 Jackie (pictured above) had family visiting last week, so only made it in on Friday to train with me.
Her plan was to drop in at a local gym to hit the other 2 sessions, and not miss training. She only made it for one. I sent her the percentages for the lifts she would do on her own. She covered both lifts in that one session, setting a personal record in one of them - the Press - on her own. Her upper body pressing and pulling strength is something we've spent the past few months working on. Her PR on Wednesday was 5lbs over the top weight I gave her. She wanted to see what it felt like. She reported that "it went right up." Progress is addicting. It will keep you on track when it gets inconvenient to train. Progress builds confidence. Confidence helps you to see a greater vision for yourself to push toward. Create a vision for yourself. Find a path that will lead you to it. Commit to that without fail. If you do those 3 things for a year, 2018 will close on a very different you.
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 With Thanksgiving just past, THE HOLIDAY SEASON has officially begun.
This is normally a time when people give in to the busyness of the season - real or perceived, and put off training the body and mind and eating like an adult until after the New Year - when things calm down to a more routine pace. This is weak, plain and simple. You need to manage your life - regardless of what's happening around you. Waiting for the New Year to start improving yourself is, literally, insane. If you're unhappy or unsatisfied with any aspect of yourself, why would you put off taking steps to change? A.) Laziness B.) Fear C.) Apathy D.) Inertia of the status quo I can't help you if your answer falls in one the first three. No one can. If that's you, and you're not satisfied with where you are, then you need to change your attitude and thought pattern. If, on the other hand, the inertia of the same routine and expectation is what keeps you from taking action toward bettering yourself, let me offer you some clarity. Most people who are not already involved in some disciplined form of training, eating, and living will gain around 5-10 lbs over the holidays. The extra weight gain (which they'll struggle to lose in the New Year), along with the absence of a sense of control will cause a low level of guilt, frustration, and disappointment without having any counter in their life to offset it. The conditioned response - once the holidays are over - is to jump at the easiest and least expensive fitness and weight loss option promising the fastest results. Most of these resolution exercisers will fail and drop out of whatever they're doing within the first 2-3 months. Many who last beyond that will start to trail off as the weather turns warmer and Spring turns to Summer. These people will remain trapped in this cycle of mediocrity - never seeing any real or lasting change to their bodies or their minds. They never had the understanding of commitment to begin with. Doing anything when it comes easy requires little to nothing of you. It has little value attached to it. When something costs you - whether it's time, money, effort, or all three, it begins to mean something to you. Seeing results is important. Results are why you invested. Results show you that you're moving in the right direction. What those results cost you, however - the time, money, and effort - are what anchor you to the process. Letting it slip means your effort was in vain. The more you sacrificed to get there, the more you let fall from your grasp. So you push on and continue to progress. The commitment to the process - the effort it takes to do what is necessary - is what separates you from the status quo. In case you haven't been paying attention - The status quo is a disappointment. This year, you can do the same thing, and let external circumstances dictate what you do to make yourself better. You won't be alone. There will be plenty of company. OR You can do something different this year. Start getting better now.  I think a lot of people struggle with maintaining consistency in at least one area of their life. They have a good run starting a new habit or practice until something inevitably comes along that disrupts their routine.
Their momentum gets broken and they have a hard time getting back in it. This leads to frustration, discouragement, and depression. It's kind of like pushing or pulling a heavy sled or vehicle. The worst thing you can do - especially when you're getting fatigued- is stop. It's easier to keep the load moving than to break inertia to get it started again. Most stop because they feel they've run out of strength and stamina, or the motivation or inspiration just isn't there. Strength and stamina are developed by pushing farther than before, over and over. Motivation and inspiration rely on emotion and opportunity. Discipline relies on habit and integrity. Discipline requires you to set standards and goals and find a way to meet them. Discipline will keep you pushing forward through discomfort and fatigue. Setting goals and meeting them will keep you focused and on task, while building your confidence. Consistent repetition will build strength and staying power in that practice. Create a vision of yourself - give it purpose and power, and let it drive you to develop the mindset and habits to lead you to success.  For me, the gym is a sacred place
It's a place of unlimited opportunity It's a place where you can change the very fabric of who you are. It's a place where you can leave the outside world behind in the pursuit of something greater than what that world can offer you. Regardless of your past - your genetics, upbringing, lifestyle, belief systems - it's a place for you to abandon who you were to fight for who you want to become. It’s a place where insecurity is shrugged off and confidence is built. It’s a place where second chances are born and comebacks are made. It’s a place where lives are changed through hard work, dedication, and discipline. What you do in the gym, good or bad, is yours and yours alone. The product is the direct result of your application. What you build there no one can take, and no one can claim. The more devoted time you put into the gym, the more you learn about yourself - how far you’re willing to go, how strong you are mentally and emotionally. If you’re truly dedicated, you learn how to strengthen the mind and spirit along with the body. You don't have to break records, go crazy, or kill yourself, but you do have to show up and give it your best for that day. In your gym, the day's distractions, worries, and weight go away. Or they at least become a little quieter, only existing as background noise, giving way to the focus on the work to be done. The frustrations, fears, doubts, and anger are driven aside by the will to overcome something that can be handled, felt, grasped, struggled with, and bested. You are left more empowered, more self assured, and with a quiet mind. The thought of constant, continual growth, of unrelenting forward pressure toward personal greatness frightens some people. That's ok. The weight room is not for everyone. It's for those with the vision to see what they can become and the boldness to take aggressive action toward that end.  Pictured above is Redemption gym member Mindi - on her way to a current Squat PR of 2 Sets of 125lb x 5. Mindi's been working hard, making a comeback. She averages 4x per week in the gym - regardless of how she feels. She's overhauled her nutrition and the way she looks at food - a MAJOR step for her - leading to significant change in body composition. When she's going through a rough spot, she reaches out for guidance, support, and maybe the occasional gentle foot to the rear. She's kicking ass, pushing through resistance, and crushing the training and the lifestyle - working hard to be the best that she can be. Mindi has a family, and she owns and operates her own business - MH Financial CPA Firm, LLC. She is extremely busy, works long, crazy hours, and is subject to enormous amounts of stress. Through all of this - in spite of all this - she makes a way to get to her training AND to eat in a way that supports her body and where she wants to be. None of this has been easy for her to do. She trains when she wants to stay home and crash. She eats when she doesn't want to, and she eats what she knows she should instead of what she'd rather eat. Mindi is DEDICATED. The product of her DEDICATION is significant fat loss and muscle gain, increases in strength and performance, and both hormonal and metabolic improvement. A side product of all of this, though - and one of the most overlooked yet important benefits of training - has been the development of her mental strength - her Will and Drive. Dedication to a cause or goal leads to discipline. It's how you can do what needs to be done to get what and/or where you want. It's basically being a grown up and doing the right thing as opposed to allowing your emotions to lead you around. We all have our areas where we can apply more dedication and discipline, where we're relying too much on inspiration and motivation instead of raw desire for something more, something better. We can look at people like Mindi - people who are too busy, too tired - overwhelmed and generally not spending their workday daydreaming about lifting weights and odd objects - yet who consistently show up and put the work in. We can see their progress, the momentum they create for themselves, and perhaps we can shake off our own excuses, our own childish need for everything to come easy, and find a way to dedicate ourselves to that cause we hold dear.  Injuries can be setbacks, but only if you let them be.
Mike came in last night with a boot on his foot, unable to do any of the lower body strength and power work that we normally do. Instead of staying home he came in and had a great session built around the Overhead Press. Training around an injury can create the opportunity to focus on areas you've been neglecting or you normally don't get to work. It also creates the opportunity to develop an unstoppable mindset - one that will carry you through the ups and downs in training and in life. Don’t let anything keep you from making progress. There’s more at stake than just your physical goals. Find a way to push forward and keep making continual progress.  I don’t miss a training session. Every now and then, something may come up that keeps me from training that day, or hitting a full session, but I get the session in the following day, or I split the session up over 2 days.
I keep moving forward. I keep making progress. This is one of the values of having a solid progressive training program. It keeps you honest, focused, and on task. For awhile, a couple of months back, due to schedule, I fell into the habit of bailing on my training on Fridays and catching it on Saturday or, most times, Sunday. This worked, and I made progress, but it threw my whole training schedule off, causing it to interfere with other areas of my life. It also created a kind of casual, lackadaisical attitude toward my training at the end of the week. Like I said - I don’t miss a session. Training is too big a part of who I am and who I want to be. I was getting my training in, but I didn't like how my schedule and mindset was going. I made it a point to get back to my regular Monday through Friday. It took a shift in thinking and scheduling, but I got things back on track. Once I locked my training schedule back down to a Monday - Friday frame, my weekends got better, but my training also improved, becoming even more focused and productive. That little shift in mindset - making sure my training got in during the week regardless of how tight my schedule - brought more focus and greater intent to my training, leading to better results. I don’t know what training means to you - what concept you have of strength, fitness, health, performance and why this is - or should be - important to you. All I know is that seeing and acknowledging a need is not enough to get you in motion and keep you going when things get difficult or the novelty wears off. There has to be a vision that is worth burning for. There has to be a deep rooted desire to be greater. These are the fuel that will drive you to consistently shrug off complacency, slack, and comfort to push yourself to do your best and stay focused - to never miss - to keep moving forward - to keep making progress. Anything else is asking for failure. Anything less will lead to mediocrity. And you will quit. Or "take a break" , losing momentum, never progressing. Find your vision. Find your desire. Do what is necessary to get there.  I had a conversation with my wife the other day where we both knew someone looking to lose weight by running on the treadmill. The one person deals with pain issues and the other motivation. It struck me that many skip the obvious. Many people give no thought to basic calisthenics and simple dumbbell work. This kind of - what I call basic - training is simple and efficient to implement, has a greater return on investment, and is great for building a strong and resilient body.
Many people fail to realize they need strength. Strength is the foundation to build everything else on. The stronger you become, the bigger your engine, and, therefore, your capability. Strength training is metabolically efficient, meaning that you’re creating a large caloric expenditure, and you’re building muscle, which is very metabolic. Also, That strength and muscle will support other, future activity, both inside and outside of fitness. Don’t get me wrong - conditioning is important. You can’t go through life breathing heavy going up a flight of stairs or doing a little bit of work. For the person getting started or starting back up, though, we can address the immediate needs with some strength basics. For most untrained people, running anything circuit style is going to provide enough conditioning for where they're at. Here's one example: PUSHUPS can be done anywhere. If you can’t do a full pushup on the floor, you can do them elevated with your hands on a bench, table, couch, bed, etc. Find the height that’s right for you to get a solid set of at least 5. SQUATS can be done anywhere. If you can’t do a full squat - bringing your butt below your knees, you can squat to a chair, stool, or anything else that allows you to sit down and stand up with good form. CRUNCHES and REVERSE CRUNCHES can be done anywhere. DUMBBELL BICEP CURLS Most people have a set of dumbbells laying around somewhere. If not, they can be found cheap on Craigslist, eBay, or bought in Walmart or any sporting goods store. There’s four exercises that can be done at home, at any time, that when run together as a circuit, can go a long way to building a base level of strength and conditioning in a minimal amount of time per session. The internet is filled with how to videos on these exercises. Watch 2 or 3 to be sure. There’s no reason to not know how to do these basics. Once you’ve figured out the movements, a simple circuit can be done for 3 - 5 sets. Pushups x 5 Squats x 5 Curls x 5/5 Abs x 5 Sets and reps can vary based on strength and ability, but at the very least, this would take no more than 10 - 15 min at the start, and done 3x per week, would go a lot farther toward changing your body, your mind, and your life, than getting on the treadmill. An easy way to start is with the minimum 5 reps per exercise done for 3-5 sets, again depending on ability. As you get stronger, add an extra set or rep. When you get to the point where 5 sets of 10 reps isn’t too much trouble, you can increase the demand by lowering your the platform on the pushup and squat and increasing weight on the curls. That’s a simple to implement beginner’s program that can be done before hitting the shower in the morning or while watching tv at night. You could literally start that today.  As Summer’s coming quickly to an end, I’ve been reflecting back, and I realize that I’ve had a pretty good one.
I look at summer as a time to be outside as much as possible and enjoy the weather. I took full advantage - training harder than ever, inspired to get outside, sweat, and get strong. At 44, I'm the strongest I've ever been, and in good enough shape to push myself without giving in to fatigue. To top it off, I got my summer tan by training out in the open air as much as possible. I'm looking at Fall, not as a time to get back into the routine, but as the next step to progress to be built on the foundation of hard work that I spent the past months laying down. This is what I want to give to others - the opportunity to grow stronger and better - the opportunity to not have to give in to age or physical decline - the opportunity to grow stronger not just in body, but in mind and spirit as well. Life throws us curveballs, things come up. Training should be a cornerstone of your life - for physical, mental, and emotional reasons - but it shouldn't BE your life. That's why it's necessary to have a mindset and attitude for success paired with a training program that has the flexibility to fit around your life. Flexibility is necessary in both the training regimen, AND the mindset that one has toward the training and the goal. Too many times people are so fixed in their outlook on training, nutrition, etc., that when something inevitably comes up that will disrupt their routine, they falter and stumble off the path, only to put their progress off until a better time. The problem here is that waiting for the perfect time for anything becomes a vicious cycle. There is no perfect time. You have to decide that the time is now. Take appropriate action, and do what is necessary. The ability to “Be like water”, as Bruce Lee said is needed. Water flows over and around things. It takes the shape of whatever vessel it’s poured into. The point is - you need to be able to flow around, over, and through whatever comes up in the way of your goal. Your routine may break up from time to time, but your progress doesn’t have to. This is how you develop an unstoppable mindset and will. Your self discipline, self confidence, and belief in yourself will increase exponentially as you put this into practice more and more. Where you once tried and failed, only to start over again, you’ll see yourself succeed and progress. I’m excited to say that, as Summer closes, I’m re-opening Redemption full time in Robbinsville. I’ll be offering an increasingly flexible, progressive strength and conditioning program unlike anything I’ve done before and unequaled in the area. Increases in strength, flexibility/mobility, and overall fitness will be guaranteed.  How you ALLOW yourself to perceive a thing directly effects your performance of that thing and determines your outcome.
If you view a difficult thing from the perspective of the hardship you will encounter, the probability of failure, or the discomfort you will have to endure, the thing will be difficult to bear, and your performance will suffer, effecting the end product. If you view it as a challenge to be met and overcome, the next step in a process that you have been working for - a place that you have reached through work, discipline, sweat, sacrifice, and commitment - then you realize you are right where you wanted to be. This thing is a reward, and one more threshold to cross along the way. Just as you had to earn your place here, you must do this thing to earn the next place ahead. If this is your mindset - you realize and remember that this is what you want, and you are able to focus your mind and body in effort toward successful completion of the task. It is only the child in us that wants the reward without the risk or sacrifice. I have found this is to be one main key to success, and it is something I work on regularly. Of course, It helps when you have people and processes to help you with the task, but if you can't self start and self motivate, the help is only a crutch, and when it's gone, you'll be left with nothing solid to keep you on track and pushing ahead. I have literally had a conversation where my friend stated that he turned around halfway to the gym, and didn't go back, because he realized he forgot his iPod. I know of people that can't focus on the work without music. This is either to motivate them or distract them from what they are doing. This is not a mindset that creates success. Don't get me wrong, things like this can be big factors in productivity, and should be used accordingly, but if you can't find the focus without them, they do more harm then good. From time to time, I play music when I train. It does fire me up a little more for the training, and I have a little more fun in the process. I don't need it, though, and I'll go long periods without it because I don't want to lose the ability to create the environment within myself. I want to be able to find my focus and drive with nothing else but my will and desire. This can be applied everywhere. I only use music and training as an easy example. Winning, being successful when everything is going your way and you're having a good day is easy. Creating success when nothing seems to be going for you and everything feels like a struggle or a fight is where true champions are made - whether in the weight room, on the field, in business, or in life. Here's the key takeaway - you never get to the point where the right attitude, the right mindset is automatic. Everyone, including the top players, has those moments where they're disheartened, rundown, and feel like blowing off what hey have to do - or even quitting outright. The difference is, they know how to quickly smash those thoughts and feelings and create the ones that will help them to not just push through the difficulty, but come out on top. Change your attitude, change your approach to the things you need to smash, and change your life. To Victory - Eric |
AuthorEric Chasko is the head of Redemption. He is a Performance Enhancement Specialist, Certified Underground Strength Coach, Progressive Fighting Systems Full Instructor, and Blauer Tactical Systems SPEAR: Personal Defense Readiness Trainer. From young athletes to busy professionals, he helps people develop the physical, mental, and emotional strength to win on the field, on the street, and in life. Archives
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