Don't Strength Train... Unless You Want A Rock-Hard Body

With his faithful spotter, the rack, young Billy pretends he can bench 225 lbs.

I absolutely love strength training. There is no better feeling you can get inside a gym than the pump you feel in your pecs, back, and arms after a hard lift. Young men surely enjoy this feeling the most, since they are the demographic most desiring of a muscular physique, but I can assure you that lifting is for EVERYONE.

Last week I wrote about starting your own fitness journey by keeping it simple (eat to live, move to sweat). Now that you understand my very basic philosophy for how to begin from ground zero, I want to help you step up your game with this very important aspect of fitness. Strength training has been around for decades, but for some reason people just don't fully grasp the idea behind it. I have talked to so many people, women in particular, who think that strength training is only meant for people who want to have large, bulky muscles. Several of these individuals actually avoid lifting weights, especially anything heavy, because they are scared of getting "too big"... Guys, did you hear me? They are afraid of getting TOO BIG! Arnold Schwarzenegger said something similar once in reference to his pecs; he stopped doing incline bench for a while because his upper chest was growing too much and threatened his "perfect proportions". I can't even imagine what it would be like to stop lifting only because my muscles were getting too large. This is a problem most of us guys WISH we had, that I can assure you. For the average human being though, this is something we need not worry about.

A prime example is my fiance! Take a look at my profile picture here and on Google and you'll notice a very shapely, very gorgeous woman above my head. That is my soon-to-be wife, Karly... and let me tell you, that girl almost strength trains more than I do! Deadlifts, squats, bench press, shoulder press... every muscle group, every week, she gets her pump on! She isn't bulky or anywhere near masculine, but she does have toned, strong muscles that shape her body and protect her joints. So trust me when I say that strength training isn't just for bodybuilders, it's for men and women who want to look good, feel good and live long!

One of the biggest reasons we should make sure to strength train at least a few times a week is for our health. Clearly it's understood that exercise is healthy, but there are several aspects of your body you need to keep in line. We walk, run, and bike to take care of our heart; similarly we should train our muscles with resistance to keep our bones dense and our joints strong! If you continually load your joints and muscles with extra stress, in a safe and effective manner of course, your body is forced to build itself up to meet these new demands. Your muscles will grow stronger as the fibers continually repair themselves and your bones will become more and more dense to handle bigger loads. This is very important because osteoporosis and osteopenia are becoming more and more rampant in our culture, two diseases that could be prevented with proper diet and exercise.

We all have a goal in mind, something we want to achieve. Perhaps you're trying to fit into that ONE pair of jeans you still have from high school, or you're debating training for a half iron-man, or maybe you just wish you looked and felt a little better than you do on a daily basis. Honestly it doesn't matter what your goal is, strength training can certainly help get you where you want to be. Start small and keep it simple! If you don't know where to begin, find a qualified trainer in your area or leave me a message: I'm more than willing to help get you going in the right direction!

Keep It Simple Stupid

The task of exercising can be a daunting one for many people. Unfortunately, we weren't all blessed with an inherent sense of motivation or drive. To be honest, even us fitness pros have days, weeks perhaps, when exercising sounds like a awful idea. As terrible as it may seem though, we all need to find our way back into an active lifestyle; our longevity depends on it.

Since I work in a corporate wellness setting, this is the probably the largest obstacle I have to deal with. For one reason or another, people just don't want to step foot in the gym. I've heard all the excuses: "I'm too old," "I work 12 hour days," "I have bad knees," "it's just so boring..." I could go on and on with the excuses people give me on why they just can't seem to make it into the gym. This fact comes as no surprise to me though... I learned at an early age that 'excuses are like assholes: everyone's got one and they all stink.' (Thanks dad!) I carry that saying with me nearly everywhere, as I am constantly reminded of how it's just human nature to find a reason NOT to do something, even though it may be in our best interest... but I digress. This message isn't for those people who continually make up reasons to not be healthy (stick around though, I just might change your perspective). This message is for the people who want to change for the better but just can't seem to figure out how, so here we go.

Although the most important aspect of exercise is overall health, most people decide to start working out to lose weight. As it turns out, most of America doesn't seem to grasp the simple concepts behind weight loss. Believe it or not, there is no secret to shedding those extra lbs; it's really just a simple math equation:

If (total calories consumed) is less than (total calories burned) then (weight is lost)

No where in that equation did I see an 8 minute ab video, or a personal trainer, or a zero carb diet, or a $500 workout plan you bought from some bikini model turned fitness consultant. Yes, some of those things may help you on your journey, but if you have been running yourself in circles trying the newest fad diets and buying exercise videos at 2am from Johnny Muscle and his ridiculously good looking friends, you need to take a step back. Everyone of those videos and diets are only as effective as the user chooses to make them. In the same manner that a gun simply does not load and fire itself, these items will not remove the fat magically in your sleep, so save your money.




Okay Wes, fine... I won't buy into any of the hyped up marketing I see on TV about diet and exercise. But what the hell am I supposed to do? You said I don't need a trainer or a workout plan... now I'm lost, like last year's Easter egg.

Now, Now... settle down Daniel-son, it's time to paint the fence. Seriously though, you need to walk before you can run... and once you've conquered running we can tackle strength training. Quit complicating this super simple process by over-thinking and under-doing.  All you need to do is eat less food and move in a fashion that makes you sweat on a daily basis.

Allow me to share a short personal story. I want you to know that I have been there, battling in the trenches, fighting to get my body and life back. About six years ago I stopped playing sports for the first time in my young life. I had just finished a dismal year of collegiate football at a Division II school and was excited at the thought of not being forced to exercise. For the first time in my life I had the option to be lazy all day every day, and I loved it... I only moved when I needed to, I ate whatever food I could get my hands on, and I drank beer like a 20 year-old college kid. A year and a half later, I had gained 40 lbs and looked terrible. I remember my grandpa calling me out in front a good sized crowd of his friends, baffled at how much I'd let myself go. Then one day, I decided I wasn't happy with my life and needed to do something about it. I started with the one thing I knew I could control: my exercise habits. I developed a simple goal: I was going to run every day for 30 days. It didn't matter how much I ran, just so long as I ran every single day. Some days I would barely get around the block and others I would run a mile or 2, sometimes twice in a day. During that month I ate like I hated food, and did it only because I needed to stay alive. After 30 days I had dropped well over 20 lbs without seeing the inside of a gym.

Ultimately it was this new beginning that led me to where I am today: a certified health professional with two degrees (from a different school), and a career path that I absolutely love! The bigger picture for all of you is seeing that it doesn't take a special formula or plan to get the job done. So, here are three quick recommendations to start you out on the right foot:

1. Move Every Day Monday to Monday you need to get off your ass and sweat, no matter how sore and tired you are. You can use a goal similar to mine if you'd like, and force yourself to run every day for 30 days. If you literally can't run, do some brisk walking until you get you legs under you and can run. Don't be afraid to go running twice a day, it will only help you reach your goals sooner!
2. Eat Only What You Need To Survive You don't have to be a dietitian to know if you took in enough calories for the day. Eat 3 small meals, incorporate lots of veggies, drink lots of water, and close the kitchen down for the night as soon as you finish your 1 plate of dinner. You're fat for a reason, and this is the main reason. Now is as good of a time as any to learn some self-control.
3. Track Your Progress This can be as simple or interesting as you like; you can take a picture of yourself every day, track your weight daily, or even cross off days on a calendar so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This will keep your mind fresh, and eventually you may even look forward to running just so you can put a big red X on that calendar!

We don't get to choose when we leave this earth, but we can choose to be awesome while we're here...

Pride: A Fitness Perspective

A quick Google images search of the word "Pride" will summon some very NSFW pictures, particularly if your "safe search" is off, #wheresthefilter. If curiosity gets the best of you, just know that you've been warned.

Gay festivals aside, there is a real issue here that NEEDS to be discussed. Allow me to start by saying this: guys, you're not as BIG as you think you are. I've worked in gyms for the last 3 years and have been exercising in them personally for many more years than is relevant, and I can say with complete certainty that your lats and pecs aren't as huge as your posture says they are. We've all seen these dudes waltzing around the gym, probably benching, curling or drinking something from a gallon jug...doing anything really, other than lifting legs. They range from the smallest of frames to even fairly large guys,  who just don't seem to realize that we can all tell they are puffing their chest out. If you don't know what I'm talking about, there are only two options as to why. One, you can't remember the last time you saw the inside of a gym, or two, this article is about you and your self-awareness sucks.

And so it is these gentlemen that have driven me to write this article, and to bring up the interesting discussion of pride. Since I was a kid I've been told multiple times in numerous situations to be proud: proud of my accomplishments, proud of who I am and where I came from.  Obviously this situation portrays pride as a good thing, a character trait fit for any self-respecting human being. In fact, you could even define pride, in this sense, as self-respect or even self-esteem. On the other side of that coin, pride is also defined as "a high...opinion of one's dignity, importance, merit, or superiority" (courtesy of dictionary.com). A high opinion of one's superiority - the absolute opposite of humility. That definition seems more suited for our friends at the gym.

There are many places this conversation could go right now. For instance, I could mention that pride is one of the 7 deadly sins and that every self-aware christian has seriously contemplated how to treat this knowledge. However, I am not here to discuss religion, or politics, or any other controversial matter you're not supposed to talk about at the dinner table with grandpa.  I'm here because I'm tired of pretending I didn't notice Matt Meathead inflate himself like a balloon and waddle across the gym before doing curls in my squat rack. The staff is laughing at you, the girls are avoiding you, and everyone else is looking the other way to avoid the awkward situation that is you.

GIFSoup

Now before you leave this page thinking I'm just another spiteful person with a keyboard, I want to make sure that the time you spent here was at least semi-productive. I'm going to share with you just a few ways to improve your attitude and/or public perception while you're at the gym. What I recommend is that you trade in your pride for respect. So here are 5 tips to help you gain your self-respect as well as start earning the respect of your peers:

1. Become Self-Aware A lot of people lack the ability to be completely and brutally honest with themselves. If you don't think you are one of those people, let me prove it to you. Think about the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror. Did you automatically suck in your stomach and stand a little taller? Maybe you pull your shoulders back to make your chest look bigger, or stick out your bottom jaw to hide that lovely double-chin. If you want to know what you really look like give yourself a good shake, close your eyes, take a deep relaxing breath and look again. There, now you've seen yourself the way everyone else does.
2. Get Comfortable In Your Own Skin Now that you've seen yourself as you really are, you need to start accepting your body in its natural state. That being said, please keep in mind that accepting your body for what it is doesn't mean you have to be satisfied with what it is. Of course your shoulders/pecs/arms aren't as big/toned as you wish they were; clearly you're in the gym for a reason (hopefully that reason isn't to show everyone in the building how big you are).
3. Walk Like A Normal Human Walking is a simple process: you put one foot in front of the other and repeat. Unless you're a slow learner, you picked up on this skill before you were 2 years old. As far as the mechanics are concerned little to nothing has changed, so for the love of God, stop complicating the process. Seriously, no one gives a shit about your so-called "swagger"
4. Be Friendly & Respectful This is a no-brainer but so many people suck at it. Unless it's 2am Sunday morning you're probably not the only person in the gym, so please start acting like it. As members of a fitness center we have a duty to treat the facility and it's members as if it were our own gym. If you sweat on it, wipe it down. If you un-racked it, re-rack it. If someone wants to use a particular piece of equipment, accommodate them the best you can. There is too much to say in one paragraph about being friendly and respectful in the gym, so keep your eyes out for a follow-up article. Until then, use your best judgement.
5. Out-Work Me In my opinion, the best way to earn the respect of your fitness peers is by out-working them. I go to the gym for one reason, and one reason only: to try and tear my body apart. Whether I'm lifting or getting in an intense cardio session, I push the limits of my body every time. As a fitness professional, I love to see people buzzing around at full speed, sweating and breathing hard. I usually go out of my way to let them know that their hard work didn't go unnoticed. Those are the people that make this job so enjoyable, and I have great respect for all of them.

Be proud of who and what you are, but leave your ego at the door.