Ex-Fit classes are designed to make each participant the fittest version of themselves. Every class will be completely different, and participants will never know what is going to be thrown at them until they walk into class that day. Each class will feature a general overview as well as demonstrations, and practice with the new exercise. We will then finish up the class with a circuit training exercise meant to use the newly learned skills along with other exercises designed to help each participant in developing a total over all fitness level.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Setting Goals
Everyone thinks that setting
goals when it comes to healthy lifestyles need to be weight loss goals (ie lose
X number of pounds). While those are a great goal to strive for, many people
fail on those because it can prove frustrating and generally speaking people
expect to reach these goals in the shortest time frame possible. It does not help that shows like the
Biggest Loser, I Used to Be Fat etc. set a horrible example for what people
should expect from weight loss. Unless you are financially set and can afford to
workout for almost 8 hours a day and can afford the cost of nothing but healthy
options you should not base your goals off of what these contestants pull
off. Here are some key concepts to
remember when setting your goals!
-SET GOALS THAT ARE SPECIFIC AND MEASURABLE:
"I will look really good on the beach" doesn't really give you anything measurable or specific to work on. What exactly is "good"? Think more along the lines of, I will lose X amount of body fat, X amount of pounds but set these goals in a realistic time frame.
-MAKE YOUR GOALS CHALLENGING BUT REALISTIC:
Goals must be big enough to inspire, but not so big that you get frustrated with the impossibility of accomplishing these goals. Saying that you will lose 100lbs in 6 months is an extremely lofty goal. That goal would mean dropping over 4lbs a week consistently and what happens when you don't lose 4lbs? You are automatically in catch up mode! Now saying something like I will lose 100lbs over the course of 1 year, now only puts a 2lb a week weight loss in front of you and makes it sound that much more attainable.
-SET SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM COMPONENTS:
Think daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and LIFETIME! This way you are creating milestones along the way and gives you something to be proud of while you are on your journey! Your short term goals should be BEHAVIORS, not OUTCOMES (see below), think TODAY I will make it to the gym for 1hour, this week I want to make it 5 times to the gym, and by the end of the month you are on a schedule of getting to the gym X amount of times! OR I will eat 5 meals a day, X amount of vegetables etc.
-BEHAVIORS NOT OUTCOMES:
BEHAVIORS: based on something you can directly control and do yourself
OUTCOMES: based on the end product of a series of behaviors
The first goal you want to setup is your behavior goals. The goals you have direct control over. First setup your daily goals: I will eat x amount of meals, I will drink x amount of water, I will go to the gym for x amount of time. Secondly setup your weekly goals: I will go to the gym x amount of times this week, I will stay on my meal plan for the entire week. The more of these goals that you hit the easier it should be to reach your outcome goals: Losing x amount of weight, x amount of body fat etc.
-TELL SOMEONE ABOUT YOUR GOALS:
Once you set your goals, tell someone about them right away and have that person/persons hold you accountable. If no one knows your goals, you can very easily blow them off.
Daily Goals:
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
Outcome Goals:
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
Thursday, June 7, 2012
WOW!!! It's Been Longer Than I Thought!
So I have been away for awhile, training clients, keeping up with my own training and nutrition, and just life in general has been really crazy! Let me explain.
For any of you that have been following along either through blogs or on Facebook know that I have been considering competing later this year. I $703.32 my "diet" on January 1st and was planning on staying the course until the fall shows. My goal that I felt would keep me on pace for these shows was to be at roughly 190lbs by June 1st (last prep I was at around 200lbs around June 1). Fact is I fell 10lbs short of that goal, but here's the catch! THIS DID NOT PHASE ME, I refused to let the scale defeat me. I was disappointed that I hadn't reached my goal but I was prouder then hell that I lasted 6 whole months with the focus and drive to get myself from around 240lbs to 202lbs when I weighed in the beginning of June. This time at 200 I have realized I am much fuller and muscular then previously at is weight, so I have no complaints.
Here is the part I hope you can all learn from and realize that sometimes you just need a break, just a few days to relax unwind and let your body recover. I went hard for those 6 months that I Watson my "diet" and the last 30 days of it NOTHING felt right y strength was gone, energy and motivation ALL GONE! It was depressing! I didn't want to break the focus or break the streak of working out eating 100% right but I just couldn't do it. I decided to take a break about 3 days before my original cut off, I cut it short on May 26th, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. We had a BBQ to go to that weekend and I just needed a break. So on that Saturday my gf and I let down to a restaurant on the water it was a gorgeous day, I was ready to eat whatever I wanted and I actually indulged in a cocktail which is very rare for me these days. Sunday we had our BBQ and if I told you everything's ate drank etc yu would not believe it, so let's just leave it at that. Monday was a recovery day so my diet was absolutely non existent. Tuesday I felt phenomenal, but I decided to take it easy and I stayed out of the gym. I made the decision to step on the scale for only one reason, which was to see how much damage I had done. To remind myself of why I can not do this on a regular basis. I was up 12lbs which was not a shock, it was expected considering I had not had large amounts of carbs or sugars in months and I definitely over indulged.
On that same Wednesday I woke up felt great and made the call to get back to the gym, I started on a bulking plan with the intent of adding some serious size from now until the end of the summer. I know I will be eating more and I mine as well use the increase in calories to my advantage. I started the new workouts and I am going to be honest I have never felt this worked post workout since I started working out. I am sore again, my strength is coming back thanks to the increase in calories and I just overall feel amazing. The best part of it all is that after that horrible weekend I was back to 204lbs and have been maintaining close to that every week since, I am hoping to stay close to this weight gaining just a little bit each week in an attempt to gain some more mass.
The basis of this story is for people to learn to listen to their bodies! It will always tell you what it needs you just need to pay attention to what it's saying. You need to be aware of the signs and learn your body. Fatigue is natural but when it's overbearing yu need to make the smart decision.
I hope to be back a little more regularly now that things have settled down. If you have any thoughts or questions you would like answered leave a post here or on Facebook and I would be happy to answer it.
Happy training!
For any of you that have been following along either through blogs or on Facebook know that I have been considering competing later this year. I $703.32 my "diet" on January 1st and was planning on staying the course until the fall shows. My goal that I felt would keep me on pace for these shows was to be at roughly 190lbs by June 1st (last prep I was at around 200lbs around June 1). Fact is I fell 10lbs short of that goal, but here's the catch! THIS DID NOT PHASE ME, I refused to let the scale defeat me. I was disappointed that I hadn't reached my goal but I was prouder then hell that I lasted 6 whole months with the focus and drive to get myself from around 240lbs to 202lbs when I weighed in the beginning of June. This time at 200 I have realized I am much fuller and muscular then previously at is weight, so I have no complaints.
Here is the part I hope you can all learn from and realize that sometimes you just need a break, just a few days to relax unwind and let your body recover. I went hard for those 6 months that I Watson my "diet" and the last 30 days of it NOTHING felt right y strength was gone, energy and motivation ALL GONE! It was depressing! I didn't want to break the focus or break the streak of working out eating 100% right but I just couldn't do it. I decided to take a break about 3 days before my original cut off, I cut it short on May 26th, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. We had a BBQ to go to that weekend and I just needed a break. So on that Saturday my gf and I let down to a restaurant on the water it was a gorgeous day, I was ready to eat whatever I wanted and I actually indulged in a cocktail which is very rare for me these days. Sunday we had our BBQ and if I told you everything's ate drank etc yu would not believe it, so let's just leave it at that. Monday was a recovery day so my diet was absolutely non existent. Tuesday I felt phenomenal, but I decided to take it easy and I stayed out of the gym. I made the decision to step on the scale for only one reason, which was to see how much damage I had done. To remind myself of why I can not do this on a regular basis. I was up 12lbs which was not a shock, it was expected considering I had not had large amounts of carbs or sugars in months and I definitely over indulged.
On that same Wednesday I woke up felt great and made the call to get back to the gym, I started on a bulking plan with the intent of adding some serious size from now until the end of the summer. I know I will be eating more and I mine as well use the increase in calories to my advantage. I started the new workouts and I am going to be honest I have never felt this worked post workout since I started working out. I am sore again, my strength is coming back thanks to the increase in calories and I just overall feel amazing. The best part of it all is that after that horrible weekend I was back to 204lbs and have been maintaining close to that every week since, I am hoping to stay close to this weight gaining just a little bit each week in an attempt to gain some more mass.
The basis of this story is for people to learn to listen to their bodies! It will always tell you what it needs you just need to pay attention to what it's saying. You need to be aware of the signs and learn your body. Fatigue is natural but when it's overbearing yu need to make the smart decision.
I hope to be back a little more regularly now that things have settled down. If you have any thoughts or questions you would like answered leave a post here or on Facebook and I would be happy to answer it.
Happy training!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Plateau's
Most of us have
been at a point in our lives when we have made a decision to get into better
shape. To lose weight. To become healthier. For quite some time we are moving along just
fine, and then the next minute we hit that horrible, nasty no good plateau and
all weight loss STOPS! You get
frustrated, you start to slip up and worst of all some of just up and
quit! It is one of those situations were
when the going gets tough the tough get going, you have to gain an
understanding of what your body is going through and why. You have to accept the fact that from here on
out (after reaching a plateau) that things are going to get down, right
ugly. The trick to beating it is
to understand why your body hits a plateau.
Our bodies are
some of the finest tuned machines known to man, and through the process of
evolution or body learns to adapt to any changes we make to it, and in the case
of dieting adapts to the calories that we are taking in and perceives the
consumed calories as being enough to sustain the body. In essence the body learns to function the
same on same on 2000 calories as it once did when we were taking in 3000
calories. Our bodies also become better
able to perform the exercises (workouts) that you have been performing. Which can be a great thing if you are trying
to increase strength or muscle size since the muscles grow as well as get
stronger to accommodate the weight you
are lifting. Quite simply our bodies
became efficient.
Now you're
probably asking yourself how to break through these plateaus and for the novice
exercisers there are numerous options:
1. --
Reduce
Calorie Intake: This option only
holds true if you did not start off to low to begin with. A general rule of thumb in starting to lose
weight is to take your bodyweight and multiply it by 10. (this is a general rule and this is for
people who have no health issues or other variables that could hinder weight
loss.)
2. --Lift Heavier Weights: This option is a great option if you
haven't already began to do so and if your body can handle it. This option has two benefits one you will get
stronger and make your muscles grow.
Muscle takes up less space than fat does and it also burns more calories
per hour then fat does. If you are
worried about getting bulky, you need to drop that mindset immediately! It takes years and years of work to build
serious muscle to the point where you become big and bulky.
3. --Change Up Your Workouts: You body needs variation so on top of
hitting heavier weights make sure to change up the exercises you are doing as
well as the order, rep ranges and sets about once every four weeks.
This not only keeps the body guessing but it keeps you from getting
bored as well!
4. --Change Up Your Cardio: Been doing 30 minutes? Try 35-40 minutes. Been doing the treadmill? Try walking/running on an incline. Switch from the treadmill to an elliptical.
Hitting that plateau is not the end of the
world. It is a pain in the behind but if
you're prepared for it, they can be easy to break right through, and weight
loss should not come to a stop!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
What Motivates You?
Whether its music, a quote, a picture or even just some motivation from family and friends there are tons of ways that people motivate themselves. Above I have mentioned the most common, but what about the things that people never think about?
The Mirror or Pictures - Nothing motivates me more then putting in days, weeks, and months of hard work to see lines and cuts where muscle is popping in the mirror/pictures that I did not notice the week before. It is such an amazing feel to know that you worked your arse off and its finally showing.
The Scale - You can not for one second tell me that jumping on that scale and see the numbers decreasing isn't one of the most satisfying feelings after a long week of workouts, its one of the easiest at home ways that you can track for yourself if things are going right. Personally I would much rather track my body fat but using calipers on myself is not always very accurate and finding someone that is good at using them is sometimes very difficult, so for me its a weekly weigh in every Sunday morning, this is the not the end all be all of my success but I use it for tracking purposes. **Now I know what some of you are going to say, your going to say that this can also be something that deflates you, and your right. You need to take the scale for what it is, and that's a box with numbers. You do not know if you burned off or muscle when you step on it, I put mine in front of the mirror and stare and critique what I see in the mirror before I even bother looking down, and if I see something new I am happy! No matter if you lose 2/10ths of a pound or 5lbs at the end of the day its still moving in the right direction and not the wrong!
Lifting Heavier - Sometimes you set goals for yourself and you do not even realize that you are improving in some other area. There are weeks that I do not see huge results on the scale or in the mirror, but what I may see is an increase in my strength in another area. For example, since I started cutting (using a ketosis diet) I have noticed my energy levels drop in the gym, my lifts dropped and it was something I had to accept considering I was not replenishing my glycogen levels regularly. My max bench press before I started this diet was about 235lbs (I am by no means a power lifter). Since I started this diet, my bench deceased to a level I was embarrassed about before, 155lbs. Over the last few months I have seen this increase slightly on a week to week basis to where I am now back up to 185lbs (drug free). I am sure some of this was my body adjusting to no carbs but to see this increase and feel strong again has made me feel great.
At the end of the day you have to find what truly motivates you. Losing weight should not be the only thing that keeps you going and keeps you motivated.
So let me ask you. What motivates you?
The Mirror or Pictures - Nothing motivates me more then putting in days, weeks, and months of hard work to see lines and cuts where muscle is popping in the mirror/pictures that I did not notice the week before. It is such an amazing feel to know that you worked your arse off and its finally showing.
The Scale - You can not for one second tell me that jumping on that scale and see the numbers decreasing isn't one of the most satisfying feelings after a long week of workouts, its one of the easiest at home ways that you can track for yourself if things are going right. Personally I would much rather track my body fat but using calipers on myself is not always very accurate and finding someone that is good at using them is sometimes very difficult, so for me its a weekly weigh in every Sunday morning, this is the not the end all be all of my success but I use it for tracking purposes. **Now I know what some of you are going to say, your going to say that this can also be something that deflates you, and your right. You need to take the scale for what it is, and that's a box with numbers. You do not know if you burned off or muscle when you step on it, I put mine in front of the mirror and stare and critique what I see in the mirror before I even bother looking down, and if I see something new I am happy! No matter if you lose 2/10ths of a pound or 5lbs at the end of the day its still moving in the right direction and not the wrong!
Lifting Heavier - Sometimes you set goals for yourself and you do not even realize that you are improving in some other area. There are weeks that I do not see huge results on the scale or in the mirror, but what I may see is an increase in my strength in another area. For example, since I started cutting (using a ketosis diet) I have noticed my energy levels drop in the gym, my lifts dropped and it was something I had to accept considering I was not replenishing my glycogen levels regularly. My max bench press before I started this diet was about 235lbs (I am by no means a power lifter). Since I started this diet, my bench deceased to a level I was embarrassed about before, 155lbs. Over the last few months I have seen this increase slightly on a week to week basis to where I am now back up to 185lbs (drug free). I am sure some of this was my body adjusting to no carbs but to see this increase and feel strong again has made me feel great.
At the end of the day you have to find what truly motivates you. Losing weight should not be the only thing that keeps you going and keeps you motivated.
So let me ask you. What motivates you?
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Holiday Eating
The holidays are always the hardest time of the year to adhere to a healthy eating lifestyle. With over sized portions and desserts on top of desserts it is very easy to over indulge and even completely fall of the wagon.
Here are some tips to avoid over eating while still being able to enjoy yourself.
Drink Plenty of Water - Everyone always hears to fill yourself up on water before you start eating, so I will not go to much in depth on this one. Basically if your bellies full you are less likely to eat past being full.
Load Up On Veggies, Protein - Veggies and proteins tend to fill you up more then any carbs or fats will, and they are also healthier options. Protein is the hardest macronutrient to break down so your body will be working double time to break it down, therefore burning more calories (this is why most "diets" are high in protein). I do want to caution against any serious over indulgences of proteins since they are so hard to breakdown they can cause havoc on your organs over the long run. Filling up on veggies and proteins is much better then plowing through a whole box or bag of candies.
Stop Stressing Over the Scale - The holidays are not exactly the best times to worry about what you weigh. Being under the high pressure of family and friends who are encouraging you to eat, are going to be tough enough as it is, and eating a little something you enjoy is not going to kill you, just keep everything in moderation and the next time you step on the scale, just remember what you ate that week and stay the course and keep pushing forward. Make sure not to let one week or a few days completely throw you off for the weeks after.
Plan Your Cheat Meal For the Holiday - This is what I do, if i know there is a holiday coming up and I know I am planning for a cheat meal right around that time (I usually do mine on Saturday/Sundays) I will extend it to the holiday for this Easter it worked out perfectly since it falls on a Sunday but for lets just say July 4th it falls on a Wednesday, I will actually push my cheat meal a few days further and plan it for the 4th. This way I am staying on course and pushing myself the extra couple of days to wait really pays off when I do weigh in.
No matter what happens on the holidays do not let it throw you off your game, remember that everyone falls, its how many times your willing to get back up that matters the most! Keep pushing forward no matter what happens, and keep in mind that tomorrow, today will be in the past!'
Happy Easter Everyone!
Here are some tips to avoid over eating while still being able to enjoy yourself.
Drink Plenty of Water - Everyone always hears to fill yourself up on water before you start eating, so I will not go to much in depth on this one. Basically if your bellies full you are less likely to eat past being full.
Load Up On Veggies, Protein - Veggies and proteins tend to fill you up more then any carbs or fats will, and they are also healthier options. Protein is the hardest macronutrient to break down so your body will be working double time to break it down, therefore burning more calories (this is why most "diets" are high in protein). I do want to caution against any serious over indulgences of proteins since they are so hard to breakdown they can cause havoc on your organs over the long run. Filling up on veggies and proteins is much better then plowing through a whole box or bag of candies.
Stop Stressing Over the Scale - The holidays are not exactly the best times to worry about what you weigh. Being under the high pressure of family and friends who are encouraging you to eat, are going to be tough enough as it is, and eating a little something you enjoy is not going to kill you, just keep everything in moderation and the next time you step on the scale, just remember what you ate that week and stay the course and keep pushing forward. Make sure not to let one week or a few days completely throw you off for the weeks after.
Plan Your Cheat Meal For the Holiday - This is what I do, if i know there is a holiday coming up and I know I am planning for a cheat meal right around that time (I usually do mine on Saturday/Sundays) I will extend it to the holiday for this Easter it worked out perfectly since it falls on a Sunday but for lets just say July 4th it falls on a Wednesday, I will actually push my cheat meal a few days further and plan it for the 4th. This way I am staying on course and pushing myself the extra couple of days to wait really pays off when I do weigh in.
No matter what happens on the holidays do not let it throw you off your game, remember that everyone falls, its how many times your willing to get back up that matters the most! Keep pushing forward no matter what happens, and keep in mind that tomorrow, today will be in the past!'
Happy Easter Everyone!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
So Nice
After a whole month of changes, the website is finally complete! The only thing left to do is edit some videos, and get them posted, and then add the music playlists and keep things up to date and BOOM DONE! And now that means I have plenty of time to post more blogs and hopefully post some well thought out articles.
My workouts have been amazing the last few weeks and I have been getting outdoors as much as possible to do them outside since we have had such beautiful weather. Not a whole lot to report on those, I am not out there setting personal records or anything especially in this low carb state lol.
I have to say that I am extremely proud of all of my clients the last few weeks. Even though they say they have not been seeing huge loses on the scale, for the most part none of them have gained weight which is a great thing. Even though the scale is producing numbers, they all seem to report that their clothes are fitting better and they like what they are seeing in the mirror which to me is MORE IMPORTANT then what any scale could possibly tell me, their are to many variables that could throw off that weigh in, eating before hand, more water, what you ate or did the day before, stress etc. If you base all of your goals off what it says you will end up frustrated more time then not! So keep pushing forward no matter what it tells you, and keep checking yourself out in the mirror. There is no bigger thrill to me then seeing a new cut or seeing muscle where I did not see it popping out before.
Keep training hard, and have a good week. I will try and check in later this week with an article, I have been working on something I think you may all be interested in.
My workouts have been amazing the last few weeks and I have been getting outdoors as much as possible to do them outside since we have had such beautiful weather. Not a whole lot to report on those, I am not out there setting personal records or anything especially in this low carb state lol.
I have to say that I am extremely proud of all of my clients the last few weeks. Even though they say they have not been seeing huge loses on the scale, for the most part none of them have gained weight which is a great thing. Even though the scale is producing numbers, they all seem to report that their clothes are fitting better and they like what they are seeing in the mirror which to me is MORE IMPORTANT then what any scale could possibly tell me, their are to many variables that could throw off that weigh in, eating before hand, more water, what you ate or did the day before, stress etc. If you base all of your goals off what it says you will end up frustrated more time then not! So keep pushing forward no matter what it tells you, and keep checking yourself out in the mirror. There is no bigger thrill to me then seeing a new cut or seeing muscle where I did not see it popping out before.
Keep training hard, and have a good week. I will try and check in later this week with an article, I have been working on something I think you may all be interested in.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Alot to Say
THOUGHT
#1- MUSIC AND WORKOUTS
When you hear this song, you probably do not think man I really want to work out, I really want to push hard this week, I want to destroy this set! Well for deep reasons this song makes me want to do all of that! The reason behind that is my friend Jonathon who passed away about 6 months ago at 30 years old. We weren't crazy close up until this past year, but he was always the one friend who accepted and knew the reasons I pushed so hard on my dieting, pushed so hard in the gym and was one of the only people I knew who did the same to reach his goals. I was always a small fan of Coldplay, but the day of his wake this song played before and after his wake. The following day on the way out of the funeral this song played again, it was just one of the oddest things I have ever seen, considering I don't even know if he was a fan of the band lol. Anyways, now this song is right there on my gym play list and anytime I need that pick me up I put it on and think of what he would be saying to me on one of our many phone calls when I was pissed about gaining weight, or not being as big as I want to be yet, he was always a voice of reason and a calming presence when it came to working out. Miss ya big guy, and remember Dr. Jones "put the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose" (inside joke).
My whole point to this was to find yourself some music that reminds you of why you are in the gym, find music that makes you want to move, music that makes you angry and take it all out on that workout! Studies have shown that music with a beats per minute rate close to what you are aiming to workout at (for example - high bpm, high intensity) actually stimulates brain function and give you added energy to get through that workout.
THOUGHT #2 - HCG DIET
I am getting really tired of hearing about the HCG Diet, drops whatever you want to call it. This is one of the worst things that could be on the market right now and I cannot believe that it is even allowed on shelves of any store AT ALL! I wrote a whole review on it, and just decided to scrap it, but I am going to throw the details of it right here, and I am sure that some people who read this may run out and buy it for its miracle working weight loss system, but so be it. I cannot stop everyone from making horrible decisions.
The claim is to put these miracle drops underneath your tongue, and eat a very low calorie diet we are talking in the 500 calories a day range. Let's think about this, if your only eating 500 calories a day do you really think you need drops under your tongue to make you lose weight? For most people that's at least a 1000 calorie a day deficit from where their baseline calories should be so hell you should be losing almost a lb every 3 days, but wait it gets better! If you add in daily activities walking etc. you could technically be at a much bigger deficit then that, and this product promises to make you lose closer to a lb a day! One catch is you are not allowed to work out so you will lose muscle mass and strength but who cares right? The scales still going down! WRONG!!!!!! As you lose that muscle mass you also reduce the amount of daily calories your body is going to burn just to support that muscle mass which in the long run is exactly what you want/need. Lets also throw in the fact that as you get older you are going to lose more muscle mass just due to age, so why speed this process up.
Want the secret to losing weight? There is none if there was some magic secret we would all be in shape right? Follow a sensible lifestyle nutrition plan (not a diet) and lift some weights, and do some cardio that's it!!! I saved you all the technical mumbo jumbo but that is the basics of it all.
THOUGHT #3 - THE BIGGEST LOSER
When you hear this song, you probably do not think man I really want to work out, I really want to push hard this week, I want to destroy this set! Well for deep reasons this song makes me want to do all of that! The reason behind that is my friend Jonathon who passed away about 6 months ago at 30 years old. We weren't crazy close up until this past year, but he was always the one friend who accepted and knew the reasons I pushed so hard on my dieting, pushed so hard in the gym and was one of the only people I knew who did the same to reach his goals. I was always a small fan of Coldplay, but the day of his wake this song played before and after his wake. The following day on the way out of the funeral this song played again, it was just one of the oddest things I have ever seen, considering I don't even know if he was a fan of the band lol. Anyways, now this song is right there on my gym play list and anytime I need that pick me up I put it on and think of what he would be saying to me on one of our many phone calls when I was pissed about gaining weight, or not being as big as I want to be yet, he was always a voice of reason and a calming presence when it came to working out. Miss ya big guy, and remember Dr. Jones "put the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose" (inside joke).
My whole point to this was to find yourself some music that reminds you of why you are in the gym, find music that makes you want to move, music that makes you angry and take it all out on that workout! Studies have shown that music with a beats per minute rate close to what you are aiming to workout at (for example - high bpm, high intensity) actually stimulates brain function and give you added energy to get through that workout.
THOUGHT #2 - HCG DIET
I am getting really tired of hearing about the HCG Diet, drops whatever you want to call it. This is one of the worst things that could be on the market right now and I cannot believe that it is even allowed on shelves of any store AT ALL! I wrote a whole review on it, and just decided to scrap it, but I am going to throw the details of it right here, and I am sure that some people who read this may run out and buy it for its miracle working weight loss system, but so be it. I cannot stop everyone from making horrible decisions.
The claim is to put these miracle drops underneath your tongue, and eat a very low calorie diet we are talking in the 500 calories a day range. Let's think about this, if your only eating 500 calories a day do you really think you need drops under your tongue to make you lose weight? For most people that's at least a 1000 calorie a day deficit from where their baseline calories should be so hell you should be losing almost a lb every 3 days, but wait it gets better! If you add in daily activities walking etc. you could technically be at a much bigger deficit then that, and this product promises to make you lose closer to a lb a day! One catch is you are not allowed to work out so you will lose muscle mass and strength but who cares right? The scales still going down! WRONG!!!!!! As you lose that muscle mass you also reduce the amount of daily calories your body is going to burn just to support that muscle mass which in the long run is exactly what you want/need. Lets also throw in the fact that as you get older you are going to lose more muscle mass just due to age, so why speed this process up.
Want the secret to losing weight? There is none if there was some magic secret we would all be in shape right? Follow a sensible lifestyle nutrition plan (not a diet) and lift some weights, and do some cardio that's it!!! I saved you all the technical mumbo jumbo but that is the basics of it all.
THOUGHT #3 - THE BIGGEST LOSER
While I love what the show is trying to do for people who
are out of shape/overweight, I have a very big problem of what this portrays to
the average person.
I made a comment on my Facebook page last week, about how the show makes my job as a trainer harder, which led to numerous inbox messages about the subject, mostly in an angry tone about. To which my response was, "this show makes the average person think that losing less then say 5lbs a week is unacceptable". And a perfect example of this was last night's episode, I tend to tune out the weigh ins as I generally only watch the show to see new workout ideas etc. Last night I watched for the sole reason of seeing what everyone weighed in at. Last night both teams weight losses were very low except for a few and they were all very discouraged etc, but last night's episode showed what very small changes can do to someone (stress from changing a trainer, being out of your comfort zone). In the real world even a 1lb weight loss can be a huge deal, due to all the variables that can throw you off. What makes my job hard is that although people know they workout like crazy it's not very often that the show tells you how much working out they do, but a few seasons ago it got mentioned and they are working out roughly 8 hours a day and eating around 1800 (men) and 1500 (women) calories a day, BUT they are under medical supervision all day everyday while they are there. I hate to say this as there are a few who have not had this happen, but quite a few of those people have gone home only to gain back a substantial amount of weight. It does not set them up to go home and be in the best position possible, they are still not educated enough on how to go from constant supervision to zero supervision. In the real world we do not have the luxury of working out that much, nor being under medical supervision at every moment of every day, so taking it to these extremes is something the normal person just cannot do.
Like I said I love the show for what it promotes, but want people to understand that shooting for crazy weight loss numbers is just not something you should hope for week after week, you are setting yourself up for failure, and sometimes failure turns into overeating, depression and weight gain.
Those are my rants for the day, lol. I hope some people got something out of these 3 things, and maybe make better choices along the way.
Today is my off day, but I am going to enjoy the nice almost 60 degree day we are having here in Buffalo, in March and hit the park for a walk, and take some of my clients outside to the track for an outdoor workout which I may take part in.
Feel free to follow along through this blog, make comments on here about it, or on Facebook and let's start talking fitness. You never know when someone may be trying to make changes and may learn something from our discussion.
Train hard, if you're in Buffalo enjoy the B E A UTIFUL weather, and keep pushing towards reaching your goals.
I made a comment on my Facebook page last week, about how the show makes my job as a trainer harder, which led to numerous inbox messages about the subject, mostly in an angry tone about. To which my response was, "this show makes the average person think that losing less then say 5lbs a week is unacceptable". And a perfect example of this was last night's episode, I tend to tune out the weigh ins as I generally only watch the show to see new workout ideas etc. Last night I watched for the sole reason of seeing what everyone weighed in at. Last night both teams weight losses were very low except for a few and they were all very discouraged etc, but last night's episode showed what very small changes can do to someone (stress from changing a trainer, being out of your comfort zone). In the real world even a 1lb weight loss can be a huge deal, due to all the variables that can throw you off. What makes my job hard is that although people know they workout like crazy it's not very often that the show tells you how much working out they do, but a few seasons ago it got mentioned and they are working out roughly 8 hours a day and eating around 1800 (men) and 1500 (women) calories a day, BUT they are under medical supervision all day everyday while they are there. I hate to say this as there are a few who have not had this happen, but quite a few of those people have gone home only to gain back a substantial amount of weight. It does not set them up to go home and be in the best position possible, they are still not educated enough on how to go from constant supervision to zero supervision. In the real world we do not have the luxury of working out that much, nor being under medical supervision at every moment of every day, so taking it to these extremes is something the normal person just cannot do.
Like I said I love the show for what it promotes, but want people to understand that shooting for crazy weight loss numbers is just not something you should hope for week after week, you are setting yourself up for failure, and sometimes failure turns into overeating, depression and weight gain.
Those are my rants for the day, lol. I hope some people got something out of these 3 things, and maybe make better choices along the way.
Today is my off day, but I am going to enjoy the nice almost 60 degree day we are having here in Buffalo, in March and hit the park for a walk, and take some of my clients outside to the track for an outdoor workout which I may take part in.
Feel free to follow along through this blog, make comments on here about it, or on Facebook and let's start talking fitness. You never know when someone may be trying to make changes and may learn something from our discussion.
Train hard, if you're in Buffalo enjoy the B E A UTIFUL weather, and keep pushing towards reaching your goals.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Feeling Good
Since I have gotten myself back on track I am feeling AMAZING again! Workouts have felt great, pumps have felt outstanding, and it just feels so great to get myself back on track. With two hard weeks past me, I have made the decision to wake up on training days at 5am to make sure I just get the workout in before the madness starts everyday. I am not a huge fan of early training, my strength feels down, endurance doesn't feel great but in all honesty I would rather have a weaker feeling workout going crazy hard, and making sure I just get a workout in. Who knows, maybe in a few weeks I can go back to my own schedule. That is it for today, I do not have much to say right now just excited to be back at it.
I am working on some articles, product reviews etc. If there is something you would like to see talked about please let me know!
Train Hard!
I am working on some articles, product reviews etc. If there is something you would like to see talked about please let me know!
Train Hard!
Monday, February 27, 2012
RIP
This past week has probably been one of the hardest weeks of my life. My grandmother who I had spent a lot of time with not to mentioned lived with on and off past away, last Saturday night after a short battle with dementia. It all started with a couple of phone calls which stated that she had collapsed while trying to eat dinner, in which I was not sure how to react, you see my family has a tendency of overreacting to just about every situation. I was told it was not necessary for me to show up to the hospital as it looks like it was something simple and she would be back on her feet in no time, well something just did not seem right to me. After a few minutes of being upset and contimplating making another phone call I start to realize that this was going to be it, I just had that gut feeling, and I was right. I see the text message from dad respond back that "it may be a good idea" which was in response to my message "are you sure I do not need to go to the hospital tonight? I rush to get ready and my girlfriend and I head off to the hospital not exactly knowing what to expect.
As I walk into the hospital I see my dad coming in (since we got lost and headed in the complete opposite direction) and I pause for a minute to let him catch up. He informs that they are taking her off the ventilator, so in my head I already am assuming the best I mean obviously if shes coming off the ventilator she must be breathing on her own and starting to come back to. What I was not paying attention is everything else he is telling me, I have some sort of tunnel vision. As we get closer and closer to ICU I start to see family members (cousins, aunts, uncles etc) and my head begins to race as to what is going on, its at this point that I realize that it is a lot more serious of a situation, and that is when all of the thoughts begin racing through my head. As I walk into her room she is on a ventilator with all types of wires etc. attached to her body and here is where I start to breakdown. I absolutely hate hospitals, every time I am there all I feel is death and it scares the hell out of me. I walk over to the bed and tell her I love her and that I am here for her now, in my head I know its to late but I also know that she can hear me. I say hello to all my family members and this is when I start to hear about what exactly happened, that she had been eating dinner and began to choke. My grandfather had called 911 and by the time the paramedics showed up she had already been over 3 minutes without oxygen. As I talk to family members my dad, uncles, and aunts are talking with the doctor, and make the decision to remove the breathing tube. Again I start to think that this is going to be a good thing but I realize that at this point there is no coming back, she had been without oxygen for so long that any life, that was left would be a life of being in that hospital bed. I realize that this is the best decision that can be made. The doctors begin to make final arrangements, priests being called for last rights, talking to the family about things and so on. I realize this is going to be the last time I see her alive. As we wait for the priest we talk as a family we remember her life, we talk about all the good times, all the stories. We say our final prayer for her and we leave the room, the doctors remove the tubes and we are admitted back into the room.
While we are waiting outside my grandfather tells me he wants me by his side (you see I have always been his favorite grandson) obviously I agree even though I know this is going to be one of the hardest things I ever have to do, but its his request and I want to do it, so I am there from the minute we walk back into the room until the time I leave. In all honesty I do not know how I held anything together. All I know is I wanted to be strong for him, I did not want to make him upset. After a few hours my aunt tells me and my cousins to head home reminding us that when our uncle was taken off the tubes he lived another 9 days, and to remember that our family has always been stubborn and fought all the way to the end. As I say goodbye to everyone for the evening I am already planning on heading back first thing in the morning and being able to spend just a few more minutes with my grandmother, unfortunately I never got that chance. At about 5:30am I get the phone call from my uncle that she has passed. It was very odd that I had waken up about a minute or two before my phone rang, maybe it was her telling me she was going or that she had already left. Knowing my grandmother she probably waited until everyone had left, from what I hear it was a fight for the last hour or two and she gave it everything she had. Thankfully my grandfather was not there to see what had happened that last two hours, as strong as I saw him that day I do not know if he could have held it together.
Monday through Wednesday were probably the longest days of my life. Between wakes and the funeral, my body was physically and mentally gone, the last thing I cared about was training or eating right. I tried but it just wasn't there I have not had the appetite or the motivation to get back on track. It is slowly starting to come back, I forced myself to workout Saturday and it felt great, I am slowly getting back on track with my diet and I am starting to feel better each day. I know my grandmother would not want me sulking or sitting here back tracking on what I believe in, or what I am working so hard for. This family fights for everything and will always do that, we do not go away easily! Although I have lost both of my grandmothers in the last year and a half, they have taught me to never give up and never give in, through all the hardship and pain there is pride in what we believe in. Even though neither of them understood why I wanted to start bodybuilding or even really understand why I want to, I am going to dedicate the next year or so of training to their memory, I am going to fight for what I want and I am going to push myself to train as hard as I can to be where I wanna be the next time I step on stage.
Its time to get back to work, and show them that I have the same fight in me as they did in them!
RIP:
Grandma Griffin
Grandma Kroloweicz
and friend Jonathon Burzyinski, one of the hardest working, most dedicated people I have ever met.
As I walk into the hospital I see my dad coming in (since we got lost and headed in the complete opposite direction) and I pause for a minute to let him catch up. He informs that they are taking her off the ventilator, so in my head I already am assuming the best I mean obviously if shes coming off the ventilator she must be breathing on her own and starting to come back to. What I was not paying attention is everything else he is telling me, I have some sort of tunnel vision. As we get closer and closer to ICU I start to see family members (cousins, aunts, uncles etc) and my head begins to race as to what is going on, its at this point that I realize that it is a lot more serious of a situation, and that is when all of the thoughts begin racing through my head. As I walk into her room she is on a ventilator with all types of wires etc. attached to her body and here is where I start to breakdown. I absolutely hate hospitals, every time I am there all I feel is death and it scares the hell out of me. I walk over to the bed and tell her I love her and that I am here for her now, in my head I know its to late but I also know that she can hear me. I say hello to all my family members and this is when I start to hear about what exactly happened, that she had been eating dinner and began to choke. My grandfather had called 911 and by the time the paramedics showed up she had already been over 3 minutes without oxygen. As I talk to family members my dad, uncles, and aunts are talking with the doctor, and make the decision to remove the breathing tube. Again I start to think that this is going to be a good thing but I realize that at this point there is no coming back, she had been without oxygen for so long that any life, that was left would be a life of being in that hospital bed. I realize that this is the best decision that can be made. The doctors begin to make final arrangements, priests being called for last rights, talking to the family about things and so on. I realize this is going to be the last time I see her alive. As we wait for the priest we talk as a family we remember her life, we talk about all the good times, all the stories. We say our final prayer for her and we leave the room, the doctors remove the tubes and we are admitted back into the room.
While we are waiting outside my grandfather tells me he wants me by his side (you see I have always been his favorite grandson) obviously I agree even though I know this is going to be one of the hardest things I ever have to do, but its his request and I want to do it, so I am there from the minute we walk back into the room until the time I leave. In all honesty I do not know how I held anything together. All I know is I wanted to be strong for him, I did not want to make him upset. After a few hours my aunt tells me and my cousins to head home reminding us that when our uncle was taken off the tubes he lived another 9 days, and to remember that our family has always been stubborn and fought all the way to the end. As I say goodbye to everyone for the evening I am already planning on heading back first thing in the morning and being able to spend just a few more minutes with my grandmother, unfortunately I never got that chance. At about 5:30am I get the phone call from my uncle that she has passed. It was very odd that I had waken up about a minute or two before my phone rang, maybe it was her telling me she was going or that she had already left. Knowing my grandmother she probably waited until everyone had left, from what I hear it was a fight for the last hour or two and she gave it everything she had. Thankfully my grandfather was not there to see what had happened that last two hours, as strong as I saw him that day I do not know if he could have held it together.
Monday through Wednesday were probably the longest days of my life. Between wakes and the funeral, my body was physically and mentally gone, the last thing I cared about was training or eating right. I tried but it just wasn't there I have not had the appetite or the motivation to get back on track. It is slowly starting to come back, I forced myself to workout Saturday and it felt great, I am slowly getting back on track with my diet and I am starting to feel better each day. I know my grandmother would not want me sulking or sitting here back tracking on what I believe in, or what I am working so hard for. This family fights for everything and will always do that, we do not go away easily! Although I have lost both of my grandmothers in the last year and a half, they have taught me to never give up and never give in, through all the hardship and pain there is pride in what we believe in. Even though neither of them understood why I wanted to start bodybuilding or even really understand why I want to, I am going to dedicate the next year or so of training to their memory, I am going to fight for what I want and I am going to push myself to train as hard as I can to be where I wanna be the next time I step on stage.
Its time to get back to work, and show them that I have the same fight in me as they did in them!
RIP:
Grandma Griffin
Grandma Kroloweicz
and friend Jonathon Burzyinski, one of the hardest working, most dedicated people I have ever met.
Monday, February 13, 2012
NO EXCUSES
This leads me to all the excuses that are constantly being thrown around, and I want to share a story as well. Early last week while I was on a treadmill I witnessed a couple walking arm and arm into the gym, I thought it was a little odd but did not think to much of it. He walked in the locker room and she waited right outside the door for him. When he came out of the locker room they went back to being in arm in arm, it wasn't until he walked her on to the treadmill two over from me that I realized she was blind. I heard them talking and she was talking about how badly she wanted to get into better shape and that she was tired of the extra weight she had to carry. I was caught a little off guard! Not because she was blind, but because it was something that led me to think about all the excuses we make, hell even I make! This was one of those moments that made me realize that I do not have a legitimate excuse EVER to not be there, to not put in the work, to not reach my goals.
It also led me to thinking about the excuses we make each and everyday as to why we can not exercise and I thought of a few ways to nix those excuses in the butt every day, week, and month.
- I do not have the time:
- Wake up earlier and get the workout in before the day starts and life throws you those curve balls!
- Pick up a set of dumbbells, resistance bands, and a DVD with a workout you enjoy that you can do at your own home.
- Do not want to spend the money on equipment? Why not use household items? If you are just starting to get into shape you can use anything that adds resistance to many things you do on an everyday basis. Think of a squat that is done in a gym, this can be replicated just by holding on to 2, 1 gallon milk jugs and sitting down and getting up off a chair.
- Cut out the amount of things you have DVR'd (I am just as guilty) and take the time you would use to watch these shows and get a good workout in. If it is really that big of a deal, get active during commercials.
- Wake up earlier and get the workout in before the day starts and life throws you those curve balls!
- Getting a good workout in will give you a boost of energy to get your morning off on the right foot. If you get your workout in later during the day you will get that blood flowing which will make you feel better and give you that feeling of an energy boost.
- Ask the gym if they offer one complimentary session, most gyms do and you can get a small idea of things that you could be doing.
- Hire a personal trainer, they can teach you proper technique and give you a better understanding of what machines or exercises will aid you in reaching the results you want to reach.
- Pick up a book or magazine. While this isn't the method I would personally prefer as most people do better in a setting where they are actually being showed the exercise right before they are doing, there are tons of resources that will help you. First find the exercises or workouts that you wanna try, try them while your reading the article, if you can not visualize or complete the exercise, check out YouTube, just type in the exercise and tons of videos will pop up to show you exactly how to do it.
Feel free to comment or add your own, if you do please make sure to add ways to break these excuses!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Last Week Was a LONG One!
Last week was such a long week, I came down with a cold and just could not shake it. I tried to push through a gym session on Thursday and it was AWFUL. I had ZERO strength, I felt completely and utterly useless. So when I woke up feeling the same on Friday I decided it was time to take a few days off. The good news though is I am still down this week, and I do not believe it was the sickness since I still ate all of my meals properly, had the right amount of water and pushed forward on every other aspect of my training regimen minus the gym.
I am back this week and feel great so far, have a little bit of a congestion problem, but that is not going to stop me. I am shooting to be down to 180-190 by June so that leaves me a little under 4 months to drop 28-38lbs and if I am in the 1.5lbs a week range I will hit 24lbs which will put me close!
Happy training, and give it your all this week!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Not Good
A little disappointed I did not get a good workout in yesterday! I hit the gym early in the day to get my cardio in with the intention of going to my "home gym" (Best Fitness) in the evening to get a good workout in. As I pull up I see the parking lot fuller then ever, I begin to search for a spot and end up parking on the opposite side of the plaza. This is not an uncommon occurrence since there is a bar/restaurant right next door. I walk into the gym and there are people EVERYWHERE! You would have thought they were giving away millions of $ just for showing up that day, or as I asked someone I knew there "are they trying to break a Guiness World Record for most people in one gym, in one day?" I was not feeling that great as it is when I walked in so I hit the treadmill to do a warmup and hopefully it will slowly die out, unfortunately this never happens. I finish up about 35 more minutes of cardio and decide I need to just leave. I feel really disappointed to not workout.
Here is where I tell you that making that decision was the best decision at that point in time. When your sick, not feeling well etc. your CNS (central nervous system) is under a lot of strain. What most people do not realize is that when you work out you are putting even more strain on your CNS, which in turn can lead to A. a lengthier recovery time from your illness. and/or B. more issues. not to mention its not good to bring any illness into such a public setting. Sometimes your just better off shutting your body down for a day or two and come back when your strong enough. It will lead to a better workout when you get back!
I am still not feeling to great today so I am going to just shut myself down for the day, use this day as an off day and hopefully get back into it tomorrow!
For those of you still working out today, have an amazing workout!!!
Here is where I tell you that making that decision was the best decision at that point in time. When your sick, not feeling well etc. your CNS (central nervous system) is under a lot of strain. What most people do not realize is that when you work out you are putting even more strain on your CNS, which in turn can lead to A. a lengthier recovery time from your illness. and/or B. more issues. not to mention its not good to bring any illness into such a public setting. Sometimes your just better off shutting your body down for a day or two and come back when your strong enough. It will lead to a better workout when you get back!
I am still not feeling to great today so I am going to just shut myself down for the day, use this day as an off day and hopefully get back into it tomorrow!
For those of you still working out today, have an amazing workout!!!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Weekend is OVER
I can not lie I am actually very happy the weekend is over. I never have a problem with going over board eating or anything it is just very difficult to balance working a 20-30hour a week job plus training my clients as well as getting my own training in on the weekends.
I tried to hit the gym at 6am Saturday morning before my "cheat". I get to the gym at 5:45am and I am pumped, I NEVER DRAG MY ASS OUT OF BED, but I did it. So I am waiting for the clock to strike 6 and the see the lights go on and someone unlock the door, when I see one of the employees walking towards my car. I roll my window down and she says "we are having a tough time with the locks, they were changed last night and our new keys are not working" WAIT WHAT!!!!! She lets me know that they have called the locksmith and he is on his way but they are not sure when is going to show up, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I start to feel really irritated that I woke up almost 3 hours early to go and now I can't! It is now 6:15, and I can not wait anymore so I turn my car back on and start to head out to my secondary gym Worlds Gym even though I am not a fan I know I will not have much of a chance to do anything else that day so it is what it is. I only had enough time to fit my cardio session which ended up being about 15min shorts but again I can not complain since I did not think I was going to end up even working out.
Its 8am and I head to work for my 6 hour shift which seems to fly by but was filled with irritations, but I just let it slide right off me. I leave there and head to the studio to wait for my clients to get there as well as a few people stopping in for initial weigh ins for our weight loss challenge, when the light bulb goes off "I can workout here, its only shoulder day!" I start to hit the weights and get a pretty good burn going, hit 12 sets for shoulders and my client Matt gets there.
I know I can push Matt hard so we setup a full body day with some cardio mixed in:
Tomorrow starts a new week, so get yourself motivated and get back on track if you fell off this weekend, hit the weights hard and have a good week!
I tried to hit the gym at 6am Saturday morning before my "cheat". I get to the gym at 5:45am and I am pumped, I NEVER DRAG MY ASS OUT OF BED, but I did it. So I am waiting for the clock to strike 6 and the see the lights go on and someone unlock the door, when I see one of the employees walking towards my car. I roll my window down and she says "we are having a tough time with the locks, they were changed last night and our new keys are not working" WAIT WHAT!!!!! She lets me know that they have called the locksmith and he is on his way but they are not sure when is going to show up, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I start to feel really irritated that I woke up almost 3 hours early to go and now I can't! It is now 6:15, and I can not wait anymore so I turn my car back on and start to head out to my secondary gym Worlds Gym even though I am not a fan I know I will not have much of a chance to do anything else that day so it is what it is. I only had enough time to fit my cardio session which ended up being about 15min shorts but again I can not complain since I did not think I was going to end up even working out.
Its 8am and I head to work for my 6 hour shift which seems to fly by but was filled with irritations, but I just let it slide right off me. I leave there and head to the studio to wait for my clients to get there as well as a few people stopping in for initial weigh ins for our weight loss challenge, when the light bulb goes off "I can workout here, its only shoulder day!" I start to hit the weights and get a pretty good burn going, hit 12 sets for shoulders and my client Matt gets there.
I know I can push Matt hard so we setup a full body day with some cardio mixed in:
- 10 24in box jumps
- 3-2-1s Walking push ups (video will show soon)
- Kettle bell Swings
- 1 MINUTE BREAK
- Box falloffs
- Box walks (video will be up soon)
- 15 crunches
- 1 MINUTE BREAK
- Side to side slides with squats (30 seconds)
- Up Downs (30 seconds)
- Zig Zag slides with sprints (30 seconds)
Tomorrow starts a new week, so get yourself motivated and get back on track if you fell off this weekend, hit the weights hard and have a good week!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Been a Few Days
I know it has been a few days, but I am going to do my best to keep posting at least 3-4 times a week. Lately all of my drive and motivation has come from stepping back on stage again. In all honesty it is all I think about. I am not the type of person who lives with regret, but man I wish I would have stayed the course after my first show. Its hard to believe that I gained back almost 100lbs and ruined all the hard work that I put in to begin with. That is in the past but it sure would make this journey back to the stage that much easier.
I have my cheat meal just about every Sunday and gotta say that due to my stupidity 2 Sundays ago I actually gained .2lbs. I know, I know its only .2lbs but still going up after a week of being perfect its very very frustrating. I normally do not do it, but this week I weighed myself on Monday and I am only up .2lbs after a cheat meal so I did things right this past week. I weighed myself today (Wednesday) and I am down .2lbs so I know things are ok. I am going to stay off the scale until my weigh-in on Sunday and I am hoping for about 2lbs down which would put me back in the 2-teens LOL. My goal is 190-180 by the summer. And my plan is to take one whole week off from training and the gym July 4th week to head up to the cottage for some down time and fun (I know its months away but still). I am going to go hard all summer and hopefully step on stage in October as another warmup show. And then setting my sites on a good run in March/April of 2012. I keep putting this off and it just adds to my frustrations. So no more putting this off.
All of my workouts have gone well but I feel I need to push myself a little harder. I have not felt very sore except for leg day which I brutalized myself. Today was back and it felt great, I love the feeling of my lats stretching and just burning by the end of my workout. Next week I am going to go back to adding in some bent over rows (my favorite exercise) back into my workout, I have left them off for a few weeks since I seem to want to do them every single workout. Tomorrow is leg day and I am pretty disappointed I wont be doing squats!!
I have realized that I need to push 10x harder then just about everyone in order for me to win and be where I want to be my genetics suck, and I have probably done some damage to my metabolism over the last couple of years, but NONE OF THIS will STOP ME!
I have my cheat meal just about every Sunday and gotta say that due to my stupidity 2 Sundays ago I actually gained .2lbs. I know, I know its only .2lbs but still going up after a week of being perfect its very very frustrating. I normally do not do it, but this week I weighed myself on Monday and I am only up .2lbs after a cheat meal so I did things right this past week. I weighed myself today (Wednesday) and I am down .2lbs so I know things are ok. I am going to stay off the scale until my weigh-in on Sunday and I am hoping for about 2lbs down which would put me back in the 2-teens LOL. My goal is 190-180 by the summer. And my plan is to take one whole week off from training and the gym July 4th week to head up to the cottage for some down time and fun (I know its months away but still). I am going to go hard all summer and hopefully step on stage in October as another warmup show. And then setting my sites on a good run in March/April of 2012. I keep putting this off and it just adds to my frustrations. So no more putting this off.
All of my workouts have gone well but I feel I need to push myself a little harder. I have not felt very sore except for leg day which I brutalized myself. Today was back and it felt great, I love the feeling of my lats stretching and just burning by the end of my workout. Next week I am going to go back to adding in some bent over rows (my favorite exercise) back into my workout, I have left them off for a few weeks since I seem to want to do them every single workout. Tomorrow is leg day and I am pretty disappointed I wont be doing squats!!
I have realized that I need to push 10x harder then just about everyone in order for me to win and be where I want to be my genetics suck, and I have probably done some damage to my metabolism over the last couple of years, but NONE OF THIS will STOP ME!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Ephipany
Back today after a killer leg workout on Wednesday featuring 8 sets of squats (supposed to be 10, but when you do not have a spotter and the legs start to give out, its time to slow it down and avoid any injuries). I gotta say it was my strongest day of squats in a long, long time probably because I have been stuck doing leg presses more often then I would like to, due to the gym being over crowded with all the "resolutionists". These 8 sets of squats are different then most as in the goal is to constantly up the weight, and doing drop sets to get to 15 reps for every set. Here is an example:
Set 1: 95x15
Set 2: 135x15
Set 3: 185x15
Set 4: 205x15
Set 5: 225x15
Set 6: 245x8, 135x7
Set 7: 265x3, 155x12
I wish I would have started off with a higher weight as these would be much more impressive but by the time I got to set 6 I was pretty gassed but still tried to push harder and gotta say I was impressed. Next week I am going to do my warmup and then get started on these pushing to start off with an all out set and see how many at 315lbs I can get up, and then push through with 9 more sets afterwards.
All of my workouts this week have been pretty intense minus my back day which for some reason I did not feel like I accomplished much afterwards and generally I get sore about 48 hours for all days I havent hit that wall with my back yet so it may be time to change something up.
I have finally let the dumb things that have been going on around me just go away, and I keep pushing towards making all of my dreams and goals a reality. I have a great support system through friends and trainers, and gotta say that even though my gf does understand fully why I do what I do to myself she is extremely supportive (so thanks Sarah). With everything going on I haven't fully committed to me and that is all changing. I had the epiphany yesterday that I haven't pushed as hard as I can and while I aim to compete, all my competitors have been outworking me!!!! That is all gonna change!!! The plan stays the same, lean out and get to 10% bf. And then spend some solid time, with a solid plan putting on the size I need to put myself where I wanna be. I set a goal for myself in 2008 and need to be there by June of 2013 and DAMNIT, I will be there. Its ME AGAINST ME!!!!
Set 1: 95x15
Set 2: 135x15
Set 3: 185x15
Set 4: 205x15
Set 5: 225x15
Set 6: 245x8, 135x7
Set 7: 265x3, 155x12
I wish I would have started off with a higher weight as these would be much more impressive but by the time I got to set 6 I was pretty gassed but still tried to push harder and gotta say I was impressed. Next week I am going to do my warmup and then get started on these pushing to start off with an all out set and see how many at 315lbs I can get up, and then push through with 9 more sets afterwards.
All of my workouts this week have been pretty intense minus my back day which for some reason I did not feel like I accomplished much afterwards and generally I get sore about 48 hours for all days I havent hit that wall with my back yet so it may be time to change something up.
I have finally let the dumb things that have been going on around me just go away, and I keep pushing towards making all of my dreams and goals a reality. I have a great support system through friends and trainers, and gotta say that even though my gf does understand fully why I do what I do to myself she is extremely supportive (so thanks Sarah). With everything going on I haven't fully committed to me and that is all changing. I had the epiphany yesterday that I haven't pushed as hard as I can and while I aim to compete, all my competitors have been outworking me!!!! That is all gonna change!!! The plan stays the same, lean out and get to 10% bf. And then spend some solid time, with a solid plan putting on the size I need to put myself where I wanna be. I set a goal for myself in 2008 and need to be there by June of 2013 and DAMNIT, I will be there. Its ME AGAINST ME!!!!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Its a New Day - Yo Hello Hooray
Lately I have been using this song to remind me that I need to be easier on myself, not beat myself up so much for what is going on around me and in my life. I have to admit I have a great life, great friends, and a great gf who supports me through everything I do. If a few things could fall into place things would be perfect.
So happy to be back at Best Fitness today, I feel like my workouts are 100% harder and better then when I am at Worlds. I am looking forward to training legs and hitting 10 sets of squats HARD. One of these days I would like to make a montage of how hard this leg day really is. So many people preach about going heavy and while agree I love to go heavy, what is wrong with some HEAVY VOLUME? At the end you are doing the same thing!
Hopefully I can get some more videos going in the near future of my clients as well as my own training. If there is something you would like to see please let me know.
Train Hard, Train Smart
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Irritation and Struggles
I have really had a hard time focusing at my secondary gym (Worlds Gym). I just can not get comfortable there no matter how hard I try. I am not one of those people who need all the frills or even a nice gym, but when the gym just looks thrown together, it makes it hard to actually get a good workout in. The gym is setup awkwardly and the lifting area is so small that it makes following a workout damn near impossible. It gets to the point that I just use what I can and make sure that I am hitting my set # of sets for that workout. I try to make myself comfortable but I feel like my workouts are really suffering when I use this gym.
My goal is to compete by the end of year or early next year and I am making great strides even with the setbacks, I have kicked my workouts and diet up to a level I am comfortable with and have lost 7.7lbs since January 1st. I am going to keep pushing forward, and hope to be in the best shape of my life by June.
My goal is to compete by the end of year or early next year and I am making great strides even with the setbacks, I have kicked my workouts and diet up to a level I am comfortable with and have lost 7.7lbs since January 1st. I am going to keep pushing forward, and hope to be in the best shape of my life by June.
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