Never Give Up

I tire of all the Infomercial type ads on Facebook and abroad. I just saw another advertisement for a plant extract that can increase muscle growth 700%. I doubt the validity of its claim. Let’s just accept the facts America. You DO NOT need steroids. You DO NOT need a miracle drug, or to starve yourself to death. What you need is dedication to achieving the proper information for your goal. We have reached a place in America that many of us want EVERYTHING without the effort required to achieve it.

The images of people I post (with the exception of some old school bodybuilders) achieved their bodies through hard work and perseverance. In fact, there is an entire breed of steroid free bodybuilders who successfully push their bodies to its genetic maximum. They are amazing, dedicated and 100% natural.

I hope to energize this page with knowledge and insights to inform you in proper exercise management. For example, did you know that hypertrophy (muscle growth) does not come from pushing heavy weight all day long? Hypertrophy comes from the calculated use of sets, weight, repetitions, rest intervals and speed of movement.

I overhear people in the gym talking about “what they know”. The longer I listened, the more aggravated I became. These are the same people doing the same routine day after day and expecting a different result each time. They refuse to look into what is preventing progress. This is usually when talk of “exotic vitamin” usage comes in to play. The reality of the matter is much simpler. Effective and long term physical change take time and the correct application of acute variables. 

 Anyone (that is not suffering from a medical or physical anomaly) who leaves a sedentary lifestyle to begin an active lifestyle will quickly show improved neuromuscular adaptation (improved coordination, weight loss, strength gains, etc.). IT IS THE TIME AFTER THE “HONEYMOON” WHICH MAKES OR BREAKS THE DESIRED GOAL. After the initial “shock” the body learns and remembers. Your progress then screeches to a crawl. The solution to this goes beyond simple “muscle confusion” (yeah, I know that is what a few of you were thinking thanks to mass produced programs like “Insanity” and “P90X”). Let me put it to you this way; would you use the same “muscle confusion” techniques as a marathon runner if your goal is to improve striking power and speed in MMA? If so, why or why not? What would you change, or what would you do the same, and why?

If you are able to answer that question with facts, then you may not benefit from my insights. However, if you cannot answer those questions then follow my posts here and “Personal Training with Reuben” on Facebook

No Excuses

What does that mean?  It means many of us use lack of time, money, or just not getting around to it as excuses for not exercising. When you're hungry, you make time to eat. When you're sleepy, you make time to sleep. So why is exercise such a burden? I’ll bet if you can find 15 minutes to grab a bite to eat during the workday, you can find 15 minutes in the morning to do at least a light warm-up and then another 15 minutes before bedtime. Do that five days a week and BAM! You’ve just worked out the recommended minimum of 2-1/2 hours a week.

What's that you say? Exercise doesn't pay your bills? Well, it’s a fact that one of the greatest preventative steps you can take to better health is exercise. Regular exercise retards aging and enables many to live longer at a higher quality of independence, reducing the need for nursing care and ambulation devices later in life. In the long run, being healthy saves you money.

Exercise doesn’t have to “hurt” to work. The old adage “No pain, no gain” is terribly inaccurate.

Light-to-moderate exercise four to five times a week is plenty to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.  You don’t need to lift tons of free weights or run on the treadmill an hour or two a day; you just need to become active in different ways.

“I am losing weight just fine on my lettuce and rice cake diet.” Yes, if you eat fewer calories than you’re burning you will lose weight, but you may lose muscle mass also. Exercise, in addition to a proper diet, helps the body to increase lean body mass (muscle) and reduce fat mass while retaining strength and dropping weight at a safe, maintainable rate. 

So, I am going to end this before my soap box arrives. What I am really trying to say is that if you want something bad enough, you’ll do whatever you must to get it.

Stay healthy, everyone.

-Reuben