Monday, August 27, 2012

Comfort, it isn't meant for healthy.

Guess what? If all you ever do is walk on a treadmill, the only body you will ever have is the body that walks on a treadmill. If that is the body you want, great, then don't bother reading the words after this sentence. Muscle isn't made with magic. Getting results means getting out of your comfort zone. If it doesn't hurt, it isn't working.
You can sit on the couch all day watching the television and gawk at all the six-packs and perfect physiques all you want but that won't get you anywhere. You can continue to use that one piece of machine in your spare bedroom every morning before work and wonder why you don't have abs yet OR you can actually make it hurt and make it actually worth your time. Now I'm not saying spend two hours in the gym everyday. That is overkill. The only people that spend two hours in the gym everyday are Meatheads. Meatheads who do 10 reps of bicep curls, flex for themselves in the mirror, and then hog a bench to sit and text all their Brosephs and Bosses. All I want from you is a real, dedicated 45 minute slot of your most days of the week. If you really push yourself AND make every minute count you can be done in 45 minutes easy AND still get awesome results.
Se let's map out what a 45 minute workout looks like. Do a really great 5 minute total body warm-up (every time you work out). I honestly got asked the other day if doing a really great total body warm-up on Monday could last through the weekend until the following Monday. No. Dumb. Anyway, after your warm-up make a circuit of 10 really great multi-joint exercises. Examples? How about turning a Reverse Lunge into a Reverse Lunge with an Overhead Press via kettlebell or dumbbell? Push-up with a Dumbbell Row. Step-Ups? Burpees? Clean-and-Press. Side Plank Leg Lifts. Plank with Band Pulls. Dynamic Hip Extensions. Deadlifts! Deadrows! Shelks, OH MY! (See what I did there? 10 exercises for your very first circuit) Your welcome. Try that circuit for 30 second intervals. If that is too easy you can go up to 45 seconds or even 1 minute per exercise. Remember to make the transitions between exercises minimal. It's all about getting as much done in as little time as possible. After you complete the circuit one time through, allow 60 seconds of rest. If you need more time make it 90 seconds. Then repeat. After you complete two rounds then you can cool down by stretching the muscles. Make sure to include every muscle you worked. Look at that, you still have time to put away everything and get out of the gym in under an hour.
If you just did all of that and didn't break a sweat or get your heart rate up at all you didn't do it fast enough or lift heavy enough. Remember, if it didn't hurt it didn't work. Results aren't found in the Comfort Zone. They are found in the Results Zone. The Results Zone isn't found without a little discomfort.


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Exercise, a shift in mind-set.

I always preach about how exercise and a healthy lifestyle is more than just working out and eating the right foods. It has to do with mental wellness as well. The thought we put into our lifestyle is just as important as the physical execution. Putting your mind in the right place first will make all the hard stuff that comes later seem a little easier.
When it comes to working out we are often negative in mind because most people don't enjoy it. Begrudgingly we get through it all the while thinking in our heads "This sucks. I hate this. I really have 30 minutes left? Wow, I'm so glad I'm here right now so I can torture myself.." Even with a positive mind set we sometimes see a particular exercise and think "Can I even do that?" What if we changed that one little thought of "Can I?" to "Can I do more than 1?" Just that little mental shift can make all the difference. Now you've committed your muscles to doing at least 1 so they are ready to go and give it a try. How else will you grow if you don't push yourself beyond your perceived limits? I guarantee you more times than not you will get at least 1 rep. Sometimes 1 rep makes all the difference.
If it is the fear of looking dumb in front of other gym-goers that is keeping you from trying new things, take a moment and actually look around you. You will notice no one is even paying you a glance. No one cares what you do in the gym, they are too busy with themselves and their own workout. IF they are looking at you, it's time to find a new gym anyway because that is creepy. Think of this, what if you actually did something new and it caught someone's attention and they in turn tried something new? You just inspired someone. Wouldn't that just make you feel all gooey inside?

Get in the gym or get with a trainer and quit talking yourself out of a really great, results oriented workout. Positive thoughts, positive results!