Want to Get Started? Try Showing Up

"80 percent of success is showing up" - Woody Allen

I don't know about you, but when I need motivation to throw some iron around in the gym, I always turn to the wise words of Woody Allen. Sometimes. Once. Anyway, I like that quote.

Nowhere is this sentiment more applicable than the gym. If you come to the gym on a regular basis -I'm talking, 3 days a week for 3 months or more- and do something, you are on the right side of in-shape. You might still be overweight, you might still be using the lightest dumbbells on the rack, you might still be scorekeeper for every pick-up basketball game you are a part of, but I would bet my favorite Adidas ClimaTee that you are not "need-a-doctor, never-take-the-stairs, cholesterol-higher-than-your-credit-score" out-of-shape.

But it starts with walking through the door. You will lose weight or gain weight or get stronger or get faster one way and only one way: bit by bit. You're building a tower on top of quicksand, and if you take too long adding to the top it's just going to sink underground.

Show up. Here is how you do it:

1. Set a goal, and let the world  know. If you want to bench 225, that's a Facebook post you should be making every bench day. Write your current weight on the top of a sheet of paper on your fridge, your goal weight at the bottom, and a weekly weigh-in that hopefully bridges the gap between the two.

 2. Find a gym or buy some equipment. In all honesty, unless you have friends or a favorite trainer to influence your opinion, the most important aspect to look for in a gym is convenience. Your facility should be close by, or on the way home from work. A thirty minute drive to a gym across town is a great reason not to go. Failing that, spend $50 on a pair of adjustable dumbbells; they're really all you need to get started.

3. Have a game plan. I meant it when I said that doing something was good, but having a plan is the way to go. A plan could be:

-Tagging along with a friend who knows what they're doing. Anyone worth their gym socks is happy to show a newbie the ropes. This is how I got started as a fat kid in high school, and I've shown up ever since.

-Google "beginner program" and stick to it. Stick to reputable sources (Men's Health, Shape, Bodybuilding.com, etc.), but pick one.

-Get a trainer. <shameless self-promotion>This is by far the best option, especially if they've earned their stuff from, say, the University of Kentucky and the National Strength and Conditioning Association and have a fondness for teal. The traditional in-person trainer can provide instant feedback and correct your form, all the while yelling at you to do, like, two more reps. Or, you could try out that new-fangled online personal training, where a trainer sends you a personalized program via the internet and provides an online training log and email feedback so that both of your can keep track of your progress. </shameless self-promotion>

Fitness really is one of those life goals that rewards you for diving right in. But you have to show up and give it something as often as you can, else the fickle bastard will leave you to decay at the bottom of a flight of stairs when the elevator is out.

Go forth and lift heavy things. We're saving you a spot.

Designing a Basic Workout

I have a paradoxical tendency to over-simplify things in the gym and then make them way too complicated.

By that, I mean I tell people, "Just go in there, pick up something heavy a few times, do it again, repeat until you're tired, and go home."

"Okay. How should I pick them up?"

"Well, pick 1-2 exercises from each of the upper-body push, upper-body pull, lower-body knee-dominant, lower-body hip dominant, and core anti-mover categories, do 2-4 sets of 6-12 repetitions with a weight that is 70%-90% of your one-rep max, and do this 2-4 times per week."

"At some point during that sentence, we stopped being friends."

"...Aw."

As much as I like to make things a simple as possible, I do realize there's a bit more to fitness than picking up  heavy stuff.

I joined my first gym when I was 17 years old. I had been doing push ups, pull ups, curls, and step-ups (onto my rolling computer chair, which I don't recommend unless someone is recording you) at home, and I thought I was in good enough shape to progress to a big-boy gym without embarrassing myself too much.The problem was I had absolutely no structure working out at home; I'd do ten push ups, then ten curls, then I'd watch TV until the next commercial break, then I'd see if I could do eight pull ups and decide that six was still pretty good, then I'd eat a sandwich and do some crunches.

I've yet to see a similar routine in MuscleMag.

So when I finally made it into a big room with benches and weights and the AB DOLLY PRO X I was absolutely clueless. I spent about thirty minutes doing three sets of pull-ups, and then one of the regulars felt pity and let me work in during his routine.

When I got home, I did my research. I'm about to write out the routine I wish I'd found at 17.

Justin's Template for the Basic Workout

Pick one exercise from the following categories:

Upper Body Push

Push up, Bench Press, Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Upper Body Pull

Pull up, Dumbbell Row, Inverted Row

Lower Body Knee-Dominant

Goblet Squats, Barbell Back Squat

Lower Body Hip-Dominant

Deadlift, Kettlebell Swing

Core Anti-Movement

Front Plank, Ab Wheel Rollouts

-Do these exercises in a circuit if you can, with about one minute of rest between each. Repeat this circuit three times.

-If you can't do them in a circuit, do all three sets of one exercise before moving to the next, with one minute of rest between sets.

-Perform each exercise for ten repetitions, with a weight that feels heavy around the eighth rep. If you're doing a body weight exercise, feel free to go above or below ten reps depending on your ability. For the front plank exercise, start at twenty seconds.

-Do this routine three times per week. Pick a different exercise from each category every time if you can. Write down your weights and reps, and try to get better at one or the other when you do the same exercise at a later date. 

There you have it. Simple, but hopefully not too simple. I think my 17-year-old self could benefit greatly from this, though if he keeps eating a Tony's pizza every night and avoiding protein at all costs it probably won't do him much good. 

If you would like further elaboration, feel free to leave a comment or contact me on my Google + page, because using that instead of Facebook makes me feel special and unique. 

Go forth and lift heavy things.

Friendly Competition

Being an American male, nothing motivates me to be at my best quite like a good competition. As I've mentioned in my last post, I recently began Dan Trink's "2 Tickets to the Gun Show" program to give me an extra push to improve my arms, which have always been a weak point for me. Almost at the same time I started, my good friend and sometimes-client Darren has made the commitment to start working out 4 days a week at his home gym.

We really don't have choice in the matter. A contest must ensue from such a situation. 'Tis law.

For the next four weeks (starting last Monday, to be honest), we're both going to see who can improve their physique the most in four weeks. Darren has the advantage, as he is just starting out and has a fantastic trainer writing his program for him. However, I really, really want bigger arms and this is my first foray into a program dedicated to improving my area with the most room for improvement. And I do mean my arms, thank you.

So here is our proposal: we're going to keep track of our before pictures, and on Sunday, Feburary 24th, we'll take after pictures. The winner will be determined by you guys! And by you guys, I mean the couple of people who I've routed from Facebook with the sole intent of reading this post. The prize? Well...we haven't actually agreed on a prize for the winner yet (*cough* a copy of Doom 3 BFG edition *cough*), so if anyone has some good ideas let us know.

Go forth and Lift heavy things. I know I will.

Here are his before pics:

And here, once again, are mine:

See you in four weeks!






...I want a copy of Doom 3. I know it's like 8 years old but I never played it.