Reps

I like to follow the pyramid down rule going from high reps to low usually stopping at 6-8 reps on the last set. That usually means you are challenging yourself to the very end of the set. I rarely do a max out set but if you must try doing every 2-3 months. I personally do a max set every 6 months. It just is not as important to me anymore. Please remember it is about longevity of strength and not what you can do right now. If you have your mind set there you can keep lifting heavy forever. My goal is to be able to bench 315 til I am 80.

Cardio

You have two choices here, you can go longer or go faster. I choose to go faster because I don’t have the time to do a 45-60 minute cardio session. With most of these programs you may be a level 4 weight trainer but need to start slow on cardio. The goal is two work your way up to a minimum of 30 minutes. If you choose to do 30 minutes then your goal should be adding more miles to your workout.

Fitness=life

Fitness has been a reflection of how my life is. If I am stressed out I usually don’t do cardio and I just hit the weights hard. When my life is “working” I do everything with no problem. I want you guys to understand that I also have my pitfalls and I am not the perfect work out warrior. I still don’t miss a work out so there is progress being made even though things are not going well for me. I have had clients who dealt with some serious tragedies who still worked out and actually helped them avoid using alcohol or other negative ways of coping. They looked really good and it saved them. I always see it as if you can at least do that you are heading in a positive direction. The more constructive things you do the better you can handle anything. Working out has been a huge help to me to even control some of my anger management issues. You have to find your outlets in life and I hope you are making fitness one of them. The benefits are not just outside but inside also.

Moderation

I am not one of those trainers that believe in cutting out everything from the diet. There is usually a reason for your cravings and to satisfy them may not be a bad thing. If you crave sweets and it’s not a cheat day then eat some fruit. If you are dieting try to make sure it’s low glycemic (apples, pears, grapes and cherries are good). There are many other choices but those are the ones that come to mind. I try to make sure that when I do want to eat something bad I do it during the day. I sometimes will eat dinner early so I still have time to burn it off unless I am going out then it’s not that big of a deal. My rule of thumb has been what you do in three day increments. You have one day where you blow it you have two days to make up for it. If I have a three day weekend of eating every fattening yet delicious food I feel horrible the next day, so I rarely do that. The only time I really allow that is on my birthday weekend that usually falls on labor day. Just remember this if you eat horrible you have to burn it off. So if that deters you from eating badly then great, if not you have been warned.

Results=Pain….not quite

The old adage “No pain, no gain” has been what a lot of people of used to motivate them to keep going to the gym. Now if that works then I don’t have much of a problem with it. The only thing you will have to do is take care of the pain when you notice you are not as strong as you normally are. Usually that means you are overtraining which is pushing the muscle to the point where it is exhausted and can not be broken down. You are not going to be in danger of tearing a muscle but you are going to need to rest with no questions asked. The more pain you have does not equal results. I once had an inflammation in my chest and shoulder that really slowed me down. If it wasn’t for the massage and constant stretching I would have probably missed a month. Pain hurts and like I have said there is a fine line between the two. You can’t be afraid of that though, pain isn’t a bad thing but it’s all about your pain tolerance. I luckily have a lot of it, but now I complain a little bit more than I used to.

Excuses

We all have these on why we won’t get them done. I am tired, I don’t feel like it, and I don’t have time are the most common with fitness. If you can just make it to the gym and do something, even a half work out you may find yourself not tired anymore. If you don’t feel like it there might be a reason other than feeling. Are you burned out? How has your diet been? Are you eating enough? These are the questions you have to ask yourself before taking a day off or in some cases a week off. Sometimes we need to take a week off because you can burn out, especially if you are training hard. The hard part is are you disciplined enough to come back, or is there going to be another excuse to keep you out of the gym. As far as time is concerned there is always something you can do. If you have to work out 15 minutes at a time then you do that. I understand with family, kids and work you may not have a full hour to work out. It is up to you to figure out what you can and can not do. I can give you all the advice in the world but you have to figure out what works and how to fit it into your life. This is that important.

Consistency

That is the biggest key to your fitness goals. What you do consistently is pretty much going to determine your results and how fast you get them. If you eat good quality foods and less junk and also maintain your workouts your results could be on the more positive side. If you eat bad foods and are lazy you just get fatter. What some people don’t understand is your body can maintain fat better than it can maintain muscle, that is why you see people who can weigh up to 800+ pounds. It takes more work on your part and your body to maintain muscle. Also if you are consistent and feel like cheating a little bit you do not have to feel guilty. The more consistent you are with doing the “right” things the more likely you will see success.

There is no tomorrow

People need to understand one thing: if you continually put things off for tomorrow they either become forgotten or less important than they were in the beginning. So many great ideas get cast aside because of time and excuses. If your attitude is there is no tomorrow, only today imagine how much you will accomplish. Imagine what your relationships will be like, let alone your work outs. If more employees felt this way imagine how much more work can be done and how much money can be made. The best way I have seen to do this is start with small things. The big things in life: kids, family, and work, etc. are easy to make priority. Try to look at the small things you are missing and work on that, eventually you may see not only yourself benefit, but the important people around you as well.

Aging

This is a little bit of a sensitive subject for me because I absolutely hate to admit I am getting older. Now I am not “old” and to be honest at this moment stronger than I have ever been in my life, however, it hurts a lot more. Also, I am greying and losing my hair. I am still being stubborn about buying hair products by the way so please don’t post those tips for me, I am quite aware and know my options. Maxing out and trying to see how heavy I can lift is happening less and less. Like I say the goal is to be better today than you were tomorrow, you have more days like that and we are making progress. The truth is we get older every day and if you keep worrying about yesterday you are going to miss out on an amazing today and future. Fitness is the only thing I have seen (that is natural) that keeps you younger and help with your overall quality of life. The fitter you are the better you will be at your normal daily tasks. So no matter what, I am not 18 anymore but I am in great shape and every day I still feel like I am gaining rather than losing…well except for my hair J. If you keep your goals relative to where you are and stop competing with the younger people. You may find yourself doing things to yourself that once you start you may not be able to stop.

Strength and Pride

This probably applies to the guys more than the women because strength for the most part is more important for the guys. I don’t see too many women getting asked how much you bench. Though that does happen, it is very rare. Your pride can make you do dumb things sometimes. There are a few things I don’t do arm wrestling and get into a strength competition. Arm wrestling in short I have seen too many people break their arms and I actually almost broke a guys arm doing it so the risk is too great for a reward that means absolutely nothing to me. It is about priority with my work outs and daily life. Now don’t get me wrong pushing yourself to be stronger and more successful is not a bad thing. A person who challenges you can be a positive thing, especially if you have been holding back with your work outs. I say it makes things more interesting when someone says I can’t do something. I shattered my 225 bench press by doing it for 55 reps. Not many people can do that and I am actually very proud of it. It all started because an acquaintance irritated me and I wanted to do something he could not do even on his best day. Your pride can lead you to awesome strength gains, but it can also lead you to a week of hurt that sets you back. You have to decide if what you are doing is really worth it to you and be aware of your body and mind before you do it. If you are sore and achy and not mentally prepared it may be best to wait a week. Injury is never fun and I know that first hand. Good news is with injury you learn to be aware of your body and every ache and pain.

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