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Intensify

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As I travel rapidly along the path to my first bodybuilding contest I spend alot of time considering where I am and planning my future steps. I've come to many conclusions along the way. Some of these conclusions have been extremely personal while others have just been educational.

I've always thought of myself as being fairly intense. I began to wonder if I was using the right measurement to determine my intensity status. As I examined things I realized that there was room to be even more intense. I then set out to intensify.

Intensify nutrition

Here is an area where simple is better. I went back to the drawing board and simplified my eating. I began to make one small change each day. By taking these small steps I was able to intensify my nutrition.

Intensify my attitude

Not accepting less than my best is a lesson I had to learn. I focused on small changes in my attitude. As I made more changes I was able to intensify my attitude.

Intensify training

This one was hard for me. My training has always been intense. However, I realized that my common problem has been that I get so focused on the weights that I forget the cardio. As a result I have pushed my cardio to a different place. This has enabled me to intensify my training.

Intensify my goals

Today I am publishing this week's goals. The idea is to intensify them by holding myself accountable to my readers.

My goals are (each day builds on the last):

Sunday – I only drink water, milk, coffee and herbal tea, with water being my main beverage.

Monday – I get the majority of my carbs from fruits and vegetables.

Tuesday – I only eat protein if it is a lean protein.

Wednesday – I drink 1 gallon of water daily.

Thursday – I do some type of cardio each day.

Friday – I set personal bests at every workout.

Saturday – I eat 2700 calories each day.

Please hold me to these goals.

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Goals: Dealing With Roadblcoks

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When planning goals there is a very important step most people forget, but is essential to achieving your goals. The fact is that the more planning you do the better your odds are of accomplishing what you set out to do.

As you go down a path towards your goal you are going to find things in your way. The key is to plan for them ahead of time. If you plan your reaction to potential roadblocks ahead of time you will be able to react quickly once faced with them. You will be able to get back on the path to success quickly.

When you plan out a goal spend the time to plan for any and all things that might get in your way to achieving that goal. Put down the action steps you will take if you face a particular roadblock. You will find it much easier to accomplish you goals.

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Goals: Pencil or Pen?

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Goals are supposed to be inflexible and set in stone. You should never change the due date of a goal. Don't believe either of those comments.

Be Specific

Goals must be specific or they won't be effective. You need to be clear about what you want to accomplish. A clear goal gives your brain a concise target to aim for.

Be Time Sensitive

When aiming to complete a goal you need to make sure it is time sensitive. With no due date you won't ever accomplish a goal. The due date sets your brain into motion. You can increase the pressure through a due date.

Put It In Pencil

While you must have a due date, it must be written in pencil. There are legitimate reasons to change the date a goal is due. An injury can happen which will cause you to take longer to complete the goal. If you have the due date in pen you might never complete the goal. Put the due date in pencil and you will simply erase the due date and move it to a more reasonable date.

Having flexibility built into your goals will help you accomplish them as long as that flexibility does not become a crutch. Use flexibility for the right reasons and you will practically guarantee success.

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Goals: Attacking The Problem

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I have been doing alot of thinking about goals and how to achieve them. I have gone back and reviewed some old resources from my past. Through it all I have taken notes and now believe I have come up with a great plan to attack my problems.

Taking It Down a Notch

Goals should be a stretch, right? This is something we hear all the time. This advice leads us down the wrong path. We begin to think in large scale ways. Our thinking gets so big that we create more opportunity for failure.

The answer is to take it down a notch. Look at the large scale goal and break it into pieces. Make it so it is harder to fail.

Eating correctly for the next 12 weeks can be a daunting task. Not eating junk food on Monday is easily achieveable. The 12 week goal is too large while the Monday goal is short enough to guarantee success.

Small Successes Strung Together

After you avoid all junk food on Monday you will need a goal for Tuesday. You could decide to avoid all junk food on Tuesday and to drink a gallon of water. By achieving Tuesday's goal you have strung together two small succeses and are on your way to long term success.

Be Honest

Don't fudge on your goals. If you fail to accomplish a goal try it again. Keep stringing together small successes. The honest reassesement of your situation will lead you to consistent success in the long run.

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What does time have to do with it?

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How does it relate to training?

We have all heard people discuss how long their workout is or how much time they spend working out.  People are very into such things.  However, is it really that important and does it relate to training at all?

I will tell you that time is an important factor in training and I don’t mean just having the time to do it.  Your training is affected by time in numerous ways such as the speed of the repetitions or the length of your workout.  Those two issues are in my sight today.

Speed of Repetitions

Everyone is looking for ways to intensify their workouts.  The speed of your repetitions is just one way to do this.  By slowing down you repetitions and paying close attention to your form, you increase the intensity of your workout.  By speeding up your repetitions you are increasing the explosive power you have.

By slowing down the repetitions you increase the time under tension for the muscle.  This is an important technique as it really shocks the muscle.  I guarantee that if you try a 3 second up and down repetition the amount of weight you can lift will decrease dramatically.  It will also skyrocket your strength.  As long as you approach your workouts in a progressive fashion, pushing yourself harder on each workout, you are going to see results that will blow your mind.

You can also mess with the repetition cadence in other ways.  Do a 2 seconds up, 4 seconds down negative emphasis and you will feel the burn.  Do this with an increased number of repetitions and you might feel like collapsing.

Repetition speed seems to change your metabolic reaction to the training.  Almost everyone I know who has tried this with true intensity has ended up throwing up during their initial workout.  It is simply an intense experience.

Length of Workout

We’ve all heard the bragging from a muscle bound guy about how long he spent in the gym yesterday.  If you are like me that does not impress you.  I believe you can get in and out of the gym and get some great work done just by being intense during your lifts.  In fact, there are many trainers who will tell you that by going to the gym for more than an hour will increase your odds of gaining fat due to the cortisol response.

All I know is that I feel much stronger and have a more intense workout when I keep it around 45 minutes in length.  Anything longer seems counter-productive.

Conclusion

Time is just another variable in your workout.  Use it wisely and you will see the gains you desire.

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