A Weighted Discussion

In my last rant I touched on how quick fix diet companies win by getting you to use their processed food replacement products and step on a scale.

This public service announcement is focused on how easy it is to believe health is being achieved. When in fact it isn't. The scale is incredibly good at lying to people about their level of health. 

I'm aware of the latest and greatest scales on the market, ones able to spit out a slew of numbers. This is meant for folks unaware of what some of those numbers are as well as people who don't have a fancy shmancy super scale. It's meant to show how the scale (the old fashioned ones) can be extremely deceptive. It could keep you from your goals for a very long time.

Wait...

"Scale weight? Isn't weight just weight?"

No. Absolutely not. 

There are different forms of mass that create the body. Lean tissue mass (organs, bones, and muscle) and fat mass. Organ and bone mass don't change significantly from exposure to properly balanced amounts of whole foods and consistent strength and conditioning practice. So when it comes to measuring healthy progress it's usually assumed changes in lean mass is in the muscles. Yet, fat mass is just that, fat mass.

I always measure clients body fat with the "pinch test." Using millimeter calipers I pinch the same seven areas of the body to measure the thickness of the skin. 

(There are much more accurate methods to measuring body mass such as hydrostatic weighing where you're submerged in water. Pinch tests are simply much more economical and practical.)

These pinch test measurements, COMBINED with, age, height, gender, activity level, AND the scale weight can equate body fat percentage. With this percentage I can track of the numbers that matter to achieving success.

- Scale Weight

- Lean Body Weight

- Fat Weight

- Body Fat Percentage

Why would you want to know these numbers?

Simply watching the scale weight of your body isn't a solid indicator of being healthy but it's the trend for too many people.

Why? Remember all that jazz earlier? 

Watch this.

A person at 195lbs with 10% body fat holds only 19.5lbs of fat making their lean mass 175.5lbs. If you look at the same 195lbs person but now with 35% body, the differences are abundantly clear. 

You see, these numbers matter. They matter when it comes to making a true healthy change. A change that makes people around you stop dead in their tracks and ask, "What the hell did you do? How? You look great!"

Or, "Daaaaaaaaaamn!"

So if you continue to think that jumping on an elliptical or treadmill and gassing yourself out. You ought to think again. Too many people believe long bouts of grueling cardio is what it takes to make awesome changes.

Heavy weight lifting and strengthing metabolic sessions is what gets you to burn fat, build muscle, and feel great.

Healthy change requires a long term progressive system like Training For Warriors (TFW), the system I deliver out of Cottage Grove, MN at TFWEastMetro.

"If you work for the system, the system will work for you." - Martin Rooney

In short...

Any questions?

Persevere With A Side of Determination

I remember when I was in preschool, at three or four years old, I had a mission. I wouldn't stop for nothing or anything. Hell, I had already had my first kiss. There was only one thing left to conquer.

The basketball hoop.

Now the details are a bit foggy. Give me a break its been at least 25 years since. I want to say it was a ten foot hoop. Was it really? I don't know. It very well could have been an eight foot hoop. Considering this happened in 1990ish, I'd be willing to bet it was a ten foot hoop.

Shot after shot after shot.

Miss after miss after miss.

I remember watching the ball fly upward toward the sky, reaching for the basket. Each time reaching the apex of its arch it stalled, motionless in the air, as if the ball were actually contemplating on going in. Only it never did. It was never really close to going in. Never though, did any of my failures keep me from thinking I wasn't capable.

I pressed on.

Shot after shot after shot.

Miss after miss after miss.

Months went by without making it in. I pressed on. I had to. I hadn't made a basket yet and I wouldn't stop until I did. It was all I did when I was given time outside. I never played with any of the other kids. I would just take shot after shot.

I never once thought about how much I suck at shooting a basketball. I never once thought, "I can't." I never let anyone convince me otherwise. And oh did they try.

Adult caretaker - "Why don't you find something to do you know you can do?"

Me - "But I haven't done this yet. I've already done everything else here. This is the only thing I haven't done."

(Not virbatum...but pretty much how it went.)

Then. One day. After months of constant failure. I made the shot. The whole group of kids and adults on the playground stopped playing or teaching to clap and cheer for me. I honestly had no idea people were paying enough attention to me, all those months, to see the amount of work I put into one task. To see how badly I wanted to succeed.

I succeeded. I made it happen. I put the work in and got paid back. Yes, it took a long time (to a preschooler). My success 25 years ago was making the ball into the basket. Today, I understand my real success was in all the days of missing but never giving up. Never quitting because it was too difficult. Never thinking, "I can't." Always thinking, "I can."

"You've got to win in your mind before you can win in your life." - John Addison

My way of thinking still holds true today. And it holds true for you if you believe it is true. Your mind, your thoughts, stop you from greatness first. It isn't your job. Your home life. A lack of time. It's you.

If you want to make something happen. You need to rewire the mind to think a different way. Your self-talk needs to be, "I can."  There's no amount of oppression in life, internally or externally, that can make anything impossible. Accepting oppression as the truth is what makes things seem impossible.

Believe in yourself. Believe you can. Believe you will.

You can.

You will.

Diets: Why It Works Now and Not Forever

You should read Diets: Let's Be Real before getting into this one.

To show you why I believe diets do more harm than good. Let's look at the "science" behind these diets and why real science can debunk the illusion of what healthy is. 

There is a common modality throughout almost every single diet/weight-loss program, of the thousands I've looked at...

RESTRICTION.

The word alone reminds me of growing up. Whenever I did something wrong in my parents perception, I was grounded. However, they read in a 'parenting book' to call it restriction. It's the only restriction I've ever known. I never heard of a diet that restricts food until I stepped into the industry. Wait...

People actually do that to themselves?

Restriction is the most common way weight loss programs work. Essentially, they're all designed the same way. Look at any diet and you'll see it restricts something from entering your body. Macronutrients (macros) are your Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. These are the only things on Earth that can give you energy to sustain life.

Not energy bars. 

Not prepackaged shakes. 

Not energy drinks. 

Just Macros.

A few terms are commonly used to suck a person into frenzy of money wasting, powder mixing, food avoiding, obsession(s):

• Low Carb
• No Carb
• No Fat
• High Protein
• Low Calorie
• Cleanse
• Detox

Doctors say the same things!!!
Here's another Doctor saying the same shit!!!
Here's a University with my same opinion...

Tangent:

I understand these companies can (and do) spit a slew of articles and studies at you to support their claims. Yet the majority of them say the exact opposite of their claims, lack evidence, are poorly executed, or simply show insignificant data. These companies hire and pay people for the single task of searching for studies. Sometimes, if you search hard enough through these peer-reviewed articles you can find information completely unrelated to the product it's meant to sell. It may just have the name of an ingredient in the title of the article. Meaning you've been lied to and cheated out of your money by brilliantly constructed marketing. Have you actually read any of this "evidence?" If you have, did you actually understand what you read? Do you understand all the statistical data? Do you make the time to read pages and pages of information? Or even read the references cited in the study? 

Studies are used and cited in other studies. The more (solid) citations the better but not a single one should be over looked either. 

Let's just say if you partake in these (or have in the past) diets and programs like the ones listed in Diets: Let's Be Real, it's possible you didn't understand anymore than the price tag, the claim, "supporting" peer-reviewed articles exist somewhere, and the directions.

Let that soak in for a minute...

Back to restriction...

It doesn't matter which macronutrients the restrictive diet is focused on. Most likely, being deficient in a macronutrient, is being deficient in one or more micronutrients. Deficiencies of micronutrients and macronutrients can lead to chronic disease(s), poor performance (even sex), cognitive functioning, organ malfunctioning, and more. More importantly, the body will only allow so much change (fat loss) with restriction. The body recognizes a deficiency and adapts to the intake (or lack thereof).

"I lost some weight so I stuck with the diet but the scale just won't budge anymore."

The body is incredible at adapting. It adapts to the environment the body is exposed to. With a restrictive diet your body adapts as well. Your body decreases cellular metabolism, increases muscle catabolism (body "eats" muscle for energy), and non-survival functions slow or stop completely. Some non-survival functions include: reproductive organs (trying to have a baby?), cognitive function, and some endocrine gland functions (hormones). These adaptations is why people are more likely to end up with a higher body fat percentage than when they started a diet. For some people, this negative response only takes a few days, to others a few weeks, but the response is the same. A slower metabolism. 

Diet, lose weight, plateau, return to normal eating habits, gain, diet...

That's what people experience on the norm. What I see is...

Wreck the metabolism (diet), loss scale weight, stuff face again, gain, wreck the metabolism further, lose scale weight, stuff face again, gain...

For you visual learners this...

Equals this...

She's not done either.

Results can happen a number of ways and the change on the scale is different for each scenario. It goes like this:

Eating the right amount of whole foods and training a specific way will result in muscle gains and fat loss...example:

-5 pounds of fat and +5 pounds of muscle = zero pound change on the scale.

On the contrary, the reason why it's possible to see ginormous changes with a quick fix diet...

(-5 pounds of fat) + (-5 pounds of muscle) = -10 pound change on the scale.

Remember your muscle mass is your metabolism. (Keeping it simple)

A higher metabolism is an adaption the body makes with gains in muscle mass. This means less effort to maintain a healthy body (scale) weight. The organs function better, hormones potentially balance, bones strengthen...even sex is better. 

The time has come for everyone to face their own music. To be honest to themselves. To accept that a lot of work goes into being healthy and taking care of yourself. To make the choice, the right choice. 

This desire for a quick fix is sure to end in a quick mess. 

Do the right thing for yourself.

"It doesn't matter what you know if you don't DO what you know." - Martin Rooney

Bottom line. Take ACTION.

Diets: Let's Be Real

• I was asked my thoughts regarding a specific diet by someone. My thoughts are the same for all diets. I agreed to share because I'm extremely passionate about helping people. In fact, I would say I advocate against this common approach to making changes. This will likely be the longest post I ever write. I may even revisit some of the material in the future to further reinforce my stance on weight loss programs. 

• Shakeology
• Isagenix
• 21 Day Fix
• Atkin's
• Hollywood Diet
• Flextarian
• 310
• TLC
• DASH
• ItWorks
• And on....and on....and on...the list goes.

"A weight loss solution."

"Get slim!"

"Inches and pounds lost!"

Lose! Lose! Lose!

Some are more common than others, some more popular than others, some work better than others, some are safer than others, some cost less, some cost more, some lock you in forever. The list contains only some of the weight loss programs available to consumers today. Just some. Go ahead and see for yourself, Google "diet," 445,000,000 hits. "Weight loss program" hits 59,100,000 returns.  Do I really need to say it?  The average person looking to lose weight will start with either an internet search, see an infomercial, or know someone who had "success" with a program. A lot of fancy jargon is used to suck you in, no matter which marketing medium is utilized.

Part of my career is to stay on top of the trends within the health and fitness industry.  I have to do this to keep clients from losing focus and going for the quick fix. There are a lot of products out there that DO NOT belong on the market.  Products designed to sell and resell, not help change lives.  Products designed to withstand the coming of new products. 

Some products end up banned by the FDA, but only after it's done irreversible damage or death to a human first (ephedrine? Bueller?).  The FDA doesn't regulate the manufacturing of supplements and weight-loss products. They don't require long-term clinical studies. They don't require proof of the product safety or effectiveness. The FDA's only concerns are with food and drugs (medicine claimed to treat and cure disease). 

Don't believe me? I urge you to read this...

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/QuestionsAnswers/ucm136187.htm

Your diet of choice may not be banned. It may not contain the same chemical(s) as the ones on the list but it's still manufactured and processed. The warnings are clear and apply to all quick fix diets promoting, heavily processed, consumer goods. Yet I see "I think I'll do the 'shit like a walrus' diet next." 

"Next? What happened to the 'don't eat real food and drink our proprietary blend of false hopes and dreams because you're a sucker' diet? Oh, you gained it back? What? And six pounds on top of that?"

Seriously think back and count the number of diets you have tried, completed, failed, and succeeded. 

Did it stay off? Did you learn to maintain?

This is where the term "yo-yo dieting" appeared. Hell, there's even something called "yo-yo syndrome" (more on that later). There are more problems with programs like these than I'm willing to address. But if you take anything away from this, understand that by choosing the quick fix, you put yourself at a risk. A risk with a far more dangerous path than the risks associated with strength and conditioning and proper nutritional guidance.

It's starts with these being marketed as MLMs.  I'm all for a company using MLMs as a mode for marketing (I'm in one) but not when it comes to weight loss. Those who buy in don't waste any time before changing their Facebook status to "health and fitness coach." The collision between my forehead and my palm can be loud enough to stir the whole house.

Inconceivable!!

I applaud those of you who have had the small percentage of success with one of these diets. It can definitely be the kick in the ass people need. To call themselves a professional coach in the health and fitness industry?  I don't give two hoots if you dropped however many pounds sucking on some powder.  It doesn't make you a pro. It doesn't make what advice you give to others the correct advice for them. It doesn't make you comprehend the complexity of both the biological and psychological state within each individual person. You make money off of people regardless of whether the program works or not. 

These people are trusting you, some with the last bit of hope they have. Claiming a title others have spent thousands of hours over multiple years to attain, is just wrong. It doesn't give you jack other than the illusion toward others you know what you're talking about. What you really know is how to sell a generalized product to people who don't know any better.

It boggles my mind the number of people I see every day chose another processed "food" (your trimming powder is entirely processed) over real food.

"But food has lost it's edge, it's lost x% of nutrients" they say.

Of course a company with interest to profit will tell you their product is better than the food you buy. How else can they get you to drop a month's worth of food on their product instead? In case you missed that, you have to buy so they can PROFIT. They will say what ever they have to for you to buy.

Yeah yeah. You make a living. That's awesome.  It doesn't make you a credible source for information regarding health and exercise. Most of you act like you're pros at living a healthy life when you consume a liquid breakfast and lunch everyday. I can hardly ask investigative questions without a regurgitation of some "fact" they were told by their up line.

What makes me cringe is while I reach out to people thinking about starting (great start to getting started!!!), I get these "health and fitness coaches" telling me I'm wrong. Suit yourself. Do I really need to tell you to your face? The truth?

Here's an example, without caring whether you get offended, of what goes through my mind when people post pictures of their "success" at a diet: "But you still look fat."

Cruel? Maybe. Truth? Yes.

I see a slightly smaller version of the old body. Still flabby. Still undefined. Still fat. Just, a smaller version of the one before.  

The videos bought in addition to some of these diets are crap too. Yeah it works me into a sweat too but the majority of you seasoned Insane 90 25 DVDers would have a hard time making it through  a hour with me. Yep, that's a challenge. A TRIPLE DOG DARE if you will. I will prevail. 

Had enough of my whining yet? I know I have. All of this rambling stems from my passion for helping humans create a quality, active, life. I understand not every trainer and coach out there (the real ones) will agree with me either. The ones that sell out to these MLMs become blind from dollar signs. They become driven by an increase in cash flow over doing what is right. Some of them have lost sight of their purpose in the industry. Creating a healthy, fit, and active society.  

Nevertheless, I'm sticking to my guns. It's the belief I've developed over years of grueling observations. It's strong. It's tough to convince otherwise.  Without significant amounts of evidence of something having long term results, it's a sham. This is my religion. This is my purpose. I am the swell to the wave. 

Check back or enter your email for a notification to read the science behind diets in...

Why It Works Now and Not Forever.

The Devastating Oppression

Pounding heart. Beads of sweat forming in unusual places. A nervous system so active you shake when you're making every effort to be still.  

It ties us up. Restrains us from being great. Better. It holds us down. Choking us into a state of suffocation. It torments us most when we need a vote of confidence most. It pulls and pushes. It laughs in our faces. It shrouds our confidence in a tomb of dying dreams. It is the single most influential form of oppression in a human's life. 

It's an emotion we've all felt. Some of us feel it on a daily recurrence. It's a thing we can all relate to. Yet most make every effort to avoid this feeling, at any cost.

It's a strange thing this emotion. We experience some or all of the same physiological responses. Yet, the underlying reason for feeling it can be unique to each individual. Multiples of life's experiences, objects, interactions, situations, and whatnot can bring this inner evil out. The richest of the rich feel it, the poorest of the poor feel it, and everyone in between feels it too. 

There are varying magnitudes of this emotion. Sometimes its affect on us is acute, insignificant, and fleeting. Other times, in the worst case scenario, it can engrave a life lasting, emotionally deep, scar.

It is fear. 

A million years ago, fear kept us from becoming lunch. It kept us alive. 

Today, it's being used before a final exam. A speech. An athletic event. Starting something new. Breaking a habit, or forming a new one.

It's being used in life where it never has before. In other words, the emotion we developed to keep us alive is now killing us. Its killing us in ways unfathomable to humans a million, a thousand, even a couple hundred years ago. Now it's doing things far worse to us than becoming food.

It's killing our pride to be alive. It's killing our motivation to do what we enjoy most in life. It's keeping us from having a clear perspective on life's chaos. It blinds us from seeing a better way. From doing what could possibly make us the happiest in life. Holding us back from being exhilarated about life. It rips positive energy from the depths of our core.

Our most impactful fear is that of change. Many people avoid change at all cost. So many people are completely afraid of change they fear exercise, or even simply becoming healthy. 

It doesn't have to be oppressive though, fear. Fear, in the end, when it all boils down, is like any other situation in life. It ends with a decision only you can make for yourself.

Feeling fear is inevitable but following fear's orders (that voice that says "I can't...") bring us closer to death than it enriches our livelihood. In fact, those who live by following fear's guidance are already dead.

Make it a point to go against fear. Press on and find out for yourself what you're really capable of. I know you are capable of more than you think.

We fear situations for all the wrong reasons. Like failure. Embarrassment in front of your Familia. Shit, some even fear being successful.

"What if I fail at reaching my fat loss goal?" 

"What if I can't handle the pressure of being famous?"

So you failed. Big whup. You probably made some progress, which is success in my perception. Fear doesn't create failure. Failure is one, out of two, results as a product of facing the adversity of fear. Failure should be seen as a stepping stone to success rather than associating it as a negative result. 

When failure is perceived negatively, quitting is often the resolution to the result of failure. Quitting is accelerated by fear. There is no progress in quitting but there is with repetitive failure.

Remember this. Failures are due to a mistake in the process of a system. Identify the mistake and correct it.

The greatest athletes in the world have failed multiple times before they ever succeeded. Even with success they still face adversities to overcome. It's how they responded to failure that got them to achieve a legendary status.

It's the response, which is a decision, from a set number of choices. The choices were made clear, it's up to you to decide between those choices.

So get off your ass and make something of yourself. Doing something every day that pushes against your fear(s). Eventually, you won't think twice about it. You'll change your body. Start your business. Leave an abusive relationship. What ever it is that fear holds you from, it won't, if you choose not to let it.

Be it. 

What ever it is you want it to be.

Do something.

Be someone.

The Finish.

IThere are plenty of examples in life where it's crucial to meeting or exceeding the expectations and criteria set within a task.

A Master's thesis.

An entrance exam.

A 150m sprint for time.

A set of deadlifts.

A single, solitary, repetition. 

I'm a trainer that chooses to, or rather refuses to, train alongside clients. I'm being paid to teach and inspire. I would fail if I was huffing and puffing just as much as the group or individual.

I'm there to observe and critique form. I do my best keep a beginner's mind (later post) and make the process as fun as possible.

I teach more than how to move through an exercise. Because exercise is more than performing a proper squat.

Like finishing.

Whether a rep, a set, or a whole hour. Finishing is the most important part of the process. It separates a Warrior from the masses. It helps redefine your life outside of the dojo (path/place of enlightenment).

But what is finishing and how is it different?

You may not even know you are guilty until after you've read this. You'll need to practice self-awareness of your workout mannerisms to notice you're guilty.

Have you ever began to slow down before you reach the finish line in a sprint?

Or move the bar toward the rack on your last bench press without getting a full extension in the elbow?

Where's the finish? There are people that do finish and those who don't. In a comparison, regardless of the task, the one who finishes:

Goes the distance. 

Follows through. 

Sprints to the finish line. 

Whatever you define it as, the ones who finish are automatically better than those who don't. 

Athlete or not, teaching yourself to train with 100% effort until the set is 100% complete will enhance your life. Your entire life, not just the one in the gym.

You will charge head on into any situation in life with the intention of finishing, regardless of succeeding or failing the task at hand.

Because when you go at it with everything you got (through the finish not up to the finish), you are being successful. 

You are being courageous even when you're drowning in fear.

You are experiencing greatness.

You are being a Warrior.

A Warrior's Mind: Act As If

Everyone is one. Not everyone lives as one.

A Warrior.

That's where I come in with the 'Training For Warriors' system on my back.  TFW coaches are trained to not only deliver a smart and effective training session but to inspire greatness.

A person steps up to an exercise with comments such as:

"I'll try."

"I don't know if I can."

"I can't do that."

A Warrior steps up and says, "Let's do this!"

The difference is unparallel. The former contains expressions of fear, doubt, and lacks confidence. The latter, the Warrior, contains 100% focused effort on the task at hand, confidence, and determination regardless of what could happen.

We all have a 'Warrior Within' and it's your choice to live as one, or not.

Pay more attention to the words you choose to say and how you choose to say them. A LOT is at stake. Consider how a comment can potentially effect the people around you, and yourself.

Martin Rooney (Founder of Training For Warriors) says it best:

"ACT AS IF."

Act as if you have a bunch of muscle to move that bar around. Act as if you are confident. Act as if you are a healthy person.

Eventually. You will be, without the act.

You can even narrow it down to a single exercise.

Over the years (I felt a little of the aging process saying that), I've heard numerous stories of vehicles being lifted off of people in need of help.

Lifting a vehicle up is basically a deadlift. When I deadlift, especially on PR day, I act as if (imagine) I have to lift a car off of one of my kids.

Another story I heard was of a man hiking and a boulder approximately 2 tons fell on him. He bench pressed it off of him. He tore a lot of soft tissue in the process, but he lived.

That's my scenario for bench press.

Think of some that will work for you. It may take some practice and maybe an acting lesson. Remember: act as if.

The Reality On Goals

I never have, and may never, understand the urgency when it comes to Americans, fat loss, and goal setting.

I'm not a wizard with a wand.

Not a genie with three wishes, or a lamp.

Not a shaman with a ritual.

I'm an expert in health and fitness. I use a collection of science and experience to bring the absolute truth into reality for one thing. Results. Yet with each person who invests I keep a beginner's mind. I have to. You aren't like anyone else there is. Your goals may sound similar of other people's but the reason, the why, is different. You have your story and it's unique.

The truth in goal setting is that when utilized correctly, great things can happen. However, goal setting is rarely used correctly, even by professionals. And when goal setting is not used properly, quitting (not to be confused with failure), is inevitable.

It's not really your fault. The problem lies in your ambition. Seriously. Have you ever started to exercise and drove yourself so hard you couldn't move for three days straight? I know I have. It's common. We have the best intentions to make a positive change. We collectively have one flaw in today's society that gets in the way, lack of patience. Not all of us, but most are guilty.

We dive in balls to the wall. Everything you got. Day one. Chasing ridiculous numbers at the starting gate.

The truth is, most of the time when DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) sets in, especially if it's not expected, it can ruin a persons motivation. Some even convince themselves that because they got so sore, something must have gone wrong and never do it again.

When it all boils down, your goal(s), need other goals.

You CANNOT (I hate the word "Can't" so I must be serious here) walk in on day one with a goal of benching 450lbs having never benched before.

It takes baby steps. Baby goals. Little itty bitty teeny tiny goals to work up to a 450lbs bench. It takes weeks and weeks of discipline, dedication, motivation, and determination in eating and exercising properly to lose 5% of body fat.

In case that was too confusing for you. A lot of little goals add up to really big goals. Those never before experienced RESULTS. In fact, if you pay enough attention to your exercise programming. Progression in exercise is worthy of being called results. Your first full push up? Results. Struggling to bench press the bar to completing sets with the bar to benching twice what you weigh? Results.

That said, don't even think about fuckin whining when you fail at reaching a little goal. For starters, you (I hope) busted your ass leading up to that failure. Even in the moment of failing, you've worked insanely hard at just making the attempt. Failing is not quitting. You have two options following failure. Review and readjust your goals for increased success ; or keep gripping that bar and giving it hell. A week or two of work will likely be the determining factor at succeeding in the next attempt.

Don't give up. 

Keep bustin ass and focus on quality proteins!

Training Spot Acquired. Now What?

Hey! Way to go! Way to get active! 

Seriously though, it doesn't really matter how you go about it. It's the fact that you started something. Anything. To be more active. Don't worry about your food intake just yet. I'll get there.

One freaking baby step at a time. You are a fool to make any attempt at starting more than one new habit or lifestyle change at the same time. Quitting, not failure, but quitting, is highly associated with having multiple new life strategic changes.

Slow. The. Hell. Down.

Progress is slow. Remember, it didn't take you just six weeks to gain however many extra pounds your packing. EXPECT months to years of much needed dedication, discipline, hard work, and setbacks for it to come off. 

(Remember: If you're going to cut weight quickly with a diet. Expect weight loss from fat and muscle. There's a difference between weight loss and fat loss.)

If the gym you signed up for isn't your thing, find something else before you opt out of the current choice. Have a backup plan.

Wherever you end up, be proactive in getting a solid assessment done. You need a baseline and goal(s) to reflect the baseline.  Bottom line, without an assessment, you'll likely struggle, become frustrated, and quit. Again. 

When you find your baseline, work on improving your baseline, or personal records (PRs). It doesn't matter if you can't do a push up. You will if you put in the work.

Assess. Reassess. Reassess. Success!

"You can't manage what you don't measure." - Martin Rooney

Measurements I consider critical information to a client's progress include but is not limited to:

Mobility Screening

Body Fat Calculation

Max Deadlift 

Max Bench

Max Back Squat

Max Front Squat

Max Strict Press

Max Sitouts in 2 minutes

Max Pull-ups in 2 minutes

Max Push-ups in 4 minutes

That's not even an exhaustive list. And notice I didn't say a damn thing about scale weight. Your scale lies. It fucking lies right to your face. Throw that shit away, it will only bring you down.

I urge you. Even if you're going to hit the big box gym, carry the latest issue of your favorite muscle magazine, and reference your training program from it. You still need to measure and re-measure. 

It's the only way to know you are making any positive changes. If you haven't, don't bitch and moan and don't beat yourself up about it. Don't just quit because it's not working.

You have to take the time to learn about you...more specifically, your body. You MUST have patience. It's trial and error until you get it right.

Learn from it. Understand what you have done between the initial assessment and reassessing isn't working to your benefit. Make changes to the programming and bust your ass until the next assessment.

If you need a professional to help you measure and re-measure, with programming, or both, email me. We'll make it happen.

Where to Start...

Now that you're convinced to get started at living life better. How do I start? Do I start a detox? A cleanse? Or what about one of those diets like Isagenix, HerbaLife, or Shakeology?

I don't. And neither should you.

Seriously. Listen Up.

The problem: Every single one of you has the best intentions to better your health and performance. However, most of you are pounded left and right with shit from the corporate world.

The corporate world is after one thing only. Money. YOUR money. That don't give two shits what they throw at you. They'll create some fucking powder, pill, injection, surgery, or starve you to death. Pay thousands to millions to name it ToxicDeathMax 5000.

"SPECIALLY FORMULATED WITH A PROPRIETARY BLEND OF THE POWER RANGER'S OFFSPRING, NUCLEAR WASTE, AND A PORTION OF ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER'S BUTT CHEEK."

"SHREDS FAT." "GETS YOU JACKED."

Which sounds to me more like:

"PEE FUNNY COLORS"

"SHIT YOUR BRAINS OUT FOR A MONTH"

"STRAND YOURSELF ON A DESERTED ISLAND WITHOUT FOOD BUT BUY AND USE THIS POWDER."

Yes, you may have lost some fat doing some over advertised shit product. Every product, whether a preset program everyone follows or a scoop of death a day per the directions, is temporary.  

Do you think any company selling a product is going to give you something that delivers life long, lasting, results?

No. It's all temporary. So, yes, you may get immediate results, but you'll likely repurchase or try some other designed powder for the same exact thing, temporary results.

The solution: Every single one of you is so overwhelmed by the advertising, marketing ploys, and what your friends tell you. You fail to believe the science.

The science is says...

Eat food.

Lift free weights.

Be more active than inactive.

To be clear. Start simple. Baby steps. One at a time. Two if your ambitious. And build from there.

Most people will benefit from simply eating more lean protein. I mean adequate amounts. Getting active, dudes should look for 40-60 grams and ladies are more like 20-30 grams, of lean protein per meal.

Example: My lifting and activity levels require 1.8 grams per pound of body weight. At 196 pounds, I'm looking at roughly 350 grams of protein in a day. That's SEVEN meals a day with 50 grams of protein on each plate. 

That's to maintain. Not lose. Not gain. Main.Tain.

If that many meals, or that load of protein isn't realistic for you. Quit your excuses and find something else realistic for YOU. Most people...need to grab a peice of steel and learn to lift.

Find. A. Professional. 

Following some Instagrammers and YouTubing "Back Squat" isn't going to teach you a damn thing about proper mechanics. Likely, this sexy looking individual isn't certified to offer advice.

The Start

A new job. A new city. A new home. A new experience. New. Something you've never done before. Somewhere you've never been. Someone you've never spoken to. It can be a scary thing.

We humans love patterns and repetition. Thousands of years ago, humans survived simply for being able to recognize patterns. We've basically evolved to rely on them, for a world without patterns would be chaos.

Patterns help our lives run smoothly. Patterns keep our stress levels down. Have you ever driven to work, pulled into your work's parking lot, and find yourself parking in the same spot? Or order the same food from the same restaurant? Sit in the same chair in class? Use the same workout routine time and time again (cough cardio rats cough)?

Then one day your parking spot is taken, your favorite food is no longer on the menu, someone is sitting in your seat, and all the cardio equipment is in use.

Now you have to do something different, something new, and it's weird.

You either adapt, fight, or flee. Those are your choices. Choosing can be a scary process. The amount of variable possibilities make it easy to avoid new things in people's lives.

Even more so, the idea of failing is incredibly horrible to some people. The majority of people are not confident enough to grab some weights and move for a hour (60 on a treadmill doesn't count).

If you want to change your body, you have to lift FREE WEIGHTS. Every day you talk yourself out of it, is another the other guy is doing hook grip deadlifts. The hardest part of something new is the start.

START. NOW.