So we are one month into 2013! How has everyone’s
resolutions gone? Are you saving more money? Watching less television? Eating
less Junk? Or maybe drinking more water and less soda?
Whatever the resolution you made, I’m sure about 90% of you also decided to make your health a commitment! Whether it’s going to the gym 4-5x a week or starting a diet, many Americans fall into that topic every year!
Now the hard part right? STICKING TO YOUR RESOLUTIONS….oh boy, did I catch you? Have you slipped yet? Many of you will fail by 90 days and call it quits. It could be the instant results we, as Americans, desire and long to have. Unfortunately, nothing in this world comes easy, and many of you who have made a fitness resolution will see that and find it hard to continue!
Now, there will be a select few that bought those new shoes, gym membership, protein shakes, and flashy clothing and are still sticking it out and making that commitment! For that, I applaud you!
Guess what, you’re on your way to making health & fitness a LIFESTYLE rather than some game to see how long it takes before you get frustrated or tired.
Let’s face it, some of you are masters at sabotaging your own efforts. Maybe you constantly tell yourself you’re not good enough, or maybe you would rather watch American Idol instead of owning up to your New Year commitment. Whatever your reason may be, finding time to make it to the gym 4-5x a week can be difficult, especially if you’re not seeing the results your after!
This is why I am here! Let’s look at a few tips to ensure your gym time is well spent. Obviously, if you are coming to see me, you are getting your bang for your buck! You will leave feeling great, motivated, accomplished, and proud of yourself (the main things boring gyms DO NOT DO). So, take a look and remember, come see me to get started on fitness that will LAST! It’s time you enter a new era of training. One that delivers results, boosts energy, and triggers that internal motivation you long to have!
1) Supersets—Are you using them?
What exactly are they? Combining
two exercises in a series with no rest! So say you are doing Deadlifts and
squat jumps…you would perform your set of deadlifts then go immediately into
squat jumps with no rest until after the two exercises. Supersets are the best
way to set up your programming. They are
great for every goal. So, instead of
doing your set of deadlifts, then walking around looking for cool new girls or
guys to talk to, get right into your next exercise and instantly double the
amount of energy used in ONE SIGNLE SET!
FAT BURNING POTENTIAL!? ….Through
the roof!
If you’re not sure how to pair
your exercises, send me a message or come by the shop!
2) Fillers? Address the “Other” Issues
Many of you, including me, have
developed a weakness or imbalance at some point in time. So, instead of trying to find time to help
fix those weaknesses, plug in great corrective exercises between your
exercises. Just make sure you pair them
right!
If I’m working with someone with
poor T-spine mobility I may have them do a set of side lying rib rolls after
their bench presses:
If they have poor glute function,
I may throw in some glute bridges in between sets of squats:
3) Train For Strength
This has some backbone to it.
Imagine doing squats with 135lbs instead of 60lbs. What about doing hammer curls with 50s
instead of 10s?
Getting stronger with your lifts
opens up many doors to make your training more and more effective! Just think
about it. Say you’re doing a metabolic
circuit with push-ups at the beginning.
How effective will that circuit be if you can only do 5 push-ups. How many rounds do you think you will be able
to do before your upper body just gives out on you? Last night our workout
consisted of 5 pull ups at the beginning.
Some struggled in the first round.
Exactly my point! You must build strength to maximize your potential!
Imagine your hypotrophy curve if you start lifting with heavier weight! (For
you runners, this does not mean you will bulk up! I do many lifts with over my
bodyweight, and have not been running for 7 months, but yet I am still relatively
lean.)
Once you build strength, many new
program doors will open up to you and you can play with several other forms of
training!
4) Don’t Do Anything Sitting Down—Plain &
Simple.
You burn more calories
standing. Why? You activate more
muscles! Try doing cleans with dumbbells sitting on a bench (what I have to do because
of my knees) and compare it to doing them standing. You will INSTANTLY see my point. Many of you
already sit enough during the day, which is why you have many weaknesses that
need to be corrected. So why workout
sitting down as well? Just think about it!
5) Start your workout with the “Money”
movement, as they like to call it.
Money movement Mike? It’s the main
lift you are going to perform that day.
Say today you are focusing on legs.
Start your workout with deadlifts! Why? It’s the most complex muscle
building exercise, sop doing it at the beginning of your workout while you are
fresh and ready to go is far more beneficial than doing them in the middle or
end when you’re tired and wearing down!
And for the record, you should put
all your heart and soul into that money movement. When I know it’s a
deadlift day, I don’t pussyfoot around. I’ll get myself mentally prepared
by planning out my session, visualizing hitting all my lifts, cueing up some hip
hop, and gaining confidence on myself!
At the end of your workout, make
sure your feeling trashed! Spent! Exhausted! Put your heart and sole into your
lifts! Don’t just go through the motions making sure the guy next to you sees
you know how to deadlift!
6) Make Off Days Beneficial
So your hitting the weights 4-5x
per week and now are feeling great! What to do on your off days? Sit all day
watching penguins hockey & enjoying your Ben & Jerrys pint of Chocolate
Peanut Butter Cup?
Let’s make the best out of your
off days, please! How about some interval training. Its quick, gives results in half the time of
traditional slow boring cardio, and shreds you up in no time!
Instead of
hopping on the elliptical and dying a slow death of boredom, why not get your
heart rate up in other ways and actually work on things you need to improve?
If you have
access to a Prowler, farmer carry attachments, kettlebells, TRX, and the like,
you’re golden. You can set up some killer circuits and absolutely torch
yourself.
My favorite?
HILLS.
Find a hill and make it your worst nightmare.
Attack it and take your body to a new level! You have to start
somewhere! I know I tend to refer to my own experiences but this accident has
changed my life. I was couch ridden for 2 months. I am now taking baby steps! I started
swimming with my feet tied together since I could not use my legs. I used one arm because I had injured it. Now
I am starting at the bottom of the hill and walking up!
Perfect
metaphor right? You have to start somewhere! Your at the bottom, and you have
to work your way up! One way or another, you will get there if you mentally
prepare and know that it WON’T be easy! You think Steve Jobs got where he was
by sitting on his butt on his “all-fruit” diet all day? Heck No!
You have to
get out there and Work!!!
So there you have it, just a few ways to
maximize your workout potential! I will follow up with more ways in the future
, but I have to get to rehab and get my crazy pupp out for a walk! I hope you enjoyed
what you read and you start taking my programming into consideration! I would
love to talk to you about starting a strength & conditioning program with
me! Or even starting one of my offered programs, Double Dare or Rush! It’s time
to slowly make changes in your lifestyle! To get results, you have to mix it
up. Can’t live life on autopilot thinking it will happen for you! Change
yourself one day at a time! I am living my life that way. You never know what can happen in a blink of an eye. You can see a pick-up truck coming straight for you and putting your training on hold for 14 months. You can achieve greatness with every little step and every little act of kindness!
Make it your goal today to do ONE thing to help someone out today!
Until next time,
Stay Strong!
Mike Over
CPT, Strength & Conditioning Specialist
www.mjofitness.com
mjover09@gmail.com
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