Sunday, October 11, 2015

Right Now

I was talking to a friend of mine this morning about training and sustaining training. I have always had the belief that people find time to do what they want to do. One of my favorite stories in this regard was when my Father was a Professor at the University of Maryland. He faithfully played either tennis, basketball or badminton everyday at 12 noon. Spirited games, fun games. He loved teaching but I have a suspicion that noon time ball was something that he enjoyed even more.

Anyway, he would start calling in the morning to gather up other teachers to play that day. Sometimes he would appoint a graduate assistant as a "noon time organizer" to make the calls. Anyway, one time the Dean told him that he just didn't have time that day.  When this happened, Dad would go through a list of things that were really a waste of time to do when you could be exercising. His first two questions were always the following:

Are you gonna eat lunch today? Yes? Don't eat lunch. You will be okay.

Talking on the phone today non work related? Yes? Skip that for sure. 

Just those two things saved an hour and a half in his day. 

Now you can play.

When people tell me that they don't have the discipline to train, I always counter with

You brush your teeth every day, right? Yes? That takes discipline.

Yeah, but I have to brush my teeth.

Yeah, but you have to work out.

But it may be more than that, maybe folks don't know HOW to start. That's what my friend told me this morning. She is a 60 year old professor who I help with training a few times a week.  She gets it in, she's busy busy, she meets me early Sunday mornings. She doesn't want to get up, to come see me. Her job is nuts, super important in the big scheme of things(cancer stuff), but she comes in and gets it done.  And she says it is the best part of her week. It's a stress release

If you read any self help books, most of them have a common theme: Action is what matters. The first step, taking the step is what matters. Don't care what you do, but do something, right? No procrastination , no analysis , get moving.

What about with the weights? Confused by all the mumbo jumbo? Should you do Powerhouse, Golds, Crossfit, or something else out there? Train at home? Kettlebells?

The answer is just the same as the answer about diet; What will you do and keep doing? You know yourself, right? If you need to lose 30 pounds and you know that low carb is the easiest way for you to do it, that you have tried it before and you started stuffing Munchkins in your gourd after a few days because you just couldn't take it, then guess what? Not for you. Do a diet that takes a little longer but that you will stick with for the long term. 

Just like training. If the idea of a WOD terrifies you and you know that it aint gonna happen after a week, then don't do it.

If you love the idea of kettlebells at home early in the morning alone, right before the kids get up, then freaking do it. 

Sit down and ask yourself (be honest now, don't listen to another person and their opinions about what you should do), what is best for ME and my life? What will I do three times a week without fail? Or everyday with out fail? Or twice a week without fail?

And don't feel guilty about shortness of workouts. I never get this at all. Fifteen minutes of focused, concentrated effort is better that ninety minutes of looking in the mirror, adjusting you gloves(ugh) and talking about your date last night. If it takes you FIVE minutes but your training consisted of two all out sets of squats with a minute rest in between, its better than the BS that most people do in the gym, pumping and preening and never pushing themselves. Bunch of crap all of that is, makes me crazy. People actually feel guilty about not wasting time. 

You have plenty of options when it comes to weights. Some examples-

A little each day-this is a good one when your time is crunched. wake up, do 20 pushups, 3 sets of curls, 20 goblet squats and 3x10 kettle bell presses. Do it every day for a week. The next week? Perform 20 pushups, 3x10 lateral raises, 3x10 kettle bell swings. Switch it up every week, but get it in. That workout takes zero time. Take virtually no rest and kill it. And do it first thing in the morning, before your day starts to take over. Then you are done, you are free to face the day and all the crap that goes with it.

Three times full body- if you join a gym, pick one exercise per body part and perform 3x6-10 reps with each exercise. Example- 


Day 1
Legs- squats
chest - Db bench
Shoulders- press
Biceps- db curls
Back - deadlift
Triceps - extensions

Day 2
Legs- leg press
chest - Db incline
Shoulders- laterals
Biceps- machine curls
Back - bent rows
Triceps - dips

Day 3
Legs- step ups
chest - BB bench
Shoulders- Db upright rows
Biceps- BB  curls
Back - one arm rows
Triceps - pushups

And don't worry about what exercise you choose. Does it work you the body part that you are intending to work?? Great, do it. You don't have to squat every workout or bench or whatever. No damn rues. The objective is to get it done, not worry about little stuff that causes procrastination.

Bodyweight training- everyday training with this is best , I think. 

Dips
pushups
burpees
lunges
squat jumps

3x10 every day. Use your imagination. Go to a playground and do dips and chins. Lunge up a hill. 
Or do it in the damn bedroom. Doesn't matter.

Combo training-

This is great on a weekend. Go to a hill. Walk or run up it. Walk or run down. At the bottom, do 10 pushups. Up the hill again. Down the hill. Ten kettlebell swings. Something like that works great and accomplishes cardiovascular fitness and strength at the same time.

There are many more examples of training, and one will work for you, and you have the time and you will succeed because you must, you have to, it is important and you are better than you think you are and it is not too late. 

Right now , right freaking now, if you haven't done anything and you are gonna start on Monday,start right now. Do one thing- do 20 squats. Do 10 pushups, hell, do 5 pushups. Walk down the street and back. Right now, right now, no don't change clothes, no, don't look on Facebook, no, not just "one second", no, not in a few moments, right now, right now, right now.








All About Being a Lifer

What's a Lifer? Someone who isn't in to something for just a day, a month, a year...it's for life. Whether its training or your family or your job...it doesn't matter. You work at it, you build on it, you see the big picture . You don't miss workouts because it means something to you. You are like a Shakespearean actor- no matter what is going on in your life, you block it out when it's time to train. You walk into the weight room and all else disappears. Worry about it later.