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Focus Your Way to Fitness

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MayChallengeDay7

Everyone thinks they are focused. You think you are right? You ignore texts while at the gym. You concentrate on yoir exercises. While resting you think about the rest of your day…wait! I thought you said you were focused?

To me being focused means not thinking about anything else but your workout. Everything else is blocked out. This time is supposed to be all about you. Too few people take time for themselves during the day. These are the reasons you should be focused while at the gym.

Focus on the Muscle

Too many people go through the motions without really thinking about the muscle they are working. If this is you break that habit now! You need that mind to muscle connection to really work hard. Some muscles this comes easier than others, but you want to feel the muscle contracting as you move the weights. You want to feel the muscle working. This take great focus.

Focus on the Next Set

In between sets people tend to let their minds wander. This is the time to mentally envision the next set you will complete. See yourself lifting the weight. Imagine how many repetitions you will complete and how it will feel. Don't allow your mind to wander to other things.

Focus on Your Form During Each Set

Each exercise must be performed correctly, take time to focus on your form. Make sure your body is positioned correctly. If your form breaks correct it. If you can't do any other reps with correct form end the set. Form is king when it comes to making gains. There is no point in doing really sloppy bicep curls if you expect your arms to grow.

Focus to Reduce Stress

By not letting your mind wander you make your gym time your own. Here is a big hint — life will be there after  you spend time at the gym. The bills, problems, etc. of life will be there. Make the gym time your time and your stress is going to go down. It isn't important to worry about what is for dinner that night or that the electric bill is due. Just focus on your workout. Focus on getting the most out of your workout that you can and you will reduce your stress for sure.

Focus Your Way to Fitness

By following this advice and focusing like a laser you are going to see major increases in your fitness level. You will see results and so will your friends and family. Learn to fall in love with the process by truly experiencing it. Never train if you aren't going to focus, but don't use that as an excuse to not train.

Want to see all the messages in this May 2016 Challenge Series? I have them organized for you right here.

 

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How to Be Consistent

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May2016-Day6

The key variable in your fitness routine is consistency. The amount to which you stick to your plan, your consistency, is going to determine how successful you are. You can have the most bulletproof plan ever made, but if you don't consistently execute it you are going to get less than desirable results.

Why Goals Are Not Enough

Everyone knows they need to set goals in order to get anywhere with their health and wellness. However, goals alone just don't cut it. You have to create a plan that will enable you to consistently attack those goals. The consistency is what creates the successful results you are looking for.

Consistency Is Rewarding

When you consistently work towards your goals you will be rewarded with outstanding results. When to workout won't matter. How you workout won't matter. The consistent effort you put in will pay off huge dividends.

Stumbles Getting in the Way

Most of us let one small stumble derail us. Let me give you an example. Jane has a goal to be at the gym every single day this month. For the first 6 days of the month everything goes as planned. On the 7th day of the month something happens and Jane doesn't go to the gym. Jane is now faced with a major mental roadblock. If she stays focused on being consistent she will get up on the 8th day and resume her gym habit. All will not be lost. However, if she beats herself up for missing one day at the gym she runs the risk of completely derailing her program. Missing one day quickly becomes missing two days. It spirals out of control. Don't let that happen to you. Always realize that one day won't kill you. By being consistent over a long period of time you are going to see incredible results.

When Is It Best to Train?

I get asked this a lot. When is the best time of day to train? Some people will tell you that it is better to train in the morning when you are fresh. Others will say in the late afternoon as science has shown you are stronger at that time. I am going to tell you that the right time to train is when you are going to be the most consistent.

Ways to Be Consistent

There are numerous ways to be consistent with your training. I am going to point out just a few of those ways.

  • Pick a time of day to train that will enable you to get it done without constantly having to skip a day
  • Pick a body part and focus on improving it for the next 4 weeks
  • Set a goal to be at the gym every day this month
  • Don't beat yourself up when you stumble
  • Find a gym partner with similar goals and abilities

Now get to work and get the job done!

 

Want to see all the messages in this May 2016 Challenge Series? I have them organized for you right here.

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Body Part Split vs. Full Body Workout

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May Challenge Day 5

As you progress through this challenge I have noted there are many of you who have no idea how to train with weights.  With that in mind I felt it was important to teach you a few things about weight training. Obviously you could easily go to Google and look up advice for weight training, but there is a tremendous amount of misinformation available on the web about weight training (and every other fitness topic). Today I will talk to you about body part splits and full body training and discuss which one I think is most appropriate for which circumstances.

What Is Your Goal?

Most of you have the same goal. You want to lose fat and tone up. Well, I am not a fan of the term “tone up”, but will define it the way I see it. Toning up means you want to look leaner and more cut. I will use that definition going forward.

Since your goal is to lose fat and tone up you are going to want to gain muscle and at the same time, have a cardio effect during weight training. Keep that in mind as we continue this discussion.

What is a Body Part Split?

A body part split involves dividing the body up and training each body part on a different day. A typical body part split would be:

Back
Shoulders
Chest
Off Day
Legs
Arms
Off Day

This approach lowers the frequency with which you train each muscle group. This approach has its own benefits though.

Benefits of a Body Part Split

  1. The ability to handle greater loads. There is less body fatigue when doing a body part split, which translates into bigger weights being moved.
  2. Greater attention on each muscle group. By training each group separately you can focus on different angles and changing up the repetition scheme used. Many times this results in higher quality training.
  3. Less chance of over training. Your central nervous system takes a good hit from weight training. A body part split eases the load on your central nervous system.

What is a Full Body Workout?

A full body workout involves alternating workouts that hit every body part each time you workout. This generally means that you train every other day. In many situations you would simply train with weights 3 days a week (usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and do cardio on the other days. When I prescribe full body workouts I generally give a Workout A and a Workout B and have the client alternate between the two workouts.

Benefits of a Full Body Workout

  1. Greater frequency per muscle group. You will hit every muscle group every workout. This means you will train your arms 3 times a week at a minimum, your back 3 times a week at a minimum, etc.
  2. Higher energy expenditure per workout. Because you hit more muscles you will also expend more energy. This means you can eat a higher calorie diet, skip the cardio session after your weight training and gain more mass with less fat gain.
  3. Greater depletion and super compensation. A full body workout basically leaves your body saying “WTF?” A ton of microtrauma, protein degradation, and glycogen depletion has just occurred, leaving the body in an extremely primed state for nutrient uptake and anabolism to take place. Provided you give the body what it's asking for nutritionally, a superior supercompensatory effect will result.
  4. Greater anabolic hormonal stimulation. A full body workout will stimulate more growth hormone release in your body. While the effect is short lived, it is enough to make a difference in your fat burning efforts.

Which Method is Superior?

Both body part splits and full body workouts have their uses. The honest answer is that both are required for the greatest gains to take place. Since you, my current audience, are looking to burn fat I would recommend starting out with a 12 week full body routine. Keep your rest intervals shorter and push as hard as you can during your sets. This will help you to burn fat and gain muscle at the same time. Eventually you will need to add a 4 week cycle of body part split training to allow your central nervous system time to recover, but then you will be right back to doing a full body workout. My suggestion is to switch between the two as described in the following table:

Type Length
Full body workout 12 weeks
Body part split 4 weeks
Full body workout 12 weeks
Body part split 4 weeks
Full body workout 12 weeks
Body part split 8 weeks

This covers an entire year of training. This method works very well. Give it a try and let me know how you do. If you need help programming your workouts contact me via the contact form on this site and I will gladly help you out.

 

Want to see all the messages in this May 2016 Challenge Series? I have them organized for you right here.

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What is Stopping You?

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May2016-Day4

Did you know that 70% of the people who start a “get in shape” program quit? Clearly, with a number this high, something stops these people from achieving their goals. What is it? Before I answer that let me talk a little bit about the types of goals you can have.

Long Term Goals

A long term goal is one which will take more than a month to achieve. Losing 100 pounds would be a long term goal. These goals are important to have as they give you something to aim for.

Short Term Goals

Short term goals will take less than a month to achieve. These are great to have because while aiming at the long term goals you will be accomplishing some of your short term goals. This will provide you with the motivation you need to forge ahead towards the long term goals.

Baby Step Goals

This is where most people miss the mark. When you start a fitness program there is no need to have goals like “I won't eat anything but clean food” or “I will workout every single day” because these types of goals set you up for failure. Instead, take on baby step goals like “Today I will drink 1/2 gallon of water” or “I will walk to the end of my block and back at a brisk pace.” These are almost slam dunk goals and they are designed to motivate you. Don't skip these. They can be the difference between being part of the 30% and being part of the 70%

BHAG

What is this thing? BHAG stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal, an idea conceptualized in the book, “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by James Collins and Jerry Porras. According to Collins and Porras, a BHAG is a long-term goal that changes the very nature of a business’ existence. Well, you may not be a business, but you can have a BHAG. When I dropped 80 pounds in 8 months I had a BHAG. I was going to compete in a bodybuilding show whether or not I got into shape. I paid the fees and told every single person I knew about stepping on stage. I was not allowed to fail because failure would have resulted in massive humiliation.  Today my BHAG is to be in the best shape of my life. What is your BHAG?

Motivation

Goals are here to motivate us. Use them to your advantage. Set goals that are realistic, but make sure they scare you a little. You don't want them to be too easy.

Why the 70% Fail

There are so many different causes to failure in a fitness program, but to me the two biggest are failing to have baby step goals and lack of accountability. As previously discussed, baby step goals will push you towards the ultimate prize a little at a time. Having accountability to some one or some group is also essential. This accountability includes total honesty and transparency. You can write on Facebook that you went to the gym and you might not have. Only you know the truth. This is why you have to be honest. If you're honest your accountability group can push you towards your goals. They can help you finish what you started. Don't be afraid to fail, but don't let failure be your only option either. If you fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and forge ahead towards your goals yet again.

 

Want to see all the messages in this May 2016 Challenge Series? I have them organized for you right here.

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Eat Clean Good Tasting Food

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Clean eating

I run a Facebook group called the Orange County Wellness Group. One of our group members, Mary Anne Polson, asked “what are some relevant and usable nutrition advise for picky eaters…i.e. No kale smoothies.” Today I will attempt to give you some relevant guidelines that you can follow in order to eat clean but good tasting food. The key here is that you don't have to eat plastic food in order to eat well.

The first thing to note is that if you are not planning to step on stage you can season your food with anything you want. Hot sauce, salsa, garlic, seasoned salt are all good things to make your food taste better. I prefer hot sauce, but you can use anything you'd like. Later I will present you with a list of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and condiments that are good when trying to lose weight.

The first thing to remember is that when working to take off weight, protein is your best friend. Higher protein diets have been shown to be the most effective.  When I advise people on losing weight I tend to point them towards a 5 or 6 meal a day plan that is pretty much a formula.

Meal 1 would include a protein, starchy carbohydrate, vegetables and a healthy fat.

Meal 2 and Meal 3 would be a repeat of Meal 1.

Meal 4 would include a protein, vegetables and a healthy fat.

Meal 5 would include a protein and vegetables.

Meal 6 would be a protein source only that is slow digesting.

This table summarizes the meal plan:

Meal Protein? Starchy Carb? Vegetable? Healthy Fat?
1 Yes Yes Yes Yes
2 Yes Yes Yes Yes
3 Yes Yes Yes Yes
4 Yes No Yes Yes
5 Yes No Yes No
6 Yes No No No

Applying this template is easy and effective. I personally eat the same thing over and over again, but you can add variety as you'd like. So what kind of food can you eat when eating this way?

Proteins:

Lean beef
Lean chicken
Seafood
Milk
Cheese
Yogurt (especially Greek)
Eggs
Beans
Whey Protein
Casein Protein (slow digesting)
Cottage Cheese (slow digesting)

Carbohydrates:

Before we address this, please note that carbs can be split into sugars, starches and fibers. You should pick from this list:

Vegetables
Fruits
Legumes
Nuts
Seeds
Grains
Tubers

Healthy Fats:

Avocados
Olives
Nuts
Natural Peanut Butter
Walnuts
Flax Seeds
MCT Oil
Coconut Oil
Fatty Fish (salmon, tuna, etc.)

To address Mary Anne's question about picky eaters, I want to point out that the best way to deal with being a picky eater is to use the lists above and pick out some healthy meals. Once you have those listed out for yourself go ahead and stick to those same meals over and over again. You can change up the taste by seasoning things differently, but this will lead to clean eating with good tasting food.  There truly is nothing wrong with eating the same healthy meals over and over again.

Now stay focused and get some work done!

 

Want to see all the messages in this May 2016 Challenge Series? I have them organized for you right here.

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