The Vlog

Piggybacking my post from two days ago, I would like to describe systems that actually deliver great results for people. I define the different categories of the system as: mindset, lifestyle, and training.

Mindset – you have to have the mindset that you will be consistent and will complete the program. Will the first program you complete in a month give you everything you desired? Probably not. But somewhere down the line, you will achieve it. What if you had started training hard 5 years ago and never stopped. Can you imagine where you would be?

Lifestyle – If your partying or going out for cocktails with the friends on the weekends, your dead in your tracks. Also, if your family or partner overtly or subliminally tears you down, you need to do what’s right and do whatever it takes to make sure your taking care by people around you. You also need a simple and realistic nutritional plan you can follow consistently.

Training – Your training must be consistent and you must work hard. Do whatever it takes to be consistent. If the gym closes, do your workout at home. If you get injured, don’t even think about whining and saying “I can’t train because my arms broken.” When I injured my knee, I did single-leg squts with the other leg, one-legged planks, Lat Pulldowns, DB Presses, and other stuff. If you go on a vacation, train. If you have to go on a business trip, train in your hotel room. Train!

Von

I love training because I know that I am in a position to help individuals transform their lives. I received help from someone and it is something great to share in. I really enjoy what I do and I love learning about what it takes for individuals to reach their potential.

Von

In the future, everyone will know how to lose weight. The next step is creating systems that actually allow people to be successful. This is the real key. There are no “secrets” to lose weight when your 30 pounds overweight. You know what you have to do. Eat less, exercise more, cut out the junk, and eat regularly. Although this is simple, most people have no idea how to implement this and have no real long-term support. Working with a trainer, buying a book, or working out with friends can help to fulfill this, but it doesn’t take care of it all. You must have discipline and perseverance. Heck, consistency is not even going to happen all of the time, but you must persevere.

Von

I often hear “I need to make my butt bigger.” What works? If you want a real butt, you have to be squatting and deadlifting. Most people however don’t know how to squat or deadlift or they are simply scared of it. Why doesn’t isolation training work for the glutes? It’s actually hard to isolate the glutes without the hamstrings and low back working as well. Also, the more weight your body pushes, the more muscle mass you can pack on. This is why chin-ups (which include a bicep curl in its movement) are more effective for the biceps than curls. If you want a butt, learn to squat and deadlift.

Von

I asked one of my very high school clients what they had to eat all day. His response was

“12pm – 4 steaks and 4 cups of water.
6pm – mango sushi.
7pm – 2 pork tacos and 2 jaritos.”

I’ve had a few people scoff at this, but I wonder how many people don’t eat like this. If 68% of the population is overweight, that means they’re overeating. In my clients case, we’re working on getting in breakfast, reducing the size of meals, and eating every 4-5 hours. In short, we work on the basics. People would be surprised how powerful the basics are like breakfast, reducing meal size, cutting out junk, and eating more frequently.

Von

Of course, one of my high school soccer players asked me if sex was a good exercise. For whatever reason, I’ve never seen this addressed by any coach or institution. Let’s set the record straight, anything that includes movement and sweating can be considered exercise. Sex is not any different than swimming or playing rugby; there are basic repetitive movements you do over and over (even if you do mix it up with the Kama Sutra). But take someone who bikes around a lot. Do they ever feel tired after riding to the store after the 100th billion time? No. What if they hadn’t ridden a bike in five years and ride to the store and go up a few hills? They’ll definitely feel tired. Sex is the same. If you always do it, it will become easier and easier (becoming more like steady-state cardio). However, the more you mix it up and vary the intensity, the more it can become like high-intensity interval training (which burns more fat than steady-state cardio). A good indication whether your working hard in any exercise is your breathing. If your breathing heavy, the more calories you’ll be burning. Of course, duration counts too, so don’t think 5 or even 10 minutes of sex counts as your exercise today (for those of you who don’t go to the gym). Heck, I’m sure even the adult film stars don’t get in the federally recommended 60-90 minutes of exercise a day from “working.” Prime example – Ron Jeremy.

Von

I was talking with a friend a couple of days ago about her leaness. She was lean her whole life and she never followed any diets or anything special. Did she have skinny genetics? Probably, but that doesn’t stop the rest of the skinny population from getting big, does it? What did she do? She exercised consistently and ate moderately. In her own words, she acknolwedged that “I probably didn’t push myself as much as I could have.” One thing which stood out however was that she was consistent. She always seemed to get in her exercise and eat moderately (most of the time). There are no real secrets – only consistency and moderation.

Von

There was a recall of over 3,000,000 stability balls from Bally Total Fitness, Everlast, Valeo and Body Fit Fitness Balls. If you have one of these, return it. The reason? A unnamed spokesman stated “Americans now are so big and have such a huge appetite that they began to eat our stability balls. Our stability balls were not made to be ingested.” I’m just joking of course, but actually the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled the balls because of bursting. By the way, if your one of those guys whose using 50 plus pound dumbbells on your stability ball, you probably want to make sure you have health insurance.

Von

Today, my client said we should work out outside, so we walked down one block to the nearest playground. It was great to enjoy the weather, get outside, and get a great workout. What can you do on a playground? Push-ups, inverted rows, chin-ups, dips, squats to bench, step-ups onto bench, and others. It’s fun, the action is lively with all of the kids running around, and you get to be a kid again (kind of).

Von

I tried out some Muay Thai kickboxing today. It was great. I saw right away where I needed to work on technique and where I need more flexbility. One of the things that many people underestimate is how important it is to have perfect form in any physical activity including strength training. Think of it like doing ballet. Obviously, if you didn’t work on technique and on flexibility, you would be horrible if tried out the range of movements. This is the same thing in strength training – if you don’t practice technique and you don’t have the adequate flexibility, you will not get the benefit you really need. Here is an example: If a person is so tight in their upper thighs (aka hip flexors), and they squat, they will be unlikely to engage the glutes at the top of the movement. What’s the consequence? You promote greater tightness of the hip flexors while promoting greater glute inactivation! This can promote low back tightness and pain, tight hamstrings, and anterior hip pain (aka femoral anterior glide syndrome). What do you do then? Stretch the hip flexors, do some glute activation work, and make sure you are standing up fully straight and squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.

Von