MSI Press Blog

Precerpt (excerpt prior to publication) from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary (Leaver): Back in the day—when I wore combat boots and carried an M-16—building strength and endurance felt as simple as a math equation: work out hard, rest overnight, get stronger. A + B = C. Just keep adding another push-up, another mile, another rep. Linear progress. Predictable. Efficient. But now, as a septuagenarian chasing strength and stamina with the same stubbornness that once got me through Army PT tests, I’ve come to a tough realization: this isn’t algebra. Not linear. Not even remotely additive in the way I once believed. Progress at 70+ has its own rhythm, its own rules—and they do not obey my old formulas. The first time I tried to follow the “add one rep every day” mindset, I hit a wall so fast it felt like I'd body-slammed reality. Muscles stiffened, joints ached, and instead of growing stronger, I just grew cranky. I wasn’t failing in discipline; I was failing in strategy. The ne...

  Coming soon! Watch for it!  Grandma's Ninja Training Diary  (Leaver and Renz) Grandma’s Ninja Training Diary  is the inspiring true story of a 70-year-old grandmother who dares to dream big—by training for  American Ninja Warrior . Teaming up with coach and trainer Brittany Renz, she embarks on a three-year journey to build strength, resilience, flexibility, balance, and endurance—starting from scratch. Told in a dynamic mix of diary entries, coaching insights, and behind-the-scenes reflections, this book chronicles the ups and downs of late-in-life athletic training. From gym workouts to rock climbing, yoga to injury recovery, sleep to mindset—every aspect of the transformation is explored with honesty and humor. Grandma shares what she’s learning; Coach Brittany explains why she’s right—or wrong. Together, they offer a realistic, encouraging look at what it takes to pursue an extraordinary goal at any age. Part training manual, part motivational memoir,...

  Precerpt (excerpt prior to publication) from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary -- There’s something incredibly humbling about needing to pause 2/3 of the way up a hill you’ve walked daily for years—especially when that hill is notoriously brutal, a football field long at a steady 30-degree incline. I’ve always taken pride in breezing past younger walkers as they gasp behind me. So, when I suddenly had to stop mid-hill for breath, I noticed. And I paid attention. When I mentioned it to my doctor, I half-expected a shrug and some comment about age or the difficulty of the climb. Instead, he took me seriously. “Any change without a clear reason is worth investigating,” he said. He was right. It turned out that my iron had plummeted from a healthy 40 to 29, well below the normal 35 average for my age—overnight. We’re still figuring out why, but I’m now on iron supplements and grateful we caught it early. Why? Because I listened to my body. That’s the heart of body awareness, and it’s on...

  Coming soon! Watch for it!  Grandma's Ninja Training Diary  (Leaver and Renz) Grandma’s Ninja Training Diary  is the inspiring true story of a 70-year-old grandmother who dares to dream big—by training for  American Ninja Warrior . Teaming up with coach and trainer Brittany Renz, she embarks on a three-year journey to build strength, resilience, flexibility, balance, and endurance—starting from scratch. Told in a dynamic mix of diary entries, coaching insights, and behind-the-scenes reflections, this book chronicles the ups and downs of late-in-life athletic training. From gym workouts to rock climbing, yoga to injury recovery, sleep to mindset—every aspect of the transformation is explored with honesty and humor. Grandma shares what she’s learning; Coach Brittany explains why she’s right—or wrong. Together, they offer a realistic, encouraging look at what it takes to pursue an extraordinary goal at any age. Part training manual, part motivational memoir,...