Jared Zimmerer
Episode 230
26 JUNE 2023
He has trained in bodybuilding, Brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing, Jeet Kune Do, powerlifting, the Scottish Highland Games, and is currently going for hybrid athlete. He is the author of a book called, “Ten Commandments of Lifting Weights.” On the faith side, he has a Master’s in Theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary, and earlier this year was named the Director of Extension Strategy at Benedictine College, which has been named one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by First Things magazine and the Newman Guide. Previously he had served as the Director of the Word on Fire Institute.
Notable guest quotes:
“It was a normal thing for us to pray a rosary at least almost every night… Usually once a month we’d go to confession as a family.”
“My parents actually owned and operated a Catholic bookstore for about 16 years, that, I worked there for about ten years and had a lot of experiences with people that wouldn’t necessarily come to a church but would certainly come to a bookstore to debate the faith, so, at 16 I was getting the hard knocks of learning how to defend the faith.”
“Initially I thought I was actually going to go into coaching but there was a bit of a hiring freeze in Texas when I graduated during that time and so I got into business and eventually found my way into ministry, but I still absolutely love – I still coach my boys’ teams and – I just love being around the athletic arenas.”
“I… grew up in a very devout home, knew all of the prayers, probably could tell you more about the catechism than most of the other kids at the Catholic school, but it really never went from my head to my heart until I had this moment. I had an opportunity to go to Mexico City with my father on some mission trip stuff.”
“The story of Miguel Pro and then seeing his shrine, that just kind of knocked me over the head of, wow this is what the faith is – it’s something that means so much that a man is willing to stare a firing squad in the face, forgive them, and accept his fate.”
“I started reading… the idea of weightlifting and athletics being a way to glorify God and a way to integrate your physical body into your spiritual life and understand it in that way.”
“If you wanna be a great athlete you have to consider the mind as well. The smarter you are the better athlete you’re going to be. The more spiritually strong you are the more courageous you’re going to be in athletics.”
“Yeah, achieve excellence. You wanna go deadlift 800 pounds? Awesome! But make sure your mindset is right when it comes to your mental strength and your spiritual strength as well.”
“Devotion to Mary; even during your time lifting weights, what are some things you can offer up to her. Say, ‘Hey, this session I’m about to do, whatever suffering I get out of it, I want to give it to you’.”
Related links:
January 2023 press release (Zimmerer Joins Benedictine College)
Book being given away as mentioned on this episode
