Training Is Like Farming

Guest Blog by – Michael Boyle

I think I remember Stephen Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People making reference to what I believe he called “the law of the farm.” The reference was meant to show that most of the truly good things in life take time and can’t be forced or rushed. Covey described the process of farming and alluded to how it requires patience and diligence to grow crops properly. In addition, farming requires belief in the system. The farmer must believe that all the hard work and preparation will eventually yield a long-term result.

As a strength and conditioning coach, business owner and personal trainer, the concept has always stuck with me. The process of exercising is much like farming or like planting a lawn. There are no immediate results from exercise and there are no immediate results from farming.

First, the seeds must be planted. Then fertilizer (nutrition) and water must be applied consistently. Much like fertilizer in farming, too much food can be a detriment to the exerciser. Only the correct amounts cause proper growth. Overfeeding can cause problems, as can underfeeding. As I sit and wait for my lawn to sprout or crops to grow, I feel many of the same frustrations of the new exerciser. When will I see results? How come nothing is happening? All this work and — nothing.

The key is to not quit. Have faith in the process. Continue to add water and wait. Farming and exercising are eerily similar. Continue to exercise and eat well and suddenly a friend or co-worker will say, “Have you lost weight”? Your reaction might be, “It’s about time someone noticed.” Much like the first blades of grass poking through the ground, you begin to see success. You begin to experience positive feedback. Clothes begin to fit differently.

When my friends or clients talk to me about their frustration with their initial lack of progress in an exercise program, I always bring up the farm analogy. We live in a world obsessed with quick fixes and instant results. This is why the farm analogy can be both informative and comforting.

An exercise program must be approached over a period of weeks and months, not days. The reality is that there is no quick fix, no easy way, no magic weight loss plan, no secret cellulite formula. There is only the law of the farm. You will reap what you sow. In reality, you will reap what you sow and care for. If you are consistent and diligent with both diet and exercise, you will eventually see results. However, remember, much like fertilizer and water, diet and exercise go together.

Try to grow crops or a lawn without water. No amount of effort will overcome the lack of vital nutrients.

The law of the farm.

Plant the seeds.

Feed and water properly.

Wait for results; they will happen, not in days, but in weeks and months.

The Most Critical Part Of Your Workout

Ok, so you’re working your butt off. You’re sweating. You’re hustling. You’re getting that exercise “high.” Heck, not only are you now enjoying your workouts, but you want to learn more about how to make them more effective.

That’s great!

It never ceases to amaze me how most people don’t give their bodies a second thought. They think they just go to the gym…walk on the treadmill…throw some weights around…go home and eat whatever…

Seriously, the human body is the most complicated piece of machinery on the planet. Do they really think there’s ZERO science behind exercise? Do they really think they can just eat whatever is in their fridge after working their butts off?

I dunno, maybe it’s just me, but it drives me a little crazy when people look at fitness as nothing more than guesswork. Actually, it’s a little infuriating.

Take post-workout nutrition, for example. Does it make sense that there be an OPTIMAL way to fuel your body after all the demands you make of it during your training session? Of course it does!

Bottom line: Recent studies have shown that a carbohydrate AND protein formula is more effective for rapid replenishment of muscle glycogen after exercise than a carbohydrate only supplement of equal carbohydrate or  caloric content.

In other words, just drinking a “sports drink” after your workout doesn’t cut it. The research indicates you need to fuel your body with just the right combo of carbs AND protein. And yes, this is hyper-critical to optimizing your efforts.

Here’s two more things you need to know about getting the most bang for your workout buck:

1) As a proud Prograde Partner I’m thrilled to let you know that Prograde Workout is now available on a FREE trial basis. There’s just a small S & H fee.

2) On the link below you can also learn more about the research study on post-workout nutrition.

Yes, Prograde Workout recovery drink is based on this very research. It provides the right combo of protein and carbs that your body craves after a tough training session.

Just click this special link right here and find out for yourself how you can try it for FREE:

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PS – If you want to optimize your efforts then you owe it to yourself to try Prograde Workout and see the results for yourself.

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Only One Body

Guest Post by – Michael Boyle

Imagine you are sixteen years old and your parents give you your first car. They also give you simple instructions. There is one small hitch, you only get one car, you can never get another. Never. No trade-ins, no trade-ups. Nothing

Ask yourself how would you maintain that car? My guess is you would be meticulous. Frequent oil changes, proper fuel, etc. Now imagine if your parents also told you that none of the replacement parts for this car would ever work as well as the original parts. Not only that, the replacement parts would be expensive to install and cause you to have decreased use of your car for the rest of the cars useful life? In other words, the car would continue to run but, not at the same speed and with the efficiency you were used to.

Wow, now would we ever put a lot of time and effort into maintenance if that were the case.

After reading the above example ask yourself another question. Why is the human body different? Why do we act as if we don’t care about the one body we were given. Same deal. You only get one body. No returns or trade-ins. Sure, we can replace parts but boy it’s a lot of work and it hurts. Besides, the stuff they put in never works as well as the original “factory” parts. The replacement knee or hip doesn’t give you the same feel and performance as the original part.

Think about it. One body. You determine the mileage? You set the maintenance plan?

No refunds, no warranties, no do-overs?

How about this perspective? One of my clients is a very successful businessman. He often is asked to speak to various groups. One thing he tells every group is that you are going to spend time and money on your health. The truth is the process can be a proactive one or a reactive one. Money spent on your health can take the form of a personal trainer, massage therapist and a gym membership or, it can be money spent on cardiologists, anesthesiologists, and plastic surgeons. Either way, you will spend money.

Same goes for time. You can go to the gym or, to the doctors office. It’s up to you. Either way, you will spend time. Some people say things like “I hate to work out”. Try sitting in the emergency room for a few hours and then get back to me. Working out may not seem so bad. Much like a car, a little preventative maintenance can go a long way. However, in so many ways the body is better than a car. With some good hard work you can turn back the odometer on the body. I wrote an article a while back ( Strength Training- The Fountain of Youth) that discussed a study done by McMaster University which showed that muscle tissue of older subjects actually changed at the cellular level and looked more like the younger control subjects after strength training.

Do me a favor, spend some time on preventative maintenance, it beats the heck out of the alternative. Just remember, you will spend both time and money.

The 4 Lies You’ll Tell Yourself On New Year’s Eve… and the six steps you can take to ensure that you’ll have your best year yet!

Guest post by – Dax Moy

Liar, Liar!

Have you ever noticed how many good, honest, hardworking people turn into liars at New Year?

It’s an amazing thing to watch as people from all walks of life, all ages and both sexes, go through the whole New Year’s resolution ‘thing’ and tell themselves lies about what the next 12 months will bring them.

You know what I mean.

11.59pm on New Year’s Eve you turn to a loved one and say “This year is going to be different. I’m really going to achieve some great things!” and for that one minute, that one moment in time, you mean it.

You REALLY mean it!

You are fired up, raring to go and ready, willing and (despite the glass of champagne in your hand) able to commit to that new diet, getting that payrise or new job, starting that company, writing that book and a whole host of other great sounding things.

Then the bells ring in the New Year and a funny thing happens.

January 1st rolls around and, whilst the goals are still in your head, they don’t seem as important anymore. (maybe it’s the champagne?)

January 2nd comes and by lunchtime you’re telling yourself that some of your goals are ‘just silly fantasies’ and you scratch them off your list.

January 3rd arrives and, despite a much shorter list than you had just 2 days before, you start to tell yourself that “I’ve got all year to do this. I don’t have to start right now. Let me just ‘settle in’ to the year first and ‘get myself sorted’ and THEN I’ll work on my goals”

Like I said, all lies!

In fact, there are FOUR lies that are used more often than any others at this time of year. Pay attention and you might recognise a few of them from New Year’s gone by…

Lie number one: ‘This year is going to be different’

For some reason, this seems to be one of the most popular of all the lies we tell ourselves yet, the truth of the matter is, for most people, sad though it is, 2010 is going to be EXACTLY the same as 2009 was.

Why?

Because, despite their initial optimism and excitement at what they new year will bring, their strategy is EXACTLY the same as it was last year and, as the saying goes, if you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.

Most people aren’t looking to MAKE many changes, they just WANT changes to happen.

They’re not really looking to address CAUSES of their shortcomings, they just want the EFFECTS to go away all by themselves.

Sound familiar?

Lie number two: ‘The goals don’t seem as important anymore’

Fibber!

Yes they are!

They’re every bit as important as they were 24 hours ago it’s just that somewhere deep down you’ve started to persuade yourself that your goals are somehow unachievable and, if the truth be known, you’re scared about failing so instead you lie about their importance.

If not that then you’ve suddenly realised that the price to achieve them is a little more than you’re actually willing to pay.

That new diet.

The new training program.

The savings account.

The new job.

Sure, you’d like the new body, the better health, the extra wealth and freedom but DOING what needs to be done is the problem so you lie and pretend that the goals are no longer appealing.

Tsk, tsk!

Lie number three: ‘They’re just silly fantasies’

This is a continuation of lie number two but much more harmful.

With this lie you’ve started to rationalise and justify why your goals are impossible and use all kinds of excuses disguised as ‘reasons’ as to why your goals are unrealistic… the biggest lie of all!

Every single one of your goals is yours for the taking if you’re committed to making them happen.  EVERY one!

All you have to do is commit. Make a decision that you want the reward, commit to paying the price and you WILL have that thing or those things come true for you.

When all’s said and done, most of us want pretty simple things. A better home, better health, better relationships and maybe a few baubles thrown in for good measure. What’s so unrealistic about that?

Don’t use the ‘unrealistic silly fantasies lie to keep you from taking action on your goals or you’ll doom your life to a groundhog day repetition over and over and over again while you ‘play it safe’ and ‘be realistic’.

Lie number four: ‘I’ll settle in first and do it when there’s more time’

What a great lie!

This is an ‘I’m not giving up, I just need to get back into the flow at work or school before I attack these goals’ kind of lie that you use to delay things until the time is right.

But wait a minute…

Wasn’t work, school or your other favourite excuse the reason why you couldn’t achieve your goals BEFORE New Year?

No, you know full well that lie number four is simply a delay tactic, that ‘one day’ lie that we all tell ourselves in order to get out of taking action when we know we could, when we know we should. You know, ‘one day when I have more time…’ or ‘one day when I have more money…’ (or whatever else you use to delay your goals).

Regardless of your ‘one day’ excuse, the results are the same… zero. Just like they are every year.

Now, if you’ve read this far you’re probably recognising many of these lies as ones you’ve told yourself in the past, and maybe even ones you’re still telling yourself now. But, like many people, you have no real idea about how to break free from the habit of creating ‘wish-lists’ and then lying about why they didn’t come true.

In short, you’re not really that sure about how to make 2010 any better than 2009 was are you?

Well, if that’s the case then you definitely need to keep reading because I’m about to lay out a strategy so simple, yet so highly effective that, if applied as I describe (the important bit) simply cannot fail.

Interested?

I bet you are!

Well, here’s the thing. It requires 6 steps.

Just 6.

Follow them all and seriously great things will happen for you, miss one and it’s game over on your goals. I can’t put it any clearer than that.

Ok, here is success in 6 simple, straightforward, easy-to-understand steps:

1. Know what you want

2. Know why you want it

3. Know when you want it by

4. Write it down

5. Know the price

6. Pay it

If your first reaction to that list is one of ‘is that all?’ then you’re underestimating the power of simplicity for achieving great things.

You see, that those 6 steps, whilst simple, really do form the most powerful goal achievement strategy on the planet. You’ll be hard pushed to find a single successful person on that planet who isn’t committed to using these six steps on a daily basis.

1. Know what you want

Sounds obvious really, but ask almost anyone what they want to achieve from their diet, their exercise plan, their career and even their life, and you get vague generalities at best.

Let’s be clear on this; Things like “lose weight” or “get fit” or “earn more” are not goals.

They’re not!

They’re simply wishes that are so vague and meaningless that you can pretty much guarantee that they’ll fail.

A real goal, on the other hand, is very clear indeed. It tells you exactly what you’re setting your sights upon meaning that you always have a reference point as to how near or how far you are from completing it.

For example ‘lose weight’ becomes ‘lose 30lbs’ or ‘weigh exactly 120lbs’. ‘Get fit’ becomes ‘run the marathon’ or ‘do 50 pushups’ and ‘earn more’ becomes ‘earn $100,000 a year after tax’

See the difference?

One is open ended and allows for excuses and get out clauses whilst the other hangs the target in plain view allowing you to measure your current level of success and adjust your course as appropriate

So, just what is it that YOU want? (Write it down on a sheet of paper RIGHT now!)

2. Know WHY you want it

It never ceases to amaze me that people will happily set goals that they don’t really care that much about.

They say ‘I’m going to do this’ or ‘I’m going to do that’ yet when you ask them why they can’t explain it.

This is the surest sign that a goal is doomed to failure and is a definite warning sign you should look out for when setting your own goals.

You see a goal, any goal, is nothing without desire to fuel it into action and, in turn, desire cannot exist without a strong WHY behind it.

But not just any old WHY. It takes the ‘true’ why to put any real power into your goals. Let me give you an example;

I coached a lady earlier this year who, for many years had struggled with her weight. She set goals all the time, sometimes reached them but nearly every time found that she quickly regressed back to her old weight and very often added a bit extra into the bargain.

When I asked her why she wanted to lose weight she looked at me incredulous, like I was really dumb. “Can’t you see how overweight I am? Isn’t it obvious?”

“So are many people” I replied, “but that doesn’t explain why YOU want to lose weight.”

“Because I want to fit into nicer clothes” she responded “I want to wear pretty things”

“Why?” “Because prettier clothes will make me look prettier” she said with her

discomfort now becoming obvious.

“Why is that important?” I went on.

“Because…” (she started to cry now) “…I feel ugly the way I am now….” She went on “… and I want to feel pretty so that I can meet someone and I won’t be alone anymore… I want someone to love me…” and the tears flowed.

Now, you might be sitting there thinking ‘poor girl’ and wondering why she had to be put through such an ordeal just to help her set a goal. It might even sound cruel in some way.

Well, let me finish the story and let you decide for yourself.

From the moment the coaching session ended, this lady began an amazing metamorphosis.

She lost over 50lbs (and is still losing more), looks happier, feels happier and now has a relationship with someone who loves her like crazy.

I asked her not long ago “What was the turning point? What changed everything for you?” and her answer was simple “I stopped lying to myself. I told the truth about why I wanted to lose weight, and as soon as I did I realised that not only should I lose weight, but that I MUST if I was ever going to be happy”

That’s what WHY does for goals.

It takes all of the shoulds in your life and transforms them into things that MUST happen, and that’s when the magic begins.

You see, the things you could do and the things you should do aren’t anywhere near as powerful as the things that have the power of MUST behind them.

Once you take your could’s and should’s to the level of MUST, you no longer look for reasons, justifications and excuses or other ‘get out clauses’ and instead you focus making things happen.

Turn YOUR should’s into MUST’s by defining WHY you want your goals.

3. Know WHEN you want them by

A goal without a completion date is like a book without words in it. It’s meaningless.

Until you define the timescale that you’re allowing yourself to complete any given goal you’re simply reverting back to the ‘one day’ lie and the ‘wouldn’t it be nice if..’ wishes that most people make.

In effect, you’re giving yourself an excuse not to take action and, as you’re well aware, without action nothing changes.

That’s why, whenever you know what you want and why you want it you MUST set a date for getting it. This adds a sense of urgency to your goal and reinforces the feeling that ‘every second counts’ which, in reality, it does.

You also get to measure whether or not your goals are on schedule or falling behind and, if necessary, exactly what actions it’ll take to bring you back on track.

So, WHEN do you want your goals to come to life for you?

4. Write your goals down and read them regularly

There is a definite sequence to taking a goal from concept to reality and it can best be summed up in three words.

Thought – Word -Action

Up to now we’ve been dealing with thought and deciding what you want, why you want it and when you want it by. This is all mental work and, whilst vital to the achievement of your goals, is by itself, not enough to bring your goals to reality.

You could say that, up to this point, you have a more clearly defined wish or dream but that, nevertheless, it’s still a dream.

To take it from a dream it needs to become real in some small way, either by verbalising it into words or, better still, writing it down.

It’s been shown that the act of simply writing your goals down increases the likelihood of their achievement by anything from 500% to 5000% and that reading those words aloud on a daily basis, even several times a day, increases the effectiveness even further.

Certainly every successful person I’ve ever met or interviewed has told me that they not only have a written list of goals, but that they read it numerous times a day and many carry their list with them at all times.

Why does it work?

Well, it’s simple really. You’re reminding yourself that your goal is important to you. More than that, you’re laying down thought patterns that turn into habits, habits which turn into actions and actions which, when carried out regularly, lead ultimately to your goals.

(If you’ve simply been reading this report and not putting your goals into the boxes I’ve provided, now is the time to go back… fail to do so and nothing changes, your choice!)

5. Know the price

Many people start out setting goals correctly, they know what they want, why they want it, when they want it by and they even write their goals on paper and yet, despite doing everything right up to this point, they find that they never make any real headway toward achieving them.

I believe this is because they often don’t think about the cost of achieving their goals beforehand and so, when the time comes to pay, they’re shocked, stunned and unwilling to do so.

The truth is, every single goal has a price that must be paid.

It might be financial, it might be time, it might be a change of lifestyle, it might be a relationship cost or any number of things, but rest assured, there WILL be a price.

Certainly, at the start of my own career (and even now to a lesser extent) my determination to have my own business, to become a journalist, TV presenter and author meant that I would have to pay the price of longer hours at work, less time with my family and a high degree of financial risk.

That was the price. I didn’t have to pay it but then, if I didn’t I wouldn’t reach my goal. My choice. What is the price of YOUR goal?

Figure it out now, up front so that you can decide before you start whether or not the cost is too steep and if it is, set another goal that you can live with and still be happy.

6. PAY The Price!

Hand in had with step five goes the obvious step of paying the price.

It gets its own category because, unlike knowing the price, paying it is an ongoing investment that you must consciously make every day until the goal is yours.

What we’re talking about is the consistent day by day, step by step ACTION that many people are simply not willing to take.

Sure, they come out of the gate well, they’re motivated to get their goal but, well, like just kinda gets in the way. One day they don’t take any action toward their goals, then two, then three and, before you know it, the goal has fallen by the wayside.

What happened?

They stopped paying the price.

Here’s the thing most people don’t get;

If you’ve been paying the price, and paying the price and paying the price for days, weeks, months and even years, then one day you wake up and stop paying the price the every single payment you made was a waste.

A waste of your time.

A waste of your money.

A waste of your effort.

A waste of your life!

You see, the only way to possibly get your investment back is to achieve the goal.

Anything less than that is throwing away a chunk of your life.

This might sound a bit over the top but nevertheless it’s true.

Once you start paying the price, stay with the goal until it’s achieved.

That’s it!

That really is all there is to getting what you want from life. I know I’ve simplified it somewhat but still, if you apply those 6 steps you’ll get what you want faster than any other means I know of.

I want to sincerely thank you for taking the time to read about the four lies we tell at New Year and the Six things that you can do to make 2010 your best year ever.

I know you’ve got lots of other things you could be doing rather than reading my blog and I appreciate you taking the time to read the whole thing.

I’ve done my very best to convey the exact steps that are required in order for you to achieve bigger and better things than you did in 2010 but, as in all things, what actually happens for you in 2010 is totally up to you.

You could brush this off as an interesting little read or as something that ‘you’ll get around to’ but, as I’ve laid out for you here, to do so would simply be to continue lying to yourself and, in the long run, bring about the failure of your goals.

The other alternative is to actually follow the 6 steps laid out for you.

Not kinda, not sorta, not almost but follow them exactly and see what happens for you.

Now, I can’t guarantee specifically what that’ll be but I do know that it’ll be something great and that, whatever your goals are they’ll be that much closer to coming true for you.

The choice is yours as to which route you take, but I do know this; one of those choices leads to certain failure and the other, certain success.

You now know which is which…

It’s time for you to choose!

Truth, joy and love

Dax Moy

P.S – If you’re looking to make some DRAMATIC changes to your life in 2010 then I highly recommend my 100 day goal achievement program The MAGIC Hundred which will guide you step by step through how to make the first 100 days of 2010 the most powerful and impactful 100 days you’ve ever had. But hey, I’m biased in this : )

The Magic hundred is the exact program I used to go from struggling to successful and is the program that Bob Proctor of ‘The Secret’ raved about back in January 2008 and since then the program has been updated and improved upon!

Go check it out for yourself at http://www.themagichundred.com!

Stop Rationalizing And Making Excuses

I recently finished reading Rachel Cosgroves new book  The Female Body Breakthrough and thought it was excellent, not just for females but for males as well. I really enjoyed reading a females perspective on helping other females with their bodies.  I got great insight into how we can better help and serve the females that come to us for coaching.

Rachel does a great job of outlining some of the most common excuses we hear all the time from both male and female clients that keep putting off action to becoming healthy and fit.

” Rationalizations are generally convenient evasions of reality and are used as excuses for dishonest behavior, mistakes, and/or laziness.”  - Dave Kekich

“I don’t have enough time!”

This is the most common excuse and it drives me crazy! here’s a little secret: You don’t find time you make it!  You’ll never suddenly have all this extra time to exercise and prepare your meals, and the good news is it probably doesn’t take as much time as you think. But you have to decide you want this. You only get one shot at life, and as time goes by, days go by, and years go by, you don’t get them back. That’s it one opportunity to make the best out of your given time. Are you setting time aside for yourself, or are you wasting it doing something else? Like maybe coming up with excuses? Isn’t it amazing how much time we have to rationalize and create excuses for ourselves?

You should think of time as being equal to life. Replace the word time with the word life from now on. When you don’t have enough time, you don’t have enough life to get in shape and reach your potential physically and mentally. Time = Life. What do you want in your life? If it is to be a fit, confident and empowered, then make the time.

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”

“I am destined to be fat it’s in my genes”

Some people are skinny without trying,  no matter what. Good for them. That doesn’t mean you should just give in to your genetics and be fat and unsatisfied, never reaching your full potential in life. It will take some work, but you can look and feel amazing no matter what your genetics are.

“I am on my period and I have cramps.”

You will actually feel better if you exercise. One of the reasons you feel down in the dumps at this time of the month is that your level of the brain chemical serotonin is low. Exercise boosts serotonin naturally and will make you feel better. Plus, it will keep you from sitting around and having a pity party because you’re bloated and on your period, and I know what goes along with a pity party, chocolate. Get to the gym! Also, as your body is changing, your hormones should stabilize and reduce or eliminate menstrual cramps.

“Work is hectic. I have too much to do at work.”

You have to make time. Work will always be there. Life is passing you by while you are busy working. You should take time for yourself every single day. Exercising will give you more energy at work, clear your head, and make you more productive. Work is not an acceptable excuse. Take one hour a day for yourself, no exceptions. If it means waking up and hour earlier , do it!

“Eating the same foods is so boring. I’m sick of chicken and vegetables.”

Sounds like whining, Eating does not, and should not equal entertainment. Get creative! You need to enjot fueling your body and how the healthy food makes you feel. Tune in to how great you feel when you’re eating those “boring” foods. The feeling you get by being in shape should outweigh how boring the food is.

“I’m too tired”

Have a strategy that you will always go to the gym and start your workout. Do 1 set of everything and see how you feel. If you’re still exhausted and not into it, go home and get some R&R. You can still feel good that you did 1 set and come back and hit it hard in a day or two. But usually once you get started , the endorphins increase, the tiredness begins to fade, and you start feeling better.

“I walk. I sn’t that enough?”

No. It is not enough. What happened to our society that walking is now considered exercise? Walking is part of living an active lifestyle. You should walk when you can, but it is not the challenge that will transform your body. You have to put a challenge on your body that it’s not use to in order to get it to change. Go for a walk as part of your relaxation.

“I’m too stressed!”

When you are under a lot of stress, you actually need exercise even more. The right amount of exercise can be the drain in your tub to help you manage stress. relieve some of the tension, and boost your endorphins to make you feel good.

“My kids come first.”

If you don’t take care of yourself, you are actually being selfish. Don’t you owe it to your kids and family to be the best you can be, feeling full of energy, feeling good about yourself, and being a healthy role model for your children to look up to? If you that everyone depends on, break down, then what? You have to take care of yourself first so you can take care of everyone else. This is not an excuse, but all the more reason why you have to make exercise and eating right a priority.

“I fit in my clothes and don’t need to exercise. I feel good enough”

Is life about getting by, settling for “good enough” No, it’s about living life to the fullest, feeling and looking your absolute best, and having fulfilling relationships and experiences that are all part of being the best you can be, not just “good enough” Life is not about just getting by. Don’t settle for “good enough”

“When you make an excuse , you are only telling a lie to yourself”

“Do, or do not. There is no try.”

Does it hurt?

Guest blog post by Michael Boyle

I get asked rehab questions all the time. I have rehabilitated athletes in almost every major sport who were told they were “all done” by a doctor or a team trainer. Because people know my background, they often ask for advice.

Most of the time they ignore the advice because the advice does not contain the answer they want. They say “it only hurts when I run”, I say things like “don’t run”.

A famous coach I know once told me “people don’t call for advice, they call for agreement or consensus. If you don’t tell them what they want to hear, they simply call someone else”. His advice to me, don’t bother wasting your time with advice.

Here I go again wasting time.

If you have an injury and are wondering whether or not a certain exercise is appropriate, ask yourself a simple question. “Does it hurt”? The key here is that the question ‘does it hurt?” can only be answered yes or no. If you answer yes, then you are not ready for that exercise, no matter how much you like it. Simple, right? Not really. I tell everyone I speak with about rehab that any equivocation is a yes. Things like “after I warm-up it goes away” etc. are all yes answers. It is amazing to me how many times I have asked people this simple question only to have them dance around it. The reason they dance around the question is that they don’t like my answer. They want to know things like “what about the magic cure that no one has told me about?”. What about a secret exercise? I have another saying I like, “the secret is there is no secret”. Another wise man, Ben Franklin I think, said “Common sense is not so common”.

If you are injured and want to get better, use your common sense. Exercise should not cause pain. This seems simple but exercisers ignore pain all the time and rationalize it. Discomfort is common at the end of a set in a strength exercise or at the end of an intense cardiovascular workout. Additional discomfort, delayed onset muscle soreness, often occurs the two days following an intense session.  This is normal. This discomfort should only last two days and should be limited to the muscles not the joints or tendons. Pain at the onset of an exercise is neither normal nor healthy and is indicative of a problem. Progression in any strength exercise should be based on a full, pain-free range of motion that produces muscle soreness without joint soreness. If you need to change or reduce range of motion, this is a problem. Progression in cardiovascular exercise should also be pain free and should follow the ten percent rule. Do not increase time or distance more than ten percent from one session to the next. I have used these simple rules in all of my strength and conditioning programs and, have been able to keep literally thousands of athletes healthy. I’m sure the same concepts will help you.

a big sets/reps MISTAKE that most make…

The Turkey Day Aftermath

Whew! It’s always a little crazy here at Colby Conditioning the week after Thanksgiving. Everyone wants to get back on track after taking a few liberties during the Holiday weekend

So today I don’t have very much time to write to you – at all. But as a proud Prograde Nutrition partner I had to let you know that their Whole Foods based multi – VGF 25 + -is now available on a trial basis.

Yes, it’s made from 25 veggies, greens and fruits. Hence the name, VGF!

It contains 7 nutrient classes:

Enzymes
Phytonutrients
Amino Acids
Essential Fatty Acids
Micro AND Macro Vitamins and Minerals

Again, what’s really cool is you can try Prograde’s VGF 25+ for FREE! (There’s just a small S & H charge)
http://colbyconditioning.getprograde.com/vgf25-free-trial.html

Ok, gotta run. Talk to you soon.

P.S. – You can see all the natural ingredients they use to make VGF 25+ at http://colbyconditioning.getprograde.com/vgf25-free-trial.html

3 Reasons Why You Should Not Stretch Your Hamstrings With A Straight Knee

1. In function the Hamstrings never function with a locked out straight knee.

2. The Hamstrings meet their tendons a few inches above your knees. If you feel a pull in the back of your knee during a hamstring stretch, you are loading the ligaments and joint capsules rather than stretching your hammies.

3. Ligaments hold your joints together. They do not stretch well, except in kids. Stretch a ligament by only 6% and it will tear. A ligament that has been subjected to excessive stretching undergoes microtears, gets scarred up, elongated, and weakened. A stretched ligament means a loose and unstable joint just waiting for a severe injury.

The solution is to bend the knee slightly to unload the ligaments and make sure you stretch the hamstrings in all 3 planes of motion.

10 Reasons Why Crunches And Sit Ups Are No Good For You!

The true authentic function of the abdominal muscles (front butt or front line of the body) during human movement/function, is to control the motions of the pelvis and rib cage (thoracic spine) in all 3 planes of human motion.

It is important you understand that the abdominal muscles get turned on (activated/stimulated) the same way every other muscle in the body gets turned on, by lengthening (stretching or loading) first.

Therefore when you select abdominal exercises, you’ll want to select and perform exercises that teach your abdominals to do what they really do when we move and function in the real world.

This type of training logic will ensure that what you are doing will carry over to what you ultimately want to be able to do better, giving you the most bang for your buck in your overall investment in your physical health and well being.

1. Crunches and sit ups shorten the stomach muscles (rectus abdminus) which will depress the rib cage and pull those who perfom them into a more rounded shoulder, hump back, slouching looking posture (kyphotic posture) along with tightening the hip flexors even more. (If that’s what you’re looking for keep doing those crunches and sit ups baby!)

2. Crunches and sit ups are performed lying on your back, while most of  human function occurs in an upright position.

3. In real world everyday functional activities we never use our abdominals in an isolated manner, like a crunch or sit up teaches us to do.

4. Traditional crunches and sit ups do not load the hips and thoracic spine into extension.

5. Crunches and sit ups do not link the motions of the pelvis, rib cage and shoulders together. (The Peltrunkula Phenomenon)

6. Crunches and sit ups isolate and train the abs in 1 plan of motion. (The abs like every other muscle and joint in the body work in all 3 planes of motion)

7. Crunches and sit ups do not train the abdominals t0 lengthen and load through the full spectrum of movements that are incurred in daily living and sports: bending, twisting, reaching, walking, running, lunging, etc..

8. Crunches and sit ups do not involve the butt. (“if the butt ain’t movin the abdominals ain’t groovin”)

9. Crunches place high compression loads on the lumbar discs (lower back) and cervical spine (neck) due to forced flexion.

10. Crunches and sit ups do not involve a transfer of energy from the foot/ankle. (“If the ankle and foot are tight theres a good chance the core ain’t right”)

So if crunches and sit ups teach the abdominals to do what they don’t really do in the real world (true authentic function) then why would you ever do another crunch or sit up ever again?

Would you ever invest time or money into something you’ll never use, feel good about, or benefit from?

If you perform crunches and sit ups, take a minute and think about Why? If the why has nothing to do with looking, feeling, and performing at your very best and doing so for a long time, you may need to revise your training strategy.

Click Here To See A Functional Abdominal Workout

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