Dedication to Success

Not sure if it should be 'Dedicated to Success' or 'Dedication to Success' but I do know this, you need it (some sort of dedication) to reach true success. There are obviously all types of success, and as I've written before, my definition of success could be far different than yours, but in short success has a basic meaning that we all understand.

I was finally able to watch some of the 2009 Track and Field World Championships before they ended today, and if you want to talk about the dedication to success, these athletes train day after day to get to and compete at a world class level. For most of them training is their career, and it's not over when the world championships are over or when the Olympics are over, they get right back to training.

I was in awe of the events I watched, even of the replays of events I missed, and the still shots wins and losses. The focus, desire, and pride of each of these individuals was so evident, in their posture, in their pre-event mental zone, when they won or didn't win. In the pole vault, the second after the men's gold medalist cleared the bar, he knew he won, and smiled the entire fall. When both the USA's mens and womens 4x400m relay teams not only placed first but created extreme distances from themselves and the second place teams, it was like watching an impossibility, but that's what they set out to do.

On the flip side, when the refs called a foul on the long jump, or when the USA's womens 4x100m relay team fumbled the baton and were disqualified, a look of disbelief instantly came over them, everything they'd been working toward now needed to be worked at again.

When I was a track & field athlete and a swimmer, the pressure to perform seemed far greater than any soccer game I ever played in. Most of the events I did were individual events, a team didn't directly rely on me, so once I was done with a throw, or once I touched the wall in swimming, the results were final and your reaction was real-time. There was no hiding your excitement (who would) but there was also no hiding any disaapointment you might have also experienced (there was tons of that at times.) There were some events you were expected to win, your team was counting on you.

I sometimes wonder what would have happened had one meet, in either sport, gone a little differently.

If I didn't hit my head and nearly knocked myself out in the water...

If I never sprained my ankle at the start of my last season...

Would my definition of success be different than what it is today? Perhaps. I don't know...I never will.

I have no idea where I'd be today if the ifs didn't happen, but I do know where I am today because of the ones that did happen. There's a different type of success in my life now than there was then, but success is still there, and it's still something I work toward every single day. There's not a moment in time, where I'd wish all the challenges would go away. It'd be too easy then, and there'd be nothing to work toward.

We experience success because of the tasks we've accepted. All the things I've done in life may not have resulted in a positive outcome, but the experience has taught me to apply what I've learned in the next scenario that arises.

Build upon what you know, and what you've learned and apply it toward your success.

Who's To Blame?

It's easy for everyone to point the finger at someone else.

It doesn't really matter if we're talking about healthcare, youth obesity, or if it was you or your sibling that broke your mother's favorite vase.

Blame isn't an attraction factor, and is often always someone else's fault.

It's easier to point blame at someone else rather than admit you've made a mistake yourself.

But here's the part we all ought to remember, no one is perfect. I don't care if you think you are, we all have a fault or two, or twenty. We're all bound to make a mistake, or two, or twenty. When it comes down to it, the only time your mistakes are really bad is when you haven't learned from one and it happens again.

So where's the blame lay in the health and fitness world? It's all over the place. infomercials are telling us to buy the new latest and greatest gadget that will change our lives forever, doctors are telling us to do more cardio, mypyramid.gov tells those with an athletic build that they are overweight and possibly obese, and well everyone has a conflicting view point so it's easy to blame everyone else since there are so many options that you don't know what to do.

I'm sure you've also either used the excuse or at least heard, there just isn't enough time, working out costs too much, I'll get back at it next week. Really the only excuse that I'm willing to accept is that you don't know what you're doing. There's too many conflicting view points.

On that topic I will say this, even if you don't know what to do, find someone good who can tell you and show you, but then stick to it, stick to the plan, follow the workout, make good food choices. Some programs are far more effective than others, but the key to most of them is being consistent and compliant. It's really that simple.

There's no blame to be seen if you really give it you're all. You'll see the results for yourself.

What Motivates You?

I've previously talked a lot about motivation. All the way from wanting to be the best that you can be, to being competitive, to just doing it because you can.

There comes a time in all training programs where you might start to doubt what you're doing, whether you'll actually reach you're end goal, or if all the sacrifice is really worth it.

Are you kidding me? So my new friend and awesome Coach, Dos, grouped me into a group of Hot Fit Chicks Today. When you say it outloud, it sounds funny. When you think about it, we're lifting heavy shit, we're really fit, we're still feminine, and it's awesome!

If that isn't motivation to keep at it, make point, and help to change the mentality of women's strength training, well then I don't know what it is.

I do know, that I spoke in great detail with Rachel Cosgrove a few weeks ago, in fact I'm doing a whole skinny jeans transformation challenge over at Urban Athlete because of it. I talk with Holly Rigsby, the Fit Yummy Mummy, on a regular basis. And I get emails and messages on a daily basis from women and men, telling me how great my strength is.

Part of me has wondered...

Then the other quickly stepped in. I've trained really hard (as have my friends and colleagues) this is not joke. It's time for women to step up to the plate, to recognize their potential, to believe in themselves, to know that everything they do with their strength and conditioning program will directly effect their everyday life in a positive way.

I could speak about it, until I'm blue in the face. That's not going to do it. You have to try this. You have to get out there, and you have to challenge yourself. You have to want to be able to get through every day just a little bit easier. You have know that it's all within your potential.

I have my mentors, I have my role models, I have my coaches, yet each day the people that motivate me the most, are the people that I help to realize all this, the people I help to become stronger and notice their potential. Talk about motivation!

Realize your potential.

Be strong.

Put forth the effort.

Recognize the benefits.

Become who you are.

Be motivated to get the job done, challenge yourself to do it, and if you need a little nudge, you know just where to find it.

Kettlebell Training Complexes

I'm a huge advocate of quick and effective workouts. There's nothing worse than having a really hectic schedule and trying to figure out a way to get in a 60 minute workout at the gym. It's just not possible for most of us (or necessary for that matter.)

Kettlebell Complexes are a great way to get a lot of work done in just a little bit of time.

Check out this Kettlebell Complex, Snatch-Windmill-Walking Lunge. Once again full body movements in my workouts. Gets the job done much faster.



I've got a ton more of these coming your way, keep checking back often.

The Dreaded Factor

All nutrition, exercise, fat loss, strength training programs require compliance. It's really quite simple, most things will work if you follow and stick to the plan. There are some options that are far greater than others, but that's not what this post is about.

This one is about Compliance and Sabotage.

I think it's safe to say that we're all in agreement that in order to see results you need to follow the plan.

The part we often overlook is the sabotage part. There are two sides to this one too, which makes it even more dreaded.

The first is yourself. For whatever reason, things are going really well, then all of a sudden you fall of the wagon, start slipping on your nutrition, skip a day at the gym. These are things you can fix. Hold yourself accountable.

The second is those around you. It sounds crazy, but I'm sure you've all been out with friends and they give you crap for ordering a salad when everyone else is ordering a burger, or that you chose water over beer. Worse is when you get a mouthful for wanting to hit up the gym before meeting up. These are people who for whatever reason aren't wanting you to succeed. Perhaps it's because they don't think they can do it themselves. While you're on this mission you might need to limit your interaction.

All of the programs I listed above require a supportive environment. It's tough to do that when those around you give you crap for wanting to make a healthy change in your life.

Stay compliant and you will see results.

Avoid sabotage and you'll see those results faster.

Kettlebell Training on the Beach

I find myself kettlebell training even when I'm the road. Then again that's pretty easy to do when you've established friendships in most the cities you visit on a regular basis.

This past weekend I met up with my friends Ryan, Wil, and Megan out in Hermosa Beach, CA for a nice little kettlebell workout on the beach. (Well we were actually there for the Perform Better Summitt.) Nothing too fancy. This video is more or less the warm-up. The actual workout was a partner workout with a combination of kettlebell snatches in a descending ladder and various animal crawls. The kettlebells we had access to were a little on the light side, so this workout was mostly just to get us moving after being on a plane for 5-6 hours.

It's always great to throw in a little fun time when you're away for work.

Had a blast guys, thanks!

Are You Being Lazy?

Yep, I said it. Sometimes there's a fine line, and to be honest, you should probably get rid of the excuses and get some work done.

What are some obstacles?

Time, Money, You're not sure what to do, Lack of Equipment

Ok, right there we have enough excuses to cover all the other ones. Let's start marking them off the list.

Time. Everyone has enough time to train. This is by far an accurate statement. The days of spending 90-120 minutes at the gym are over. We're looking at fast and efficient, full body, 30 minute workouts. Everyone has 30 minutes a few times a week.

Money. This is a simple too. Not enough money to train with someone all the time, work with someone 1-2 times, have them write a program for you and follow it. Visit them again in 4-6 weeks, get a new program. Now all you need is discipline.

Not sure what to do? Same as above, work with a professional 1-2 times, have them write the program that you'll follow.

Lack of equipment. This is one of the worst excuses next to time. There are 100s of bodyweight exercises available to you. Just the other day I did 10 different push up variations and I know there are a whole lot more! Lack of or no equipment should not be an issue.

I didn't include discipline in the first list but since it came up. Just be disciplined. Anyone can do anything for a set period of time. Give yourself a 4 week goal, that's one month. By the time you reach a month you'll be used to the schedule of working out, and you won't want to give it up.

Turn the TV off, commit to a plan, and see results.

Why Bother With Strong?

I've done some farily impressive things in my life, well at least they're impressive to me. The one thing I find the most humor in though is the constant question I get in regard to my strength.

People always ask how I got so strong, or they look at me in disbelief until I prove them wrong. It's really quite humorous to me that this is one of the top things that intriques people so much.

So here's how it happened...(and you can do it too)

I've played sports since 6th grade.

I've always been competitive.

I seriously got into working out and strength training about 6 years ago.

I started with traditional weight lifting.

I transitioned into non traditional weight lifting, kettlebell training, underground training, etc.

I kept at it, I increased weight when it felt too easy, I pushed myself, I challenged myself.

Like most things it wasn't easy. In fact at times I found it to be quite discouraging. Then I'd have a great PR, so I pressed on.

I continue to challenge myself, I try new lifts and heavier weights just because. It sets me apart a little bit. It's about dedication. It's about following a plan. It's about success...work at the plan, if the plan doesn't work, re-work the plan.

Train hard. Lift heavy. Challenge yourself. Because You Can.

Kettlebell Fun at the Jersey Shore

Made a trip down to Avon-By-The-Sea to visit my friends at the Training Room, Uncle Mike and the Milkman. Had a great little workout, then we climbed some rope (note: barefoot is not ideal), played around with the 32kg, and hit the beach to see where the Warrior Challenge was going to take place.

It's always good to visit friends.

Here's the video.

Getting Out of The Rut

I just talked about falling off the workout wagon a few days ago.

Man, is it hard to get back on, but here's what I've found to be the most effective. Just do it! I know, easier said than done right?

Here's the second part to that, make a big deal about getting back on the wagon. Make the first workout back different than what you usually do. Hit some trails, jump on your bike, go to the track for an awesome sprinting and body-weight workout. Anything that's a little different than what you typically do. It'll give you an energized feeling, and tomorrow you'll see how great you feel, and you'll be headed for your second workout without any thought.

Think about this one too, of course it's easier to stay on the couch or in front of the computer, but if health & fitness were easy, everyone would be doing it, this gives you something to brag a bit about.

Have fun, and let me know what fun workouts you have in store.

Training On The Go

We all know it too well, that moment when you've finally made some headyway in your training program, you've reached a few goals, your nutrition is solid, you feel great about yourself and what you've accomplished!

Then it happens, you go on vacation, you miss one day at the gym that turns into five, and all of sudden you think your body might have forgot how to do a squat. But more importantly you realize that you have no idea what's going on with you because up until now if you missed you workout by a few hours your day was totally off, so how can you have possibly missed an entire week?

It's easy to get out of the groove, so what can you do stay there, even when things go a little helter skelter?

First off, don't beat yourself up, the negative energy will kill any momentum that might lingering in your path.

Second, start back on your plan right away. Don't wait for next week to start, don't wait til the weekend is over, just make a concerted effort to start the moment you realize you've fallen off the wagon.

Once you've gotten back on track be sure that you aren't beating yourself up, give yourself a rest day, reward yourself for working hard (within reason) and get ready to conquer the next obstacle. You've probably faced much worse in life than falling off the wagon, so pick it back up and get ready to stay on track.

Look at it this way, you've devoted a lot time, effort and energy to make it to where you are, so why waste it on simple moment of weakness. Take it back and make it work for you, mostly because you can.

Time's A Wasting...

Here we go again...I've heard a bunch more excuses on why people can't fit a workout into their day.

Now it has to do with the kids being out of school, or it's too hot, or not having enough energy at the end of the day.

I can answer those three for you right now...

Take your kids outside to play, they need the fresh air and exercise just as much if not more than you do.

It's been beautiful lately, but even if you're overly sensitive to the sun and heat, most gyms are still indoors and they have the a/c on. If this isn't enough for you then make your workout revolve around swimming.

If you don't have enough energy at the end of the day, try working out first thing in the morning. For many folks, this is the preferred time of day. You can also make sure you are fueling your body with the appropriate nutrition and a decent amount of sleep.

There's always time for a workout, even if it's a short one, something (to an extent anyway) is always better than nothing.

Fresh Fruit in the Summer

Summertime is quite possibly my favorite time of year, not only because of the warm weather, sunshine, beach, and pool, but mostly because of the wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetable taste so much better in the summertime. I make sure to visit the local fruit and vegetable stand a few times a week to pick out my weekly dose of all the local treats.

If you aren't a huge fan of the ever-so-good-for you fruits and vegetables, try giving them a chance in the summertime. You'll be amazed at how sweet and flavorful they are.

Fruits and vegetables are great additions to dinner meals especially grilled or added in as a stir fry, and with having so many options in the summer, you never get bored of what you're eating.

What are some of your favorite summer fruits and vegetables?

What's Your Motivation?

Those of us who workout, do so for a reason, even if the reason's because we like to workout.

Some of us have other reasons, such as health and longevity. Some of us want or need to lose some weight. Some of us have sports performance goals we want to work on.

Whatever the reason is, know what it is so you can focus on it while you workout.

Not only that but sometimes we need to dig deep into that motivation to get to a workout, or finish a workout.

We have a motivating factor inside of us, you just have to figure out what it is.

Then remind yourself of it, and see how your training benefits.

Kettlebell Training in Louisville with Holly Rigsy

After Holly and I spent a few hours filming a new DVD for her Fit Yummy Mummys we headed back to Dave Randolph's place for our third workout of the day.

Some tough stuff...

Renegade Rows 5/5
Double Cleans from the Floor 5
Single Arm Jerk 5/5
Sinlge Arm Snatches 3-5/3-5
Double Swings 10
Double Front Squats 5

Acceptance...

In case you haven't gathered I'm still fired up about the Fat Acceptance Movement.

At the bottom of this post you'll find another link, the one that Erica referenced, about the Fat Acceptance Movement.

I still shake my head in disbelief.

I give credit and respect to people who fight for what they believe in, but this is just one of those things, I can't.

With all the research and studies that have been conducted on obesity and the effects of obesity, you would think this movement would create an encouraging environment for people to want to become more healthy without having to face the thoughts of mainstream society.

Yet, this movement has created a belief that it's just fine to be obese, that it's just fine to condemn your body. I've seen quite a few people lose a significant amount of weight in my career. I met them at the beginning, or at their sticking point, I know them now, as they have made a choice and committment to leading a healthy lifestyle and have proof to show the world.

Not a single one of them has told me they prefer they way they used to live their life.

They all have stories, stories of unsupportive friends and family members, stories of success, and stories of how they just feel better.

None of them are willing to trade how they felt before, for how they feel today.

Here's the article that Erica mentioned.

http://bitchmagazine.org/article/big-trouble

What It Takes

After my post on Monday, I feel compelled to talk a little bit about what it takes to lead a healthy lifestyle.

As I breifly mentioned...

-It's not about 6 pack abs.
-It's not about being a size 2.
-It's not about starving yourself.
-It's not about working out 3 hours a day.

Being healthy and leading a healthy lifestyle has everything to do with the opposite of the things I just mentioned above.

Eating well: lean proteins, fruits, and veggies, some nuts and grains.

Staying Active: exercising 3 times a week (strength training and interval training work great) and being active 2 or 3 other days during the week.

Perspective: having a realistic perspective on what you're trying to achieve, if you're trying to lose weight, it's going to take some time, it didn't take a month to put the extra pounds on so it's going to take longer than a month to take it off.

Consistency: If you 'Yo-Yo' diet as they put it, you'll rarely be successful. If you hit the gym hard for 3 weeks and then take 4 weeks off, you're not going to see results. Start off by implementing a few things and add changes ever two weeks. Cold turkey commitments are hard to stick to.

It's a Lifestyle: This is the most important thing to remember. Don't look at your nutrition as a diet, look at it as Nutrition, fuel your body with nutrients that are good for it. Look at exercise as an activity, not a chore. Change your mindset and your lifestyle will improve.

My final thought: A healthy lifestlye becomes a way of life, you learn about self discovery and what makes you tick. Your mental game is also much greater. You owe it to yourself to treat yourself right.

I am NOT ok with this.

To what each do with our own bodies is purely up to each and everyone of us.

This movement, The Fat Acceptance Movement, is something that I cannot support.


Watch this video clip on the Fat Acceptance Movement.



Healthy overweight women (excuse me fat women, and that's the term they are using) are creating a movement to tell the world that they are ok with being fat, that they are happier, and healthier than they ever were at lighter weights.

The interview on Good Morning America goes on to tell us that the women they interviewed are working closely with the physicians to make sure they don't have any side effects tradiditionally associated with being overeweight. They even mention that their physicians are ok with their decisions to support the Fat Acceptance Movement.

Here are my thoughts...

1. Being obese (or fat as these women admit) is not healthy. They may not have any health problems now but in 5 or 10 years they most certainly will, reserach proves this.

2. The story mentions that yo-yo diets are harmful to our health as well, which is true, but why not adapt a healthy style of living? Eat fruits and vegetables, very few grains, and lean proteins. Exercise consistently, even if it only starts with walking. Giving in to temptations whenever you want and avoiding physical activity is not healthy.

3. One woman says she's healthier now than when she was 100 lbs lighter, I think she might have felt unhealthy at the lighter weight because she still wasn't eating properly. There's a huge difference to eating well and restricitng what you eat. Deprivation and dieting typically isn't successful. Committing to a healthy lifestyle is.

4. I think too skinny is also not healthy. I think people who are of average weight who don't eat well and don't exercise, but are just blessed with a decent metabolism and good genetics, is also not healthy. Just as I think being obese is not healthy.

5. Curves are good, shape is good, strength is good.

I do not believe these women are as happy as they say they are. I cannot believe their physicians support their position. Obesity is on a rise, it's effecting our youth, it's a leading cause of death, it's becoming an epidemic.

Competitive Spirit

Is competitive spirit a bad thing? Personally, I don't think so. In fact I think having some healthy competition helps us all succeed at things we might not have previously thought about.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that each and every one of you should go out and start competing in Mixed Martial Arts events, but I think a little competition reminds us of what we need to be doing.

I know it helps me out, keeps me training hard, keeps my focus on the business side of things, reminds that I should not expect things to fall into my lap, but that I have to work at them.

We're all structured a little differently, some of us more than others, so it makes sense that not all of us have a competitive spirit, but for those of you that do, I'm curious as to why it drives you, or if you feel it helps or hinders what you decide to do in your life.

36kg Kettlebell Snatches

last week while training this was a spur of the moment attempt and when it went up with ease, we thought we'd film it. The left side was not as strong as I would have liked it to be, but I'll take it. I'll get some higher reps next time.

Erica and Angie also snatched the 24kg tonight, I'll be posting those strong videos soon as well.

Keep it up ladies, you're kicking some major butt!