CHF Core Values (Part 2)

Build. Push. Achieve.

BUILD your foundation,  PUSH your limits, and ACHIEVE more.  This is the next layer in the composition of CHFitness.

     BUILDing your foundation.  Do I even need to explain the importance of this one?  Just in case, here’s a quick overview:

EVERYTHING THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOUR BODY’S PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES RELIES ON YOUR FOUNDATION!!!

     As a tree without roots is fairly useless, so is a body with a weak or non-existent foundation.  Your foundation isn’t just your legs, but more your entire lower chain, from your feet, ankles, calves, quads/hams, hips, and lower abdominals.  It’s also how these things work together.  You can have incredibly strong legs and lower abdominals, but with little flexibility or range of motion.  Your power is only a fraction of what it could be without that properly working chain.  Build your foundation, and you’re on your way to seeing impressive results in your training.

     PUSH Your Limits.  The purpose of building your foundation is to create a starting point.  You can’t create a masterpiece without the first brush stroke.  You also can’t create a 6-pack and 3% body fat without starting somewhere.  Once you build your foundation, then you can push yourself to see just how far you can go.  And with every attempt to push yourself, you raise the bar higher and higher.  In Eric Cressey’s book "Maximum Strength Training", he discusses that building strength and power comes from the training that is done at a minimum of 85% of your total capability.  So how do we know what our 85% is?  By PUSHing the limits!

     ACHIEVE more.  Lastly, and what seems to be the wrap up for this layer of the CHFitness composition, is the follow up to the previous 2 pieces.  We BUILD our foundation and PUSH our limits so that we can ultimately ACHIEVE more.  Drop more weight, build more strength, make our tummy that much tighter, add a few years onto our lives, decrease the level of stress and anxiety.  These are just a few examples of the ACHIEVEments that can be made, and will be made at CHFitness.  Are you ready? We are.

Stay Strong,

Chad

CHF Core Values (Part 1)

Live Life Well.

     Every business (like everyhuman) needs a solid core.  Like yourbody, a business needs the central function and control if it wants to operateat peak levels of performance.  At it’sinnermost core, Chad Humphrey Fitness (CHF) exists to help encourage others inall stages of life to live life well.

     We wake up.  We go to school, work, etc.  We come home. We go to bed, and wait to start over again the next day.  Of course there’s also meals, maybe a littletelevision or social media, and hopefully some exercise.  Is that living life well?  If yes, then our mission is accomplished….andyou’re welcome.  If not, maybe there’ssome place we can help.

     In our culture, image hasbecome one of the top priorities.  How welook, or better, how we THINK we look, can mean the difference between walkingout the door with a smile and walking out the door with the fear that everyoneis watching you, waiting to pick at your appearance.  Of course this mindset opens up a new can ofworms.  When we are concerned aboutour image, we tend to place our physical and mental well-being at stake.  “Whatever it takes” becomes the ideal mantrato survive in this culture’s image-driven value system.  We need to get past this facade.  Image is beyond what you see in the mirror.  The way you feel inside should play just as much a role as the way you see that reflection.  At CHF, we want to focus on creating strong, healthy bodies inside out, knowing that if we can help create a solid image inside, it will help produce that reflection you can get excited about.

     Let me hop off the horse for a minute.  I can tell you through first-handexperience that it’s not always easy to get the results you want.  It takes hard work, dedication,accountability, and time.  Weknow that, and we can help you make those results a reality.  Maybe you would feel better if you droppedsome pounds...maybe you would feel better if you could build more muscle…maybeyou just need a community where you can train with others who are in the sameimage-centered race as you…whatever the case, whatever needs to happen in orderfor you to live life well…that’s what we want.  That’s what we’re all about.

Stay Strong,

Chad

Nutrition and The Karate Kid

So I recently stumbled across the original Karate Kid movie while I was channel surfing on a Saturday afternoon. (Don’t hate, I had already done my training that day).  I love that old flick, with nerdy Ralph Macchio and the great Mr. Miyagi.  There are a few things I learned from that movie that I think have an important role in our health and lifestyle today:

1.  Anybody can accomplish big goals with the right help. (Seriously, Ralph Macchio did it).

2.  Never go to a Halloween party dressed as a guy in a shower.

3.  The best offense is a good defense. (Don’t sweep the leg, just be prepared to crane-kick the guy who does)

     Now that last point there is what makes it for me.  We live in a society where eating happens at virtually every social (and business) engagement…from coffee and donuts in the conference room, to giant family gatherings that could easily feed half the starving kids in Africa.  Not making a social issues point here, but trying to emphasize just how often we are under attack by edible enemies.  Let’s be real, it’s easy to let the guard down every now and then, and justify it later by “working out” or eating a salad for dinner (typically topped by a gallon of dressing).  It’s that whole self-discipline thing that we struggle with.  SO WHAT’S THE POINT?!?

         I’m glad you asked!  The point is that in order to avoid getting your leg swept over and over again you have to be prepared.  Know your strengths.  More important….know your weaknesses.  Training your body from a nutrition standpoint is just as difficult if not more difficult than training your muscles.  But it CAN be done, so no excuses!  Eric Cressey gives what I believe is some of the best advice on our weakest area in his 5^th point here.  Check it out, and as always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or would like to talk training, you know where to find me.

Stay Strong,

Chad

It's All Mathematical

     Imagine that you aresupposed to solve a really important math problem for your final exam in yourfinal class in your final year of your epic educational journey.  You have all the numbers you need, exceptone.  You aren’t given an answer andasked to solve for the missing number, so Algebraic methods are gone….You don’thave a list of options to choose from. It’s virtually as if you’re being asked to solve 1 + ? = ?.  Not cool. 

     It’svital to taking the next step in to the rest of your life, but you can’t answerwithout throwing a completely wild guess. Unfortunately, though you have a billionth of a chance to answercorrectly, this would most likely end in utter catastrophe.  You end up failing the test.  And when you fail the test, you failschool.  And when you fail school, youget depressed and drown your sorrows in bacon. And when you drown your sorrows in bacon, you end up looking like Jabbathe Hut.  Don’t end up looking like Jabbathe Hut:

     Nowto my point:  Exercise is only PART ofthe equation.  At CHFitness, the best wayto describe how to live life well is to “Eat.Train.Play”.  Three parts of the equation, all necessary toattain the best result, in that order.

     

     “Eat”refers to your ability to ingest proper nutrition, giving your body what itneeds to thrive and perform, while cutting the excess.  Though there are plenty of successful dietingplans on the market, but I’m most concerned about the “self-discipline”plan.  Discipline your eating habits, orelse your training will be nothing more than a retaining wall, which willeventually burst and allow the whole process to come to ruin.

     “Train”is exactly what it sounds like.  Trainyour body to respond the way you want it to. Exercise until your body behaves (you may have noticed that on theFacebook page).  After you aredisciplined to fuel your body properly, then you can train it intosubmission.  Make your body ready andable for any and every experience you may have.

     “Play”.  What’s the point of all the hard work if youdon’t take time to enjoy the results. Before I lost all my extra weight, I could play basketball for about25-30 minutes before I had to sit and rest. Now I can play about 3 or 4 hours. Enjoying the results of a disciplined diet and body that behaves is whatmakes it all worth it in the end.  Enjoya walk in the park, play some ball, run around with the kids…..after all, you’veearned it.

     Sorry for such a long post, but I figured it wasnecessary.  Don’t fail your finalexam.  Get all the parts of the equationin order, and get after it.  As always,if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or need some personal training inyour life, hit me up.

Stay Strong,

Chad

5 Reasons You AREN'T Exercising (Part 5)

5. It Hurts

        This is a very common excuse.  Something everyone needs to remember is that you don't have to START big to see big changes.  When I lost all my weight, I started small, but lost big.  Just getting moving was enough to jump start the results in my own body.  The key term here is PROGRESSION.  There's no need to aggressively attack your body when it's not ready for it.  If your body can't handle 4 days a week worth of training sessions, pull it back to 3 days to start, or even 2.  Always start with little to no weights when starting any new exercises, and progess (which you'll learn is my favorite training term).

        Now for those of you dealing with nagging pains and/or previous injury, it's ALWAYS best to first consult your doctor for any information regarding what to avoid in your training program.  Please (I said please) inform your trainer(s) of any and all issues you need to be careful with.  The worst thing you can do is try to go full speed into something when your body can't handle it.  It only makes things worse. Trust me.  If your doctor clears you, and you just have some annoying tightness or pain, maybe it's time to spend more energy on warmup and stretching.  Proper warmup and stretching techniques will literally change your life when you give them the appropriate time.  I'm not saying 40min. of stretching, but 10-15minutes before your training program (thought it may seem like a long time) will help prevent or decrease those unwanted pains and strains. 

***Most importantly, do not get overwhelmed!  I can help.  Let me know what type of results you would like to see, and I'll do everything I can to get you there!***

5 Reasons You AREN'T Exercising (Part 4)

4.  You've Tried But You're Not Seeing Results

        HISTORY LESSON!  Rome was not built in a day.  It took a while.  EVERYONE needs to remember that.  However, when it was finished, it was glorious!  You don't become overweight or lose all your strength overnight (barring unforeseen illness), and neither will you correct the problem overnight.  It takes time.  I'm not talking years necessarily, because most people who need assistance will see some results by the end of week 1.  Sure, if you're looking to be the next Olympic lifting champion, it will take some serious training time to earn that gold medal.  If you're looking to shed 20lbs, that can be accomplished much faster.  The 2 most important factors that determine success are accountability and self-control.

"But I have been responsible, and my friends have been helping me, and I still can't meet my goals?!?'

        Some people aren't seeing the results they hope for (despite their self-control) because there is something missing from their training program...or there is no program at all.  Be it a nutrition schedule or a custom-fit training regimen, we can get to the bottom of your problem through a simple FREE fitness consultation.  Let's examine what you're doing now, how we can modify your current program (or lack thereof) to meet your goals, and get you where you want to be.

Stay Strong,

Chad