I Don't Feel Like going to the gym....

With the New Year upon us, many people are making resolutions geared toward weight training. But we all know the deal. Gym membership shoots up, but 90% of those people are out of the gym by the end of Febuary. Well I'm here to offer you a few tips that have kept me in the gym consistently for years. Consistency is the ONLY way to see results.

1. Find what motivates you.

This can be anything from better health to more sex, lol. If you're like me, a little guy that wanted to gain some weight, my motivation was to get people from calling me skinny. Once I saw how I looked in the mirror, a little vanity took over, and it snowballed. Comments from the ladies didn't hurt either.

2. Write out a goal sheet.

This is essential for any serious workout plan. And let's face it, you are serious about putting on some pounds. If not, you're just wasting your time. How much weight do you want to gain (be realistic) and by when? What are your targets on each machine at the end of 12 weeks? How many inches do you want to add to your arms, legs, chest, etc? Write these out and put them where you can see them everyday to remind yourself.

3. Go to the gym at least 3 times a week.

I go 4 times a week to get myself in a routine. If you're going at least 3 times a week, not only will your body get used to it, but your mind will also. You'll adjust your schedule accordingly subconciously because you know you have to go to the gym. It takes 21 days to create a habit. Get into this habit as soon as you can and you won't back down.

4. Find a running buddy.

For most people this is crucial. I'm a very self-motivated person, so I prefer to work alone, but you must be true to yourself. If you know you'll need someone to push you at first, then get someone. But don't let the fact that you can't find someone to go to the gym with you stop you! You have to be committed to your own success, but it helps if you have someone in your corner.

5. Reward yourself for staying committed.

Do something you enjoy after going to the gym or at the end of the week. This ties into what motivates your closesly because I get satisfaction from comments from my girlfriend or by seeing visible progress of myself. You may like to treat yourself to dinner or to your favorite park. It's up to you.

So I hope these were helpful tips for keeping you in the gym. As a weight training beginner, I understand the hardest part of any journey is the beginning. But once you build some momentum, going to the gym will become a natural part of your life, like it is for me. Until next time...Happy Lifting!

Mitchell

Weight Training Nutrition - What You Put In Is What You Get Out!

Coming back off the Winter Holidays, I gained a few needed pounds. I'm really working to put on some weight as I know most of you are who're reading this, so I welcomed it. However, I didn't workout as much as I woud've liked, so now it's time to get back to work and used that stored energy in my workouts.

It took me years to figure this out, but once I did, I saw an immediate change in my body and my workout ability. It has to do with weight training nutrition. I know some of you immediately think all the supplements and the entire GNC store. I've been there, and I've found that I can eat actual food with a proper diet and build a great body with a fraction of the cost I was paying for those supplements. After all, we're not looking to be freaks of nature, so natural will work.

Now I promised not to get technical on you, but your muscles need certain proteins and carbs to work most efficiently. When you do a hard workout, you are basically creating micro-tears in your muscles and they need to repair themselves.

So that being said, you have two primary responsibilities for your nutrition when it comes to working out.

1. Preparing your muscles for the onslaught they are about to take

2. Giving them what they need to repair themselves the best.

You should eat your pre-workout meal about 2 to 1.5 hrs before your workout to allow for digestion. It should be a well balanced meal but mainly consist of complex carbs such as oatmeal or other whole grains. These will provide you with a steady stream of energy. If you can't get that meal in that early, some fruit will do well as an energy boost before your workout.

After you workout, you want to mainly intake protien and simple carbs. My fave meal after a workout is a chicken breast, pasta, and veggies or fruit (it's about the only thing I'm good at cooking for right now). You used up a lot of energy and protien in your workout, so it's vital you resupply your body with these nutrients no later than 1.5 hrs after your workout. Don't sit on the couch with potato chips!

This is the most important meal in your workout day. If you can't get a decent sized meal in, peanut butter sandwhiches or chicken sandwiches are good alternatives. You can also try the Whey Protien shakes after, but I prefer actual food.

Ideally, there's a 4 hr block between your first meal and your last meal, but I know we aren't always able to accomodate that. Just make sure you get your post-workout meal in properly and you'll see some decent results. Providing your body with the proper nutrition is one thing that sets the amatuers apart from the pros.

A multivitamin of some sort is also important because with the American diet, we rarely get the proper nutrition, no matter what we eat.

I appreciate you reading. As I learn more, you learn more.

Mitchell

How Muscles Work - Basics

Before you begin any workout routine, it's essential that you understand how the muscles work. I won't get into a long and drawn out explanation, you can go over to How Stuff Works if you want the medical explanation, but I promised you I'd keep it straight forward here.

Basically, your muscle is made up of fibers and within these fibers, cells slide back and forth across each other. You have three types of muscles. Skeletal (which we we'll be discussing on this blog), smooth (digestive system), and cardiac (your heart).

Your skeletal muscles have fast twitch and slow twitch abilities. Fast twitch for speed and power, and slow twitch for endurance. Since we aren't going to be training our muscles to lift weights for longer that two minutes, we'll be concentrating on the fast twitch side of things.

Your fast twitch system works in two parts. First, your strength enzyme system, which depletes it's store of energy in a few seconds. Second, your burst power enzyme system which kicks in after that and depletes it's store in less than two minutes.

Our bodies are amazing works. However, the body is efficient and doesn't work any harder than it has to. People are overweight because their body is efficient. They put in more energy than their body uses, so it stores it up. The same can be said for your muscles. They won't grow past their routine requirement. Our muscles grow if we place increased demands on them in dynamic ways. Simple as that.

So that's the basics of how muscles work for beginners. I'll go into depth next time about what needs to go into your body for the maximum chemical reaction benefit and why it's so important. Until then, stay tuned and happy training!

Mitchell