Tag Archives: #figure

Better to Fail at Something or Succeed at Nothing?

In the last week in doing some research on abesity I came across something very interesting. It said as a trainer we have to take responsibility for all that our clients do….not just the successes but the failures. I had never thought of it this way….we are always talking about personal responsibility to our clients but what about our responsibility to our client. Not only is it my job to train my clients but its my job to find the way to get them to their goal. If they are not eating the way they should how do I motivate them to make better choices. As a trainer I believe I must do everything I can to help my clients. It’s ok for them to make mistakes…it’s okay to fail as long as you are trying…..what’s not good is when we allow them to succeed at doing nothing. We need to set small goals that they can reach, take ownership of, and get excited about. Life is not about succeeding at nothing……..it’s about continuing to try even if we fail.

5th and Final R of the 5 Workout Principles – DO WHAT I SAY NOT WHAT I DO!!!!

You are probably wondering about my title. The final R is RECOVERY!!!! In the last few weeks I have had to postpone my competition due to a hamstring injury and its no ones fault but my own. I forgot the last R. Recovery is very important. Your muscles need adequate time between workouts so they can complete the recovery process. A good rule to go by is you should not exercise the same muscle group 2 days in a row and no more than 3 times per week. If you do not allow recovery you end up overtraining and prone to injury…..which is what happened to me. I was working glutes and hams way too much and it finally just gave out. It’s kind of the same thing as when you let life get too busy God will make you slow down….well if you overtrain your muscles your body will make you stop and it’s usually when you don’t want it too. I knew all this yet I didn’t pay attention and I paid the price. So that’s why I said, “do as I say not as I do.” I can guarantee I will be doing more of what I say!!!!!

R #4………REST…….Do you wait enough between sets?

There is something to be said for the time you take between each set of repetitions. In order to function at near full capacity a muscle needs to rest 2-4 minutes. After a set of repetitions the muscles supply of adenosine triphosphate or ATP and phosphocreatine or PC will be depleted. It takes about 2 minutes for this to be replenished. This is your muscles’ energy for contraction. So make sure you are getting plenty of rest between sets!!!!!!

#3 of the 5 R’s for your workout program – Repetitions

The number of reps you should do when working out depends on what the goals are that you have set for yourself. What results do you want? Are you wanting to gain strength? Anaerobic strength endurance! Aerobic strength endurance? If strength is the goal, lower reps (3-8) would be what you want to do. 10-20 reps will yield anaerobic strength endurance and high reps (20 and above) will yield aerobic strength endurance. A regular person wanting to add a little muscle mass (aka toning and definition) would want to fall in the medium range. I recommend 10-15 reps. If you can comfortably do 15 reps its time to increase the amount of weight you are doing. The last 3-5 reps should be difficult but you should be able to use proper form.

2nd Chances = Infinity

One of the most favorite parts of my faith is that I have a loving Saviour who loves me so much that no matter how many times I screw p he forgives me and continues to love me. 70×7 or for infinity……..forever!!!!

I love applying this concept to myself, my profession, and my clients. As long as you are breathing you have an unlimited number of second chances. No matter how many times you have a cheat meal or miss a workout you have the opportunity to start over……that is unless you decide to give up and quit. DON’T!!!!! Take advantage of infinity!!!!! As I’ve said before you only fail if you quit. Your health is to important for those who you care about and those who care about you!!!!

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GIVE YOUR ALL!!!!

This quote is so true!!!! I realize I only have so many hours in a day, but I can only do what I can do. I try to make sure I always give my best whatever it is…..then I give myself grace for the rest.

“A man can do only what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day.” Albert Schweitzer

RANGE OF MOTION – The First R

You hear it all the time in the gym or see it in magazine articles. “Get the full range of motion.” What does it mean and how does it help you? So glad you asked.

When you hear “range of motion” it means the complete movement capability of the joint. In other words from the full stretch of the targeted muscle to a fully contracted position. Think of the bicep curl……the full stretch would be when your arm is fully extended downward. The contraction is when you bring the weight curled up to to the top of the shoulder and you get the squeeze on the bicep muscle. Working the muscles through the full range of motion will allow the joint to work properly…..to maintain and improve its range of motion. If the muscles surrounding the joint do not have the capability of full range o motion then the joints it surrounds will not either.

An example- think about when you have your arm in a cast for several weeks and you don’t use it. When the cast comes off you cant straighten the arm very well. You have to go to therapy not only to strengthen the muscles that have not been used but to work on their range of motion so you can fully extend and use your arm the way it was before. If you do not you will not have full use of that arm.

Same holds true in your workouts. If you do not use the full range of motion when you work the muscles then you will not have full range of motion in the joints.

One word of caution……. be careful and Make sure you go through the full range of motion on all exercises without hyper-extending or going past full extension. Be careful not to lock knees or elbows.