Do You Think or Do You Believe

This is a true story that was told at a recent conference by Bill Parisi.

During the summer of 1860, The Great Blondin attempted to cross Niagara Falls on tight rope, while pushing a wheel barrow full of weights. Hundreds of thousands of sightseers were on hand for his attempt (that's a boatload of people for that time).

After a smooth start across the river, Blondin began to slow considerably. He wobbled and paused and then repeated the process. Unbeknownst to the terrified crowd, Blondin was simply playing them- he had things under total control. When he neared the finish, Blondin proceeded to push the wheel barrow the last 5 feet with a great shove and then just stood. The tension mounted as he took a few steps back then executed a perfect back somersault on the wire and onto Canadian soil.

The crowd went wild and reporters flooded Blondin with questions. How did he do it? What was his reason? Was he scared? One particular reporter ask "What made you think you could do it?"

Blondin then turned the questions to the reporter. "Do you think I can do it again?" Blondin asked. "Sure", answered the reporter. "Do you BELIEVE I can do it once more?", Blondin inquired. "Yes, of course", assured the reporter. To which Blondin responded, "Then get in the wheelbarrow."

Needless to say the reporter didn't take him up on his offer, though Blondin did cross the falls carrying his manager on his back just a few years later.

I think this is a great illustration of the difference between thinking and believing. When you set a lofty goal, fitness or otherwise, do you think you will achieve it or do you truly believe it will happen?

Something as simple as fat loss can be a huge challenge for some. You must BELIEVE that you can change and be successful to really make it stick.

Think of your goals in this context from now on and you will be well on your way to success no matter what the endeavor.

RM

Are You Willing to Die on the Treadmill?

I just rolled in from Charleston- great city BTW! I attended a seminar hosted by my mentor, Thomas Plummer. Thom is the godfather, if you will, of the fitness business and he has helped me immensely over the years.

One theme that Thom repeats over and over is that you have to simply outwork your competition. Never tire of marketing, networking, improving your physical space, developing better customer service and etc. Often the difference in success and failure boils down to to the basic principal of hard work.

The same certainly holds true for reaching your fitness goals. Despite all of the advanced exercise programming, digital training tools and motivational information availabe, your success will always require a healthy dose of "stick-to-it-of-ness"

Here is great video of Will Smith. In the clip Will sums up his success to work ethic. You may be smarter, better looking or even more talented than Will, but if you get on the treadmill next to him....... Watch the Video- it's worth it.



RM

More on Simplicity and Fat Loss

What do you do when you are remodeling, planning your summer marketing campaign and heading out of town in a few days? Borrow a little content.

Spring is right around the corner. A few warm days really increase the chatter around the gym about fat loss and looking good in a bathing suit.

Here is a very simple explanation from Lean Couture of how to get into summer shape.




















Getting cut is not about exercise as much as it is about diet — specifically eating better and eating less. It’s that simple.

Look around in the gym. People bust their asses year after year, but not all of them are lean and cut. Sometimes it’s genetics, but often it’s because of how they eat. It’s that simple.

There could be many reasons for not being lean, but a guaranteed way of obliterating definition and muscular tone is eating too much crappy food. It’s that simple.

Eat more fresh vegetables and more fresh fruits in place of food that’s been processed, packaged, or boxed. And, be like the French and other nations that don’t suffer an obesity crisis, and stop snacking. It’s that simple.

Anyone who tells you that overweight is more complicated than that — like it’s a result of metabolic dysfunction, energy regulatory impairment, thyroid problems, etc. — is trying to confuse you or trying to make themselves appear more knowledgeable.

They might be correct, but it’s often nothing that can’t be resolved by eating better and eating less. It’s that simple.

RM

Like Duh!

This will be a short post. The gym looks like a bomb hit it with all of the demolition completed. The clean up/organization begins today and will probably last for a few weeks. Exciting!

It is great to see articles like this (working out harder for less time effective). Our clients have heard this already, but it never hurts to get the word out to the general population.

RM

The Monthly Minute- Face Pulls

The Monthly Minute is a new feature in our newsletter. I'll cover everything from nutrition, exercise and I'll also answer FAQ's from clients.

This month we talk about an exercise we call the Face Pull.

Monday Mayhem

Things are CRAZY (fun) in the next few weeks. Here's what's cookin:

- We are remodeling the gym next week. It will give us a lot more functional space and some cool new tools to have our clients "play" with. Be afraid, be very afraid! Stop by and check it out.

- We are hosting another TRX training seminar this Sunday for personal trainers/strength coaches. The TRX is a great tool and it's a pleasure to help other trainers learn how to use it effectively.

- I have been journaling my food intake and training. It has been an interesting project to say the least. I HATE to journal, but it is such an invaluable tool to measure progress or lack thereof. More to come after my 30 days is up.

- Natalie has our new nutrition program up and running. One of the best features is a Web Logging option that allows her to coach clients weekly via their online food journal. An invaluable tool for fat loss. Let me know if you need more info.

- I am reading a fantastic book about relationships, networking and success. It's a book I think everyone should read to better understand how and why we should maintain relationships. The title is Never Eat Alone. Pick it up here.

- Here is my favorite quote from Alwyn Cosgrove regarding falling in love with just one training tool, "20,000 people purchased a drill from Home Depot last year. They didn't want a drill, they wanted a hole." Message to trainers- there is often more than one way to get it done.

- Observations from Brad, one of our coaches:

Just got back from University of Florida Strength and Conditioning Coaches' clinic and it was performed by 6 different SC coaches that are on staff at Florida. I thought it would be all about 1RM and Olympic lifting, I was wrong, they do a lot of things we do.

They always do the dynamic warm up, which included a lot of our warm up exercises. They always finish with a met finisher, usually some form of competition. The head SC coach actually mentioned Dr McGill's back book and said that they always include his big three exercises. He said they still do some sit-ups but not tons.

The clinic was held in there new weight room, which is located under the stadium. They also have big tires that they flip. Anyway, have have rambled enough, have a good weekend and I will tell you more on Monday.

- Special thanks to our very own Mike McFadden and the US Marines kickin ass in Kyrgyzstan. Godspeed and we appreciate what you do for us!

Exercises You Should Be Doing- Rockers

Not those Rockers, but Rockers.






Benefits- great anti-extension exercise. This is a killer core exercise for such a small range of motion.

Execution- We are demonstrating the rockers with the TRX. You can also perform these on furniture sliders or with a power wheel. This one is all about spinal integrity. Tighten your legs and glutes. Next push the floor as far away from you as possible with while keeping your arms straight. Once in the correct position, simply "saw" with your body back and forth without letting your posture collapse. No floor humping!

Progressions- Range of motion. Newbies should simply hold the top position for a timed interval.

Especially good for- Anyone who needs a little variety in their program. this makes a great alternative to traditional planks.

Include some anti-rotational exercises and you have a complete core workout.

RM

Simplicity (In The Information Age)

This is a guest post from The Lean Saloon:

I spent the past several years reviewing books, reading blogs and watching videos on the subjects of diet and exercise. Throughout this exploration I’ve learned some things — but it’s not what I had hoped to have learned.

One is that everyone has vastly different information on diet and exercise. Another is that everyone seems to be correct in varying degrees — that is, they’re either correct significantly, or they’re correct just a little. Which also means that they’re just a little incorrect, or they’re significantly incorrect.

I also noticed that I can become easily confused by all of this information… even though I have a formal education and have worked for nearly 2 decades in this area! It’s absolutely confusing out there. I can’t imagine the average person wanting to lose some fat and get a little healthier trying to wade through this informational mess. It isn’t easy for me, so it must be a nightmare for this person.

The most important thing I learned was that, throughout my exploration into the available information, I have done extremely well by keeping to the bone of becoming leaner and healthier. I am now calling this strategy: rational simplicity.

And here it is:

■ Eat more vegetables and fruits, but eat less overall by eating less frequently.
■ Lift some weight
■ Periodically elevate the heart rate really high.
■ Finally, walk around. A lot.

I wish I could impress people with more technical information than this. But it’s really this simple.

Simple, but not easy. Where have you heard that before? :)

RM