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How to Track Your Goal Progress

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track your goal progress

In order to achieve them you must track your goal progress. It seems intuitive, but so many people fail to do this very simple step that will improve goal completion rate tremendously. If you don't measure it you cannot manage it. That's a fact of life.

Write Your Goals Down

As already discussed in this series of articles on goals, writing them down is the initial step towards completing them. Just the act of writing down a goal sets your brain in motion to achieve that goal. It is a simple thing that has been studied several times. It works. If you are not already writing down your goals, now is the time to begin doing so.

Measure Your Goal Progress

Each week I track my weight, body fat percentage and circumference measurements. This gives me some numbers to go by. I am a numbers guy, but when it comes to achieving goals, everyone should be.

Track Your Goal Progress

I log my measurements weekly. I log every single workout I have. I also use an online workout journal. These things help me to stay focused. I can see tangible results and I can identify problem areas that need to be addressed.

track your goal progress
An example of how I track my goals

This works quite well for me. It is a spreadsheet that I use for this simple purpose. All I have to enter is the areas that are in white. Every other field is calculated for me. It even shows me as my allowable calories changes based upon a change in my lean body mass. This one tool has helped me the most. If you'd like a copy of this spreadsheet and a small PDF file explaining how to use it leave me a comment below and I will get one to you immediately.

Adjust as You Track Your Goal Progress

If you look at my goal tracking above you will see that I am heading in the right direction at the moment. However, if I was not I would be making adjustments to my plan so that I would begin heading towards the target. It does no good to measure these things if you don't use the data for something positive.

If you have other methods you use to track your goal progress leave them in the comments below.

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Musclecast Episode #2: Why Do a Competition?

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MuscleCast-Episode-2

Welcome to the second episode of the MuscleCast video podcast. In this episode I discuss the reasons that people might want to enter physique competitions. The first thing we need to clarify is what I am talking about. Many people hear “bodybuilding competition” and immediately shy away (especially women) because they are afraid to “get too big.” When I say “physique competition” I am referring to women's divisions such as bodybuilding, figure, physique and bikini, and men's divisions such as bodybuilding and physique. Why would anyone want to compete?

When I entered my first competition it was to give myself a great reason to lose a lot of weight. I told everyone I knew that I was going up on stage fat or in shape. It was a motivator to get into shape and there was a hard cut off date for that happening. Maybe this would help you?

Others just like to get into and stay in shape. Competitions will do that for you. In addition you meet some very amazing people. Some of the nicest people I know are part of this industry.

Be warned that this is not for whiners and complainers. Bodybuilding preparation requires some major focus. There is a tiny bit of suffering. You will cut your carbs low for at least 12 weeks. You will train with massive intensity. You will do whatever it takes to get the fat off your body. It will mess with your energy, make you extremely tired and fog up your brain. These are all reasons why a whiner need not do this type of thing.

I found it a very rewarding and eye opening experience. I will warn you that you will be faced with a choice to take drugs or not. In my opinion, that's your personal decision. I would not look down on you for deciding to take the drugs. It gives you an edge you just might need.

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5 More Things You Should Remember at the Gym

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Gym Etiquette

Gym etiquette is a topic near and dear to my heart. I cannot stand when people misuse the gym. I recently wrote 5 Things You Should Remember at the Gym and these are 5 more things to add to that list.

  1. The squat rack and power rack are for squatting, overhead presses and other compound barbell exercises, not bicep curls. It irritates me when I see someone using the squat or power rack for barbell curls. Seriously? I have never seen anyone who could curl enough that they needed the rack in order to accomplish it. This is just silly. Stop it!
  2. Don't be afraid to ask for a spot. Nobody wants to see someone get hurt. When you are doing a heavy bench press there is no shame in asking someone you don't know to spot you.
  3. Don't completely tie up 2 pieces of equipment at once. I have no problem with doing supersets on two pieces of equipment, but allow others to work in with you. It is the right thing to do.
  4. Don't be afraid to ask questions. When you don't know how to do something, speak up! Asking for help is a sign of strength to me.
  5. Always be courteous to other members. Don't sit on your phone or interrupt others mid-set. Especially don't get in the middle of another person's workout. I recently had a person interrupt my workout. I was doing stiff leg deadlifts and the Fitness 19 didn't have the right platform for it, so I put a step next to a bench press station and used the bench to hold the bar. Another member complained to me that I would break the padding on the bench by doing what I was doing. I asked him if he thought the bench could support 400 lbs. He said it for sure could. I then said “then this 225 I have sitting on the bench isn't going to hurt a thing.” I proceeded to ignore him from that point forward.

Pay attention to gym etiquette when you train. Keep that in the front of your mind and you will not be accused of poor gym etiquette.

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Monday Madness: Chest Training to Blow Up Your Pecs

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chest training to blow up your pecs

Chest training is like a religion in most gyms. Monday's are dubbed “Bench Press Mondays” because that's when most people do their chest training.My good friend and mentor, Ken Turchek, taught me some amazing tricks for building my pecs. While it is a slow process (what in bodybuilding isn't), it works. I see changes all the time as I look in the mirror. In today's Monday Madness I am going to share my favourite chest training techniques with you and even give you a sample chest training workout at the end.

Chest Training is All About the Squeeze

This is something that is often overlooked when doing chest training. People tend to not use the complete range of motion while doing chest training. They also move a little too quickly. They tend to not squeeze the chest muscles at all. Chest training is all about the squeeze. This technique has resulted in the largest change in my body ever.

The next time you do a flat barbell bench press concentrate on feeling your chest muscles. Bring the bar down very slowly and then explode to the top. When you hit the top squeeze the muscle. Act as though you want to push your hands together, but don't actually move your hands. This will result in a large contraction of the pectoral muscles. Do thisreligiously on every single repetition. The first thing you will notice is the amazing pump you get. The other thing you will notice is that you can't lift for as many repetitions. This is because you are now working your pectoral muscles with much more intensity.

One of my favourite exercises is the Hammer Strength Incline machine. I do it one arm at a time. I squeeze hard at the top of the movement. I find that the contractions I get really hit the muscle hard.

Chest Training Should Happen From Many Angles

Chest training offers you the ability to work from various angles. Most people will tell you to do flat bench presses as well as incline bench presses, but they ignore the decline presses. Not only do I believe that you should include the decline presses, I think you should start your chest training with that angle. It really works to tire out your chest.

Incline presses are a great way to build your upper pectorals. Try changing the severity of the angle. You will feel the muscle differently depending upon the angle itself. A small difference in the angle will really change how the exercise feels.

Don't Ignore Flyes With Chest Training

Pec Dec flyes and Dumbbell flyes should definitely be part of your chest training routine. As mentioned above, make sure to squeeze your pecs hard during these flyes. One variation to try with Pec Dec flyes is to have a partner cause resistance on the negative portion of the movement. This will help you by working your pecs in both directions.

Try This Intense Workout

In the chest training workout that follows take the final set to complete muscular failure. If it takes 10 reps to fail on the Flat DB Bench Press so be it. Just make sure you take that final set to failure.

Exercise Sets/Repetitions
Decline Bench Press 3 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions
Flat DB Bench Press 4 sets of 4 to 6 repetitions
Incline BB Bench Press 3 sets of 4 to 6 repetitions
Pec Dec Flyes 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions
Cable Crossovers 4 sets of 6 to 8 repetitions

Push hard on every set, but remember to take that final set to failure. Get that squeeze on every single repetition. Take 1 minute rest between sets. By doing this you are going to have one very intense chest training session.

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11 More Bodybuilding Myths Destroyed

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bodybuilding myths

Bodybuilding myths are everywhere. Not that long ago I published 11 Myths About Bodybuilding Destroyed. The response was so good that I decided to expand the list with another 11 bodybuilding myths that need to be destroyed.

  1. If women lift heavy weights they will begin to look like a man. The facts are that any woman who lifts weights will become stronger over time, but that doesn't make her look like a man. Women produce just a fraction of the natural muscle-building hormone testosterone that men do. Even serious female trainers with many years of experience can't build the bulky muscle seen on male bodybuilders. Of course, anyone—man or woman—who injects themselves with testosterone or anabolic substances will super-enhance their muscular development, but that's well outside of what one can do naturally. MYTH DESTROYED!
  2. You must train your legs daily in order to get a curvaceous butt. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, training your legs daily will eventually lead to injury. Give yourself the required 48 to 72 hours rest before hitting those legs again. MYTH DESTROYED!
  3. The amount of protein bodybuilders eat is bad for your health. Protein is the raw material that helps you build muscle. Once digested your body breaks all protein down to individual amino acids. The facts are that you need a variety of protein in your diet in order to not shortchange your workouts. MYTH DESTROYED!
  4. Eating more than 3 meals a day will make you fat. Honestly the number of calories eaten each day is much more important than the number of meals you eat. Bodybuilders “graze” all day long. They eat many smaller meals rather than 3 larger ones. The number of calories is the same. You won't get fat doing this. Just look at how lean a bodybuilder is for further proof. MYTH DESTROYED!
  5. Women need no supplements. While the supplement plan for a woman is different than that for a man, this bodybuilding myth is ridiculous, but repeated over and over again. Most women need at least a multi-vitamin. They will also benefit from fish oils. Eat right, train hard and get on the right supplements and you will see massive changes in your body. MYTH DESTROYED!
  6. There is a “best” exercise for each body part. This would be a direct contradiction of the Experiment of One. There is no “best” exercise for each body part. The fact is that your “best” exercise, the one that hits that body part the best, will change over the  years. MYTH DESTROYED!
  7. Training like a bodybuilder will make you look like a bodybuilder. The people making this claim tell you to do more cardio than anything else. They believe they don't need weights. Obviously they are wrong. The most dangerous aspect of this bodybuilding myth is that it sets limitations that don't need to be set. MYTH DESTROYED!
  8. Over training will happen if you push yourself too hard. This one bugs the hell out of me. I personally believe this bodybuilding myth came about because people don't want to train as hard as they can. I say get in the gym and push yourself to the limit. If you consistently hit the gym and keep pushing the intensity to the next level you are doing real training. MYTH DESTROYED!
  9. It is best to follow the training plan set up by a professional. Everyone has done this. I have done it. These workouts are a great guideline and by studying them you will learn a lot about programming your own workouts, but you won't ever get the kinds of results you want by copying other people. MYTH DESTROYED!
  10. There is a quick fix to gaining muscle. This bodybuilding myth is also ridiculous. There are no quick fixes in bodybuilding. This sport takes hard work. Changing your physique takes hard work. Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can gain 30 lbs of muscle in 30 days or any of the other quick fixes. MYTH DESTROYED!
  11. The longer you lift the harder your workout. This bodybuilding myth is completely false. I have had some of the most intense workouts in just 45 minutes per session. The difficulty of your workout is directly related to the effort you put in. It has nothing at all to do with the time you put in. Try doing a Tabata workout and tell me that 4 minutes isn't intense enough. MYTH DESTROYED!

 

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