At the gym I see every kind of body. The guy who's totally lean, the trainers who are huge but need coaching on body aesthetics, the really heavy guy working on his biceps, and there's the guy who just came in from Abercrombie.
Comparing myself to other guys gets me into trouble because there's always someone better and more fit – and someone who's not. My meditation Master always said that "there is no competition", our task is simply to make ourselves better.
Comparing myself to other guys gets me into trouble because there's always someone better and more fit – and someone who's not. My meditation Master always said that "there is no competition", our task is simply to make ourselves better.
Better Workouts – Better Bodies
1 Train your mind
Before you start a set, know what you are going to do. What's your form and movement? How many reps are you going to do? Tell yourself you are going to do 10 reps and you'll almost always do them. Tell yourself you are going to try to do 10 reps and you'll almost always miss your mark.
2 Core values first
If you have core values, you can weather anything life throws at you. If your body has a strong core, the same thing happens. So train your core. Get a stability ball for home; they're the best piece of gym equipment you can invest in. Workout your abs and lower back. First thing in the morning do hip dips on the ball followed by a hard ab blast. Flip over and do 20 push-ups on the ball planking your body and pulling your belly button to your spine.
3 Legs before coffee
After you do your stability ball routine, hit your legs by doing three sets of 25 squats without any weight. Now have your morning coffee. You'll have more energy all day long. The first time I did this I was shocked at how much work it was. This is great to do before you head to the gym for a leg workout.
4 Befriend a dumbbell – or two
Use dumbbells instead of machines. Dumbbells make each side of your body (or arm, or bicep) work independently. Both sides have to work just as hard. Additionally dumbbells allow muscles a greater range of movement and strengthen the smaller muscles, tendons and ligaments. You'll keep from being bored too. Dumbbells have more variations for training than machines or barbells.
5 Release growth hormone
Train your legs.Working this massive muscle group triggers the release of large amounts of growth hormone. Guess what? That creates muscle growth throughout your entire body and best of all turbo charges your fat burners. Want a strong upper body? Train your legs.
6 Work the big boys
Just starting? Want to burn and get ripped? Train your big body parts first – train your legs, your back and your chest. These are the powerhouses of your body, they'll fire up your metabolism and create additional energy for you. Your smaller muscles will get worked right along with them without direct focus. You'll still want to train your biceps, triceps, shoulders and forearms, just not as often.
7 Super circuit
Circuit training is perfect if you're just getting started, you muscles are relearning how to work. You can work them hard, build strength and get a full hour in. If you're already training, doing a circuit training blast once every two weeks can keep you lean and your workouts fresh. Your goal is to do 3 full body circuits in an hour.
8 The magic hour
Hit an hour of weight training hard, stop and stretch. It's not really a magic number, but it's a good time measure for most of us. After an hour of intense weight training your body starts to produce cortisol in response to perceived stress. Too much cortisol is nasty and deserves an entire blog. Suffice it to say that it can lower testosterone levels, cause protein breakdown, increase body fat – and with overtraining – decrease athletic performance. Want more time at the gym? Split your workouts morning and evening, you'll have a rest, and both workouts will be strong.
9 Cardio blast last
If you want to do cardio on weight training days, do it after your workout. You can always power through 20 minutes of cardio after training. But if you use your prime energy for cardio before a workout, you'll have less energy and endurance lifting weights, get poor results and take longer to create the gains (or losses) that you are looking for.
10 Recover and grow
Some days my mind thinks my body should train – but my body doesn't want to. If I'm dragging myself up the stairs to the gym I know I've hit one of those times that is approaching overload. I probably haven't recovered from my previous workout. So I'll guiltlessly leave the gym and do something fresh with my hour. Look at it this way; we work out to challenge our muscles to grow. The muscle has to recover as it's growing, so if we're not fully recovered we won't be creating new muscle growth with our workout. Listen to your body, it always knows best.
Before you start a set, know what you are going to do. What's your form and movement? How many reps are you going to do? Tell yourself you are going to do 10 reps and you'll almost always do them. Tell yourself you are going to try to do 10 reps and you'll almost always miss your mark.
2 Core values first
If you have core values, you can weather anything life throws at you. If your body has a strong core, the same thing happens. So train your core. Get a stability ball for home; they're the best piece of gym equipment you can invest in. Workout your abs and lower back. First thing in the morning do hip dips on the ball followed by a hard ab blast. Flip over and do 20 push-ups on the ball planking your body and pulling your belly button to your spine.
3 Legs before coffee
After you do your stability ball routine, hit your legs by doing three sets of 25 squats without any weight. Now have your morning coffee. You'll have more energy all day long. The first time I did this I was shocked at how much work it was. This is great to do before you head to the gym for a leg workout.
4 Befriend a dumbbell – or two
Use dumbbells instead of machines. Dumbbells make each side of your body (or arm, or bicep) work independently. Both sides have to work just as hard. Additionally dumbbells allow muscles a greater range of movement and strengthen the smaller muscles, tendons and ligaments. You'll keep from being bored too. Dumbbells have more variations for training than machines or barbells.
5 Release growth hormone
Train your legs.Working this massive muscle group triggers the release of large amounts of growth hormone. Guess what? That creates muscle growth throughout your entire body and best of all turbo charges your fat burners. Want a strong upper body? Train your legs.
6 Work the big boys
Just starting? Want to burn and get ripped? Train your big body parts first – train your legs, your back and your chest. These are the powerhouses of your body, they'll fire up your metabolism and create additional energy for you. Your smaller muscles will get worked right along with them without direct focus. You'll still want to train your biceps, triceps, shoulders and forearms, just not as often.
7 Super circuit
Circuit training is perfect if you're just getting started, you muscles are relearning how to work. You can work them hard, build strength and get a full hour in. If you're already training, doing a circuit training blast once every two weeks can keep you lean and your workouts fresh. Your goal is to do 3 full body circuits in an hour.
8 The magic hour
Hit an hour of weight training hard, stop and stretch. It's not really a magic number, but it's a good time measure for most of us. After an hour of intense weight training your body starts to produce cortisol in response to perceived stress. Too much cortisol is nasty and deserves an entire blog. Suffice it to say that it can lower testosterone levels, cause protein breakdown, increase body fat – and with overtraining – decrease athletic performance. Want more time at the gym? Split your workouts morning and evening, you'll have a rest, and both workouts will be strong.
9 Cardio blast last
If you want to do cardio on weight training days, do it after your workout. You can always power through 20 minutes of cardio after training. But if you use your prime energy for cardio before a workout, you'll have less energy and endurance lifting weights, get poor results and take longer to create the gains (or losses) that you are looking for.
10 Recover and grow
Some days my mind thinks my body should train – but my body doesn't want to. If I'm dragging myself up the stairs to the gym I know I've hit one of those times that is approaching overload. I probably haven't recovered from my previous workout. So I'll guiltlessly leave the gym and do something fresh with my hour. Look at it this way; we work out to challenge our muscles to grow. The muscle has to recover as it's growing, so if we're not fully recovered we won't be creating new muscle growth with our workout. Listen to your body, it always knows best.
Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.
Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional. You should never begin an exercise or nutritional program without consulting your health care provider.
