The one thing great about the web is that I can express my self to tens of thousands of people a day instead of just a class, a team or my wife and friends. Today I was working out with a friend of my, another 40 something who does Ironman triatholons for which the training is not necessarily overly insane, but takes way to damn long. I really don't have the time to train for a 110 mile bike ride. start at 8:00am and get done at 3:00pm...oh then tomorrow you have to run 30 miles and after that, go swim for 2. Don't start correcting my on the distances chumley, this is training.
Anyway, he's got me on the treadmill doing some ridiculous hill running interval workout. Note here: I hate the treadmill but it's mid January and I hate the cold even more. I'm done running in sub-30 degree weather. we get to talking and the subject of improvement, getting stronger, getting faster even when we're in our 40's, 50;s and beyond comes up. We look around and we see the same faces at the gym every day and you know what, they all look the same. they're not thinner, stronger or faster. They're just...the same.
Hey, I'm 42 and i have a six pack, run 6 minute miles and can rip off around 30 pull ups. I can still do more than what I did as a competitive athlete. The only difference is recovery time. But to tell you the truth, I was so banged up then between football, wrestling and Judo, even when I was in great shape, I was not injury free. Now at 42 I'm in the shape but I don't have anything pulled, broken and I'm not concussed.
My buddy is no different, a scholarship athlete at Michigan and an accomplished triathlete, we're both in pretty good shape, regardless of our age.
So enough talking about us, the point he brought up was this, why is it that the vast majority of people show no signs of improvement.
BECAUSE YOU DON'T PUSH YOURSELF
OK, there are some benefits to doing the same work out, and jogging the same distance everyday. at least your getting your heart rate up, but if you want to look better, be stronger and run faster you have to...Lift more weight, run farther and run faster!
That's the big f'ing secret and there's NO WAY AROUND IT sunshine.
Combine that with a high protein diet and a multivitamin, you're all set. Drink more water, less soda and booze and you're on your way. Diet is a completely new post that I'll tackle later.
For example: I've been training my wife for the last 5 months and she's getting in great shape compared to her friends who spend as much or more time in the gym than she does. She or I don't use balance balls, we don't take spin, yoga, pilates, power core, zumba or stripper classes. All we do is run and lift.
Does this Ball Make My Butt Look Big? Yes, we vary exercises and repetitions and YES there is a method to what we're doing, but it's not something out of the ordinary. which s a completely different post as well (shit now I have two more things I need to write).
I'd like to think that I'm some genius trainer, which, we all know I am, but it's in my ignorance that I'm a genius.
THE SECRET TO GETTING IN SHAPE...PUSH YOURSELF YOU PANSY!
What ever you're dong right now: add more weight, run longer, farther and faster.
Grabbing a couple of 10 pound dumbells and sitting on a balance ball every day is a joke. I watch these trainers putting housewives through stuff that is just designed to create interest, not results. If you have good technique with your weight lifting you will not get hurt. However, you may get hurt when you slide off the ball and the dumbell hits you in the head.
If you just did dead lift and military press for 5 sets, 10 to 15 reps (week 1) for muscle building, 5 reps for power (week 2) and mass or 20 reps for endurance (week 3), Ended with 4 sets of 25 reps of abs and 4 sets of 25 reps for lower back and then ran/walked for 60 minutes 3 to 5 times per week in 3 months you'll be an animal.
Just increase the weight when the sets become easier and increase the speed when you feel you can. NOTE: some days you will lift more and run faster than others.
The point is, what ever work out your doing, push yourself!!! I have a life of pushing myself. I know what it's like to have to puke after or during a workout. I lke when my lungs burn and my vision is blurred.
Do I feel like working out or practicing every day. Ahh...HELL NO!!! would much rather sit on my ass, have sex, drink red wine and order take out. (I still do that, but only after working out).
All athletes, professional and otherwise, don't feel like pushing themselves until after they get started. A body at rest wants to stay at rest, a body in motion will stay in motion. I start every workout with, the idea that I'm just going to warm up and go light. But then after I break a sweat and the endorphins kick in, I'm like, well, I came this far, WTF? The next thing I know is that I'm running farther, pushing more weight than ever before.
Injury is not an excuse, you just need to work around it. I've blown out my knee, torn my pectoral muscle and broken almost every bone in my hands and wrists (all when I was much younger). Even though I have shoulder issues as well, I've learned to work around it, so should you.
My dad used to say is it a hurt or an injury? An injury has swelling, discoloration, limits your range of motion and has a lot of pain. A hurt, well, just hurts. Note: if it is treated with an ACE BANDAGE, it's a hurt.
Finally, you're not working out if you can:
Read
Drink a cup of coffee
Engage in conversation
Change the Channel
Eat
Listen, if you're having trouble at the gym and you've hit a plateau, you need to push yourself. If you think you're pushing yourself and you're not seeing results over a 6 to 8 week period. Then you're not really that tough.
I'm just being honest, because that's the only way I know how to train.
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company
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4 comments:
You're so right, I know of a guy who has being going to the gym 5 days a week for the last 25 years and he looks the same, no smaller, no bigger, no leaner, just the same. He needs to ask for his membership fees back. I'm almost 54 and still getting better, how's that ? just doing the basic simple exercises, no fancy stuff, just the tried, true movements, just like real world close combat movements that work. --- Robert.
Very well said. finally some refreshing truth!!!
great article - thank you for posting it! I am always looking for ways to change my workouts around for this very reason, plus it's more fun.
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