I had a little help from Ray Klerck in MENSHEALTH July 2008 edition :
1. BLACKMAIL YOURSELF
Take a selfie of yourself shirtless holding a sign with your email address on it. Email it to a friend (or me) saying: "If I don't send you a new picture that shows serious improvement in 12 weeks, post this photo on facebook." It's nasty I know - but not as nasty as berating yourself for putting on weight in 2012.
2. PRE-PACK YOUR GYM BAG
Get your gloves, wraps, and towel, gym clothes and shoes the night before so that you are more likely to use it. If you have an early morning session wear your gym gear to bed. It's that simple - no more excuses.
3. SEE YOUR BODY THROUGH YOUR FANTASY LOVERS EYES
If you keep focusing on a problem area (stomach, thighs, arms - whatever) in your fantasy use this as your motivation at your next workout. It's a great way to push through the abs workout or get more grunt in the strength component.
4. JUST GET IN YOUR CAR
On the days when you don't feel like working out, just get in your car and drive to the studio. Say to yourself "I'll just do what I can." I will guarantee once you start you will come home strong. If you still can't get into it - go home. This way you never actually stop your routine and stop exercising.
5. SIGN UP FOR A FITNESS EVENT
Make it a mini triathlon, 5 kilometer obstacle course or fundraising run. And preferably one that requires you booking flights and accommodation. The costs will add to your motivation and make you stick to your training plan.
6. BUY A YEARS WORTH OF VITAMINS, MINERALS and ALOE
Don't wait to get cramps and become run down before putting into place a mineral and vitamin regime. All Australians need at least magnesium and zinc supplementation because of the poor quality of our soil and humidity. Plus, if you believe it is going to help you achieve better results, you will be more inclined to keep up your workouts in order to reap the full benefits. Buying a large supply invests in your future fitness. Try Aloe Vera Gel- a natural vitamin and mineral based supplement with pro biotic support.
7. FEEL THE DIFFERENCE
Don't just use the mirror as a yardstick for progress, note how your movement feels. Are you punching faster? Harder? How many push ups are you doing in a set (off your knees ladies!). Are chin ups easier? Can you complete more of the class without stopping?
Within 2-3 months of training with us doing only 2-3 sessions a week you should have increased your strength to do these things: push ups off your knees, at least one chin up. If not.... why not?
Is it: 1. Your technique? 2. Your inability to train to fatique? 3. That when you THOUGHT you where training hard, you were just training mediocre. Time to train beside Erin and keep up.
8. NEVER BE ALONE
If you hate feeling alone go to the studio at the same time everyday. Say hello and start pairing up with different people. You'll soon find people to share your routine and help you achieve your goals.
9. DO A DAILY GUT CHECK
Put your fingers on your belly and inhale deeply so that it expands. As you exhale, pull your abs and push your fingertips against them. Now pinch..... Your holding pure fat between your fingers. Next time you are debating whether to do a class perform this exercise and you'll find that you rarely skip it.
10. BLUBBER BROADCAST
Firm up your commitment by going public. Tell everybody about your plans to lose weight/ tone/ improve fitness. If you lose pace, you'll lose face.
11. FITNESS PLATEAU? PRE-PLAN A MONTH OF FOUR (4) HIGH INTENSITY CLASSES A WEEK
Once you have started back in training for a couple of months and are ready for the next fitness step, book in for a month of 4 x weekly high intensity classes to build muscle and ignite your metabolism. This will make a routine BASED ON ADDICTION. Endorphins and adrenalin are a more powerful drug then heroin. Don't believe me? I challenge you to do 4 x HIRT classes a week for a month (see # 20).... and then watch you salivate and twitch for your workouts every week.
IMPORTANT NOTE! If you are just starting out this is a waste of time. You can't train like an elite athlete if you are more like a junior burger. You will fail if you over-commit. Beginners: start with one a week... then two... then three. Then BAM..... take this challenge. Just for one month. It is a game changer.
12. JOIN A FITNESS MESSAGE BOARD
Like us on Facebook! Fat shaming memes are so 2009. I much prefer to motivate with sexual innuendo and toilet humour. And everyone loves a little photo of themselves all sweaty and awesome.... When you see yourself and others training on You Tube there is no better motivation.
13. TRY A NEW CLASS
"That which we resists, we need the most" Confucius
If you think that something is too hard - you probably need to do it more than anybody else. Routine is great, but challenge is better. Every time you undertake a new form of exercise you build muscle in places you had forgotten.
14. MAKE EVERY SECOND COUNT
You can get three times more muscle/ burn three times more fat by training HARD for 30 minutes with high intensity fitness training. It is the law of conservation of energy - if you know you only have 30 minutes and you have to make the most of this workout because you might not have time to train again for the week watch those little arms and legs speed up! And benefit from the pump!
15. START A STREAK
Try setting records for consecutive classes without a miss. Every time your run ends, set a new, longer term target.
16. SEE FAT OFF
Put a mixture of white flour, sugar and water in a plastic bag and leave it in the fridge. Every time you reach for a packet biscuit, chocolate, lolly, soft drink, cake or cracker riddled with preservatives and trans fats go to the bag. Have a feel and a smell. This is the disgusting paste that lines your stomach and builds up every time you eat/ drink this goop. This exercise will speak to all your senses and remind you why you should resist.
17. STRIKE AN AGREEMENT WITH YOUR FAMILY
The rule: you get one hour a day to yourself four days a week. Not two times, not eight times, JUST FOUR. Four times a week is the magic number for maximum gains. It's not overtraining, and it's expending the optimum energy with optimum rest for muscle gain and weight loss (without getting sick and losing momentum). It's for your health, and it is undisputed that you will be a happier, calmer, more inventive parent, lover, worker - so how can they refuse?
18. SET TARGETS BASED ON YOUR BODY WEIGHT
Would you prefer to do 10 chin ups if you are 100 kilos and overweight or 20 chin ups when you are 90 kilograms of pure muscle? Before you start looking around the class and making excuses like: "She weighs less than me - she should be able to do more...." remember, only one person puts food in your mouth, only one person has the ability to move your body. Heart comes before muscle.
My rule of thumb for our high intensity resistance training sessions is this... aim to lift weight to 1/3 to 1/2 of your body weight. For example, I am 50 kilos so I use at least use two hex bells weighing 12.5 kilos each (25 kilos total or 1/2 of my body wieght) or a 15 kilo core bag (it's just below 1/3 of my body weight), if I use kettlebells I use at least one 16 kilo bell or 2 x 8 kilo bells.
19. BUDDY BLAME
If your serious about training think of it like a job. If your training buddy was a poor employee, you'd fire him. If he keeps missing classes or isn't pushing you during classes find a new, less forgiving buddy every few months.
20. MAKE A "FRIENDLY" BET
Challenge your nemeses to a fitness contest. The key: make sure it is someone you don't particularly like.
21. CHECK YOUR CHOLESTEROL
Set a goal to lower your LDL cholesterol by 20 points and increase your HDL cholesterol by five. It will greatly decrease your risk of heart disease and make you more aware of good nutrition and exercise output. Good nutrition may not be the high budget "low fat" marketing brain wash that you have been taught... Click here if you want to read more about how ADDING FAT to your diet will decrease colesterol and burn fat.
22. KEEP A RECORD OF YOUR FITNESS IN YOUR EVERYDAY DIARY
Include in your diary brief notes on classes attended, effort put in - any muscle soreness (i.e.: muscle building) and if you dropped a belt notch note that too. Rejoice in even the slightest achievements!
23. SET SMALL DAILY CHALLENGES
If you walk from the train station to work, or need to take the dog for a morning run set yourself a target of beating your previous time. We weren't born to be soft and sedentary. We were born to hunt and achieve. This simple exercise teaches you the art of challenging yourself regularly and lines you up for a good day.
24. PLAN YOUR WORKOUTS A WEEK IN ADVANCE
Schedule all of your classes and workouts at once and cross them off as they are completed. If any are left undone tack them on to the following week.
25. MAKE A WORKOUT CD OR PLAY LIST
Studies find that you will do home workouts for longer and at a higher intensity than if you do it in silence (thank you Captain Obvious). Use this same playlist in your car on the way to your class to get your endorphins pumping before you even walk through the door. ps: as an instructor of self defence I will say this once and once only, if you don't want to break an ankle, or get sexually assaulted - DO NOT WEAR EAR PHONES WHILE WALKING OR JOGGING! If you can't get your head around the basic rules of inner ear balance and environmental awareness maybe you should book in for a course... before it's too late.
26. HAVE A BACK UP PLAN
There is nothing more frustrating then building yourself up to sweat and then inclement weather or a phone call throws your tight schedule out the window. What are you going to do with all that pent up anxiety? Have a class timetable on the fridge to consider attending a later class. Here's Sweat Depot Brisbanes complete timetable...
27. HIRE A DRILL SERGEANT
If you have tried everything and still find yourself in a vegetative state, it might be time to call in the Calvary in the form of a trainer. These are characteristics of a good trainer: 1. CAN'T is a dirty word to a good trainer. Good trainers will TRAIN WITH YOU; 2. They can organise hoards of unmotivated, procrastinating adults/ teens/ children and within minutes have them all pushing themselves through barriers and achieving real physical feats; 3. The customer is not always right, otherwise why are they coming to training in the first place? A good trainer has EXPERIENCE and can see you slacking off and performing bad technique from the back of their head. A good trainer is more concerned about your workout then their popularity contest (and their phone/ hair/ abs...).
Established 2006 www.sweatdepot.com.au has become the boxing shed that other businesses copy... over 1000 people have walked through our door and we will continue to challenge and transform people daily. I know you are gagging for it.... get into the timetable and get your arse down to see us this week!
1 comment:
I didn't even need to read all 27...but number 12 I was ready to go!
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