The Reintroduction of J.L. Holdsworth, and the Introduction of
the FIVE PERCENT
By J.L. Holdsworth
Hello Everyone! My name is J.L. Holdsworth and I’m an asshole. I tried to
fight it, but at the end of the day you just have to know who you are and
embrace it. Some people love me for it and others hate me for it, but no matter
where you fall, you’ll always be entertained. I used to think I didn’t want to
be known as the guy who didn’t give a fuck, but then I realized, I don’t give a
fuck. Some of you may remember me from my training logs on EliteFTS, and I may
have slept with some of you (Jim), but others have no idea who I am, so I’ll
give you some background.
I’m from a small town in Michigan. I actually grew up with Josh McMillan (the
newest member of Team EliteFTS), and I went to college with Kroc. Yes, there was
test in the water where we come from. My athletic career started young with
wrestling, and in high school I placed second (first loser) in the state. I
played college football (fullback) at a Division II school, Ferris State
University, and transferred to Wayne State University in Detroit, where I
finished my degree in Exercise Science with a specialization in Nutrition and
Fitness.
After college I was an assistant strength coach at Wayne State and then at
the University of Kentucky. This is when I first met Jim, and immediately I
didn’t like him. I was Olympic lifting at the time, and since he was
powerlifting the “Westside” way (ie: he thought Louie was God), he thought I was
gay for Olympic lifting. After talking to Jim, I decided that powerlifters
seemed like my kind of people, so I started training for a meet. This is when I
was first introduced to what it means to be in the FIVE percent.
While following the FIVE percent principles, I managed to become one of the
top 275 pound powerlifters in the world in only four powerlifting meets. I had a
best squat of 905, a 775 bench and an 804 deadlift, with a 2435 pound total.
While training for my first WPO meet, I herniated my L5/S1 disc. Along with my
stenosis, this caused some serious pain and problems. While injured, I managed
to fuck up the “pull and pray” method (apparently the injury slowed the pull),
and now I have a wonderful little three year-old boy named Charlie and an
ex-wife whose name is not important. At least she was hot, and that is
important.
You’re probably wondering, “What is this FIVE percent, and why is JL such an
asshole?” Well, you’re at least about to get the answer to one of those
questions. The FIVE percent is that group of elite athletes and champions that
sacrifice much and have the discipline of many. I belonged to that FIVE percent
when I left my career as a collegiate strength coach and moved to Columbus to
train at Westside after only doing one meet (in which I beat Dave and Jim).
The FIVE percent guided me as I set my work schedule up around when I was going
to train, eat and sleep. These are the types of things it takes to be in the
FIVE percent. So if you’re sitting there reading this article wondering why I’m
writing for ELITE again, it’s because I’m rejoining the FIVE percent.
In next month’s article, I’ll detail what exactly the FIVE percent attitude
and principles are. I will also go over my powerlifting and bodybuilding goals
(yes, bodybuilding... stay tuned for that one). This journey to get back in the
FIVE percent should be an interesting one, and one that’s hopefully filled with
much success and, I’m sure, a few failures. I encourage you to follow my
journey and embark on one of your own because “will is the one thing no one can
take from us and the quality with which all great things are
accomplished.” I made that shit up, but feel free to steal it. Talk to you next
month bitches.
