A few weeks ago we had fun talking about what we think about when we run. I figured it would be cool to do the same think with lifting. But I’ve got a serious message at the end of this, so be sure to read all the way through.
Unlike jogging, where you are doing the same physical motion for long periods, weight lifting is more staggered. You have the lifts themselves of course. But you have rest periods. You have between-set activities like changing the weights. [Aside - interval training is somewhat similar, especially if you are doing my "inverted Tabata" routine.]
You may also have a lifting partner who influences what you think about.
And then, in commercial gyms, there’s that dreaded background music. I absolutely hate that. Not because I don’t like the particular music (sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t). I hate it because it’s something I can’t control and it distracts me from my lifting.
But what do you think about during your body building workout? (And I’m using “body building” here generically – as two words – meaning that if you are lifting weights, you are building your body in some form.)
If you unplug your ipod, and tune out the commercial gym music, I’m betting you fall into one of these camps…
The 8.5 Thinking Body Builder Types
1. The gabber – You actually aren’t spending much time thinking – you’re talking, chatting about the weather, and talking up the nearest person. Congratulations on your social skills, but you’d do yourself (and other gym (more…)
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Continue reading about What Do You Think About When You Lift? Part 1 of 2
Two days ago my workout called for me to do front squats. However, I wasn’t really focused that morning, and instead, I loaded up the weight I use for BACK squats.
For those of you who do both, you know that most of us can do a lot more weight in back than we can in front.
I did my warm up set, no problem.
I did my first working set, and was struggling, but finished.
I then did my second set and failed miserably. Thankfully I was in my squat rack, because mentally I was thinking I was going to do 6 reps. I ended up doing 1 and failing on the second.
Here’s the funy part – I still didn’t realize my mistake.
I asked myself, “why am I so weak today?” I really wondered if I was getting sick, or what the heck was going on.
I was so freaked out, I did something I haven’t done in months – I actually lowered the weight. (Of course, since I was doing the “wrong” exercise, I forgive myself that lapse.)
But the bigger lesson here is that I wasn’t paying attention.
And if I were in a situation without a rack or without a spotter, I could have really hurt myself.
Other Weight Training Attention Failures
This isn’t the first stupid thing I’ve done. And I’m sure you can relate with your own stupid stories.
One thing I see a lot is guys paying attention to the WRONG stuff.
Take mirrors. Mirrors are great for making sure you are using proper form.
But do you really need to turn your head for every set on every exercise to watch yourself in the mirror? Probably not.
I’ve definitely seen guys paying too much attention to the mirror that they actually lose balance.
And then there’s the guys are are gawking at women in the gym. Not only is that a little disrespectful to the women, it also distracts you from your workout. Lifting heavy stuff and distraction don’t mix. Stay focused.
Mental Focus and Workouts
At the most basic level though, paying attention means focusing your thoughts on your workout. I’ll be sharing some ideas about what to think about while working out on Monday.
In the mean time, are you willing to share your stupid-lack-of-attention stories?
Continue reading about Paying Attention – Weight Lifting Tips
In many countries around the world, today is a day to celebrate fathers.
Being a proud father myself, I like this holiday!
This will be a short post, with a few notices at the end, so that you all can get back to the day’s celebrations.
Father’s Day And Fitness
Father’s Day reminds me of part of the reason I take fitness so seriously:
- to be around longer for my kids and (future) grandkids
- to have the energy to play with my kids, even after a long day
- to model great behavior so that they grow up to be healthy and strong (it’s kind of hard to preach eating right and exercising if I sit on the couch eating chips and drinking beer all the time)
- to keep up with them! My older kids are fast and in an all-out race I can barely win!
- for my daughters, to model the fact they they should choose a partner who also takes his health seriously
You probably have similar reasons. But it’s hard sometimes to help kids understand why I don’t eat the deserts they do. Or why I get up early and work out to build muscle. Or why I’d rather go for a run than watch a movie.
While I’m sure they “get” the big picture, I also have to understand that they can’t see the world exactly through my eyes. So sometimes they think I’m a bit extreme!
But not today! Today will be a carbolicious day!
Now some of you might not have ideal fatherly role models yourself. Maybe your dad is/was fat. Maybe he never taught you how to eat right. Maybe you have to work twice as hard as the rest of us because you have to un-learn bad habits from your youth. Or maybe your dad simply wasn’t around.
None of that matters now.
You are in control of your beliefs and actions.
The very fact that you are reading this says that you are taking responsibility for bettering your health and fitness.
Congratulations!
The other day my ipod shuffle wasn’t working so I did my run in “silence”. The good news is that it didn’t affect my motivation or speed or anything. The bad news is that I figured out I’m a pretty weird guy…
You see, without my audio, my brain simply started thinking (I hear that’s what brain’s do when left to themselves).
And…
oh my God…
I’m insane.
I kept thinking the same things over and over. Literally. It wasn’t a “worry thought” either – just a random thought about how my office is set up. So I kept repeating the same phrases over and over. “What if I moved my desk to the south side…. What (more…)
Continue reading about What Do You Think About When You Run? – 11 Thinking Types
I’ve talked about the equipment at 24Hr Fitness, and some tips to getting a great workout while traveling and going to an unfamiliar gym.
But let me take a minute to talk about the people I saw there. I’m about to go pretty harsh. I’ll try to keep my ranting to a minimum, and there’s actually a happy ending to this…
The Average Gym-Goer
First off 75% of the people there were barely exercising more than the equivalent of walking from their kitchen to their TV room. Most of them just did machines. And they barely put any effort into it. Just going through the motions.
Same thing with the cardio machines. Most of the people were just walking. Walking. I’m not anti-walking. But I don’t know why anyone would go to a gym to walk. It’s so much more fulfilling to walk outside.
Nobody (except for one guy, which I’ll talk about more) had a workout journal. I must have seen 100 people in my 3 days there on machines and freeweights and only one guy (other than me) was serious enough to have a training log.
Continue reading about My 24Hr Fitness Experience – Part 2 of 2
If you are in the USA, you don’t need me to tell you that the major media believes the sky is falling on our economy. While I personally don’t see it as that dire, you might indeed be experiencing some personal hardship right now. And even if you are doing great, you undoubtedly know someone who’s having a tough time.
So what does this have to do with fitness?
Everything.
You see, when people are threatened (in this case, economically threatened), they do some stupid things. Some self-damaging things. Some things that sometimes just make their problems worse.
And it’s no different when it comes to how fears of the economy impact fitness decisions. Here are the 8.5 biggest mistakes I see people making because of money fears when it comes to their fitness. Are you guilty of any of these?
1. Save Money By Reducing Your Food Bill
This has to be the biggest one, so I’m listing it first. It manifests in many ways:
- eating at McDonald’s (or equivalent) for the $1 value meal
- buying lower-quality versions of their foods at the grocery store
- skipping healthy, whole food altogether because processed/packaged foods are nearly always cheaper
- eating less
- dropping your supplements
All of these are pitifully poor eating habits and are the last thing you should do to stay healthy. Don’t (more…)
Continue reading about 8.5 Fitness Mistakes People Make In A Down Economy
About a week ago, I offered to our email subscribers an open Q&A session: “ask your questions and I’ll try to get them answered”. The asking is something we only offer the email list, but RSS subscribers can still see the answers. As usual we had tons of questions. I’m posting most of them here – the rest will await a future post. Note: Please read our disclaimers at the bottom of this page – what I write is for information purposes only and you should always seek professional, licensed advice before starting any exercise program. If you have more questions, send them through http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/contact/ . On to the Q&A!
1) Question – Tyson asks: “How about doing speed runs or short speed bursts 5 times a week? Do you think that would greatly encourage fat loss? Or should i stick to doing speed bursts 1-2 times a week for fat loss?“
Answer: My answer for the typical person is no more than two HIIT (high intensity interval training) sessions a week. Note that I’m saying HIIT, not your typical interval training. I’m not sure which you mean when you say “speed runs”. HIIT is so intense that unless you are a pro athlete, you can’t last for more than about 10 minutes if you are doing it right. Tabata intervals are an example of HIIT (you go for 20 seconds AS INTENSELY AS YOU CAN – REALLY HARD, then take a 10 second break, then repeat, for a total of about 4 minutes). Most people can only do Tabata for about 4 or 5 minutes before feeling like vomiting. Myself included. I only do that once a week at most and only at certain points in the year.
Continue reading about Answers To Your Lean Muscle Questions – 4-21-09
I don’t want to work out today.
I’m tired. My head hurts. My legs are sore.
Plus, I’m not sure I can get my full workout in before taking my kids to school (I workout in the mornings and I have a home weight room). I’m slated to do a heavy upper body workout, including my deadlifts.
I’m serious, I should just bag it.
Have you ever said these things to yourself? I know you have. It happens to all of us. Some other comments you might say to yourself:
• “I didn’t sleep well.”
• “I have a big project due at work.”
• “I’ve got a sniffle – I wonder if I’m getting sick?”
• “I’ve been (pretty much) sticking to my schedule, so I deserve a day off.”
Days like this really test your motivation. Are you working out for the right reasons? Are you dedicated to getting healthier and looking better and feeling great?
Sure, there are some legitimate reasons to skip a planned workout: • You are really sick (like vomiting, or a high fever; sniffles don’t count!) • You are injured • An opportunity to spend some really excellent time with your kids or spouse that really is a sudden opportunity you can’t replicate (side note-always take the time to play with your kids and workout later; if playing with them means your 45 minute workout can’t happen, then skip your TV show later and workout then) • A family emergency • The muscle group you are going to work today is still sore from your last workout
And remember, if you must skip a workout, try your best to do SOMETHING instead – 15 min of bodyweight exercises, 15 minutes of sprints, etc. Something.
But other than something on the same scale as these (I’m sure there are more), you need to stick to your routine.
This is where my (your) workout schedule comes into play. If I skip today, it throws off the rest of the week’s workout schedules.
Ask yourself if you’ve ever felt worse when you did exercise on days even after you tried to convince yourself not to. I bet you’ve never regretted workout out anyway.
And the inverse of that question is, “Now think back to the days that your skipped your exercise after mentally debating if you should or you shouldn’t. Have you ever felt worse?” My guess is that when you’ve skipped, you felt worse (emotionally and physically).
No matter how bad you feel, you must put 100% into your workout.
There’s so much science that shows how critical intensity is to building lean muscle. Don’t think you can do a half-way effort and get half the results. No, it doesn’t work that way. A 100% effort gets your maximum results. But a 50% effort, not really trying too hard, going through the motions, etc. only gets you about 25% of the results. If you’re going to go, go big.
So back to today…
I got myself downstairs.
I got my protein shake and a small bite to eat.
I did my dynamic stretches and warm-ups.
And after the first set, something amazing happened.
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