No excuses, Just go get it.

Too many people have excuses why not to be healthy and fit. "I am too busy, I don't have time, I am too tired, I had to pick my kids up from school, I don't have money, the list goes on an on. Listen, I am here to tell you those are B.S. excuses. You can make time for your workouts. Be a little more organized. Working out will actually increase your energy throughout the day. Instead of going home, drinking a glass of wine and watching TV, go to the gym and workout. Your energy will soar. Ok, go pick up your kids at school and then take them to the gym with you. Most gyms have child care programs. If they are old enough, workout with them. If the weather is acceptable go to a park and run around with them. Be active. You do not need money to be in shape. At every park there is monkey bars. There you go, you can do pull-ups, get down and do push-ups, perform some planks, perform bodyweight split squats, and run some sprints. I always tell people that I can work them out with no equipment. Just a determined mind and a hard worker is all I need.

We have to have a positive mental attitude. You will never accomplish your goals if you are negative and have excuses. We have a choice every day of our Life to either live healthy or not. Eat a cheeseburger and fries or chicken and vegetables, drink a protein smoothie or have a chocolate shake, drink water or drink beer. These are all choices we can make on a daily basis. Which choice will you make??? It is your decision. Learn to have self control. You will feel better, have more energy, be healthy, stay away from the doctor, and people will be attracted to your positivity.

Life is not just about working out and being fit. You need balance. But I truly believe if you are in shape and feel good about yourself, you will appreciate everything around you so much more. You do not need that daily 2 glasses of wine a night. You do not need to smoke those cigarettes. You do not need to eat those high fatty foods. You need to be healthy. Eat healthy, be consistent with your workouts and watch your vitality just soar.

If you are reading this and saying to yourself, "this is B.S.", then step out of that bubble and get your butt to the gym. You need a workout and you need some good food. And then watch your attitude change.

Stay up, stay positive and stay driven!

A day in the Life of Justin....

I got this idea from Mike Boyle. He gets lots of questions on how he has time for his writing, seminars, training, and his family/personal life.

So here are some ideas that could help to make your day a little more organized and enjoyable....

1. Like Mike, I believe in waking up early. I heard a quote a long time ago that says, "Successful people are up before 7." I wake up M-F at 4:30 am. I eat breakfast and watch a little sportscenter. I am at my gym by 5:00. I get there early to do any paperwork, write up workouts, read the newspaper, and just get 30 minutes of quiet time before any clients show up. I feel if you wake up after 9:00 am, the whole morning is wasted. If you want to be successful, start waking up early. I am usually at the gym from 5 am - 12/1 pm, then I take a break, which usually involves a workout and maybe a cat nap to energize me for the afternoon/evening.

2. Sleep is crucial. I am in bed by 9:00 the majority of nights. I need my sleep. With as much activity that is part of my day, I need rest. Some people say sleep is overrated; I totally disagree. If you lack sleep, you will be run down, lack energy, and higher your chances of getting hurt. You need 7-9 hours. None of this 5-6 hours of sleep. It is hard to make it through the day with minimal sleep.

3. I look at my calendar every sunday night. I look at my schedule of clients, I put my own workouts in the calendar, any personal related activities I put in the calendar, just anything that is going on for that week. Every seminar I go to talks about how successful people are super organized. Well I want to be successful, so I am going to listen and follow through. Time management and organization are critical to get your SHI* done. My own workouts are so important for me. I have my own performance goals and if I do not schedule myself then I will be overwhelmed to get them in. I add my workouts to my calendar as if I was a client.

4. Any break in the day from clients I sit down and read, write workouts, and write articles. I sometimes feel I need more time to do these things. I train between 5-8 hours training clients a day and my workouts are at least an hour a day. So, the day goes by fast. I need to read any chance I get. Whether it be strength and conditioning material, nutrition information, self growth, or business books, I have given myself a goal to read more. I need to learn from successful people. People that have been through the trenches and are gladly giving me the resources to learn from their mistakes. If I can read 1 hour a day, I am happy. I am just beginning down the path in this world and if I can get any ideas and hints to make things easier, I will take them.

5. I get back to work by 3:00 pm. And I try and leave my gym by 6:30 every night. That gives me time to spend with my wife. I have learned that balance is so important. I can't just focus on work, my workouts, and the things going on in my Life. I have to and I want to communciate with my wife on a daily basis. Sometimes after long days we are very tired and just are able to eat dinner together and then I go to bed, but anytime is good time.

I definitely do not know everything. What I do know that it is important to learn from others. I have a long way to go in this industry but I feel I am on the right path to success.

I have learned that most people make Life too complicated. Well it isn't that complicated. Be organized, be balanced, be humble, and be positive. The rest will come. Continue down the journey of a healthy and full life. Appreciate the people around you and inspire the people around you. Todd Durkin said to READY, FIRE, AIM. Just go do it. DO not over think things. There are so much opportunity out there for everyone. It is just a matter of making it happen.

Go out and GET IT!

An educational weekend

I drove to LA on Friday. Saturday was the Perform Better 1-day Seminar. There were speakers giving lectures and hands on presentations. The first presenter was Todd Durkin who spoke about "Going for Greatness". To me, this subject is just as important as the nuts and bolts of strength and conditioning. IT was all about taking your game to the next level. Todd was a great motivator and speaker. I got alot of valuable information from his presentation. A great quote that will stay with me from Todd's presentation is "Attitude determines Altitude." You can go as high as you want if you have the right positive mental attitude.

The next presenter was Alwyn Cosgrove, who always gets the audience laughing and thinking. He puts things into simple sense. If we listen to his ideas and then immediately implement them, you will make more money, run a more efficient business, and will be able to grow your business into whatever you want.

Next was Gray Cook. This guy is so intellectual. He knows the body from the inside out. I always learn so much information on how the body is meant to function from Gray. His main topics that were covered were improving mobility before stability. We need to create mobility first before we start working on stability. The joint needs movement capabilities before we can start stabilizing. Once the individual is able to move properly, then we can stabilize and once that same person can now stabilize, then it is time for strength development. If we mix up the order we will be creating more of a dysfunctional body.

Last on the docket was Mike Boyle. Mike stepped out of the box for him this seminar and talked about training the obese client and client with low back pain. IT was very interesting to hear some of the ideas from Mike. With obese clients, just get them moving. He talked about the things he does not do with obese clients and that is: foam roll, stretch, and core work. Why put a 300+ man on a foam roll. It will be very hard for him to do it the correct way. Strethcing and core work on the ground is very awkard for an obese individual. These individuals need to dramatically change their diet and get moving. You do not need to spend 20 minutes on soft tissue and flexibility. Drop 80 pounds first and then we can start improving muscle quality.

The hands on sessions were good. Todd's was very energetic and was actually a tough workout. We did some metabolic work for the entire 25 minutes. We did not stop. It was challenging.

I came away with some great knowledge from this seminar. I will be able to come back to my facility and implement ideas ASAP. California Fitness Academy will be a better place.

On a side note: watch out for those bars that say "Protein Energy Bars". You think they are good for you. Read the ingredients closely and be careful. This bar from Detour is horrible. Loaded with processed sugars, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and all this other crap. Make sure to read labels and understand what you are eating before you decide to "think it is healthy for you."


Other Ingredients: Designer Whey Protein Blend [(Whey Protein Concentrate, PDUF Whey Protein Isolate, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein), Soy Protein Isolate], Glycerlean [99.7% USP Glycerine, Taurine, L-Leucine, CLA], Milk Chocolate Flavored Coating (Maltitol, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Non-Fat Dry Milk, Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali), Soy Lecithin, Salt, Vanilla), Sugar Free Caramel (Maltitol, Non-Fat Dry Milk, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Cream, Butter, Natural Flavors, Salt, Disodium Phosphate, Lecithin), Water, Gelatin, Calcium Caseinate, Peanut Flour, Cocoa Butter, Rice Flour, Natural and Artificial Peanut Flavor, Mono and Di-glycerides, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (as a Preservative), Natural Vitamin E (as Mixed Tocopherols), Sucralose, Neotame.

Goals

Goals are so important to have. For personal development, business growth, and overall success. If you do not have any goals and are unsure of what is to come, then you better get busy figuring them out.

Here are a few of my goals that I want to accomplish in the upcoming year:

Increase clientele by 10%
Increase gross income by 15%
Read at least 45 minutes everyday on strength and conditioning material
Read 4 unrelated to fitness books (self growth, motivation, business)
Have 5 different speaking engagements
Volunteer my skills at least 3 times
Start thinking about expansion
Attend at least 1 national fitness seminar
Start constructing my DVD/book
Complete my half ironman in 5 hours 30 mins. or less
Complete the Wildflower Olympic course in 2:20 or less

Alright there you have it. This list can and probably will grow. As I continue to learn about myself and grow, I will add to the list.

Remember you can accomplish so much, it just takes hard work and commitment to achieve!

The Best Training Program Ever

I talk to people all the time and they are always looking for a better and more efficient fitness program. In my opinion, there is no program in the world that is the best. Every program has its flaws and every program can get better. No training program is perfect. But with a new outlook on your fitness routine you can make your time at the gym much more efficient. I want to show you some basic concepts on how to create and design your own training programs. With just a few simple ideas and methods, you will have the education to design a proper workout that will get you results and keep you motivated. Too many people that go to the gym follow the same routine, have no progression, do not know how to push themselves, have no plan of action, and they get frustrated. Frustration leads to uninspiring workouts and, in the end, quitting of a fitness routine. You do not want that! Follow these simple guidelines and you will be on your way to achieving your fitness goals, increasing your fitness levels, and increasing your performance to a whole new level.


Having a plan of action is an important aspect that most gym goers disregard when they show up to the gym for a workout. The typical gym member will walk into the gym, step on the treadmill for ten minutes, walk at a slow pace, hop off the treadmill, go to the strength training machines and start lifting light weights with a lot of repetitions. Sound familiar? Also, you see the “bench presser”, usually a male in their 20’s or 30’s, walk into the gym, go straight to the bench press, perform a few arm circles to “loosen up”, lay down and start repping out 225 pounds until their face is red. Then that person will complain about shoulder issues. I wonder why? Then they go bust out some chest flies and some bicep curls. They end with some crunches and then the workout is over. They have skipped some very important “ingredients” of a fitness routine. Having a plan of action before you go into the gym is crucial to having an efficient workout. Write down your workout before you even step foot into the gym. Do not “freestyle”. If you have a plan and it is written down, you will work harder, be more efficient and you will get a better workout. Below, I will go over a type of program sequence you should follow to make your workouts more organized.

Do you perform a dynamic warm-up? A workout routine should always begin with a dynamic warm-up. Do not walk on the treadmill or ride a stationary bike for ten minutes and declare you are warmed up. With those ten minutes, you can get more bang for your buck by doing some dynamic flexibility and mobility drills. Goals for a dynamic warm-up include: Injury prevention, increase range of motion, increase blood flow, increase heart rate, increase joint mobility, increase muscle flexibility, and prepare and activate the body for the workout. A proper warm-up should take at least ten minutes; It all depends on the time you have and the goals you have set. I have some athletes that their dynamic warm-up takes up to 25 minutes. When you have mobility and flexibility issues, you will need to spend more time warming up so you can address those issues. This needs to be a main aspect of your fitness routine. Start performing a consistent warm-up before every training session that includes shoulder, hip, and ankle mobility drills, activation techniques, and dynamic flexibility drills and you will see major changes in your movement patterns and your overall performance.


Is your program balanced? Do you perform more pressing movements then pulling movements? Or more knee dominant movements than hip dominant movements? If you answered yes to those two questions, then your program is imbalanced. Do you include three or four pressing movements and only have two or three pulling movements? Do you have three or four knee dominant (focusing on quadriceps) exercises and only have one to two hip dominant (focusing on hamstrings and glutes) exercises? You really need to look at your program and make sure there is balance. If you have one horizontal press (bench press) and one vertical press (shoulder press), then you should have one horizontal pull (Inverted Rows) and one vertical pull (chin-ups). Same thing with the lower body. If you have two knee dominant exercises (split squat and lunges), then you should have two hip dominant exercises (Stability Ball Leg curls and Straight Leg Deadlift). Most shoulder issues are caused because people live in a “bench pressing world”. They can bench press 315 pounds, but when asked to chin-up the same amount, they can’t even come close. This creates an imbalance in your shoulder strength. A balanced athlete should be able to pull just as much as he or she can press. Create a balanced program and you are less likely to suffer from asymmetries that, in the end, can cause injury.

If you are not a competitive bodybuilder, then do not lift like one! Unless your goals are to compete as a bodybuilder, you should never go to the gym and spend 60 minutes on your arms. You need to incorporate full body routines. Start thinking of training specific movement patterns and not specific body parts. You can work your entire body in a 3 or 4 day split lifting program and get much more bang for your buck and better results. I will show you a few examples below of full body routines that are balanced and efficiently planned so you are getting the most out of your gym time. Even if you aren’t a competitive athlete, start thinking like one, and train like one. If you want to increase your fitness level, feel better, increase your energy and most importantly BE HEALTHY, then you need to start implementing these ideas into your daily program. Your program should have dynamic flexibility and mobility drills, core stabilization work, explosive exercises, full body strength movements, conditioning, and cool down stretching. It is a waist of time to go into the gym and perform chest and triceps for 90 minutes. Especially if your goal is to get fit and to increase your performance.

Is there a proper sequence to your workout? Do you just have a huge hodgepodge of exercises and decide which ones to choose when you get to the gym? Or do you put some thought into it before you set foot into the gym and decide what you will do, in what order you will do it, and at what intensities and volume you will perform them at. These methods will allow you to have a more efficient workout. Should you do jump squats at the end of the workout? Probably not the best idea. Should you perform the heavier, more intense lifts after the less intense lifts? Probably not the best idea. Also, what sets and repetitions will you be using in each workout. I have a strong belief that by changing the intensities and volume every workout, your body will never adapt, thus leading to better results. One day, work on endurance (12-15 reps), one day work on hypertrophy/strength (8-12 reps) and one day work on power (3-5 reps). The more variety in your workouts, the more motivation you will have to go and complete them. Here are two examples of properly sequenced and designed workouts:

Workout example #1:
Activation/Dynamic warm-up/mobility drills: 10-15 minutes
Core Stabilization (start thinking anti-rotation and anti-flexion): 5 minutes
Plyometric (box jumps, hurdle jumps, jump squats, etc.): 8 minutes
Strength Work: 20-35 minutes
A1: Vertical Pull: 3 x 8, A2: Knee Dominant: 3 x 8,
A3: Active Hamstring Stretch
B1: Horizontal Press: 3 x 10, B2: Hip Dominant: 3 x 6,
B3: Active hip flexor on box
Conditioning: 8-10 minutes
a. High intensity interval
i. Example: 8 Treadmill sprints, 15 seconds on/45 seconds off
Stretch: 5-10 minutes

Total: 56 – 83 minutes


Workout example #2
1. Activation/Dynamic warm-up/mobility drills: 10-15 minutes
2. Core Stabilization: 5 minutes
3. Medicine Ball Explosive Work: 8 minutes
4. Strength Work: 20-35 minutes
A1: Horizontal Pull: 3 x 12, A2: 1-leg Knee Dominant: 3 x 6
A3: Standing hamstring stretch on ½ foam roll
B1: Vertical Press: 3 x 12, B2: 1-leg Hip Dominant: 3 x 6/leg
B3: Shoulder Rollouts w/foam roll
5. Conditioning: 8-10 minutes
a. High Intensity interval
i. Example: 8 Spin Bike sprints, 15 seconds on/45 seconds off
6. Stretch: 5-10 minutes




Stick to the basics. When in doubt, you need to master the basic exercises. For some reason, our country loves to overdo things. This “functional” training era has become a competition of who can do the most “circus act” exercises in the gym. You do not need to be doing bicep curls while standing on a stability ball to be “functional”. Remember, the simple and basic exercises are what get you strong. Being strong is being functional. Chin-ups are a very functional exercise. But yet, you do not see too many people in gyms performing chin-ups. If you can not perform the basic movements with perfect form, then why are you getting into more complex movements? Get back to the basics. Here is a list of exercises, in their correct category that you need to start implementing into your program. You can cut and paste these exercises into the workout sequences I gave you up above so you can modify and change your workout on a daily basis.


Dynamic warm-up/Mobility Drills: leg swings, ankle mobility on wall, wall slides (shoulder mobility), lunge/arms straight up, inchworms, side lunging, knee raise pulls, leg cradles, straight leg kicks, quadriceps pulls, shoulder Y’s/T’s/W’s, running high knees, running butt kicks, power skips and side shuffles

Knee Dominant: front squats, split squats, 1-leg squats, back lunges, front lunges, walking lunges (both knee and hip dominant), and step-ups

Hip Dominant: deadlifts, single leg deadlifts, stability ball leg curls, stability ball hip lifts, glute bridge, 1-leg glute bridge, and walking lunges

Horizontal Pressing: bench press, dumbbell bench press, push-up, and cable press

Horizontal Pulling: inverted rows, seated rows, DB rows, and cable rows

Vertical Pressing: shoulder press (DB’s or barbell), alternating DB shoulder press, and DB incline bench press

Vertical Pulling: chin-ups, pull-ups, 1-arm high cable rows, and pulldowns

Core Stabilization: front plank variations, side plank variations, cable stabilization, kneeling chops, and kneeling lifts

Plyometrics: box jumps, hurdle jumps, squat jumps, bounding, and 1-leg hoping

Medicine Ball Work: overhead slams, chest slams, push press thrusts, chest press thrusts, and side throws



If you start implementing these simple principles into your workout regimen, you will see what a difference it will make in your fitness levels. You will learn to push your body, change the workout when needed, have a proper progression and program design, have balance, and have a plan of action every workout. This will lead to increase strength, increase power, increase mobility, increase flexibility and an increase in your overall performance. You will have more energy, have a higher vitality towards life, and your motivation levels will be sky rocketed. Remember, being healthy and fit must be a lifestyle habit. It must be a priority you think about every single day of your life. Healthy nutritional habits, consistent work ethic, and a long term approach will get you to the top. Do not expect short term results. Put in the time and watch your Life take off!

Short and simple

“You have the opportunity to succeed everyday. Take one day at a time and make each day count. Live, Love and Cherish the people around you and the things you have.”


Listen……

I am going to be short and simple this week. I believe in the four F’s to live a happy and fulfilled Life. You must have a strong FAITH, have good relationships with FAMILY and FRIENDS and you must be FIT. All these things will guide you to appreciate and enjoy everything around you. You will live life to the fullest! When the tough times arise, you will bounce back quickly. Part of this whole fitness thing is to think a certain way. Do not let a number influence your feelings. Do what you have to do to achieve your goals. Your goals will not get accomplished by just talking about them. Write down your goals, not just fitness goals either, and set a game plan for you to conquer them.

I wrote a quote up on the board in my gym. It goes like this:

“You can not push anyone up the mountain unless he is willing to start the climb himself.” Andrew Carnegie

Plain and simple, you need to light your own motivation flame. Do not wait for people to do it for you. Just go out and MAKE IT HAPPEN! Get to the gym, get moving, buy and eat the right foods and you will be on your way to achieving your goals. But remember one very important thing: IT TAKES TIME! Be patient, create a healthy lifestyle and you will see the benefits.

Do not wait for the New Year. Start now! This is the best time to start a fitness program!

Put your trust and faith in God and he will lead you in the right direction

Stay UP!

Just some random thoughts....

• Have an open mind. If you think you know it all, you will not go anywhere in your Life. Learn from people who are successful and have strong values. Keep learning and watch yourself grow.
• When you listen to a lecture you only retain 5% of what is going to be said. Lesson to be learned.....take notes. Write down things when you hear them and you are more likely to remember all those great things.
• Just because someone is a "personal trainer" doesn't mean they know the right things to get you in shape. I have seen some "personal trainers" do the worse things possible for their clients. Remember, if you are a trainer, you have to be a teacher. Get your clients to do things perfect. Do not make excuses and do not get lazy. You have someone's life in your hands and if you get lazy, it could cost you. If you are a person looking for a trainer, make sure they are qualified and look the part. IF they do not practice what they preach you probably shouldn't be listening to them.
• Always say thank you to the people that have helped you get to where you are at. Do not take advantage of your relationships.
• Gatorade and power gels are not good for you. There is no nutritional benefit to these products. They are meant for replenishment of electrolytes and sugars during exercise. Do not just drink or down a gel if you are just "hanging out".
• Did you know that the Leg Press machine at most gyms is probably one of the worse exercises to do. It puts unwanted stress on your lower back and works primarily the quadriceps without incorporating other muscle groups. If you want a blown out disk, then keep doing leg presses. Do a split squat or a 1-leg squat instead and you will see the difference.
• I really enjoy college football on saturday's.
• The sport of triathlon can get you to believe you can achieve anything. If you need something to train for, try a sprint triathlon. You can still lift your weights, you do not have to put in 20 hours/week of training time, and you can still have a life outside of training. But remember, once you complete a small event, you will get addicted and will want to see how far you can push. Be prepared for the craziness.