#2063 - The Rock

And we're out.

Getting them down here, giving them this opportunity to get after it, not only in their craft, but also getting in shape.

They just don't work out, you know? But we're doing it now, this is the third week. Yeah. And we've been talking about it forever, but when Shane moved to town, he's like, dude, I gotta get in shape, I gotta do something. I go, listen, let's start on Monday, nice and light, and so we started nice and light.

Today was a pretty hard day for them.

It's a great way to end it.

They know they want to get in shape, but they don't know how.

I'm like, good. You don't want to walk out of a workout beat up. You want to walk out just a little energized, feeling better, and then slowly we're going to ramp things up. So this is week three. Today was their hardest day.

Yeah. But it was just, you know, you were here. I was like, we got it.

And I told some of the boys this, like, I miss that kind of stuff because it's been a while, you know, since I worked out with the boys back when I was wrestling. We'd all work together because we were traveling together every night and going to the same gym every day or different cities. But I miss that, that camaraderie.

And there's a certain meditative aspect to being alone with your thoughts. Yes. And just, I like to put fights on so I can watch something in between sets. But I just like to be, and I like to be accountable 100% for my work. Like, I know what I have to do.

I know what I do. And it sets the tone for the day, which sets the tone for my life. Mm-hmm. That's how I feel about it.

Everybody's wanting something from you. Yeah. Or many of us, by the way, whether a celebrity or not. Yeah. So it's nice to have that anchor in the morning.

Do you train in the mornings? Always.

But I like to start the day with it. That's what I like to do.

Three minutes your first time.

Just accept it. Just accept it.

Today was my first cold plunge. I ordered it. It gets delivered next week. But today was the first one.

And the blue cube has a very cool option. Where you can crank up the water flow. So you get it down. So it spins. Yeah.

So it's 37 degrees. And then you hit this switch. And it's just like a raging river. So you never get a thermal layer. So the thing that happens in the cold plunge.

Is like a minute in. Your body develops sort of a thermal layer. And it actually is more tolerable after a minute. Than it is for the first minute. But not with that raging river.

When that shit's in there. Like it's never tolerable. You just sit there. The whole three minutes. Just white knuckling it.

Today I was worried. I was like. Fucking, kind of pushing them. Because we added renegade rows today. We added windmills.

So it's 20 seconds of just going out. And then 10 seconds rest. 20 seconds. 10 seconds rest. It's an amazing protocol for developing cardio.

And it was great. You know, what I also loved. I noticed about the guys. Is, after the workout was done. They're spent.

They're feeling good. They're feeling great about themselves. And I think pretty much all of them said. Hey. We're doing this tomorrow.

Right. Yeah. It was good. Yeah. Because you know.

When that shit really kicks your ass. You don't ask that question.

For sure. For like. Between the leg stuff. And the windmill stuff. But.

But we'll do something different tomorrow. So tomorrow I'll get them in here. We'll do something different. Keep them going.

We'll go five days a week. Yeah. You, let me know what you want to do. And we'll do it. And I just.

I try to give them some stuff. Like, if you're on the road. Just do the pushups. And the bodyweight routine. Just try.

You don't have to do a hundred. I do a hundred. I do sets of twenty. Do sets of ten. Five.

Whatever. Just do it. Yeah. And just make sure. If you.

So say, if you do like. Fifty pushups. And fifty bodyweight squats. One day. Okay.

The next day. Try to make it sixty. Try to get to sixty. Try to eventually get to a hundred. And if you have to do ten sets of ten.

That's pretty easy to do. Ten is not hard. You know. And then that last one. You're like barely.

And eventually. You'll get to a point. Where you could do sets of twenty. And it's just. It's easy.

It's not that hard to do. You like. When I do twenty. At the end of twenty. I could do way more.

But I just relax. And then I do this. The bodyweight squats. And if you keep doing it. It just conditions your body.

To be able to do that. All the time. Yeah.

You're ready to rock.

Who are just getting into it. And dipping their toes into it. Feeling good. They know they have to do it. Yeah.

If they're going to add some years to their life. Right. And take care of their families. But also. It was cool that.

You realize that, as these guys are doing it. They're. They're not. Again. They're not giving up.

But also. I. You could see it kind of computing in their head. Like. Okay.

Two steps forward. Maybe one little step back. You had the math. And you do that every day. You're far down that road.

Because the slide off is the hardest part. Yeah. Like. The discipline is very hard. But the slide off.

It's so hard to avoid the slide off. When you're used to eating bad food. And fucking around. And staying up late. And drinking.

Like. All these guys do. Yeah. It's really hard to be disciplined. And just to say.

No matter what. Even if I travel on the road. I got to get workouts in. That's right. Because I can't lose ground.

Comedy is a lot like wrestling. Just in terms of the schedule. Because you guys are working at nights. Yep. Sometimes, twice a night.

You start at 730.. You're done by. Maybe midnight. Maybe longer. Right.

So it's that kind of lifestyle. That where you really got to be disciplined. Were you always disciplined? Even when you got in comedy full time. And you were on the road.

And doing all that.

You only have so much. Like. Your body only has so much energy. And if you're not in shape. Your body is going to have less energy.

And as you get old. I have so many friends that are my age. That look like they're dead.

And at a certain point in time. You realize like. Okay. This can't be. Like a thing you do.

Three days a week. There's got to be a thing you do every day. That's right. My body has to like. Know for sure.

It's going to work. And every day. Work has got to get done. Yeah. And if it doesn't do that.

I feel like it's going to slide off. And when I've taken days off. And then I get back to it. It's like. I feel way more slide now.

Than I did when I was 20 or 30.. It's like. The slide is like. You know.

Stay here. Don't let it slide.

Like. If you catch a fucking cold. Or something like that.

Very intensive. And I have to get up in the morning. Or I have to handle something. Family stuff. Or whatever.

If I have to get up early. It's just that. That wrecks you. Yeah. That's the one that gets you.

Yeah. And then you take a day or two off. And then you're like. Fuck. Yeah.

And then you got to travel again. And you know. Maybe you're going overseas. And you know. Then it's a long travel.

Then you won't do it. And then you're going to. Take the fucking nap later. Let's go. Let's go.

You got to go. Let's go.

Get a workout in. And let your body get back on its normal cycle. And you won't have the same kind of jet lag.

I can't do that.

It's the best. Maybe not eating. And then a workout would be even better. But. I've never tried it.

When you're tired. And you feel like. We've been here before. I know I'm fucking fatigued.

How do you know the difference between that. And compared to.

Okay. I see what I did.

Is if you know your body. And the only way you know your body. Is if you push your body all the time.

But yours might be at the top of the list. You're right up there with anybody. I don't know how you maintain all of the things that you do. And still have energy.

When you're busy. And all of us are busy. In our own way. So I really try to make sure that. I'm paying attention to the schedule.

I'm really looking at it. And I'm going to take a fine tooth comb. Do it. And go. Not that.

Not that. Because it's easy just to say. Yeah. I'll do it. Oh, this thing is for ten minutes, Joe.

Can you. Yeah. Okay. I'll do it. And before you know it.

It's an hour. It's an hour. And then it's two hours. And all that. So I really try to.

Make sure that I'm looking at the schedule. And try to be smart about the moves these days. And. I also learned. Man.

There's just power in saying no.

But also enthusiasm. Is really important. Like. That's right. I tell these guys with comedy.

If you feel burnt out. Take some days off.

You don't want it to be a drudgery.

You just don't feel that enthusiastic about them. So you got to balance it out. But again. It's an education. So you got to do it the wrong way.

And then go. Okay. What did I fuck up.

Yeah. Yeah. You can really move mountains with enthusiasm. Because it starts with that.

Yeah. That's. I mean. That's what made Mike Tyson.

That's real. If you could just force yourself into being enthusiastic about everything. Even shit you don't want to do. Like. You got to do hill sprints.

Like. Fuck yeah.

Yes. Instead of a drudgery.

And that. That kind of thing. Where it's either. You look at it like. Ah, fuck.

This is something I got to do. Or. I get to do.

God. They would wish. They would fucking give anything to be able to do it.

And hears this. Is lucky as fuck.

And then. And then. They want more. They're not satisfied. But.

Gratitude. Is so important. I know it's one of those hippie crystal. Fucking wooden beads. Things that.

Annoys the shit. Cause you. You know. You hear it from the wrong people.

It's co-opted by some people. And then. People have this negative association with it. But I think. Gratitude is one of those.

It's. It is real. And it's really important. And if you could just. Appreciate your friends.

And appreciate your life. And appreciate people. And appreciate what you get to do. You can fucking change your whole. The tone of existence.

You change the frequency you exist on.

We're all laughing. We're having a great time. Yeah. It was fun. They were looking over you.

They're like. Are we fucking working out with the rock? Shane kept. He kept nudging me. Dude, we're working out with the rock.

What the fuck? What the fuck? It was awesome.

And you're on that hustle.

It's like. And I feel like I want to know about you too here. I feel like it was a learn thing. Like I. Of course, the concept of.

Oh, gratitude. Sure. I felt like. I'm a pretty grateful guy. But once I started realizing that a lot of the shit that I was trying to get after.

And there's the North Star. There's that thing. Whatever it is. It's always there. But really, the shit that matters most is the stuff that's right here.

Family. Loved one. Kid. Whatever it is. Job, even.

You know.

You know, it's. It's about the journey. Ew. People have fucked up that expression. But it's real.

It is really about the journey. Yeah. It's just hard when you're. When you're. When you're not where you want to be in life.

And if you're listening to this. And you're just not satisfied with your. Position in life. It's hard. To.

To think that way. You. All you want. Is that thing. But you gotta.

Somewhere along the line. Figure out how to enjoy yourself. Somewhere along the line. Figure out how to just. Go as hard as you can.

But also enjoy it. Try to enjoy it. Because. That changes. The whole tone of the experience.

And I think. That makes you more successful. I really do. Because I think you have more energy. You have more focus.

And you collect. Better energy around you. From other people. They feel your energy. They're inspired.

By the way you live your life. And how you treat people. And what you do. And how you do things. And they want to do.

A similar thing. They want to do something. That makes them feel. That way. And they want other people.

To feel that way as well. And it's got the butterfly effect. It just. It just goes through. All the people that are around you.

Yeah. It's that thing, man. Especially if you're. Grinding. And you're right.

There's a lot of people out there. Who are just. Fucking. Busting their ass. And unhappy.

You and I were both in that place. At one time. Where, like. Fuck. I don't like the position I'm in.

And I want to know about you too. Like. Earlier on in my career. I felt like. It's the grind.

That we love. And sink our teeth into. And just fucking go. And get after it. But I wasn't having fun.

But man. That time. When I switched in my mind. Like. Oh wait.

Like exactly what you're saying. Let me enjoy this now. Because I've worked hard to get here. Wherever this thing is. Just like everybody else.

But this idea. Like let's have fun. While we're doing it. Along the way. And you're right.

It has that butterfly effect. It affects other people. And it attracts other people. Before you know it. Everybody's vibrating at this great place.

With enthusiasm. Yeah. And excitement. And. Fun.

And I got this development deal. And all of a sudden. They gave me like. I think it was like $100,000.. And I had money in the bank.

I was like. This is crazy. Because I felt.

And all of a sudden. I had money. Like my whole life. I was poor. And my whole life.

I was like. Wondering. How I was going to. When I was on my own. And it was like.

How are. How am I paying. How am I paying the bills. How am I eating. You know.

I remember like. Taking like a loose jar. At change. And counting it all out. So I could go to Subway.

And get a sandwich. You know, like. That kind of shit.

Like. Like weight had been lifted off me. Like now. I didn't have to worry about my rent. Now.

I didn't have to worry about food. And I remember thinking immediately. Oh. This is the key. You just got to.

Not. Get to that place. Where you're not worried. About your bills. So that means like.

Spend less money. If that means like. Live a, like a more prudent lifestyle. Whatever you have to do. But get to that place.

Where you're not worried. About bills. Because that shit. Hanging over your head.

Yeah. Like. Make sure you don't lose. Any ground here. And keep going.

Keep going. Because now you know. What it's like. To be successful. Continue that.

Do. Whatever the fuck. You have to do. Whatever work you have to put in. To continue that.

How to be happy. But in the beginning. It was just drive. It was just all go. Yeah.

And it was just. Very selfish thinking. You know. I'm just thinking. Only on what I'm trying to do.

Broke. And it's the thing that. You make up your mind. I feel. And it's the same thing.

That happened to me. I made up my mind. Like I'm broke today. But one day. I'm never going to be broke.

And I will never fucking. Go back to being broke. I'm at least. I'm going to do all I can. Yeah.

Not to be broke. So when you have that mentality. You're you. You have the blinders on. Yeah.

I'll tell you. This is the way you're thinking. This is until I think we get a little older. And we achieve the success. We understand.

Then it starts to go like this. A little bit. I got to ask you something. I heard this. And I always wanted to confirm it with you.

You started early with martial arts. Yeah. Right. And you said there was this great quote. And it was something like.

It was martial arts. I think that gave you the confidence. To know that. Oh wait. I'm not going to be broke one day.

Or something like that. Is that right?

Because I felt like. I moved a lot. When I was a kid. We moved from New Jersey to San Francisco. When I was seven.

Lived in San Francisco until I was 11.. Moved to Florida from 11 to 13.. Boston. Oh wow. From 13 to 24..

So it was always.

And then. My stepdad went to school in Florida. And when we went to school in Florida. We had to go to the University of Florida. Gainesville.

So we were there for three years. And then, when we moved to Boston. He was going to the Boston Architectural Center. So we moved there. So he could finish it.

And get his architectural degree. So we were just always going. Where we had to go. And when we did that. I would have to make a whole new set of friends.

And so it was this thing about being insecure. And young. And you know. Life is kind of fucked up. And chaotic.

And you're. You know. You're meeting these new people. And kids are fucking cruel. And I.

You know. I always was insecure. Because we were always moving around a lot. And my life was kind of chaotic. My family life was chaotic.

And. I just felt like a loser. I always felt like. I just had to hide from people. I was like socially.

Nervous around people. And I just felt like. There were certain people. That were winners in life. And I was not that.

I was a loser. And then. I started doing martial arts. And I got really good at it. Like, really good.

And I got really good at it. Really quickly. And I realized like. Oh. I'm not a loser.

Like. I just have to find. A thing. A thing. And fucking, really get after it.

In a way that I know. Some people that have had an easy life. They're not going to pursue it. Like. it's going to save them.

And I was pursuing it. Like it's. This is going to save me. Because I knew. As I kept getting better.

I started getting this feeling. Oh. I'm good at something. Like, I'm good at something. Dangerous.

And then I got really good at it. And then I started winning tournaments. And competing. And traveling all the road. And so.

My whole life. From 15 to 21.. Was just traveling around. Competing. That's all I did.

Wow. I was kind of. It was kind of like socially fucked up. Because I wasn't hanging out. With many kids my age.

I wasn't really partying. I wasn't doing.

I was teaching an accredited course. On Taekwondo. It was like pass fail A. But it counted towards your GPA. Wow.

You don't have to get an A. You don't have to be awesome at it. I just want you to just show up. And do your best. And you get an A.

It's that simple. Yeah. And so. They knew that that counted towards their GPA. So I had this big fucking class.

Yeah. And it was great. I did that for a couple years. And then, when. I started doing stand up.

First of all. I started kickboxing. And when I started kickboxing. That's when I started getting like brain damage. And I was realizing.

I was getting brain damage. Because we were sparring hard.

Legit. Legit.

And I was like. What am I doing? Like. I'm 21.. What am I doing with my life?

Like. I can't keep doing this. And I had already started doing open mics. So. I had already started doing stand up comedy.

But I was kind of like. Just dabbling in it. And I was. I thought I could do that too. But I was.

I still had these competition aspirations. And then. The brain damage thing was scary. Because I knew quite a few people around me. That from the time I was 16.

Till the time I was 21.. I saw them deteriorate. Like noticeably slurring their words. Forgetful. Not knowing what you were talking about.

Like moments ago. Yes. And I knew. That's coming. And I knew that was coming for me.

I knew too many people. That I saw it in them. I saw a deterioration. From young people. I saw slurring in their words.

And they would have like one drink of alcohol. And it would be like they were hammered. Because something happens when people are punched drunk. When they drink. They just fall apart.

Yeah. And I saw that too. And I was like. Okay.

it was just going to war. Yeah. And you weren't really. Smart. You weren't sparring.

You were fighting. We were fighting. All the time. And just getting. Guys getting dropped all the time.

And that was just the kind of gym that I was in. It was a hard ass fucking, kickboxing gym. And beat the fuck out of each other. And I was realizing like. Okay.

I got to get out of this. Like this is going to. This is going to ruin me. Like. and then.

If my mind gets ruined. My life is ruined. Because then. You can't think. You can't do things.

You don't know what the fuck you're doing in life. It's like literally everything. Is the quality of your ability to think. And I knew that I was putting that in jeopardy.

Something that really fucking tests you. Because you learn that you can. You can get better at stuff. And you learn that you can overcome all those feelings of weakness that are inside of you.

And also I feel like. It's like with you and martial arts. And then transitioning over to comedy. I feel like it also. For me.

It forces also our kids to find their thing. And even if you get a little older. You know. When you're in your teens. And in your early 20s.

Because. Hey, fuck dude. In my early 20s. I was still trying to figure out. Who I was.

And what I was going to be. And even into my 30s. But I feel like. The. As you're searching for that thing.

It's like with me and football. Like. I thought football was my ticket. That was the thing. That's going to allow me to.

I'm going to buy my parents their first house. Right. I'm going to. Because I didn't live in a house until I was 27.. I was WWE champion.

It was the first fucking house I lived in. It was amazing. So. I thought football was a ticket. And then I realized down the road.

Like. I have to finish this chapter in my life. Because I don't have that skill set to go on. I could continue to push it. And push it.

And push it. But no. But, like I was saying. It forces kids too as well. And older kids as you get into adulthood.

To find your thing. Right. Because a lot of times. We're in the thing. We think it's the thing.

Yeah. And it's going to be our ticket out. But. It's not.

Or a passion. Or something that you truly love. That's engaging and challenging. That is exciting for you. And it advances you as a person.

And the lessons that you learn in pursuing that thing. You apply to everything in your life.

Bruce Lee quote. From Enter the Dragon. Do you remember when he was like his. It was one of his students. And he told the kid.

It's like a finger pointing away to the moon. Yeah. And he slapped him in the head. Don't concentrate on the finger. You're going to lose all that heavenly glory around you.

Was introduce martial arts in an exciting way. To the whole world. Yes. Everybody was wearing Kung Fu outfits. And everybody was fucking taking martial arts classes.

Everybody wanted to be like Bruce Lee. He was the fucking coolest guy that ever existed in movies. Oh.

Dude. I did that. And what did he do? I feel like he was groundbreaking, in a way. Right?

When he came over here. There was something about what he was teaching. Was it Jeet Kune? Do? Yes.

Right. So he was. Was he the first? Or he was taking a version of it?

People would frown upon that. Like they. Why are you training Muay Thai. When you're a judo practitioner. Judo is the way.

And the same thing was. I had a very open minded Taekwondo coach. And who actually encouraged me to start boxing. And doing some other things. But most of the time that's not the case.

A lot of like Kung Fu practitioners. They don't want you practicing karate. They only want you going to a Kung Fu place. What Bruce Lee said is use everything that's useful. Everything that's useful.

And he put together a system of martial arts. And incorporated everything that he learned. From grappling, from Gene Labelle. Yeah. And karate from Chuck Norris and Tang Soo Do.

And you know Kung Fu from Yip Man. From Wing Chun. He put it all together. With Western boxing and wrestling. He realized, like there's so many different ways to fight.

And the style is having no style. The way is no way. Like figuring out.

Bruce Lee was the first true mixed martial artist. Because he was the first like true guru. That was shouting it from the top of the hills. To use everything that's useful. Everything.

From all styles. And put it together. But back then that was really frowned upon. It was like kind of dangerous. Like people would go after you.

If you disrespected Kung Fu. Yeah.

And when you get into a martial arts school. A lot of times the instructor is almost like a cult leader. You think that person is invincible. They can't be beaten by anyone. You know, you have these like weird ideas about your master.

Yeah. And you even call them a master. You know. And so there's this like very rigid thinking that used to exist.

And they're not the good ones. The really good schools. They. They're just teaching you something beautiful. They're teaching you how to use your body in a way that is.

Is challenging and effective. And it makes you so much more confident. And it makes you. If a physical altercation happens. You have a massive advantage over almost anyone.

And they don't even know each other. And they're swinging wild.

I never got into like street fights.

Or someone's attacking someone you love. But to just get into fights because you know how to fight is so crazy. Because, like you, think oh, if I could do what you do. I'd be beating the fuck out of people. No, you wouldn't.

Because they'll shoot you. Yeah. They'll come back with a gun and fucking shoot you. You think people just like getting head kicked? No.

Right. They're going to fuck you up, man. What are you going to look over your shoulder the rest of your life?

But I tell people like the best way to stop bullying. It sounds so counterintuitive. Teach people how to fight when they're young. Yeah. Sure.

Teach bullies even how to fight. They won't be doing that.