Search results matching tags 'TRX' and 'New Year's Resolutions'

4 Insights to Achieving Optimal Fitness - Conclusion

Fraser — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Previously Jonathan took you through the first 2 of his Insights for Optimal Fitness and gave you some homework to help you implement them. Enjoy the conclusion

3 – No time to work out?
Funny thing, if you ask anyone who does exercise regularly if they are busy and pressed for time, they will say yes. It's not like everyone who exercises consistently is just sitting around looking for something to fill up their day.

In fact, I’m so busy I don’t have the time to work out either! But I take the time to.

You will be BUSY whether you exercise or not.

It comes down to making a choice between being “busy and fit” or “busy and unfit.”

It really is just that simple.

The reality is, 33 million people watched the season finale of American Idol so we've all clearly got plenty of time available for exercise. You can watch whatever programs you want, as often as you want, but taking care of yourself is a bigger priority and comes first.

The alternative: Ignore your body...and it will go away.

4 – Guilt-free forever
Way back in time, we needed to hunt, kill, skin, clean, and cook dinner; build our own shelters, wash clothes by hand, and protect ourselves from the elements and from predators.

Translation: We had to do A LOT of physical activity EACH DAY that was directly related to SURVIVAL. We spent a lot of calories just staying alive one more day!

The idea of expending energy that wasn't directly related to survival does not sit too well with your brain. After all, if you run around all day chasing fireflies, you may not have the energy left to run away from that saber-toothed tiger when it chases you!

Fast forward back to today: With the need for survival-based activity largely removed from our lives, we don't "need" to be active. In fact, we are largely insulated from the consequences of inactivity by modern conveniences and can safely get by while hardly lifting a finger.

But our brains follow our genetic programming and it is hard-wired over millennia to discourage physical activity that isn't survival-related. A few decades of living with modern conveniences hasn't changed the programming in our bodies.

So when you climb on that elliptical, or pick up those dumbbells, or tell yourself, "I've got to work out today," your brain often subtly discourages it or at least makes it seem harder to get it done than it would if you had to. After all, if you do the workout, you're burning up energy that you may need to make a shelter later - or so your brain thinks.

This is why - even for us fitness experts - it often takes a bit of an effort to get moving to exercise.

It's biology that drives you to inactivity, not willpower. Recognize it for what it is - the programming left over from a time we no longer live in - and just say "No" to the guilt about struggling to exercise.

I'm off to work out now, I've got no predators to run away from so I should be fine!

Jonathan Ross is a TRX Master Trainer and the 2006 ACE Personal Trainer of the Year. Additionally he was selected as a Finalist in2008 for IDEA's Personal Trainer of the Year and as one of Men’s Journal Magazine’s Top 100 Personal Trainers in America. His unique personal experiences – having 800 pounds of parents – help him create exercise strategies that deliver big results for his clients and make him a sought after fitness expert by the media.

4 Insights to Achieving Optimal Fitness - Part 1

Fraser — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

by Jonathan Ross

1 – What are your “fitness values?”

Might sound like a silly question, but what does fitness really mean to you beyond a vague notion of “getting in shape.” What does a more capable body allow you to do? How does living in a more fit body allow you to more fully participate in your own life?
“Fitness values” is a term I created to describe what it is about being fit that you really care about. For each of us, there is something that better fitness does for us that we treasure. It might be playing with your children or grandchildren, taking up a new sport or activity, or renewing participation in a previous one. Knowing what your fitness values are keeps fitness connected to what matters most to you.

The workouts you do day-in, day-out are often not great motivators in and of themselves to stick with it over time. They are simply a means to an end (and not just a means to reduce your end). Each of us has reasons that we value fitness, and simply looking better often only scratches the surface of what they are.
Your "fitness values" are what better fitness presents you the opportunity to do and to be.

Find them, and you'll have lifelong motivation to stay fit!

2 – Are you a goal setting victim or hero?

When you watch a horror movie, you often see victims running away from the villain while looking back at the villain. And you know what happens: the victim falls down and is caught.

When you set fitness goals to avoid a negative, it makes it harder for you to find success. If you’re trying to:

Avoid looking “ugly in your wedding dress”
Avoid “Looking bad in your bathing suit”
Are “tired of feeling fat in your clothes”

Your mind makes a negative connection with fitness.

Now, consider if we state the exact same goals in a different way, listen to how different they sound. What if you wanted to:

“Look great in your wedding dress”
“Feel confident in your bathing suit”
“Fit into your favorite dress or pair of jeans.”

Those are essentially the same goals, but don’t they sound different in your mind when you say them?

Listen to the self-talk in your head about fitness, and carefully check your wording when setting goals.

If your efforts to get fit were made into a movie, would you want to be a victim or the hero? Set goals like a hero, and that's just what you'll be.

To be continued... check back tomorrow for the 3rd and 4th insights!

Homework

Spend a few minutes to reflect and write down 1-2 fitness values as described above.
Be a goal setting hero - Write out 1-3 POSITIVE fitness goals.

Post these where you will see them multiple times throughout the day - refridgerator, screeen saver etc.

Jonathan Ross is a TRX Master Trainer and the 2006 ACE Personal Trainer of the Year. Additionally he was selected as a Finalist in 2008 for IDEA's Personal Trainer of the Year and as one of Men’s Journal Magazine’s Top 100 Personal Trainers in America. His unique personal experiences – having 800 pounds of parents – help him create exercise strategies that deliver big results for his clients and make him a sought after fitness expert by the media.

The New Year's Training Challenge: Week 1

Fraser — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

With all of this talk of staying motivated and getting into a routine, we wanted to give you a weekly training challenge for you to sink your teeth into for the month of January. What follows is a Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 weekly program that brings some of the training DVDs together to give you the best of all Suspension Training worlds.

Pick the level that is appropriate for you and see if you can rise to the challenge for the entire month!

Week #1

Level 1
DVD requirements: TRX Essentials: Strength, TRX Essentials: Flexibility

Day                     Workout
Monday               TRX Essentials: Strength
Tuesday              Rest
Wednesday         TRX Essentials: Flexibility
Thursday             Rest
Friday                TRX Essentials: Strength
Saturday              Rest
Sunday                Rest

Level 2
DVD requirements: TRX All Body Xpress, TRX Core Strength, TRX Essentials: Flexibility

Day                     Workout
Monday               TRX All Body Xpress
Tuesday              Rest
Wednesday         TRX Core Strength A & TRX Essentials: Flexibility
Thursday             Rest
Friday                TRX All Body Xpress
Saturday              Rest
Sunday                TRX Core Strength B & TRX Essentials: Flexibility

Level 3
DVD requirements: TRX Force Training, TRX Essentials: Flexibility

Day                     Workout
Monday               TRX Force Training Day 1 (Week 5-6)
Tuesday              TRX Force Training Day 2 (Week 5-6)
Wednesday         TRX Essentials: Flexibility
Thursday             TRX Force Training Day 1 (Week 5-6)
Friday                TRX Force Training Day 2 (Week 5-6)
Saturday              TRX Essentials: Flexibility
Sunday                TRX Essentials: Flexibility

In the New Years Day post, one of the 8 Tips was "Commit to Keeping a Training Log". Now that you've figured out which level you want to work at for the New Year's Challenge, be sure to track your results in the forums and let the strength of the community power you to your best fitness ever!

I'm looking forward to reading about your journey.

Good Luck!

8 Tips to Achieving Your Fitness Goals in 2009

Fraser — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

The New Year marks a reflective time where we take stock of our goals, celebrate our successes and refocus our energies on that which we haven’t achieved. Invariably our attention turns to our health. This is the part where we all look in the mirror, lament our waist line or think about our unrealized fitness goals and have the internal conversation. You know the one... “Right... THIS is the year.” Workout more, improve nutrition, jettison a vice etc.
The sad reality is that while the vast majority of people set a health related goal, only very few look back a year later with the pride that comes with overcoming a challenge. Indeed the attrition is so profound that it is analogous to the annual sea turtle hatch, where only a handful of thousands reach the surf while the vast majority of their brethren are gobbled up by the waiting sea birds in their brave attempt.

With all of the focus on the perfect program, the best exercise or the newest methodology, many people lose sight of the fact that none of this matters if you don’t do the work.
So why do so few succeed? There are almost as many reasons as people but here are some common themes.

Some underestimate the commitment required or in their exuberance, unwittingly set themselves up to fail by entering into an unsustainable program.
Feeling overwhelmed and self-conscious in the gym environment or the inevitable initial soreness that accompanies early stage training can drive people away.
Still others lose heart with the gradual nature of the changes or are frustrated with their actual performance levels vs their expectations so they simply give up

Here are a 8 tips and strategies to employ to make sure that you are still going strong by Valentines Day and not bingeing on chocolate and wallowing in self-defeat like Bridget Jones at Christmas.

Achieving your fitness goals requires hard work, dedication and prioritization. As soon as you accept and embrace this hard fact you will have taken a giant leap forward.
You will be sore to begin with. While this is not the norm once you are underway, it is almost inevitable at the beginning. Be prepared for it and look at the sensation as your body’s way of telling you that you are on the right track.
The crux is in the first 3 to 4 weeks. Set short, adherence based goals in this crucial time and you will create a habit that will become self-sustaining.
Commit to keeping a training log. While this seems like a small thing, its affects are immeasurable! It provides a vehicle for you to celebrate your successes and derive the power that comes with having to report missed workouts. There’s nothing to create motivation and commitment like the following entry... “Jan 14th - missed training today [:'(] I feel LAZY! - I WILL TRAIN TOMORROW!!!”
Recruit a training partner or join a training group who is equally or more motivated and commit to them. This will make training infinitely more fun and charged with energy. Additionally there is nothing like knowing your friend will be waiting for you to get you out of bed and out the door.
Change up your program every 3 to 4 weeks or use one of our motivational, training DVDs to keep you interested and having fun when you train on your own.
Use a nutritional program like Gourmet Nutrition to help support and guide you.
Set short term, adherence or performance based goals that you can focus on while you make your way toward your end aspiration.

I leave you with a quote from Theodore Roosevlet
"Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty...”

So the question is are you a turtle that will triumphantly acheive your goal or die prematurely in the attempt?

Employ the above tactics and you are bound to get your training year off to a great start and set the foundation for success. As additional support, in January we will be featuring blog posts on our community site from some of the world’s top trainers. Our goal is to keep you challenged, motivated, using your TRX to its full capacity and making strides with every workout to ensure that you are one of the sea turtles that make the surf so that in 2010 you'll be looking back at the year with pride and in your best shape of your life!

If you've got a great tip to help acheive your goals, be sure to write it as a comment below!