Does THIS Motivate You?

DOES THIS MOTIVATE YOU?

It sure doesn’t motivate me.  In fact, there seems to be some misconception in people’s minds that a trainer has to scream to motivate, that we have to yell and belittle and get into people’s faces in order to get them to do more work.  The reality is that this does nothing to motivate.  It is quite frightening though.

I have a philosophy that I would like to share with you here, and that is that motivation comes from within you, and it is my job to challenge you and give you the opportunity to succeed, both mentally and physically in the gym.  I do my job well, and I don’t have to be a Drill Sergeant or Jillian Michaels to do it.  If that is what it takes to motivate you, then what are you going to do if I am not around?  Lose it?  Go back to the old you? Return to the you that brought you to the gym in the first place?  If your motivation does not come from within, then the outside stimulus the gets you moving is going to disappear when I am not around.

This is not my goal for you, or anyone else.  I want you to reach your goals and become who you want to become, because you want to do it.  It is your life.  It is your body.  You can make it into whatever you want it to be. Not because I am screaming at you, but because you want it.  All I am here to do is give you the tools to accomplish your mission.  This is internal motivation, and it will carry you wherever you go and whatever you do.  This motivation will turn into discipline, which will become habits and carry you no matter what is in front of you.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…  I ain’t no Jillian Michaels.  If that is what you are looking for, then I am not the trainer for you.  If you are afraid of running into that kind of atmosphere in the gym, then give us a try and let me show you how we are different.

See you in the gym!

GOALS

Hello everybody.

So…  Goals.  They are great, aren’t they?  We have high aspirations for ourselves; things we want to accomplish, places we want to go, people we want to see…  and all of those things are great but the problem is that while we make these “goals” we really do not know what it is going to take to achieve them.  Then, if things don’t start going our way in a timely manner, we quickly become disinterested in that goal in move on to something else.

It becomes a lifestyle for many to set a goal, work on it a few days, and then abandon it once we realize how long it is going to take or how much work we will have to do to accomplish it.

The number one thing that we all must learn about goals is that they are only as important as the amount of work we are willing to put in to achieve them.  Small goals, small effort.  Large important goals, large effort.  This is a law of nature, and one that cannot be broken at any time for any reason.

The number two thing we have to learn about goals is that if we leave them on the table, if we quit before we accomplish them, we have wasted time in pursuit of that goal, and it has become nothing more than a wish.  An unfulfilled wish eventually turns into regret.

Since this is a fitness blog, I will use health as an example.  We see it all the time:  someone spends years of their life eating poor food, not exercising, taking all kinds of medication that is bad for you…  Basically destroying their health. They come into the gym and we set some very achievable goals for them, then lay out a plan to reach those goals.  Little steps that they can begin taking like showing up to work out, look at what they are eating, get a little more rest at night.

Then it hits…  this is going to take longer than a week.  Working out isn’t easy.  Making changes to our diet isn’t easy.  We have gotten comfortable in our bad health, in our laziness, and the actual work it is going to take to change that is not worth it to us.

Look at a change in health like climbing Mt Everest.  We spend our lives basically at sea level, comfortable in doing what we do, and then one day we see this magnificent mountain and think, “I’m gonna climb that.”

Well, you don’t just jog up Everest one day…  you have to prepare.  You have to begin training, saving your money, planning, and countless other little things to get you to the mountain.  Even then, when you finally arrive, it is roughly an eight week expedition to the summit.  You have to become acclimated to the changes on the mountain.

Oh, but once you get to the peak and you are literally standing at the top of the world, WHAT A FEELING!  You did it.  There were plenty of things that could have caused you to quit but you didn’t.  You challenged yourself and fought through and reached your goal.

Because it was worth it.

Our health is no different.  In the beginning it may seem like an impossible task.  It hurts.  It takes effort.  It takes time and planning and changes and effort.  But good health is worth it.  Being able to live and move and enjoy life is worth some effort to get there.  It may seem like you are climbing a mountain, but the view from the top is unforgettable.

Out of all of the goals we set for ourselves, good health is the most important.  Money can’t buy it.  Friends and family can’t give it to you, and for the most part it doesn’t just happen.  We have to work for it.  Pour sweat and give time and make effort.  If we do not make that effort, the end result is wishing we had done something different when we had the chance, and regretting that we didn’t do more to make it happen.

We never say those changes are going to be easy, but we promise we will be with you every step of the way, and that in the end…  IT WILL BE WORTH IT!

Now, stop wishing, and go climb that mountain!

A Fitness Trainer? Really?

Gym goers all over the country ask this question every day…  Do I need a trainer?  What good would it do me?  Is it worth the money?  Or they have the idea that they can figure things out for themselves and need no help.  Or whats worse, they get into the gym and feel embarrassed because they realize they can’t figure it out, and they leave, never to come back again.

So, what is the answer?

Well, it seems that there has been some research done on this very subject.  Ball State University did a study with two groups of men.  One group worked with a trainer, and the other did not.  They were trying to see the difference in results that came from having someone “coach you up,” as it were, during the fitness journey.  It turns out that going it alone, no matter what your drive or motivation, cannot match the results of supervised sessions with a trainer.

Both groups were put through the same strength training programs using identical exercises, number of repetitions, number of sets and length of rest.  One group had a trainer, the other group did the work by themselves.  In just 12 weeks, the group that had the trainer saw in increase of over 30% of upper body strength, and 47% of lower body strength compared to the other group.

But this is not the only study citing the benefits of using a qualified trainer.  In the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, research was done on the amount of weight women use when working alone, or with a trainer.  It turns out that women who worked with a trainer used almost 10% more weight than when they worked out alone.

Now, by any standard, those are some pretty staggering results.  Having a coach who can help you through the sticking point and correct your form when needed is a pretty good benefit on its own, not to mention the additional strength.

However, it is not only having a trainer, but having the correct trainer.  If you are using a strongman to help you lose fat, then you’ve got the wrong deal going there.  There are no cookie cutter trainers, just like there are no cookie cutter gym goers.  Everyone is different.

Your trainer needs to understand your personal goals, and know how to design the program and nutrition requirements to get you there.  They should be able to explain their methods without getting way overly technical, and give you a fairly solid timeline for reaching the goals that you have set.  There should also be a plan to get there.  If you don’t have a plan, how will you know how much you are progressing toward that goal of losing 50 lbs, or bench-pressing your body weight, or getting that six pack that’s been hiding for a few years now?

Trainers are just like every other professional.  If they give you pause, you have every right to question it.  We don’t know everything, for sure, and we should be smart enough to understand that.  For myself, I have a mentor, and I am part of a group of trainers that talk to each other, email each other, and call each other when we run into something that we don’t have an answer for.  It makes me a better trainer, and it gives all of my clients not only the knowledge that I have gained over the years, but access to knowledge from people that they may not ever meet, and the benefit of decades of experience from trainers all across the globe.

So yes.  A resounding YES!  Trainers are a good thing.  Especially trainers that can get you to where you want to go.

“But, you don’t look like Arnold…”

“Well, of course not.  Who does?”  And a polite chuckle was had by all.

This is an exchange I had the other day with a potential client.  And it made me think; does everyone think that trainers should be muscle bound and speak with an Austrian accent?  Well, the answer to that question is “I sure hope not.”  Arnold gave everything he had to become what he is.  He spent countless hours in the gym, and still does.  There will never be another Arnold, and I admire his dedication, along with all of the other professional athletes that have the drive and determination to set that goal and work for it, allowing nothing to get in their way.  I have several personal friends who compete at the top level, and I have always stood in awe of their focus and determination.

That, however, is not me.  Now, I have drive, ambition, determination, and I am on a relentless pursuit of the goals that I have set for myself, both professionally and personally in the fitness arena.  But I also have something else that most every one who reads this has, and that is a very busy real life to deal with.  I cannot spend countless hours working out in a gym, or running, or swimming, or anything else that elite athletes do.

While I admire those who can spend half a day in the gym, I also understand that ninety-nine percent of the people in this world cannot.  It is nothing to hide from.  I have altered my personal fitness goals to my life.  I cannot swim like Michael Phelps, but I can swim faster this week than I did last week.  I cannot run like Usain Bolt, but I can run faster than I did yesterday.  I can’t lift like Arnold, but I can lift more than I lifted last time.  My competition is ME!  No one else.  I want to be better next week than I am this week.

Now, to be fair, as a trainer I do believe that I should look the part to some extent.  More importantly than that, however, at the very least I MUST be able to compete with those I train.  The Program we run is strenuous, but I want to be able to complete it with the rest.  How hypocritical is it of me to tell others how to train if I cannot work just as hard myself.

I may be stronger and faster than some, or not as strong or fast as others, but that is not why I do what I do.  I want to be the best “me” that I can be.

And shouldn’t that be why all of us train?

We Train For Life?

Alcatraz Fitness is a fitness center in Cleveland TN.  But we are much more than that.  This is also a philosophy, a mantra, if you will, on what we believe should be a mindset for all who train.  It isn’t just about losing weight.  It isn’t just about the camaraderie of a gym.  It isn’t just about trying to live a longer life, or being able to fit into your skinny jeans or your wedding dress, or getting back to your high school weight.  It isn’t only about getting your cholesterol down, or lowering your blood pressure or staving off diabetes.   All of those things are great, but they shouldn’t be the sole reason or reasons to take care of yourself.

To be honest, our philosophy of fitness has been met with some questionable looks.  Train for life?  What the heck does that mean? 

The answer is simple: We think that there is more to life than just working 8-10 hours everyday, going home, eating a meal and watching some TV, then going to bed only to wake up and repeat the same pattern all over again the next day.  So many times we move like so much cattle through the troughs, following the tail of the one in front of us.

But I am of the belief that there is more to life than just this.  There is a big world out there, and it isn’t there just to look pretty.  It is there to be enjoyed!  The sunshine, the fresh air, the mountains and the ocean…  Everything in between!  It is all there to be enjoyed. 

What I have come to understand is that many people who live on the couch are missing out on everything that life has to offer.  It is also a two edged sword.  The longer you stay in this sedentary lifestyle, the less you are able to enjoy the life that is around you.  Want to get out and enjoy a hike through a serene forest?  Guess what…  You gotta get used to walking!  Want to swim around in the lake, or enjoy a good game of basketball with the kids?  Guess what…  You gotta get some cardio in so you don’t have to stop every few seconds and catch your breath.  Want to carry a backpack on a nature trail?  Guess what…  You gotta get used to lugging some weight around.

Training for life is not solely so we can survive what nature throws at us.  It is so we can enjoy what nature has to offer. 

So we train for life.  Shouldn’t you?