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The Training Mindset

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The Training MindsetThe training mindset is so important when you enter the gym. Why do I believe this? The biggest block to your success is your mind. Everything else could be in alignment, but if your mind is not willing you will fail. This is why you need to be sure that  your mindset is right when you enter the gym.

A training mindset is one where you are ready to give everything you have to the workout. You should not leave the gym with a shred of energy to do more. You should feel as though you couldn't have done one more repetition on any exercise.

Your training mindset should have you in the place where you know you are going to experience discomfort, but you are ready and willing to overcome it. As my mentor, Carlos DeJesus, has said, you need to be prepared to “go beyond” in order to grow bigger. When you are doing a set of shoulder raises, don't stop just because things get uncomfortable. Push through the discomfort and finish the set.

If your training mindset is something that is holding you back it is time to make some adjustments. My son, Matthew, and I have a term — Beast. When we hit the gym our job is to be a Beast (capital B). Being a Beast means adjusting your training mindset to endure the discomfort and fatigue you undoubtedly will experience during a worhtwhile training session. It means killing it on every repetition. It means never giving up. These things will cause an adjustment to your training mindset that will simply elevate your training to the next level.

Once you've experienced a modification of your training mindset you will be able to make the mental adjustments as needed. You will learn to recognize when things are just not quite right in your training mindset. At that point you will be in complete control of your training.

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Lifestyle Changes

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Lifestyle ChangesThe worst part about shaving body hair for a competition is keeping it maintained. Yes, that is my personal opinion about the situation. Let me explain why.

The body is an amazing thing. It is so amazing that even when you shave off body hair it seems that 5 minutes later the hair is already starting to grow back. I am dead serious! For instance, I recently shaved the stubble off my chest area and then moved on to my arms. By the time I was done with my arms I could feel a small amount of stubble on my chest. Thus, in order to feel smooth all the time it requires that I shave just about daily.

To me, this extra work is annoying, but worth it for the end results I am trying to accomplish. It is just another lifestyle adjustment I am having to make. Becoming a bodybuilder and competing on a stage is something that requires some changes to my lifestyle. There are the obvious things like eating and training and then the less obvious things like shaving down. These things just have to happen in order for the goal to be achieved.

Some have asked why I am shaving down 5 months prior to my show. The answer is that I need to start working on the condition of my skin. The hair gets in the way of that. By shaving down now I can lotion up my skin and get it into better shape. I have also noticed that my skin is taking a bit of time (in areas) to get accustomed to the irritation of shaving on a regular basis. From what I've read, this can take some time and until such time as the skin is accustomed to the shaving there are red spots on various parts of my body. By the time of my show these will have gone away.

The entire process suits someone like me. I enjoy learning the how and the why behind the science of bodybuilding. I am lucky to have found an advisor who understands it very well and is willing to share his knowledge with me. I am not sure this would work for me any other way.

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Definition of Success

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The definition of success isn't as clear cut as people think. To me it depends upon the person giving the definition. It is based upon personal experiences and how one has come through those experiences. I define success in a multitude of ways. To me, success is accomplishing goals (for one), but even more so, success is actually destroying those goals. For instance, if I have a goal to lift 250 lbs. on my bench press, success would be 275 lbs. To me it isn't enough to just accomplish the goal, I want to beat it by a lot. You quite possibly would have a different way of defining success. Of course, there is a dictionary definition of success as well. I am also a strong believer that success knows no limits. The only limits are those we place upon ourselves. Isn't it obvious that if we don't attempt to move ahead, the best we can do is sit where we are, but if we at least make the attempt to move ahead the worst we can do is sit where we are? That's why I approached this topic today. I want you to be inspired to try moving ahead. I want you to think as a successful person would think. I made this video to discusses defining success, but also to inspire you on towards success. This success can be in your training or your life.

[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6mCyyF-18A[/pro-player]

I hope you enjoy the message I deliver. Perhaps you can tell how passionate I am about this topic. I believe that success is something everyone can achieve as long as they are focused in the right place. You get out what you put in and to me, that's an indisputable truth. I would love it if you would leave a comment sharing what you believe the definition of success really is.

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Is It All Worth It?

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Rewards of Hard WorkIt is a question I have had to answer several times. Is it worth giving up so much to get on to a bodybuilding stage? Are the sacrifices really worth the rewards in the end?

My first thought is that I don't see myself as giving up much at all. The way my program is laid out, I eat 6 meals a day. That's 42 meals a week. 41 of those meals are extremely strict (just protein, veggies, some of the meals containing starchy carbs) and 1 of those meals is a reward meal (I get to eat whatever I want). To me food is just fuel. Thus, having to eat strictly for 41 of 42 meals is not a big deal. I see no issue with it.

At the same time, to some people giving up sweets and other food pleasures is a huge deal. I would tell them that in the end having the satisfaction of knowing you were able to shape and mold your body into a body people are in awe of outweighs anything you give up. There is just an intense feeling that accompanies the changes your body goes through. On the way to where I am right now I've had many comments from people. They are amazed at my progress. It feels good to hear those things.

I definitely see the sacrifice issue. I have to make tough choices. I can't eat the same meals my family eats. At first my youngest children were very bothered by this. At some point they began to understand what was going on and embraced it.However, it is definitely a sacrifice. It is one of many reasons the reward meal exists. It is the one meal that I can splurge and eat what my family is eating without having any guilt over it.

I believe in what I am doing. It has long been a goal of mine. I have had struggles reaching those goals, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Thanks to the help of a great adviser and my own discipline to get where I want, I am heading down the path towards completing this major life goal. I am excited to see the pictures of myself up on stage when the time comes. I am excited to see what my body will look like. Right now I can only imagine it, and that image is incredible if you ask me!

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Training Lagging Body Parts

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Training Lagging Body PartsTraining lagging body parts is something everyone who wants to compete in a bodybuilding show needs to pay attention to. A few weeks ago my adviser informed me that he wanted me to add a fourth day to my weight training. He didn't want me to spend this on just anything, he wanted me to find a body part I wanted to improve and hit it with an intense training session each week.

As I thought about what body part I wanted to work on, I had to consider what was lagging behind. I had to consider the fact that when I get down to less than 10% body fat, which body part is not going to be where I want it. My conclusion was that my arms needed some work and my adviser approved me working them on the extra day.

Training lagging body parts is tricky. To my way of thinking, they most likely are lagging because they are not as responsive as the rest of your body. This can be for a lot of reasons, not the least of which could be too much training. Yes, the arms get worked when a lot of other body parts are worked, so the over training issue was something I had to consider. I have only had minimal success with building my arms over the years, so I decided that this was an area I would focus on.

I change up my training each week, but here is one workout that I am doing that really hits the arms hard.

Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets of 8 repetitions
Incline Alternating Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets of 8 repetitions
Preacher curls – 3 sets of 8 repetions (last set being an X-Rep set)
Wide grip chin ups – 3 sets to failure
Narrow grip chin ups – 3 sets to failure

Because my lagging body part is my arms I am being careful not to use too many sets. In addition, what I do is focus on my biceps and then rotate in some exercises for the triceps every other week. My triceps really are the best part of my arms, so I am basically training them with a lower frequency. So far this system seems to be working as my arms are getting much more defined.

Training lagging body parts is tricky. At the same time, you have to plan your program to include that issue. Any good plan is going to create a balanced looking body. That's the ultimate objective, wouldn't you agree?

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