Lift Like A Girl

I can't count how many times I've heard females say "I don't want to get too big/bulky" when talking about lifting weights. Like just picking up a challenging weight will magically turn them into a muscle-bound Amazon woman or something like that!! This myth just doesn't go away even though there is so much scientific evidence to suggest the contrary.

Well, here's some "real world" proof that lifting heavy will not make females "bulky". I started training Mei about two months ago, and she was the "typical" female trainee which meant lifting light weights, high reps, and steady state cardio for 30 minutes. She wanted the "toned" and defined look, but she was doing the exact opposite of what it takes to get there.

So, in the two months I've been working with her, all of her weights skyrocketed especially the barbell Romanian deadlift which went from a measly 30 pds all the way up to 100 pds for 8 reps!!! Gone are the days of 10 pd dumbbell presses for endless reps, now she can do 30 pd dumbbell presses for reps! Also, interval sprints have replaced the steady state cardio sessions. These huge increases in weight in only two months is not a testament to my coaching alone, but the fact that, Mei, like a lot of females, CAN lift and push the pace, but subscribe to that longstanding myth of challenging/heavy weights + working hard = bulkiness. What I've done is just help Mei get into that mindset of going that extra mile and to her credit, she's kept an open mind and, well, the proof is in the pudding. Check out some highlights of Mei's recent workout and see for yourself. Ladies, you can train like Tarzan, but still look like Jane!!!

Three Feet From Gold

To make better use of my time, I've recently begun listening to audio books while driving. I've started on Think and Grow Rich and I've just listened to something that may help you achieve success in your fitness or business goal. Here's the excerpt:

"One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another.

An uncle of R.U. Darby was caught by the “gold fever” in the gold-rush days, and went out West to dig and grow rich. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the Earth. He staked a claim and went to work with pick and shovel. The going was hard, but his lust for gold was definite. After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, and then told his relatives and a few neighbors of the “strike.” They got together money for the needed machinery, and had it shipped to location. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.

The first car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado!! A few more cars of that ore would clear the debts. Then would come the big killing in profits.

Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle! Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no longer there! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again - all to no avail. Finally, they decided to QUIT!!!!

They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Some “junk” men are dumb, but not this one! He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed, because the owners were not familiar with “fault lines.” His calculations showed that the vein would be found just THREE FEET from where the Darbys had stopped drilling! That is exactly where it was found!!!

The “junk” man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up.

Long afterward, Mr. Darby recouped his loss many times over, when he made the discovery that DESIRE can be transmuted into gold. The discovery came after he went into the business of selling life insurance.

Remembering that he lost a huge fortune because he stopped three feet from gold, Darby profited by the experience in his chosen work, by the simple method of saying to himself, “I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask them to buy insurance.”

Darby is one of a small group of fewer than fifty men who sell more than a million dollars in life insurance annually. He owes his "stickability" to the lesson he learned from his "quitability" in the gold mining business."

Many people give up or want to quit when the going gets tough. Maybe their weight isn't dropping as fast as they want it to. Or their bench press isn't increasing at all. Quitting is the easy way out!!! The funny thing is, is that they are probably closer to achieving their goal than they think. That "THREE FEET" could just mean buckling down and having a little more discipline when it comes to making proper food choices. Or, just working on strengthening the triceps to increase the bench press.

It all boils down to having a NO QUIT mindset!! It's alright to fail, just learn from it and improve. If something's not working, figure out the cause and take some action to change it. When you hit a rough stretch, keep pushing forward because you're probably only "THREE FEET" from success!!

Strength In Numbers

A friend emailed me an article the other day about how training in groups can help improve one's own performance. The article focused on runners but it can be applied to any sport or fitness goal you choose.

American distance runner Dathan Ritzenhein, who just broke the American record for the 5,000 meters is convinced his success had to do with training with a group. Running alone, he said, “You can’t push yourself as hard — you feed off the energy of other people.”

Kara Goucher, a marathon runner who, last year in New York, had the fastest time ever for an American woman running her first marathon said, “I think it’s possible to train on your own, but I do think it is better in a group,” she said. “You see success in each other. Everything seems more in reach." "And it holds you accountable,” she continued. “Instead of waiting all day to do my run, I have to go out and meet the girls.”

The article also says, "group training is an aspect of performance that has never been scientifically studied."

I say, sometimes, you have to forget about what science says and just look at what works. I've been testing out training in groups for a few months now and from my "in the trenches" experience, it just works, there are so many benefits. Training in groups provides a great atmosphere where people can motivate and push each other as well as keep each other accountable. If you feel like quitting or think you're too tired to go on, it helps that there's others there with you going through the same pain which helps you keep going and push further than you ever thought.

I wrote a blog about this back in April when I first started testing the group training effect and my thoughts haven't changed much since. The positives far out-weigh the negatives (if there are any). So, don't be shy, join a group and reap the benefits!!

Been Awhile

Wow, it's been awhile since my last post!! I haven't taken a vacation or anything like that, just been busy training clients and testing out some new training methods (well, not new, but old school, back to the basics workouts) at various playgrounds. Training outdoors is a great change of pace from the gym. Don't get me wrong, most of my workouts still entail lifting heavy in the gym, but sometimes it's refreshing to just get outside and crush it: I've also started to spend my time more efficiently while driving by listening to audio cd's from some of the top strength coaches in this industry. I like to listen to my r&b and rap like everyone else, but if I want to keep improving this is just another sacrifice to get to where I want to be in this business. It's actually not even a sacrifice, just another step in the right direction and doing a little more than the next guy. Well, back to learning, taking action, and making it happen! Here's another video of some hard working ladies!

Weight Gain

I usually don't buy stuff off Craigslist, but after watching the Lost Secrets of Strength Seminar dvd I took Zach's advice and started perusing CL for some used weight equipment. I found a great deal on 600 pds of weight plates (which came with a weight stand also). So with the help of Fitness Tech athlete Cliff Fua's pick up truck, we went and picked them up. I was pleasantly surprised to find these plates were basically new. The guy told me he wanted to build a home gym, but the plans fell through and he was stuck with the plates. I was happy to take them off his hands! Now all I need to do is get a power rack, a good barbell, and some more dumbbells. I've learned that to become successful, you can't wait for everything to be perfect, the stars to align or sh*t like that. Taking Action is the key!!

A Smart Investment

In these tough economic times, many people are pinching pennies to save money. This means maybe they can't afford their trainer and/or gym membership, a night out at a nice restaurant, or the worst, having to put their education on hold!! I'm in a similar boat since I've just started to market and really try and build my personal training business from the ground up. What I'm not doing, however, is cutting costs on my own education that can help improve my training as well as get more clients.

I recently purchased a training seminar from a couple of guys who started training clients in a storage closet, playgrounds, and out of their cars and now are, imo, the best strength coaches in the industry in terms of results, work ethic, and just keeping it real. I've followed Joe Defranco and Zach Even-Esh for years as they've written tons of informative articles.

When I heard about their Lost Secrets Of Strength Seminar DVD set, I knew I had to act fast and buy it (they only released a few). I also bought Zach's Underground Strength Manual Deluxe Package as well. With me trying to save money for equipment and looking for a small warehouse space to train out of, money IS tight for me right now too, but I've always known not to put a price on learning and investing in myself. I've watched the dvd seminar and listened to the bonus audio cd already and I can tell you the information (the quality AND quantity), motivation, and honesty of Joe D and Zach are worth ten times what I paid for it!!

I hear all the time from clients first asking about prices, to trainers saying such and such seminar is too expensive, but I ask what price can you put on your health AND education??? Personally, I can tell you that your health and education are priceless and go hand in hand. If you're healthy and continue to learn, your energy levels soar, you build confidence, making it easier to get out of your comfort zone, and take action.

Thanks again Joe D and Zach for putting out an awesome product(s) and contributing to my continued learning and future success!! Be sure to check out these guy's websites: Defrancostraining.com and Zach Even-Esh.com