In the last month alone I was approached by 3 different people all with weddings within the next month and ALL looking to "get in shape", "lose a little weight" or "tone up quickly".
I understand that people are busy, ESPECIALLY around their wedding time; but... this made me so frustrated!! Why do people seem to think that getting themselves in shape will be an overnight procedure!?...
Here are 5 reasons you should realise that "Health and fitness is a lifestyle, not a short-term effort..."
1- There are "gym regulars" - If getting fit was easy then why would there be gym regulars? Everyone would just pop in from time to time and look awesome!
2 - Were you born able to walk, run and drive a car? Then don't think of a gym as being any different - you still need to learn! You can't pick it up over night and master the whole "gyming it" thing. Understanding the gym, exercise and your body takes years to do correctly. It's unlikely that your first gym program will set you on a path to exceptional condition.
3 - There are gyms popping up all over the place. If you could get fit/in shape quickly then gyms wouldn't survive. They would be seasonal and open for short periods each year for people to pop in and get "fit" in a week or two.
4 - How many "healthy food shops" do you know of? If it's so easy to get into shape why would the likes of GNC, Holland & Barrets etc survive? Again, people would just give a diet a dabble and all look brilliant.
5 - How long does it take to put weight on?.. If you're over weight or out of shape, think to yourself "How long did it take for me to become like this?" Being out of shape is a gradual process right? Well you can sure as hell work out that getting back in shape won't happen over night either!
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Lots of people train with a friend, or in groups. Not only this, but gyms can be an intimidatng place and one in which people aspire to get the feeling that they "fit in". For these reasons it can be asy to end up following a mould set by others and just do as they do.
As I always say, "Variety is a place where results live". YES it's cheesey but it's still true so I don't care! So, with this in mind, here are my top 10 tips to improve your workout and stand out from the crowd...
Don't do chest workouts on a Monday - everyone does! Avoid the lines, hit the legs and have the benches to yourself at the end of the week
Add an element of balance to your workout - Bosu's, sinle limb exercises etc improve core stability, joint stability, muscle strength and co-ordination
Change the time you allow for a training sessions and be strict with it in order to vary the intensity. If you cut the rest time you might not be able to lift as heavy. Train your body, not your ego! You'll be improving your recovery time and cardio fitness in one sweep
Train with as many different people on seperate occassions as you can. if you learn one thing from a session with someone new then it's been worth it. No one knows EVERYTHING so listen up
Think outside the box. Take your standard exercise and don't be afraid to make it harder. Try it single limb, balanced, more controlled, as a combination with another exercise. Be creative!
Do your own research - don't rely on friends and other gym folk for ideas on how to exercise. If there was a right way to exercise then we would all do the same thing. Find what works for you and what's been scientifically proven. Don't jsut use a program your mate has been given
HITT the cardio. Forget long duration exercise, it's gone out with perms. Push yourself and find your limit. Increase the intensity knowing that you'll be working for a shorter time
Use your body weight - it's much harder than you'd ever think and a real gauge of real strength. You can put together a pretty hard circuit which is very cardio based and will help build lean, quality muscle and improve all round strenght with no equipment at all - ideas.
Try a class. Too many people avoid group exercise as they think it's just for women, or it's all aerobics. Classes are a great cardio workout and will guarentee that you work harder in 45 minutes than you ever would on your own. make the most of them. Or if flexability is an issue, try yoga, pilates, body balance etc
Take on a challenge! If there's an exercise that you and your friends avoid becuase it's difficult, master it. Be the guy that CAN, not the group that can't
It genuinelly frustrates me to see so many people doing the same workout as all their pals and doing things because thats what someone told them to do with no reasoning, knowledge or thought to why they should do it. I will happily learn from others and pick up new exercises as long as you can explain "why". Why should I use this exercise over other? In what wa will it benefit me.
Don't just tsick to what you know - keep on learning.
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It's been agreed by many that, when faced with a problem in life, we all fall into one of two groups - "CAUSE" and "EFFECT". Inevitably you'll tend to approach the majority of problems with one of these approaches.
CAUSE...
You are decisive in creating what you want in life and take responsibility for what you have achieved or will achieve. If things are not unfolding as you would like, you take action and explore other possibilities. Resource: Roger Ellerton Phd.
EFFECT...
You blame others of circumstances for what you have not achieved or for your life in general. You feel more powerless to improve situations and hope for things to be different or for others to provide. Resource: Roger Ellerton Phd.
When it comes to gym work, being a "causer" is ideal; you have a problem, something you don't like about yourself or your own athletic ability and you adjust your training to do something about it. However, being an effector can really cause issues with your progress, motivation and training and unfortunately, it's a very common mindset in the gym
So take a look at the problems below, see if you can relate to any of them, and see how "causers" really benefit from their mindset in the gym. If you find that you can relate to any of the "effector" issues perhaps think about adjusting your approach to the problem. Afterall, if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got - so something needs to be changed!
So which are you? A "causer"? Or, an "effector"?..
EFFECTORS...
"I train with my friends and they lift bigger weights, but it's just because they're bigger than me"
Likelihood is they weren't born "bigger". Sure, some people have genetics on their side but if they have more quality muscle mass it's probably due to more effective training. You may do the same exercises but are you performing them the same? Look at your body weight and compare yourself with training partners looking at pound for pound strength. An easy example: Guy a) is 75kg, guy b) is 100kg. Guy a) bench presses 100kg. Guy b) bench presses 110kg. Guy a) Mr 75kg with less weight on the bar is stronger. He has just shifted 133% of his own body weight, while the "bigger" guy has only pressed 110%. If your going to use your size, or lack of size as an excuse you're never going to get anywhere! Watch some Olympic lifts and work out the pound for pound ratio there; it'll blow your mind!
"I go to the gym regularly and eat well but I'm not losing any weight. I've hardly eaten anything..."
Well you have haven't you!!?.. Either you're not telling the truth about what you really eat, how many times you REALLY let yourself have a treat and how controlled your portions are. Or you're not exercising efficiently, consistently and thoroughly enough. It's simple, create a calorie deficit; if calories IN is less than calories OUT, then you'll lose weight. It's a fact! You're not unfortunate and different to everyone else. You may have a slow metabolism or an under active thyroid, but you're eating too much and not exercising enough to make up for what's been consumed.
"I'm not strong enough to do that exercise"
Correct, you might not be able to do every exercise immediately. Lots of women (and a large number of men for that matter) struggle with the grip strength and the pound for pound strength needed for pull ups. But there are regressions used to build up to them. Don't try an exercise, fail and pack it in - get better! Strip the exercise back, understand how you can split it in half and perform half of the exercise or an easier alternative, practice that and progress to the full version. If pull ups are your weak point, try "negatives".
Video here: "negative" pull ups
"I'm not getting anything from personal training"
The society we live in is very instant. You want food and don't want to cook, if you pay it can be bought to your door. You want less wrinkles, you pay and you can have a tighter forehead in hours (botox if you're confused), you can walk into a car showroom and leave within an hour driving a new car as long as you have enough money. Even careers, there's no longer a "job for life". People chop and change their jobs quickly looking for promotions and improved salaries as they go, rather than slogging it out at one company and gradually climbing the career ladder. Some people struggle to understand that, in this context, when it comes to exercise and the body the approach needs to be much more rational. You need to work hard and gradually improve your body and capabilities. It's a gradual progress which only works with consistency and persistency. In terms of personal training, you can pay an arm and a leg for the best personal trainer and nutritionist in the world to help you every day of the week, but these guys can't eat a single meal for you, run a single step, or squeeze out an extra repetition on your behalf. They can HELP but results won't come unless you go and make them happen. You need to be honest with yourself. Could you try harder? Are you eating as you've been advised?.. All of the time?...
"I'm not built for deadlifts"
Deadlifts is just an example but there are endless exercises that certain body types regularly complain that they're not made for. Tall people don't like deadlifts, people with longer arms struggle with heavy bench press, heavy people don't enjoy body weight exercises like pull-ups and LOADS of people don't like to squat. Again, genetics will play a part in some exercises, the guy with the barrelled chest and short, strong arms will love to bench press, but, there's no reason that you can't be better - forget your structure. I spend a lot of time with people looking at their technique for lots of exercises. Lots of people find this process slightly down heartening as it means that they have to reduce the weight that they thought they might lift and break some very old habits. However, once the technique is nailed, the jumps in progressions are much more significant. Don't let your build stand in the way of an exercise, it might pose a challenge but ultimately, technique will prevail!
"That exercise hurts my back"
That exercise didn't do anything to you. YOU hurt your back. Did you ever think, if this is a legitimate exercise, and it's been around for years, and people STILL use it without discomfort, it's probably me that's the issue rather than the exercise? Again, it's all about technique. Technique is a heavily used work in the gym, but can be a difficult thing to coach and observe on someone else; let alone yourself! If you're serious about improving your technique and your gym buddy's aren't able to offer any advice, seek the help of a professional. They SHOULD (emphasis on "should") be able to coach you through for pain free movement. Failing this, the best thing I've found for me is video. It can sound vain but video yourself, play it back in slow motion and compare it to tutorial videos from somewhere like YouTube. I do it and it works and will, in the long term help you to develop and improve. I thought my deadlift was OK but not quite right, filmed it once and from this one video realised my leg speed was too quick and I over extend at the end - easy when you see it yourself. "Watch and be critical of yourself..."
CAUSERS...
"No matter what I do I can't shift weight from this area, I must be doing something wrong".
Body fat storage is defined by genetics. Most women will be susceptible to gaining weight in their hips, stomach and arms, while men gain mainly on the torso. You get the lucky few, skinny girls who gain weight just on their chest, or guys with awesome abs who seems to get larger looking legs the more they eat; whatever your genetic make up, you can't spot-diet or spot-exercise. For example, doing sit ups will not strip down excessive stomach fat directly.... Sorry. Lots of people say, "I want to lose weight from my stomach but don't want to be thinner anywhere else. unfortunately, you just need to reduce your body fat in general if you really want to shift the stomach fat.
"I'm not good at that exercise / That exercise is really uncomfortable. I must be able to sort out my technique and change it."
"I'm not getting anywhere with my goals. I'm going to get some professional help/try new classes/new gym programme/add an extra training day..."
"I don't usually feel too bad the day after training. I reckon I could push myself a little more!"
"I want to be stronger for my weight. I'm going to keep track of the weights I use each week."
"I want bigger arms/legs/shoulders (whatever really...) I'm going to do something to my current gym program"
So... you can see the benefit of being in the "cause" way of thinking and how restricting being an "effector" can be. If you find yourself in the "effect" camp with most of your thinking and can become down heartened or frustrated by the gym, take a step back and change your approach. You might surprise yourself!!
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I recently visited another gym (mentioning no names). I was visiting friends in the area on consecutive weeks and ended up using the gym on a Tuesday and on the following Wednesday.
I saw two extreme opposites examples of personal training. One I really liked, the other I really DIDN'T! During which I observed what I called "Personal Training, with a general tone."
TRAINER ONE... One of the "better" (read "busier"), personal trainers / better salespeople had clearly become so stuck in a rut, or perhaps lazy that they were churning out the same exercises, and possibly full "personal" training session for client after client!
He got my attention as he was seemingly looking for it judging by his twitchy movements, excessively loud voice and chanting as he counted repetitions.
HIS CLIENTS... Client one on Tuesday - overweight female, late 20's. Client two, fairly muscular male, aged 40+. On the following Wednesday, same female client followed by a very slender lady in her late 40's. SURELY, these 3 different people shouldn't require the same program of exercises and intensity of work?
TRAINER TWO... MEANWHILE... in the matted area there was a very slender trainer going quietly about his business concentrating on his female client's core stability and working some nice, functional, yet challenging exercises for his client designed to encourage strength, muscular balance and core stability; finishing their session with a brisk bit of interval resistance work. Yet I only saw him on the second visit so assume he was less busy?
Immediately after, he was working with a very lean male in his early 30's (at a guess) who, as many men do, seemed to be looking to "bulk up". They worked major muscle groups, only concentrating on arms as the second part of a super-set and seemed to be allowing the client significant rest time when they were lifting heavy. They occasionally worked to "failure" and used a few super-sets; the whole session looked tough but worthwhile.
Trainer one had taken the "personal" out of "personal training" and was simply making his clients tired, not better! (Quote 3)
Trainer two had clearly thought about his clients, their needs, ability and end goals and from that, created a personalised session offering them, in my eyes, the most benefit.
SUMMARY... This got me thinking about how both members and employers should approach this situation...
CLIENTS/ MEMBERS/ FUTURE CLIENTS... Before you think about personal training in any way keep an eye on sessions and trainers around you. Ask yourself, is that session suited to the client? Have I seen the trainer do a similar session or set of exercises recently? Does it look enjoyable? Could I and would I do that on my own? Watch a few sessions and ask these questions each time before selecting a trainer.
Here's a few checks to make sure that your trainer worth your hard earned cash...
1- Is your training specific? Have you discussed goals and does your training match up to what you're trying to achieve? 2- Are you tracking success? Depending on your goals, is your trainer making sure that you're making progress through monitoring specific areas such as weight, body fat percentage, strength gains etc? 3 - Is your trainer a "fad" trainer? Do they learn something new and then blitz you with that until they pick up something else and then blitz you with that? Ie. They learn about TRX and that dominates your sessions, until their kettlebells course is complete and then THAT'S what takes over your sessions? 4 - Are they PESONAL or are they more concerned with talking to other people in the gym and checking their phone? Not the be all and end all but it's annoying and VERY unprofessional! 5- Do they give you anything extra? Sure, you signed up to an hour a week but I treat people as I'd like to be treated - is YOUR trainer conscienscious? Will they ever call or text or show that they listen to you in the session by adjusting the next session or bringing articles or other relevant things to your next session? 6- Do you know what your session "usually" involves? if your trainer does pretty much the same session week in week out give them the elbow? Sure, if you want to get good at squatting, the best thing to do is squat. But, if your goals are more generic, such as weight loss, then there are PLENTY of things that you can do! 7- Do they show you that they're educated? Do they clearly explain WHY you do things? HOW you do things? Do they offer you new ideas and tell you of new things they've learned? If not, they're probably not learning
There's plenty more but that's a good start :-) EMPLOYER/ GYM... There is a CLEAR need for the gym boss or head of personal training to step in here. In my mind Personal Trainers have too much free reign and as such, too much opportunity to veer off track and become lazy, too focused on sales and less focused on quality of session. Ultimately, a good business is run on retention and referrals, deliver good sessions and these will take care of themselves.
In January the gym where I work was HEAVING! So much so, that at peak time it could resemble sale season in the high street stores, with people constantly moving around one another and often losing out on what they wanted because someone else got there first.
So 3 months on, whats changed? The gym is still busy but not to the same degree. The majority of the January do-gooders have all fallen off the fitness wagon and back to their old ways. But why?...
Here are a few tips for anyone who has veered off from their plan for 2011, anyone who is starting to flag a bit, or perhaps anyone who feels they need to be put back on the gym track...
Plan your time... If you make a schedule which includes your workouts then they're far more likely to happen. Don't just say "I'll go the gym 3 times this week". Be more exact, "I'll go to the gym on Monday, Spinning on Tuesday and swimming on Thursday." Then when other things come up you're much more likely to schedule them around your exercise schedule. Remember, "fitness" is your new priority!
Pen and paper... Write it down!! All of it. Write down your goals, your motivation, the reason you started training and above all write down the times and days that you're planning on going to the gym and what you'll do when you get there. Don't just rock up and do a bit of everything. leave nothing to chance.
With the same pen and paper... Keep track of what you've achieved. It can be easy to feel that you haven't got anywhere, but if you keep a track of your own measurements, weights you use and, level of activity and times that you complete cardio in then you'll be able to look back a few months at a time and see how you've progressed and improved.
Train with a purpose... If you feel "what's the point?" Get a point! Why not find an event that interests you such as a charity run? Or join a sports team? Or even book a holiday with a goal of feeling good on the beach. If you have this as your motivation and it's something that sticks in your mind during your time at the gym then you're much more likely to attend the gym and work hard when you're there.
Get it out of the way... If you find the concept of going in to the gym daunting and it can play on your mind, or if you're at work thinking "I really should go to the gym tonight" but never do, then go first thing in the morning. Yes, you'll need to get up early, and yes, you might need to get to bed a little earlier but it's a great way to just get it done. If you REALLY try, it's usually doable, not easy but doable. Think about it, then you can stay at work as long as you need to, you've got your exercise out of the way and ticked off for the day and you've kick started your metabolism! Why not workout early?.. After all, you've missed the dark mornings in January now! :-)
Set yourself a time frame for success... If you're just going to the gym indefinitely then you're bound to become demotivated as you won't be achieving anything. Set yourself a long-term goal with milestones along the way which you can gauge your success against. Set "SMART goals" (see "Be inspired - set yourself goals and train for a reason") so that you can see that your work at the gym has a reason and is helping you to be what you want to be.
Bring a friend... If you have a training partner, as long as they're the right person for you (see "Training Partner Chemistry") then they're likely to make you feel pressured to get to the gym on those days when you don't really fancy it. They can also push you while you're there, help you lift more, work more and move faster than ever before.
Put money on it... People don't like wasting money, and in many gyms there are arrangements where members are rewarded for frequent use. In the U.S there are gyms that reduce your membership the more you use the gym, while sites like this: http://www.stickk.com/ let you set yourself goals that, if you fail, will cost you money. In short, figure out a way to put money on yourself, make a bet with a friend to reach a goal, lift a weight, run a distance or lose body mass percentage and aim to win. Bring out the competitor in you!
Commit to get fit... If you think you could or you have already packed in the gym within a short time why not commit to a longer term arrangement? Sign up for a year's membership or sign up with a personal trainer. You've committed the money to it and you'll notice that you'll start to commit your time to it. Personal training and classes can also be a good commitment which mean that once you have an appointment then you're more obliged to show up at the gym and less likely to have an "I'll go tomorrow" moment.
Remember... Whatever happens in the human body is a science. It's simple, when it comes to the gym no one can lift a single weight for you, run a step for you or eat a meal for you BUT, you get out EXACTLY what you put in. If you work hard and eat right you won't be disappointed.
"I'm big boned" ........... "it's not in my genetics" .......... "I could never do that" or even simply.......... "I could never look that way!"
I think "rubbish!" Sure, we all have our DNA which will ultimately shape our bodies and impact things such as metabolism, body fat storage and bone structure. But, in terms of your overall image, these can all be "over-ridden" if you like, by exercise.
Check out these pictures below for inspiration. What do you notice?...
These two...
Or what about these guys?...
And these?...
Or finally this pair...
That's right - they're the same people on each pair of pictures. Sure, they're celebrities and as such have endless professional help in regards to training, diet and lifestyle management but it goes to show that pretty much anything is possible.
So, while you may not be looking for such drastic transformations, nor have the time and finances to back such efforts, never say "I could never do that!" The human body, in many ways is amazing!
You can achieve anything, it's just a case of how much you want to apply yourself!
Two last comments:
"If you always do the average, you'll always get the average!"
and
"The only thing that stands between a person and what they want in life is the will to try it and the faith to believe it is possible!"
If you want further proof of what the body can do, check out these images... PLEASE be careful if you even try any of these:
"I go to the gym 'X' times a week, and I'm not getting any results!! How come?.."
Rather than a blog, you could write a book on reasons why you might be lacking significant results, but here are some of the most common reasons why people don't get the results they feel they deserve:
"Variety is the spice of life..." Have you been going to the gym and doing pretty much the same thing each week or worse still, each session? There you have a problem. No matter how much you sweat at the time, or even how difficult the weights still are you need a change. Change can come in the format of a new gym programme, a new style of training, pushing yourself further in classes, adding resistance in suitable classes (spin and body pump etc), new classes all together or even just a few small tweaks to your current gym programme. For further reading see a previous blog post: "Do it the same but different".
"Lift now, talk later..." Do you go the the gym with a friend or a group of friends? Or with the purpose of socialising while you're at the gym and then leave and happily boast "I've been at the gym for an hour and a half today!" As you tuck into a treat for all of your hard work? Imagine you have a stopwatch and you only turn it on when you're ACTUALLY exercising. Now be honest, how much of your time at the gym is spent exercising? If it's hugely outweighed by activities other than exercise then this is a problem. Stick in your headphones, buzz around the gym, keep talk to a brief "hello... I best get on" scenario and watch the benefits follow.
"Food glorious food..." Too many people see a gym membership and attending a class as a green light to eat like food it's going out of fashion. If you wear a heart rate monitor at any point you'll know exactly how hard it is to burn calories and how much effort it takes to create a calorie deficit. The gym is a great way to lose weight, gain muscle and improve your body in the way you want to. But it needs to be complimented by your diet; for both aesthetic reasons (weight loss or gain) and for "fuelling" purposes. If someone gave you a Ferrari and you filled it with Diesel petrol, it would still probably run for a little but not at it's full potential. Your body is just the same.
"I want to lose weight, not lift weights..." Everyone, repeat EVERYONE should use some form of resistance machines or free weights in their programme. For women who fear the bulky repercussions, fear not, your probably couldn't get "big" if you tried. No matter your goals, lean muscle growth will help you. It's also a great way to improve your every day life offering joint stability, improved posture (if performed correctly), improved metabolism, protection of organs and assisting in every day activities which may require a little strength.
"I just don't see it" What if you ARE achieving results? How do you know?.. One problem when gauging success is that you see YOU everyday, so will often struggle to see these gradual improvements. Try keeping a weekly picture diary, same place, same time of day, same lighting; and compare images of yourself week on week or month on month. Or, try taking measurements and re-measuring each month. A centimetre here and there may be hard to spot but you can't argue with a tape measure! Last point, don't live and die by the scales. Your body goes through many stages while exercising and your total body weight is not always the most accurate guideline for success. Keep an eye on your weight but don't panic if it's not constantly moving in the direction you want it to.
"One for the top and 4 for anywhere else..." Is your training specific to your goals? Where did you get your ideas, training structure and choice of exercises from? Do you even have a plan when you enter the gym? If you go to the gym and "just do a bit of everything" or "Jump on whatever machine isn't being used"; or, if you picked up your ideas from watching people or use a programme one of your friends has, then it's unlikely you're going to get the results that you want. Training is a science and if you try to wing it, it probably won't work. Seek advice from a trainer perhaps, have a taster with them or even a few sessions where you can tweak your own sessions and learn more for the future.
"Ah, push it, p-p-push it real good..." Could you have done one more repetition? Then why didn't you? Sure, when lifting weights, safety can be an issue during the final repetitions (especially for those who train alone). However, time and time again i see people cutting themselves short because they didn't quite fancy pushing themselves. It's essential to make the most of your exercise time. While it's never advisable to constantly train to the point of failure or until you throw up; have you ever made yourself sick through exercise? No? then you probably have a little more to give. You need to change your frame of mind and, as I tell my clients "Your body and muscles will decide when you've had enough - not your head!"
"I'm going to have a rest day..." Now I love sleep as much as the next sloth and the importance of rest should never be underestimated, especially among regular exercisers. However, there are a lot of people who could perhaps be described as "overly tuned" and will avoid the gym if they have any kind of mild muscle soreness, cold, aches and pains. Basically, if they're not 100% they will "have a rest day." You're body is much stronger than you give it credit for and if you decide to avoid the gym every time you're not quite right or stiff from a previous session, then it's unlikely that you'll progress past a certain point. Don't be afraid to "over train", it's a status that is over used in conversation and very difficult to actually reach. "Over training" once in a while can shock your body and boost your results. Try it this week - I DARE you to over train!
"I'll do anything.. but not that!.." I once told a client "Your problem is that you want a flat stomach, but you don't WANT to do the work required to get it. Until you WANT to work, you won't get whatever else you want."
The problem is that we live in an instant society where generally, if you have a problem and you have some money you can fix it NOW! The body, in this respect is still very traditional and if you want something impressive, the way to get it is hard work and persistence. If you have a target or an image that you want, you must do EVERYTHING you can to achieve it. Giving it a bit of a go and not being completely honest with yourself in terms of diet and exercise will only do so much. You must be willing to try new things and give your body 100% of your effort. Did you need ALL of your last meal? Did you work as hard as you possibly could have last time you went to the gym? Think about it...
"All the athletes drinks them..." A final short one, please, please, please don't drink endless sugary sports drinks "like the athletes do" and wonder why you're not losing weight! These drinks are meant for recovery purposes and should not be relied upon for "energy" nor consumed on a regular basis. Don't think of them as "sports drinks", think of them more as a liquid meal.
To summarise... There are multiple reasons why you might not be making the progress you feel you deserve. The last point is "honesty", if you can honestly, HONESTLY say that none of the above point apply to you in some shape or form and you STILL aren't making any steps int he right direction I'd be very surprised. Be more conscious of your behaviour and remember that your progress isn't just impacted in your gym hour, but is also heavily effected by your every day way of life.
