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It's that time of year again where everyone starts thinking of changes they want to make in the new year. As you can see, I'm not a big fan of the “New Year resolutions” because I find it’s an excuse for people to be content with quitting or giving up. They start over and over again because the end goal is too big and it seems so far away. This “New Year resolution” cycle makes any goal much harder to achieve whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Instead I like to think of every year as a chance to continually improve your situation by adding good habits to your day and taking away negative ones. Remember to think small, just one step at a time. Think as if you had to climb a thousand stairs, that would be extremely overwhelming and you would already contemplate quitting or not even starting, before you even started. But if all you had to do was take three steps a day, before you know it that staircase would be done!!
Here are 10 simple steps you can use to continue your success on your fitness journey. 1. Have breakfast every morning to jump start your metabolism 2. Include protein with every meal to balance your glycemic index 3. Increase your work load (eg. Lift heavier weights or start incorporating resistance training to you fitness regime) 4. Have non-negotiables to help with temptation or lack of motivation (eg: no cookies EVER or work out a minimum of 2x per week no matter what!) 5. Ask someone to keep you accountable and help you stay on track 6. Schedule your workouts in your week and plan other events around them. Also, plan out your meals to limit excuses and lack of time. 7. Record workouts and a food log to keep track of your progress and improvements 8. Make one small goal per month and stick to it for at least 3 months so that it become a habit 9. Cook most meals at home and limit buying outside food to 1x per week 10. Focus on internal results before external so that you will see results faster to help keep you motivated (increased energy, better sleeps, stronger during daily activities) FEEL IT BEFORE YOU SEE IT I really hope these 10 areas resonate with you and you will make a conscious decision to change certain areas of your life and implement the necessary steps to do so. Stair at that staircase with pride knowing one day you will complete it, just three steps at a time. Daniel
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 My Journey from Weiner to Winner
This is my first blog and I am very excited to tell you my stories. I will be sending blogs out monthly which will touch on different subjects that I feel are important to share. I gave you some history on how and why got into body building but now I will share why I decided to take it to the next level which lead me to entering and winning my first Body Building Competition in 2010. When I started training, just like every other guy, I wanted to be big but I was training wrong. I had no direction and no solid goals. I would go to the gym every morning and work on my chest and biceps because I thought that was most important, especially for the ladies (my main motivation!!). Years went by and I realized that I was doing it all wrong and not getting the results I wanted or the look that I was going for. Remember how I said I wanted to look like a super hero (specifically the Hulk). I never had a real person that I idolized because they were never proportionate. They had big arms but no chest or an awesome back but no legs. So I decided to make a change and during my training journey I realized what I wanted to focus on was symmetry! I wanted my body to look sculpted and perfect. So I started to research and ask questions and found some main tips to ensure that success. I want to share them with you now. 1. Like a tree, train from your legs up! The trees strongest part is its trunk and for us it’s our legs. Our legs are our biggest muscle and hold all that wonderful testosterone needed to enhance muscle growth. You will never get big doing bicep curls! 2. Do your compound exercises first then isolation after. By doing compound exercise you are also building your smaller secondary muscles which will have to get stronger and bigger either way to support larger muscle groups. When you train you smaller muscles first, you are limiting potential of growth for you larger muscle groups. 3. Every muscle deserves its day! This of course depends on the frequency that you are able to train on a weekly basis. But if you are able to train 5-6 days a week, give every muscle the same attention to ensure a balance. This will prevent muscle imbalance which can cause injury and make you look a little silly. Trust me people notice the ones who train chest 3x a week and forget they have legs. 4. Focus on your weak points. We all have areas that for some reason don’t grow as well as everything else, don’t ignore them instead give them extra attention! For me it’s my calves so on my off days I will just train calves or add them in with other training days. Remember it’s about balance; we want EVERYTHING to look great not just arms and chest. 5. Record your workouts. Unless you are Jay Z you will not remember all the different workouts, reps, variations, muscle groups that you are doing on an ongoing basis. You are supposed to be switching things up and following various programs so it’s easy to forget what you did last week. Writing it down help to see progression, where you are having trouble and when it’s time to switch things up. 6. Have a S.M.A.R.T goal. You have probably heard this before and it’s true. A goal without a timeline is just a dream. We need an end result or destination that we are striving for to get focused and motivated. For many years I was just “getting big”! Then when I decided to do my show it gave me the motivation to train properly and have better discipline. These are just a few tips for you to start, there are many more tips (for example: nutrition is KEY along with rest and the right mind set). I will discuss those in other blogs. I can’t give all my goodies now; I want you to come back. I hope this has helped and I look forward to hearing from you. Please check my site and ask questions or add suggestions for further blogs. Thank you and God bless. |
AuthorDan has been a personal trainer since 2008. Archives
July 2017
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