Thursday, August 18, 2011

traffic

working on putting some thoughts together...
my training is going pretty strong... probably better than ever.... weights a few days per week, more cardio than ever (foot is tight but holding up)... limited yoga due to my busy work schedule and my nutrition is finally in line (a.k.a. not drinking.  not that I over drank but a few drinks usually led to late night quesadilla's). 
i recently referenced "perspective," in either the last entry or the one before... i may have beat myself up a bit... if not obvious in the entry, i certainly did away from the computer.... and still in some ways, I still am. i definitely have days where i wonder if i'm doing the right things... if i've made the right career choices... if my process makes sense and works... ive definitely doubted myself lately. 
i went back and re-read some pages from a book i used to talk about alot and even gave out a few copies as gifts to some other trainers.  read "smile when you work," and "anticipate and expect positive outcomes."  and i had to let that settle for a day because sometimes someone patting me on the back... i avoid.  but this was me, trying to pat myself and regain some energy.  a little self love, if you will.  so i went out and had a really successful day and made some good contacts and had some great conversations with some local businesses and ive been on a roll.
energy in, energy out.... i constantly talk about "never give up," and "go full go," and effortefforteffort, etc.  believe me, its hard to let go of bad habits... and painful memories... they all tell you its an anchor and can sink you... and you/we need to surrender to positivity... and sometimes its hard.  but we have to do it. 
ive found successes in limiting opportunities of failure.  simple example:  youre trying to watch what you eat... dont buy something youll regret eating at the grocery store.  sounds so simple right?  but dont we do it sometimes?  limit the opportunities for excuses.  theyll tease you and taunt you... right?  you want to go running... dont go home and sit on the couch for 45 minutes... you wont want to get up.... stay active and go.  if youre waiting for your boyfriend, stay active and wait, then go :) 
set yourself up for success and that success will breed positivity and great thoughts... and great thoughts turn into more great thoughts... and those thoughts turn into amazing outcomes which create more amazing outcomes... negative thoughts are sludge and slow you down... bog you down and everything sucks.  positivity is nitro and everything is full speed and clean and fresh and perfect.   
if youre on a diet, dont go somewhere where youll want to cheat.  
if youre on around negative people, get away form them.  theyll bring you down.  negativity is contagious.  think about it.  ever find yourself in a great mood... then hang around someone for an hour and think "what the heck happened???"  yep, they sucked the mood right out of you!  I know some of you mood suckers are reading this... dont you dare come around me :)  i'll address you immediately. 
positive in, positive out... smile out, theyll smile back. 
I remember my grandma (who I think may have had some Buddhism going on,) used to tell me to smile.. all the time.  if she saw i was upset, she'd just say smile... even down the stretch.  so when a yoga teacher said "smile when it hurts..."  ... that was interesting... and i text a :) and it sometimes is annoying to people... but sometimes you have to smile to shake off the crap and smile through a storm...
so wherever you are... shake off the crap youre boss gave you... or the absolute nonsense your friends are constantly bringing around... and smile.  and if youre having a great day... pass that great day along!  Dont be greedy :)  take it and give it away.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Full Body Training

I started lifting somewhat consistently after high school at a local Ballys. I think I probably pulled a workout out of a magazine and along with a couple buddies, and started a 5 day routine. The typical moves for the typical chest, back, legs, arms, shoulder days with cardio barely mixed in a few times per week. The workout was pretty solid and with a real strict diet I dropped a few lbs, but as time went on, the workout became somewhat stale and a little monotonous. And like a lot of other people, when things got boring, I stopped going.

A few years ago, I headed back into the gym and again back to the same 5 day routine. Again, I had success early, as most people with any new routine, but again... I started getting bored. But this time, there was no quit. I had to find the right style for me for whatever my goals were at that moment.

My first adjustment, thanks to my very good friend (and amazing trainer) Dave Engeman, was to speed it all up! Same routines, just at a faster speed. You see a lot of people working their "arm day" and they'll perform an exercise... and wait a minute... talk to some buddies... and wait another minute... and eventually move on to the second set, which can force the workout to last over 2 hours! (They must love hanging out in weight rooms.) So my days stayed the same, but I started doing fast supersets with maybe 15 seconds rest in between exercises. At this point, it was probably the best workout I've ever done. Results came fast and it was the exact push I was looking for. My workouts were done in 30-40 minutes tops and I looked like I just got out of the pool. BUT....

I stopped taking days off, because I enjoyed the workouts so much... why? Because they were fun! However, with all that speed and lack of rest, I may have pushed things further (heavier) than needed to be at times.  And I think this may have led to an injury and a bit of over training. So I was forced again to re-examine things, which was ok.
I then turned to full body circuits. For those who are unfamiliar with what that entails... it’s just like the name states, working every major muscle group with minimal rest in between exercises. For example, I'd start with a chest move, then a leg move, then a back move, followed by a core move, shoulders, then legs again and back to the top. Now, there a million different ways to put together circuits so I'd try to never duplicate anything in the same week.

Example Workout (that may look a little familiar to the 12:30 workout group
J
):
Push-Ups - Failure
Body Weight Squats - 30
Bentover Row - 20
Sit-Ups - 20
Barbell Shoulder Press - 20
Walking Lunge - 20 steps
repeat 3x
Fairly simple, but when performed with a decent high intensity (weight and speed) you're heart rate reaches a cardio level, you're muscles rest just enough to not fatigue too fast, and you burn calories much faster than you would with a straight set routine.


I currently work a full body routine for myself and a great majority of my clients. Right now, I'm in love with big moves at virtually any rep range, (deadlifts, hang cleans, benches, squats, lunges and presses w/ some intense core movements). Yesterday’s workout was 4 sets of hang cleans mixed with decline sit-ups, shoulder presses with lateral raises and some plyometrics, then ran 4 miles. SO it was very much shoulder oriented, still had Daves style mixed in, but also the full body feel and intensity. Today was flat bench mixed with squats and calf raises, then single leg power step ups.  So I feel that my routine is more functional in my movements and speed, still powerful in my exercise selections, and doesn’t crush me to the point where cardio is impossible because I'm too sore or tired. So regardless of your goals or current level of fitness, a full body circuit could be the answer you’re looking for.


Good luck with all of your training adventures

This Is Blue Chip