Let’s buy friends!

I have found myself being slightly less outspoken lately thus why I haven’t blogged in quite some time. I have always just spoke my mind at will and I found there is a time and there is a place to being outspoken. There is also the “pick your battle” element to being the horses mouth. In my case I was the ugliest horse. I guess as I get older I have become better at staying calm and not putting people on blast. To be honest I find people that live their lives trying to rip people apart on social networks and blogs really sad. Mainly those people are incredibly unhappy, lost, hypocritical and not successful. Oh and fucking assholes! A.K.A. not worth my god damn time! It just seems these days there are to many people fighting for the same scrapes off the table and willing to go for the throat over the dumbest things. I 100% blame the internet and social networking for making these people feel brave and so rich with power. 

If you are one of these people that has a large reach in social media A.K.A lots of followers do not think for a second it gives you power or makes your opinion matter more. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on matters but don’t use your reach to create enemies, drama and negative bullshit. Life is to short and you should use your reach and voice to create positivity in the minds of those who follow you not bring impressionable people into your drama. Let people decide themselves and use their brains. My fear is that a # matters so much to people that so we will start offing people to get more “likes” or “followers” and soon no one will be friends. I look around and just see people trying to shit talk there way to the top. It’s just tired and sad! People need to worry about themselves a little bit more or they will end up lost in a fake reality. BE POSITIVE. BE HUMBLE. OH AND DONT BUY FOLLOWERS ON SOCIAL NETWORKS CAUSE THATS FUCKING SAD.

Peace!

Brandan Schieppati

 

 

A handful of friends and a handful iron

 People can negative shit talkers! Bottom line. I am guilty of opening my big ugly mouth once in a while and it even bums myself out. Something that I have been working on is not really caring about what other people are doing or saying unless it totally effects me. I could care less about keeping up with the Jones’s. A big thing that we all as people need to understand is that we all have problems that we deal with on a daily basis. No one is exempt. No matter how perfect you think you are YOU have issues. How do you deal with your problems? Do you talk shit on other people about their problems to make yourself feel better about the bullshit in your life?Do you run and hide from them? It took me years of failures and mistakes to reach a point of true happiness. Lots of frustration and picking myself up from dark places. I created those dark places which is part of being human. I used to have a ton of people that I called “friends”. The truly amazing thing about going through a rough patch in your life is realizing who real friends are. Who will stand by you even in your worst hours? I found out that true “wealth” of friendship comes in the form of a few friends that without a shadow of a doubt will have your back and help right your ship. I can say that I am blessed that I have found those type of people in my life. It wasn’t easy but I found them. Through shit talkers, bull shit opinions and just plain bullshit I found them. We all have fight everyday for our lives. If you don’t fight then you are dead in this life. I found that the best way to fight for my life is to be positive even when it seems everything around me is negative. Talk shit? Who cares. You can not achieve success with negativity. You have to find that positive in everyday to achieve your goals. You have to push away the negative people in your life and allow the positive one in. You have to keep your eyes forward and narrow your approach to everyday. Start everyday with 3 positive thoughts. It can be anything like your dog, the weather, the person sleeping next to you or just the fact that you are breathing. There is always someone that has is worse than you. That is a fact. Here is another fact. If you spend your waking days being negative and shit talking people for fighting for their life then you are a sack of shit. I have problems and you have problems so fix the problem and do BE the problem. 

Listen to Slayer, grip a barbell, block out the haters and fight for your life

-Brandan

My War! Just add weights and a Mic.

Something I feel like running my head through a wall. My head constantly gets in the way of everyday life for me. Perfect days can turn into bullshit days and then become perfect again. The life of a Bipolar maniac like myself. Sometimes I wish I could just toughen up and rub dirt on it and go on with my day. Im far from perfect so I can just cant do that. I am a man made of flesh, muscle, bone and a few other not so glamorous elements. Some days the walls feel like they are closing in and there is no escape from getting crushed. Some days you feel like your best just isnt good enough and it even lets yourself down. Some days I just feel like hiding from the world and everyone involved in my world.  Sometimes when my days go like this I sing the song My War by the mighty Black Flag and it just brings me back to life. This is my war.

That’s where working out comes in to play and has a place in my heart. Even in my darkest times I know that when I am done that there will be some sort of light because it is the one thing that is 100% mine. That hour of gripping iron is mine and no one can touch it. The iron has been part of my war longer than any friend or companion and will only leave me if I let it. My choice and no one can change that. If not for staying true to the weight on my back I don’t think I could have carried the weight and anxiety of touring around with my band. Even in my loneliest times I know that I can turn to a Barbell and suffer in silence. With out weights I don’t think Music would have existed in my life like it has. My life is filled with anxiety that tries to rip out of my chest like a beast and without an outlet like the iron or the microphone I would be dead.  This is my war. What is yours?

 

-just a man

 

 

Is it ever going to be enough?

Why did I start Bleeding Through in 1999? I recently started asking myself that question as I start getting ready to leave for our first leg of the US farewell tour. Did I start this band so people can scrutinize the music and our image?  Did I start this band so I could see die hard supporters turn into die hard haters when a new trend came through?  Did I start this band so I could create jobs for my friends only to see the actual members of the band struggle to pay our bills?  Did I start this band so I could be faced with business decisions and to lose friends?  Did I start this band to have competition with other bands and fight for the same scraps off the table? Did I start this band so I lose touch with my family and friends because of the amount of time spent on the road?  Did I start this band so I could become bitter at the music industry?  Did I start this band so I could sink into depression and battle being Bipolar which led me to  hide my emotions from the ones closest to me and often times think about erasing myself?  Did I start this band so we could pour all our emotion into our music and be so proud of it so people can go out of their way to tell you they hate it?  Did I start this band so we could starve and eat off of other people tables and dumpster dive and spend all of our money to make it to the next show only to have it canceled? No No No!  Did I start touring to sleep in a Van without heat in the middle of the winter and sleep on bathroom floors and truck stops cause it was warm only to be called a “rockstar” the first time Bleeding Through stepped off a tour bus? The answers are all FUCK NO!

Ill tell you why I started this band. I was a 19 year old kid that hated his reflection in the mirror and hated himself. I had major emotional issues that I hide from everyone and music was my release and together with my friends we got to create music for each other and expel all of our emotional issues through that music. I was lost and depressed with no way out. It was either write my issues on paper and scream them into a mic or expel my life with a bullet through my head. That is why I started this band!

Now getting ready to embark on our first leg of the US farewell tour it seems what we are doing is still not good enough. Even though we are 100% doing this tour for the ones that have supported us through out the years we are still getting backlash. I understand that we may not be playing your city on this tour and we apologize. We are playing the places that we could find promoters to book us a show. Plain and simple. In response to not playing  sertain towns on this tour we have gotten comments like “you were my favorite band but not I am going to burn your records”, “thanks for letting your fans down” and “you guys are probably just going to the places that you make the most money”. Seeing comments like this really put things into perspective to me now. My response to those comments is FUCK YOU! If we aren’t worth it to drive a few miles away from your city to see Bleeding Through one more time then so be it. We are going to play the cities we are booked in in front of people who give a shit about our music. We are going to play hard and fast like it’s our last time on that stage because guess what? It’s going to be our last time. Hope to see you at the shows. If not I refuse to lose sleep over it.

I’m going to end this with a quote from Paul Rudd’s character in the movie Forgetting Sara Marshall “when life hands you lemons say fuck the lemons and bail”

-Brandan

 

Bah Bah Black Sheep

I didn’t started lifting weights to conform. Quite the contrary I started lifting weights cause I needed an escape from the conformist society of Newport Beach. I never really fit in with the popular kids. I didn’t party and do the same things as most. I had a few close friends that I played music with and went to Hardcore and Punk shows and that was it. I saw most people growing up having a complete disregard for their bodies and that was the cool thing. To “not give a fuck”. I got made fun of because I went to the gym on friday night instead of going to parties. I was an outcast of sorts. I was the black sheep and always did my own thing my own way. Those who grew up with me even nicknamed me “sheep”. My approach to my music career was the same way as my adolecents. Bleeding Through and even before that with 18 Visions and Throwdown we did things our own way and didn’t conform. Now looking back at the last decade and seeing the career that Bleeding Through had it had it’s ups and down and we could have very well sold out and tried to go mainstream but we didn’t. We stuck to what made us happy in the first place. Playing music together and creating the scary music that we loved to play and playing the fuck out out of that music no matter if there were 5 people watching or 5,000 people. We would just grip it and rip it. So looking back I can honestly say I am glad that Bleeding Through never got commercial success. I think that would have just ruined the emotion to the music and the connection to our loyal fans. Now my approach to fitness is the same. I don’t want to conform. I set out to build a culture that those can find solace in. Through fitness the same as with Bleeding Through I want to help mold an attitude and a sense of empowerment. I believe that bettering ones bodies and health can change a persons mental short-commings. Along with music it has saved my life more times than one and helped my mental issues. I want Rise Above Fitness to be the black sheep. The underground. The Punk rock. The Attitude. The culture. So what I am getting at is do things your own way. No matter how many hills you have to climb. If you have a vision go for it and don’t let words and negative opinions stand in your way. If you don’t reach commercial success who gives a shit. It is better to know that if you look back at your past you aren’t embarrassed because you did it your own way. Be the black sheep.

-peace I’m out of here

Brandan Schieppati

Squat Hell!

I love squats. Sometimes I wish that I could recover quicker so I could do them every day. I would rather wear sweats for the rest of my life and have strong legs then look like a fruit loop who’s idea of training legs never involves a Barbell. It usually consist of once a week doing the plate loaded leg press machine for 3 sets of 10. You know you got to fit into those skinny jeans! Make sure you wear your deep V neck shirt from Top Shop and show off your pecks! No thanks! DO this instead!

 

Squat Hell!
Do letter pairings as a circuit
6x
A1 BB back squats 10,8,8,6,6,4
6x
B1 BB back squats w/heals elevated 10,8,8,6,6,4
4x
C1 BB front squats 8,8,6,4
C2 DB wide stance front squats 8,8,6,4

finisher
Tabata box jumps
8x
20 seconds on w/10 seconds rest

you are welcome
~Brandan

Flesh & Blood

Its amazing to me the similarities that the music industry and fitness industry have to one another. It is something that I get reminded of time and time again. I have to say it totally bums me me out as well. The main thing that bums me out about the fitness industry is how people will take slight popularity and form an incredible ego with it. Just like when a band you like is humble until they start selling records and then all of a sudden “rockstar attitude” happens. In this day and age it is very easy to get recognized via Facebook, Instagram, Vine, YouTude, etc. Not saying that is a bad thing. I am guilty as fuck when it comes to using these outlets to better my training and music career, my gym, my clothing brand and online coaching. I mean you are a fool if you do not take advantage of these things to better your brand. I will tell you what I am not guilty of though! Being a self absorbed ego maniac asshole because I have a social media following. To many people get to much credit for having 100000000 followers on Instagram or Facebook. I hear to much from people “OMG that person is like totally my idol”! WHY?!?! Because they can take a good picture? I don’t know. Maybe I am old fashion but if I look up to someone I like to know that they have made legit accomplishments in their life. Not just being awesome on IG or FB. Most importantly I want to know that that person is flesh and blood. To many times someone gains popularity and all of a sudden changes. Lately I have seen this way to much in people and it pisses me off. Stay humble stay flesh and blood. Most importantly for those reading this. Choose your idols carefully and know that these people you look up are human just like you. They make mistakes just like you. They breathe the same air as you.

You might be reading this and saying to yourself “Brandan people might idolize you. What about that?” Here is my answer. I’ve never wanted fame. I’ve had success through hard work and sacrifice. I never set out to be an idol or anything more than a human being. I will always make mistakes in my life. I will have bad days. I will let people down but I will always keeping working to better myself and I will always be flesh and blood.

Brandan

 

Believer

Tonight I went to go see my dear friend Chris Alas perform at a small bar in Costa Mesa CA. I’ve known Chris since he was in High School and he has worked for my band for the last 6 years. Chris plays in a one man band called Lobo Solo. Live he plays guitar and screams into a microphone. He plays along with music that he recorded himself that is being pumped through the venues speakers. If you have a mental picture by now you are seeing an out of the ordinary pretty unique set up. The bar was small and the music was loud and to be honest most people didn’t really understand or want to understand the performance. So I am watching my friend play his ass off and play this fucked up brutal music while these people that probably have never tried to create anything them selves talk shit and mock him. Now the majority of the people that were there were into the music but its life and you can’t help but focus on the bad sometimes.

So you ask why does he do this if people might not accept what he is doing? Because he is a believer. He believes that music is his sanctuary. His escape from the trails of life and no matter what the music sounds like to others, it sounds beautiful to him. This very reason is why I started playing music. It was my safe place away from insecurity and anxiety. It was either play my fucked up loud music that most people will not understand or death. My approach to fitness and the reason why I opened a gym and started a fitness company shares the same principals. When I felt that I have given everything that I have in a full time capacity to music I got into fitness. It was my other love. 

Fitness is my love. It is my safe place. My escape from anxiety issues. The way that I can give back is to try to inspire people to use fitness as a sanctuary away from the trails of their lives. I feel the same way towards fitness as I do with music in relation to my life. It is either fitness or death and just like my music I don’t care if people understand that or not. I am a believer.

Brandan Schieppati

Just because….

So I wanted to touch on a subject really quick and I promise not make it a long winded blabber. I’m over it how people and trainers think that just because their client is sweaty and exhausted that they got a great workout in. Think that you got to be dripping sweat to get lean? That is not the case. I recently heard someone say that they felt they got a great workout in but they didn’t sweat so they didn’t think it was enough. Let me say this. Just because you aren’t dripping with sweat does not mean that you did not do anything to better your body. You can jump up and down and wiggle like an idiot for an hour and sweat your balls (tits if you are a girl) off and yes burn calories but what is it doing to benefit your body outside of losing water weight and burning  aerobic calories? Nothing! Want to get ripped and burn fat and get lean. Then don’t be afraid of some iron in your life. Working your muscle fibers burns a ton more calories and FAT then bullshit 4th rate Insanity workouts. Eat the right foods. Lift weight. If you want to keep your cardio up then do some sprints. Its really that simple. Oh and sometimes you aren’t going to sweat that much and thats ok! 

The memory will live on.

 

Today is indeed a sad day for me. When you have some success doing something that you love you never really think about writing a statement about that something coming to an end. Well that dream that we have had as Bleeding Through has come to an end. 

 

I think I can speak for the rest of my bandmates in saying that we always hoped it would end on our terms and it has. 

 

We have been fortunate to have a strong fan base worldwide and have brought joy to many and pissed off many more. BT was always a band that wore the emotion of the music on our sleeves. We cared about everyone like family that ever took the time to listen to our band, support our merchandise and go to our shows. S

 

ince 1999 we have been blessed to be able to tour the world, record seven records with some great musical minds, tour with amazing bands and people,  work with people with character such as management, booking agents and road crew. 

 

Most importantly, we made lasting friends from this journey. We have been honored to be part of a expanding the musical movement of heavy music and hope to be remembered as a benchmark and pioneer of a specific style of music. 

 

We have been a band since 1999 and many of us just had life catch up with us in the way of marriages, kids, businesses and other endeavors. We can no longer dedicate what we need to to keep BT going. 

 

Personally I feel doing this band in a part time fashion is not what this band is about and and feel like we have always been an all or nothing band. With that being said and because we have established a world wide following over the last 14 years we want to give us and those people one more chance to share in this music together. We are setting up farewell tours. Dates will be up and promoted very soon. 

 

To those who supported this band: It has been an honor.

 

~Brandan Schieppati