Mental Preparation

Your mental attitude adjustments need to start before you get into the gym.  Prepare yourself by setting some goals for the workout.  Log them in your workout log and then tell yourself that you are going to achieve them.  Always go into your workouts with the attitude that you are going to succeed.  If you are tired, do not dwell on that.  Do what it takes to energize yourself.  Be ready to work the moment you enter the gym.

Workout Preparation

Make sure that you have planned your workout prior to entering the gym.  I personally write down every exercise in the order I am going to do them and I add the weight I am going to attempt in the area where I am recording my first set.  This helps me to focus on the workout when I’m at the gym.  If you go in without a planned workout you are bound to completely lose mental focus while you determine what is the next exercise you should do.  In addition, by having it all written out beforehand, you have the ability to figure out how good the workout is before you start it.

Popularized by Arthur Jones

In the 1970s, the inventor of the Nautilus line of equipment, Arthur Jones, began training his pupils with a system known as High Intensity Training.  Arthur Jones was responsible for making this type of training popular.  This type of training focuses on quality repetitions to the point of momentary muscular failure.

High Intensity Principles

When using High Intensity Training (H.I.T.) you should focus on exercise that is brief, infrequent and intense.  You will perform your exercises with the maximum level of effort you can muster up.  By using the most weight you can use and pushing yourself to the maximum level of effort, you will stimulate the body to increase muscle size and strength.  Because of the extreme intensity level of the workouts, H.I.T. sessions are kept very brief.

A Typical H.I.T. Routine

A popular method for putting to together a H.I.T. routine is to use the push-pull principle, where you alternate between pushing and pulling movements.  A typical H.I.T. routine will require just one set of each exercise, hitting the entire body in one session.

A typical H.I.T. routine would be as follows:

Leg Extension
Lying Leg Curl
Calf Raise
Squat
Hammer pullover
Bench Press
Lat pull down
Overhead press
Cable row
Bench dips
Bicep curl
French curl
Upright row
Deadlift
Shrug
Forearm curl

This is quite an effective routine when done with maximum intensity.

While there are alot of impatient people on the majority of body building web sites I visit, http://www.discussbodybuilding.com has less of those than most.  The information is generally very helpful.  If you have questions there is a good chance it has already been answered, so be sure to search the forums before posting a new question.

The discussions are broken into logical topics.  A popular topic on the board is lifting heavy.  People are continually asking advice on what workout is the best and how to eat.  The discussions get quite lively at times.  This forum is closely moderated and there are rules for behavior. Violate those rules and you will find yourself banned.  I personally feel this is a great thing.  There is no need for people to hide behind an online moniker and be rude to others. The moderators at Discuss Bodybuilding make sure this can’t happen.

Matty is the typical teenager.  He really enjoys his snack foods.  When I showed him the Combat the Fat program he realized that his snack foods would have to be eliminated.  With just a small amount of grumbling, he set out to accomplish what the program laid out for him.  At this point, he has managed to stick to the program like a champ.  He is eating better than I’ve ever seen him eat.  He is eating at least 5 to 6 times a day.  He has already learned after one week that food makes the difference more so than exercise. 

The workouts have been a challenge for Matty.  He does not have exceptional upper body strength and push ups play a large role in this program.  Matty has not complained.  He gets down to business and completes the workouts.  I have been very proud of his work ethic throughout this entire program thus far.