It takes time!

Today, after my workout session I finally hit my long term goal, which I have had ever since I began lifting weights. About 4 years ago, I started out as a scrawny, lanky, and confused lifter. Which is how most people start out. After I was spinning my wheels for years and finally asked myself what my goals were and how I was suppose to get there.

My goals were this:

1. Lift a combination of 1000 pounds w/ the three major lifts. (Bench, Dead-lifts, and Squats)
2. Have an impressive physique (that I can proudly say I can compete again top models)
3. Get confident in my body

So, I analyzed my body and my goals. In order to lift 1000 pounds, I obviously need to gain weight, because 140 lb stick-man cannot do that, unless I am a juicer or extremely genetically gifted (which both I don't have.)

I bulked last year and finally broke through my fears of adding a couple pounds of fat; especially in order to put on some real muscle.

Then looking at the second number, I wanted an impressive physique (which is extremely subjective, everyone has a different opinion  but my body was impressive to high school freshman, and I was 18. Meaning I was a skinny skater with a ripped six pack (due to my leanness obviously)... So as with my first goal, I needed to pack on some serious weight so i can develop a MANLY physique rather then a high school physique.

The third goal was going to just come as I began creeping closer to my other two goals. And another reminder to the readers, this is a LONG TERM GOAL LIST, not my short terms. I have many smaller time frame goals that are attainable and keep me on track towards my longer term goals.

Your probably wondering why I am writing all this crap, right? Where am I going with this?

Well, today I reached two of my goals (I got confident in my body as I was gaining weight and pulling some serious weight, like dead-lifting nearly three times my body weight was impressive i think.)

The goal I reached today was, 1000 pounds total lifted with my main three exercises. I woke up sick and sore in my lower body but it didn't stop my drive to push myself to its limits in the gym.

This is why I am writing this article. It is to show my readers that goals aren't going to happen over night. Goals are meant to take a long time to reach. If they were too easy, then the amount of workload you can handle will never change, and the rewards you reap will never be satisfactory.

So, this is specifically to my clients. Don't feel like your not reaching success because you haven't attained your six pack, or if you havent dropped your 20pounds of fat yet. Maybe its time for you to analyze your goals and your own body, and the amount of hard work your putting in.

• Are you eating healthy, and watching the amount of calories going in your mouth?
• Are you doing everything you possibly can without burning out?
• Are you sleeping more than 6 hours a night?
• Are you working out at least 3 times a week or at least being active?
• Are you being realistic?
• Are you exercising with correct form, and pushing yourself as hard as possible?

I'm sorry to tell you but having goals like achieving a six pack is easy for me, but its easy for me because I am 100% dedicated and I never think twice about diving off of my path to achieving goals.

I am constantly going to every workout session and literally bleeding and tearing apart my muscles. My work out partners and friends are commenting on my drive, passion, and focus every time I am in the gym.

Are you doing this? How bad do you actually want it?

Because if you do everything I tell you, you WILL ACHIEVE the body you want. But, that is only with 100% dedication. Not, 90%, not 50%. If your not eating the correct amount of calories, your going to get either fatter, or lose lean body mass, or your not going to have a workout that actually taxes your body.

I am constantly scanning people's theories on training and I hear this every single day, "Diet is 90% of attaining your goals, and training is 10%"

This is BS. I am sorry, but that isn't the truth. Training is 100% and diet is 100%. They dont add up to 100%, they both need to be perfect or your goals are going to be soo far from being achieved you'll probably burn out and quit before you reach them.

Learn from my mistakes, I thought I could achieve muscle growth in a calorie deficit. I believed I could drop fat and gain muscle at the same time. 

This doesn't exist unless your obese or are a complete noob to touching weights. And even if you had one of these circumstances, you still have to push yourself 100% in the gym or you'll still end up spinning your wheels.

Stop questioning your ability and DO IT. No more excuses, I am making a change, and you are capable of doing the same!

Now get out there and begin changing your life.

Cardiovascular Training vs Strength Training

So, I am guessing the reason your reading this is because your interested in attaining the picture perfect body. Well, first off hit the stop button your treadmill.

Listen, get off the treadmill and do us both a favor and start picking up some weights. I don't care what your goals are, because endurance training isn't all you need; ESPECIALLY if your a marathon runner or a triathlete.

Why?

Lets break it down for everyone to understand. Firstly, never begin your training for the day with cardiovascular training, unless your separating your sessions into two. Which means, doing cardio in the morning and then doing weight lifting later on in the day. This is the only time i feel like running would be first.

Obviously, you can also do weight lifting in the morning and then run later on in the day, but lets look at a scenario that most of you probably fight every day. Running on the treadmill for 30mins and then hoping off of the machine to attempt to lift some heavy weights! Why doesn't this work?

1. Your energy is depleted from running, not enough to use your muscle to its maximal capacity. 
2. Increases cortisol in the body.
3. Increases chances of poor form due to fatigue (lead to injury and inadequate muscle stimulus.)

So these are just a few reasons as to why you should avoid a cardio session immediately before your weight training session. Makes sense right? Ok well lets look at how to incorporate cardio training into your weight lifting sessions.

1. Weight lifting first, high intensity, heavy weights (70% - 80% of 1RM if no history of injury present), low volume.
2. Cardiovascular Training, either cross training type circuit (crossfit.com), or running, jump roping, row machine, or sprints.

Well since there are soo many options to increase your endurance and burn some calories, your probably wondering what I would use. I dont technically use cardio in my workouts because i am only trying to build muscle and an impressive physique. Cardio would only hinder the amount of recovery I can get before my next workout. I tend to do very low intensity, short duration, cardio sessions for blood flow reasons.

But, if i was in the market to lose fat in the most effective way possible. I would choose to do a crossfit WOD (work out of the day) or sprints with a weighted vest on. I choose these two types of endurance training mainly because...

• Crossfit increases muscle endurance in your upper body and lower body. Also grows your both simultaneously and may hit some spots that are troublesome to become activated during a traditional style weightlifting program. 
• Also because of the fast movements, it can help increase power through muscle friction. (basically if you lift something faster and lower weight = the same as a higher weight lifting it slower; i.e. think about squatting your max vs squatting 25 times with half the weight but basically going as fast as your possibly can.)
• Sprinting on the other hand, especially with a weighted vest will translate to power, only issue is that the effect is lower body only. The power movement is highly transferable to sports and in the gym especially  Sprints with long strides can also help you in trouble spots to reduce poor posture (obviously you need to sprint with correct form and not slump over or let your arms travel across your body.) A trouble spot in most sedative individuals are in the hip flexors. Sprints are highly effective for strengthening the hips.

So basically, if you want to get in tip top shape. Get on a weight lifting program and follow it up with cardiovascular training. Don't be fooled by all the gym rats that you see clustered on the treadmill. Individuals do this because it's an easy way for them to say they were active for the day. And because it isn't uncomfortable (which probably means its not doing much for their physique, and isn't that why most people go to the gym?)

Also, on the internet, you can probably go to sites that say do cardio first. Their has been recent study that talks about the positive effects of cardio first. Some of the effects are..

1. Higher testosterone 
2. A perceived notion of more work due to the increase difficulty to finish your weight training program
3. More sweating... And more calories burnt during your cardio session. (Weight lifting burns calories even when your not doing it because of muscle growth, so unless you want to run every single day for the rest of your life, your going to gain fat and screw up your physique.)

Just to let my readers understand my posts. I obviously do a lot of blanketing towards society, and I do a lot of stipulations. I base my studies off of first hand experience. Their is never a black and white answer or statement. Their are always people who stick out as a deviation from the rest of statistics. But, the majority is what I am writing this stuff for. So generally, you belong in the statistically group. The only time i don't use the same answer for everyone is when writing a program for a client. Exercises should be varied in each one of your programs, and this is due to muscle imbalances, injuries, goals, etc... So don't think their is an actual answer for everyone. Just something thats pretty much 100% true across the world, if you want to build an impressive physique, do cardio second to weightlifting.