Well it's almost the end of February...holy geez. This year is already blowing by, which is kinda lame because supposedly the end of this year is the end of the world (though I'll believe it when I see it). Anywho, on to the post chocolate experience. How many of you threw down some chocolates this February? Maybe you got a cute basket from your sweetheart that was filled with delicious, calorie-ridden treats. If you're a teacher like my wife, you probably received plenty of awesomeness from your students...enough, in fact, to feed your friends, family, and your wonderful husband.
For the average bear, you've probably been trying to stay in the gym as much as possible since the beginning of the year (along with about 5 billion other people). If you're still there today, give yourself a pat on the back. One thing I've noticed as a trainer in a big gym is that people tend to fizzle out of their New Year's fitness resolutions around the end of January. Unfortunately, this is just the time the chocolates roll out for Valentine's Day. Thankfully, for those who have been faithful at least up until the candy overload, you probably aren't going to balloon like you had the years before. However, you will nullify all your hard work from the previous month if you let it end here. Let me encourage you: DON'T STOP EXERCISING!!!
What tends to happen with most people at this point in the year is they lose the drive, the fire, the passion, the motivation to stay on track with their health and wellness, thus spiraling back into the whirlpool of bad fitness (or no fitness) and eating habits. It's at this point that you MUST grab someone(s) and give them permission to push you beyond what you think you can handle. That's what training is all about. You want to quit. You think you've gone as far as you can go. However, the fresh perspective of the outsider can change everything. They know you can handle a few more laps. They know you can push out a few more reps. They know you can wait one more day until that cheat day.
We're 2 months in to 2012, and if you want to make this a good year for your health and wellness, then go and make it happen. Grab the fresh perspective of an accountability buddy, get your backside in gear, and keep working! As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or you're looking for a good trainer, let me know.
Stay Strong,
Chad
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
80% mental, 40% physical
Don't worry, I know math. But it wouldn't grab your attention as well if it were correct...
So This week I was working with a younger client of mine and I've learned something about his performance. He is a beast. Unfortunately, most training sessions he likes to "hibernate" through certain drills, mainly because he doesn't like them. We finished our session with a circuit of:
30 elevated leg crunches
10 pushups
single-leg ladder run
sprint to finish
Now, you have to know, this guy HATES crunches...not that he can't do them, he just doesn't want to. (fancy that) Round one, he clocked in at 58.6 seconds. I didn't like those results. Round 2, 56.3 seconds. Improvement, but still lacking. I then told him every round he doesn't beat the previous round's time, he has to add 10 more crunches (keep in mind that his time STILL has to beat the previous run). He got inspired. Round 3...41.6 seconds., Finally, round 4 he hit 38.4 seconds!!!
Not only did I learn something about him, but he learned something about himself. He was pushing himself mentally. His body was going through the motions, but his mind was sluggish. He wasn't concerned about being the best, but instead just getting the job done. When he was faced with a challenge that could potentially end up with painful circumstances, his beast mode kicked in. His mind then told his body "we gotta get to work" and he cranked almost 20 seconds off his first mark. What if you knew that if you didn't finish your exercises full speed you'd have to keep doing more and more until you got there? Would you be motivated? What if you knew that being lazy in your workouts would shorten the length of your life? Motivated now?
Most people who are at the gym, or exercises at home are already beyond the majority of our society. You're trying. I'm not going to knock that at all. I actually think that's awesome. But now it's time to kick it up a notch. Instead of doing the same ole 40 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes of bicep curls, maybe it's time to push yourself...and it's not always easy. Your mindset changes how intense you train. If you've had a slow day, you're more likely to take it slow and not work too hard. If you've had a stressful day, you may either give up entirely, or be pushed to drive yourself to pass out (people deal with stress in different ways).
Whatever it is, before you take that first step in your workout, try getting your mind focused. Listen to some good workout music (for me, it's classic rock on Pandora). Take several deep breaths. Think about what you're about to do, and assure yourself that you CAN do it. Then make it happen. You'll be amazed at how much more you can accomplish when you get your mind set on it.
Stay Strong,
Chad
Chad
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
What Time of Day Should I Train?
Now that I've got your attention, let me start out by saying that though there have been studies about what time of day is best for training, there is no specific conclusive evidence to prove any time of day is better than the next. That being said, let me give you a few ideas to mull over when you're trying to make your decision.
First off, you have to ask yourself: "Why am I training?" Is this for a specific event, like a marathon or olympic lift competition? Are you trying to shed a couple pounds before beach season? Are you simply wanting to stay active and keep your body in shape? Depending on your answer, you may have just solved your own time problem. For those training for an event, like a marathon or lift competition, you need to examine at what time the competition will take place. For you marathoners, you will most likely be competing in the morning time. For you, I would definitely be training in the mornings. Maybe you have an olympic lift competition that will start at 6pm in the evening. Guess what? I would be training yourself at 6pm on the evening.
Our bodies have what we call a circadian rhythm...basically our body's' internal clock. This is what tells our bodies when it's time to get up, when we're tired, when to provide the most energy, etc. Naturally, our bodies have their own circadian rhythm (internal clock). They know when they should sleep, and when they should wake (though some people think their "clock" wakes them up way too early). Your circadian rhythm can be manipulated by your environment, such as daylight, an alarm clock, or even exercise. For me, I can't sleep or nap when I know it's light out. My body just won't shut down enough for me to rest knowing that I could be enjoying the day outside. For some, you can't get to sleep with the slightest noise in the background. It's the same concept with waking. Some people can't really wake up until they turn the lights on. Others can't really wake up without a cup of coffee. For me, the best way to wake up is to get my rear in gear at the gym. All of these stimuli help us to adapt our circadian rhythms to the pattern that we like best. It doesn't happen overnight, but usually in a month or so your body will then be ready to work at the time you want it to be ready to work.
When you wake up in the morning:
-if you're a morning person, you jump out of bed and start singing "The Hills Are Alive" or something of that nature
-If you're a moderate morning person, you probably yawn and stretch, slowly rise and throw your slippers on and go for a morning snack
-if you're an angry elf (not a morning person) you throw your alarm clock across the room, possibly shouting expletives, and think about how badly you want to go back to bed.
If you're a morning person, by all means, go for training in the morning. If you're a moderate morning person, you may need to see what best fits your schedule. If you're an angry elf, maybe the afternoon is best for you. The bottom line if you really want to stick with your program and see best results: CONSISTENCY. If you try to "fit in" your training to your day, you'll never keep it up. It's like saying "I'll put the trash out in a little bit"...then 6 days later you realize a "little bit" has turned into a foul odor in the kitchen wastebasket. Make your training something to do at the same time each day in a nice, scheduled pattern. This way you'll also get past the "I'm too busy" excuse. You may have to choose mornings 2-3 days a week, and evenings the other days. Whatever it takes, get yourself on a schedule!
Like always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or you'd like to talk about private training sessions, shoot me an email/text/call.
Stay Strong,
Chad
First off, you have to ask yourself: "Why am I training?" Is this for a specific event, like a marathon or olympic lift competition? Are you trying to shed a couple pounds before beach season? Are you simply wanting to stay active and keep your body in shape? Depending on your answer, you may have just solved your own time problem. For those training for an event, like a marathon or lift competition, you need to examine at what time the competition will take place. For you marathoners, you will most likely be competing in the morning time. For you, I would definitely be training in the mornings. Maybe you have an olympic lift competition that will start at 6pm in the evening. Guess what? I would be training yourself at 6pm on the evening.
Our bodies have what we call a circadian rhythm...basically our body's' internal clock. This is what tells our bodies when it's time to get up, when we're tired, when to provide the most energy, etc. Naturally, our bodies have their own circadian rhythm (internal clock). They know when they should sleep, and when they should wake (though some people think their "clock" wakes them up way too early). Your circadian rhythm can be manipulated by your environment, such as daylight, an alarm clock, or even exercise. For me, I can't sleep or nap when I know it's light out. My body just won't shut down enough for me to rest knowing that I could be enjoying the day outside. For some, you can't get to sleep with the slightest noise in the background. It's the same concept with waking. Some people can't really wake up until they turn the lights on. Others can't really wake up without a cup of coffee. For me, the best way to wake up is to get my rear in gear at the gym. All of these stimuli help us to adapt our circadian rhythms to the pattern that we like best. It doesn't happen overnight, but usually in a month or so your body will then be ready to work at the time you want it to be ready to work.
When you wake up in the morning:
-if you're a morning person, you jump out of bed and start singing "The Hills Are Alive" or something of that nature
-If you're a moderate morning person, you probably yawn and stretch, slowly rise and throw your slippers on and go for a morning snack
-if you're an angry elf (not a morning person) you throw your alarm clock across the room, possibly shouting expletives, and think about how badly you want to go back to bed.
If you're a morning person, by all means, go for training in the morning. If you're a moderate morning person, you may need to see what best fits your schedule. If you're an angry elf, maybe the afternoon is best for you. The bottom line if you really want to stick with your program and see best results: CONSISTENCY. If you try to "fit in" your training to your day, you'll never keep it up. It's like saying "I'll put the trash out in a little bit"...then 6 days later you realize a "little bit" has turned into a foul odor in the kitchen wastebasket. Make your training something to do at the same time each day in a nice, scheduled pattern. This way you'll also get past the "I'm too busy" excuse. You may have to choose mornings 2-3 days a week, and evenings the other days. Whatever it takes, get yourself on a schedule!
Like always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or you'd like to talk about private training sessions, shoot me an email/text/call.
Stay Strong,
Chad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)