Alpha Male Manley Lectures: CORE Centers, The "I Am" Mantra And The Reason For Consistent Cardio

My good friend, Aaron Baker once told me, as I was preparing to board the SciFit recumbent bike at CORE: "This is your race car, and you're preparing for a race." That same day, Baker continued, "This is like your 'gauge panel,' and you're just getting strapped-in!"

Automatically, I knew what this guy was up to: he was indirectly giving me my first lesson in guided visualization. In other words, the SciFit is the race car, the CORE staff was my pit crew, and whatever numbers that I grabbed, during any given workout, were my "dyno results." Once Aaron and I were able to establish that picture, working out at the gym became more like running the track.

But as Taylor Isaacs and I were discussing this afternoon: sometimes you do the cardio for reasons that run deeper than vital stats. For example, my original goal at CORE was to lose weight; now that I've done that, I just keep hitting the bike for my adrenaline fix.

This is a part of spiritual wellness...and it's crucial. Because one of the first things that you'll see, upon entering CORE Centers, is the use of the phrase or thought, "I Am." Here's how Aaron Baker used it, "Sal, you know what 'it' is; you're a 'drag racer!'" The first time that he said this, I thought that he was pulling my chain.

But here's how the thought molecule works: you get on the SciFit, and there's no doubt that you're on a recumbent bike. But then there are several different attitudes and angles that you can plug into that machine.

For example, my buddy Ron has said that I'm riding a "horse," minus the horse itself. Aaron has referred to the SciFit as a "race car," and I myself have referred to it as an "engine dyno," because of the way in which the machine's top half measures the stats of its bottom, again...like an engine or a chassis dyno.

Once, when I was really into muscle cars, I dropped the gear on the Step One down to the equivalent of a 4.11 posi, chose the track profile that had the steepest hills, then whenever I was climbing upwards, I would visualize my "boost," time the hill that I was climbing, then launch off of it and grab speed, simply for the sake of "power braking the car."



As it stands, I'm peaking at 614 watts, my all-time record speed is around 218 RPM at 67-68 watts, and I've ran at least 3.5 miles in one session. But that's not what you care about when you're trying to apply it to the ground.

So what keeps me going for bigger numbers anyway? If you've ever built a muscle car, then you already know what it's about. Going for bigger displacement, or larger numbers, is not necessarily beneficial. Often, when you're building a Chevy big-block, you don't need to build the motor to 461 cubic-inches, but you do it anyway!

And then with hot rod motors, there is also that sense of balance: "lean" vs "rich," "hot" vs "cold." When you're on the SciFit, you all too often have to use the same analogies. Believe it or not, it does translate, and why I always like to share this data with people, is because it's so unbelievably crucial to my mental wellness, which does often find itself healing in the midst of what I would describe as "automotive analogy therapy," or simply put, "Automotive Therapy."

Again, "I AM a drag racer." THIS IS a "race car." Whatever language you plug into that sentence becomes your reality. Once, I said that I was an "endurance athlete." Tesla Motors, on their website, has said that their electric sedans are "inspired by an endurance athlete."

I can't build a real, street-legal race car, or at least not in the moment. So my body has to be the "running gear," or "engine." And having that kind of a sensation or experience is important in balancing your mental stability, or that's how I see it.

So I am proud to be able to say that I peak at 614 watts at whatever running speed. Because it's like I said during my early days at CORE: the business is genius, because it gives the challenged community the ability to say, "Today I hit the gym!"

Again, language: "I AM a drag racer." "I AM a dirt bike racer." Whether that person is literally in/on that vehicle or on a recumbent bike, as long as that person plugs that data into the correct equipment, that person is still a dirt biker, drag racer...whichever!

I don't have to lift the SciFit up to 218 RPM, but I want, need even, those bragging rights. I need it, because it's one of the few ways in which I can grab that kind of an ego boost.

What can I say?! I AM a muscle car builder at heart, and because that mantra is one that rings true, I can't help but maintain a competitive want, a "want" for "bigger cubic-inches," and an overall improved sense of airflow.

Alpha Male Manley Lectures: What Our Moms Teach Us About Women

When listening to what my mom has to say, I've found that it's important to not only look into her eyes, but to connect with them. And then that whole idea proves itself true, in literally one second, once that eye contact is lost.

Here's why: data collection. As a performance car buff, you learn all about it, but you never think of it in terms of a human relationship, or at least I never did. But the last time that I ever looked, with intention, into mom's eyes while she gave an explanation, I was able to instantly feel what Dr. Sheldon Cooper would call, her "snort of derision."

It wasn't a literal snort, because we just don't do that in our family. But my eyes shifted to the left...and hers slightly to the right. But if you can visualize the way that a supercharged HEMI whines, in a Hellcat Challenger, then you already have an idea. The eyes shift, and instantly, there is a gasp of air, just audible enough to say, "I hope you're paying attention!"

And I was, but you also have to understand--and mom, I love you if you are reading this--that Italian women are like Italian sports cars; when they break down, you just know it! And what I can say, as a Sicilian man, is that I know when the women in my life are breaking down.

In my mom's case, I can hear it in the backdrop. Both of my parents remind me of race cars, because when they run, they do. But when stuff falls apart, you hear it.

By looking into any woman's eyes, you do what a flywheel does between a motor and a transmission: you establish a connection. That connection can't ever slip, or the vehicle won't run. In my mom's case, I've found that I have to drink-in every part of what she's saying.


Lately, I find that by feeling more comfortable with eye contact, I'm able to read the landscape around me better. My mom, in her dialogue, teaches me how. That's something that, I feel, is important in both professional and personal relationships, and I feel like I still have a ways to go!