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01/07/2026
From CPA to “Mr. Swiftie,” and Everything in Between: The Unconventional Reinvention of MoCo Native Ray Castro
Click below for full article.
https://mocoshow.com/2025/12/30/from-cpa-to-mr-swiftie-and-everything-in-between-the-unconventional-reinvention-of-moco-native-ray-castro/
Last week of our gym :(This is the last week at the current location for Poolesville Self Defense and RPC Fitness.We have to be out at the end of the week, and the building will be demolished to make way for a new housing development.It’s been so cool to have this spot for the last six years and to have become a fixture in the Town of Poolesville.I still get blown away sometimes when I’m driving in and I see the building and the signage for the BJJ school that Mark and I started - Poolesville Self Defense, and my personal training business - RPC Fitness.I used to be a CPA, hating my life and career, and now this is what I get to do.I stepped away from teaching BJJ this past summer, so that I’d have time to pursue my other interests. Mark has always been the one keeping things running smoothly anyway, so the school is in good hands and we have a great team of instructors with Mark, Julian, Eric, Mike, and Tom.Follow Mark’s posts for updates on the new location for the school.I will be moving RPC Fitness to K2/Poolesville Athletic Club, which will be in the same strip center as Poolesville Self Defense starting next week.Since this is our last week here, I wanted to document whatever workouts in get in this week.This is the last push workout that I’ll get at this gym.I was a little pressed for time, so I did five rounds of a giant set for chest, followed by some tricep work.A giant set is like a superset, but it consists of three or more exercises back to back, with no rest. They are great when you’re short on time, and when you want to try to maximize time under tension for whatever you’re hitting.I’ll have some open availability when I’m at the new spot, so if you’re looking for help, let me know and we can set up a time to talk!
I’ve been trying to focus a lot on mobility with my lower body training in recent months.
My hips and back hurt all the time from wrestling.
And I am old.
As we get older, it becomes even more important to work on mobility so that we can still move and feel like we did when we were younger.
Here’s a drop set of Bulgarian Split Squats with front foot elevation.
I’m anchoring at the rack so that I don’t have to focus as much on stabilization.
The elevated front foot allows for a deeper stretch at the bottom for the back leg/hip. Trying to get a quick pause at the bottom stretch also.
After your set with weight, just drop the weight and continue with bodyweight til you can’t do anymore.
03/17/2024
My wife, Aim to Capture - Photography, just did my pro wrestling promo pics this week.
She does such awesome work, and has done promo pics for many of the wrestlers at both MCW Pro Wrestling and EWA Pro Wrestling, and can be found shooting ringside at most of their shows.
Check out her stuff on here and on her IG .to.capture
09/07/2023
The beaches out here on the Emerald Coast are amazing. Don’t know why it took me so long to get out here.
Went grocery shopping and there’s a Gold’s nearby, so I’ve been able to get back into a decent routine with meals and workouts on this vacation.
I feel a lot better now. As you get older, you can definitely feel the difference that garbage food, and lack of workouts make.
It also makes it way easier to get back into your routine when you get home.
05/26/2023
Thanks for the birthday wishes!
Turned 47 yesterday, and I’m spending the week in Vegas to watch a bunch of wrestling.
Why?
Because I want to.
Don’t wait til it’s too late to do the things you want to do in life.
None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow.
It can all be over in a second.
I know that I’m going to make sure that I get to do what I want, and have the experiences I want before this is all over.
I don’t mean to be completely reckless. Still take care of your obligations and responsibilities.
But if you’re saying -
“We’ll do it next year”
“I’ll go there when I’m retired”
“I’m too busy for that”
Keep in mind that the time to do those things may never come for you if you keep putting it off.
So, if something is really important to you, then do it.
I’m 47 years old, trying to learn how to be a pro wrestler. Because I love it and I really want to be able to do it.
So, I’m doing it.
If I can do that, you can go book that trip that you’ve been wanting to take.
You might not have another chance.
So, just do it.
Had to change the workout on the fly because we ended up with a baby attachment.
Learning to be flexible with your workouts and exercise selection is one thing that helps maintain overall consistency.
Even if you’re not hitting what was planned, you’re still doing something.
And getting something in is generally better than skipping it completely.
I discovered my new favorite curl variation on the functional trainer.
You get to work arms, AND sit in a deep squat position.
We all should be sitting in a deep squat way more often than we do.
We sit in chairs and in cars all day. It’s not that great for you to sit all the time.
Sitting in chairs all the time end up making your hips and core weaker, and makes the muscles in your hips and foot/ankle complex to shorten and get tighter. And your lower back ends up compensating, which can lead to back pain.
Sitting in a deep squat helps with hip and ankle mobility; which can help with back pain; it can improve digestive health; and it helps your range of motion when you actually doing squats during your workout.
If you don’t want to do the curls, at least sit in a deep squat for a few minutes every day.
Your back will thank you.
A lot of times, the actual workout isn't what's most important.
One of the best things about being a trainer is the personal relationships that you build with clients over time.
You get to know them; become a person for them to vent to and confide in; and become a source of support and encouragement when they need it.
It’s one of the most rewarding things about this job for me.
One of my clients is a special needs client. So, she’s had a tougher life than most of us because of it.
Her mom has been going through some serious health issues, and when I asked how her mom was doing at our session this week, she replied “I can’t believe that this is the year that I’m going to lose one of my parents”, and she because pretty distraught and teary.
I was heartbroken for her, and I got a little teary as well, but I knew that I had to do whatever I could to bring her up.
I did my best to lighten the mood by talking about wrestling (we’re both huge pro wrestling fans), the TV shows that we both like, and just tried to make her laugh as much as I could for the rest of the workout.
And we ended the session with her smiling and laughing, with her spirits up.
Helping people to get in shape, and eat well is awesome, and rewarding in itself.
But helping people just feel better - in whatever way that they need it - is the most rewarding part of it for me.