Josh's Training Tips
Forget the Fads – The Truth About Fitness from Josh Salzman
This month – Intent Action Plan
We have all heard this phrase before "the definition of insanity is to repeat the same things over again and expect a different result". It's a very straightforward, common sense statement. We apply it to our business, to our personal life, however not enough to our fitness. In other words, if our business hasn't been going well and profits aren't coming, we respond very quickly and change our actions in our office, in order to support more profitability.
In our personal lives once we have gone through some sort of breakup, as in the case of divorce, we seek out a future partner who has the characteristics and attributes that were lacking in our former relationship. Why then is it that very clever people go in and out of gymnasiums for weeks, months, and years doing the same things and not only not getting the results they want but actually getting worse for all their efforts. It is complete insanity to treat our most important asset, our health, in such a haphazard way. The following is the no nonsense approach to nurturing our mind and body and getting the lasting results we want from our fitness programme. To start with, our intent must be correct. This simply means that what we are thinking and what we are saying must be the same. How often I hear clients talk to their trainers in phrases such as "I'm really going to get in the best shape of my life now", however what they are thinking is that they may try to get in shape but they don't truly believe it. If you don't believe you will get healthy, lose excess body fat and become stronger and more toned, it won't happen. Your beliefs reflect your actions and when the belief (intent) is "I will get fit" then the actions will follow.
So, what are the actions? First of all, you need to make sure that you understand that resistance work ie weights, pilates has to be done with correct technique and body alignment. The movements must be done with focus and quality rather than quantity. Nothing is more irritating than seeing and hearing individuals slamming heavy weights onto the floor with poor form and done with many reps and sets. It is almost as if they're saying 'look at me, I can lift this heavy weight' and 9 times out of 10 there is no improvement in their personal fitness whatsoever. A close high school friend of mine was the USA power lifting champion 20 years ago. Keith could bench press 850lbs and squat close to 1000lbs. These days my good buddy can't lift his arms above his head due to the wear and tear which this caused his body. Strength training is designed to give you resistance to injury and not to be the source of injury. Joseph Pilates was absolutely ripped. he used small amounts of weight with perfect body alignment and technique, and all of those who you see that look similar to Joseph in these times apply the same philosophy.
You are what you eat and nutrition and eating plans and not diets are what we need to do. They are 75% of our fitness results and by eating a palm sized portion of
protein and complex carbohydrates little and often (every 3 hours) and drinking 2 litres of water daily, is what is required to get the results we want and to feel the
best we can. Supplements are important such as the omega oils and the multi vitamins, however they are not a substitute for solid food and water. Our body only
cares about survival and if we don't eat, we burn less calories because it thinks that we are starving, so when we do eat little and often it raises our metabolic rate
and makes that toned body come closer to reality.
Recovery must be an important focus to fitness progression. More is not better. We get stronger when we rest and that is a mental as well as a physical state.
The great religions of the world actually all designated a day of rest once a week, to recover, to reflect, and to absorb all of our endeavours from the previous week.
It is important to do this and whether it is a specific day or a day that changes from week to week, by putting down the mobile phone and putting one's feet up,
mentally and physically, quick fitness progression can take place.
In today's world we have the feeling that much of which happens to us is out of our control. The news that we see sometimes makes us feel that we as individuals
are completely helpless. This is not the case, we have the one control, which is, how we respond. We respond in a much better manner when we take control of
how we think, exercise, eat, and rest. Taking personal responsibility for these can truly enhance our most important assets which are our mind and body. In
conclusion try to keep intent, action (resistance training), nutrition, and recovery as a focus and your positive fitness results will follow.