him out for about three minutes, then I put him in a choke hold and waited for the cops.  Every time this guy tried to move lexi would snap at his arms and legs while running around us in circles showing these teeth that even scared me! 

     Finlay four cop cars pulled up surrounding us, I let the guy go and grabbed lexi, as all the cops did there thing.  I have never been more proud of my dog, she protected the house, protected my girlfriend and me from harm, she risked her own life to protect us, I am forever grateful to her, I will never own a better dog for as long as I live.  I After the cops took him away and did all the talking and paper work, my girlfriend and I put lexi’s pink snuggie on, gave her a treat, and went back to bed.  the end

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Jared Enderton Interview.

Costco

I am almost 100% sure that Coach Glenn Pendlay works or has
worked for the secret service, and here’s why.  The whole California
Strength team pulls up in two car loads into the Costco parking lot like we are
in the mafia, or better yet in the secret service.  Coach starts walking
to the front door outside in the windy parking lot.   Now for some reason
while Coach Glenn Pendlay was walking toward the front door I imagined the Akon
song “sexy chick” playing.  It would have fit coach perfectly! The
walk, the attitude, the weightlifting mafia behind him, shit just the whole
Glenn Pendlay way! I was thinking, “Damn that’s one sexy man”!!
haha I don’t know why I think that’s so funny, it just is.  I think it’s because
he is just so damn serious it makes it that much funnier.  Its sample time
baby!  A couple times a week we crash the little party of soccer moms and
working dads at Costco and eat all there samples!   The first step in
pulling off this free meal between practices is getting a cart, and pushing it
around the store like we are actually buying stuff.  Coach will actually
put stuff in the cart and just slowly push it around the store!  It’s like
he is a big bear trying to fit in with the humans! haha I am sorry but watching
him making round after round is one of the funniest and greatest things I have
ever seen.  It’s not only that, it’s the way he does it.  He will
walk up looking at the samples like it’s a math problem, look up at the little Asian
girl, look back down to the samples and then he will start talking to the
samples lady’s about everything!  “what is it”  where is it
from”  what’s it good on”  He will eat it, then he will
start moving his hands around in some sort of crazy way, gathering his flock of
weightlifters to the sample booth!   “Jon have you tried
this”?  I will say yes coach I have.  “Well Jon then get
some more!”  Ok coach I will.  lol   hahaha  and
he is dead serious, I have never seen a man so serious in my life, and we are
eating samples!!!   If we walk up to a sample table that has the food
in the oven still, he will write down when it will be done, walk around more
and then yell, “guys I think the mini hot dogs are done”!!!! “Let’s
go”  “move out”!!!      We will
all follow our great leader through the crowd of people like little ducks down
a stream.  Sometimes coach will have us spread out and attack each sample
booth one at a time, then we will switch every minute.  Of course only on
coach Pendlays hand motion.  It’s not hard to find the leader, just look
in the middle of Costco and you will find a big man with camo pants on and a
black shirt that says “Penldlay”!!!! hahahahahaha Light
weight!!!  2012!!

muddy boot

Wow… This coffee is Hitting me hard this morning, wow i feel overly confident, I feel like pissing more people off.  I am thinking to myself how I will destroy this sport of
weightlifting. Ok, call me arrogant, call me cocky, I don’t really care, I am
just tired of waiting for the trials, the worlds in Paris, the Pan Am Games
  this year is Mexico.  I just want to do it, I want to lift, I want to take first place and
throw the weight in the crowd.  Why?  I don’t know why.  Why do
I have such a big chip on my shoulder?  Why do I get so pissed when I
lift?  Maybe it’s because I want to win so bad,  Maybe it’s because I haven’t done shit with my life besides lift big
weights.  But wait…This weight I am lifting ain't even big weight, but
coach Pendlay will get me there.  He will get me to bigger weight. If you
don’t think that then...... well I should chill, hahaha! This is it people, this is
me, weightlifting is me, I have a one track mind and that's killing and destroying, I will not ask I will take and I will not share.  In this sport you have to be greedy,  don't ask grab and steel and stand your ground.  put your muddy boot on there face and push down everyday and never let up, push there face in the mud, and I hope its raining.  fight, fight, fight, fight, fight and when your done knock that mother fucker out.   Weightlifting has given me a purpose in life, weightlifting has given
me a life, I am forever grateful to weightlifting.  I am forever grateful
to Dave Spitz and coach Glenn Pendlay.  Dave Spitz took a chance with me
and he gave me a hand when I was down.  Dave Spitz is the reason why I am
here right now and not in jail or dead.  Yeah yeah ok I came from a bad
place and I was a bad boy, ok I got kicked out of my last team from knocking a dude out in the gym, but not anymore.  Now I am focused.  I am a Cal Strength soldier
and nothing will ever change that.  I use this hate that I have toward certain
things to keep me going.  I don’t get injured, I don’t have time for that.
I have too many things to do in this sport.  Hurt!  Hahaha that’s
funny. Never.  If I see someone stretching or using a foam roller I will take my belt and slap them.  stop being a bitch. grab the bar and go, stop with all the "getting ready" shit and lift.   Coach Pendlay and Dave Spitz are creating a monster,
and this monster is about to make a statement. Pan Ams, NUMBER ONE, PWA
records, Arnold Champ, all in less than three years ain't shit to me, If I don’t make the
Olympics then what’s the point?…. I love when people talk shit about
me.  They get mad when I spike the weight, when I yell, when I spit on the
weight.  The more they talk, the more I will spit and spike.  I
listen to four people in this whole world: David Spitz, Coach Pendlay, my brilliant farther, and my
lovely Mom.  That’s it. If your not them, then don’t tell me shit.
This is just the beginning . I am not going anywhere, sorry.  I always
hear people telling me about these young kids in my weight class coming after
me and lifting good weight.  Never, never, ever.  I have this crazy
rush over me all the time I can’t control, I am dead serious.  These young
kids will never beat me.  Young… What’s young?????  I am 24 and I
feel like I am 15.  I don’t just feel like I am in the Mafia. I am in the
Mafia.  You think I am joking, I am not.  When I say I am California
Strength soldier, I mean it!  lol hahahha.  Jon North 2012

Apple lady

Today is Monday that means today is war day!  hahaha This is the day
when more 94kg lifters run!  Right now I am drinking chocolate milk,
listening to Jonny cash cocaine blues, writing on my blog,
watching some Jon North videos and other secretes that I just cant let
out of the bag people.  Lets see what else is new with me, o I watched a
great movie last night called the road.  wow what a sad movie, for some
reason I did not cry though….which is weird because I cry in a lot of
movies, but this one I did not.  I thought the ending was bad, but I
still really enjoyed the movie, I thought it was very well made.  I
watched it with my Fiancee  and she got scared a few times.  If you
have not seen this movie you should go rent it, or read the book.  The
word on the street is that there is some cross fit slash weightlifter
coming to train with me at 5:00 from redding, well this should be fun!
this should be interesting, why do you ask?  well I will tell you why
because if I had a dollar for every kid or guy that came to my gym to
train like a pro weightlifter and then left and never came back after
the first day, then I would be a rich man.  or if they do come back it’s
always the same old story….”  man my knees hurt, man my back hurts, man I
am sore, wow I think I need a few weeks off, yea I don't know if I want
to compete, yea I don't know, maybe well…  ummmm, ill try…”    get the
fuck out of my gym then! I am so sick off that, it gives me a headache
just thinking about it.  If you want general fitness then go down to
your local shine shop 24 hour fitness.  They have fluffy white towels,
music, cold water fountains, mirrors, little blue birds that land on
your shoulder while you get your pump on, apple ladies that walk around
half naked and give out apples when you get a little hungry.  Maybe its
the hose water in the back and a big coach penlday yelling at you that
might scare them away!  lol no apple ladies hear, just coach
Pendlay!!!!    coach Pendlay for president! 2012

Shankle

This remarkable man has served this Country in so many ways, from protecting our country
as a Marine, beating the Russian silver medalist Dmitry Klokov in 2006 at the
Arnold,  Representing America in his SECOND world championship!
Medaling twice at the Pan Am games!  Three time national champion, and 2012
Olympic hopeful!  That’s only a little bit of this guy’s outstanding,
insane and remarkable record and accomplishments.  I am proud to call
Donny my team mate and my friend.  It’s an honor to be on the front line
everyday training in the trenches with this wolf, this Sheppard, this damn machine
that just does not stop! Get in his way and you will be eaten, chewed up and
spit out because this dude knows what he wants, and he will let no body get
in the way.  Donny has a presents that
makes you want to get to know him,  hang
around him and become friends right off the bat, but once he puts those shoes
on he has a presents that makes you piss in your pants and your legs tremble
with fear!  The motivation and the determination is greater than anything
I have ever seen, His record tells you that.  This guy will fight with the
bar Intel that bar loses, Intel he wins.  He will fight with YOU Intel you
lose and he wins.  Donny Shankle is the best, and I am proud to say that I
train with he best, I get to see the best train every day, I get to lift on the
same platform with the best every day, I get to talk and hear what the best has
to say every day, and trust me I listen with both ears, and I don’t forget one
thing this man says.  I have learned so much from Donny.  I have
learned what it takes to be a champion in this sport, and how to become a man
by watching and listening.  Learning from
Donny Shankle is better than any book or certification that anybody can get.
I only hope one day I can achieve what Donny has achieved and more.   Shankle 2012!

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