Expert Advice > Archived Articles > Getting Back on Track 24/6/2011
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Getting Back on Track 24/6/2011
Have you had a break from training and just can’t get back into the swing of things? Or are you so busy that you feel there is no time to train or to eat right? Here are some ideas to get you back on track in the gym and into the best shape of your life!
Before I begin with specific ideas I want to mention an article written by Arnold (you know who I mean) where he said,” Without mastery over your mind you will never have mastery over your body”. He also went on to say, “Desire, motivation and setting goals all start with the mind”. As you can see then it all comes back to your ability to “master your own mind” and teach yourself good mental habits, attitudes and the right knowledge to reach your goals. Consider, what first got you into training? Was it to lose weight, get stronger or was it pictures of Arnold, Frank Zane, Lee Haney or another top athlete? Whatever it was tap into that as it will begin the process of you having the desire to get back on track. Write a list of the benefits of being in shape versus being out of shape. A list of all the benefits you get from training and eating right versus all the disadvantages of not doing so in terms of your health, how you feel and look will give you another push in the right direction. One website called Realage.com allows you to input data to see what your biological age is based on your lifestyle. It was definitely motivating to see that a bodybuilding lifestyle had helped me take 6 years off my chronological age! Look at what you have previously achieved. Look at photos and videos of yourself in the best shape that you have ever accomplished to fuel your motivation. If you did it once before you can do it again, and with more knowledge you can even surpass your previous best. Set goals. Goals are great but as I have mentioned before they have to be SMARTER and they have to be written down- E.g. Specific (I will lose 3 kilos of body fat) Measurable (I will need to have a body fat test every 2 weeks to see if it is fat I am losing not muscle) Achievable (Do I have all the tools, exercises, etc….. at my disposal to achieve this goal?) Realistic (Are my goals realistic with work, money, time and other responsibilities?) Time frame (I will lose the 3 kilos of body fat in 6 weeks) Evaluate (I will have shorter 2 week goals to ascertain my progress) Reset (I will reset my goals to be more achievable- this will depend on if I am below or exceeding my expectations!) Remember dreams become goals once they are written down! Organise your time. Make up a chart to see when you can definitely train. If you are serious about getting back on track you will make time available. As you can see on the chart below if you organise your time you can do it. All you need is a minimum of 3-4 times a week and no more than an hour at a time. If your work time is flexible make it part of your business day as an investment into your own health and productivity.
Use psychological skills like imagery. Imagine yourself back in shape or lifting more weight in a specific exercise. Picture yourself being shredded to the bone with extra muscle! If you struggle with this cut out a few pictures of a physique you aspire to and go from there. Also use imagery to put yourself in the right frame of mind right before training. One example I have used in the past is imagining a thermostat at normal temperature and just before lifting seeing the liquid in the thermostat rise in line with your energy and motivation levels. Commit by investing some money- it is amazing how motivated you can get when you have spent a bit of cash on something. Join a gym, purchase supplements that are useful to your specific goals or enlist the help of a personal trainer to help you get back into shape. Make a bet with a friend that you will reach your goal by a specific date, even better get them to join you and make a competition out of it. Surround yourself with the right people. Hang out with people who are into the same things as you. Make a BLOG or join a bodybuilding social network site like NZBB to post your goals and progress so you feel more obligated to achieving them. Have a positive outlook on things. Have the attitude you are going to have fun with training and eating right and approach everything with a positive frame of mind. No matter how busy or stressed you get keep your sense of humour!! You have to realise that any change is going to take effort, but once you make it a habit (takes about 6 weeks) it becomes second nature. Eat right. Diet is huge when getting back on track. I always feel energetic and in the right frame of mind when I’m on a high protein, high fat and low carbohydrate diet. Eating the wrong foods makes me feel tired and less motivated to train. Find a diet that makes you feel good while allowing you to add or maintain muscle and lose body fat. This does require a lot of research and knowing how your body works, but it is well worth the effort. I am a huge proponent of the blood type diet and I definitely would recommend considering this as part of your diet planning. Detoxify the body – Detoxifying the body will help you feel more motivated to get back on track with your training and diet. We all know your body stores fat if you have eaten excess calories, but a lot of people don’t consider the fact that if your body is toxic from a lot of processed foods and alcohol your body stores fat to put these toxins somewhere as it cannot detoxify it all. Drink lots of water (2-4litres) a day, eat lots of fresh vegetables and some fruit, avoid processed foods, and eat lean cuts of meat. A number of amino acids in protein powders are beneficial for detoxification as well as other supplements like milk thistle, glutathione, psyllium husks and dandelion. You will be surprised how quickly you can lose weight and feel more motivated to train when you put the right fuel in your body. Increase protein intake- Increasing protein intake (from lean cuts of meat, dairy and protein powders) will help you gain extra muscle. It will also keep you more satisfied from each meal. A basic guide to follow is to have 2 grams per kilo of lean bodyweight. Decrease processed carbohydrates- If you think about processed carbohydrates (any food that has been altered from its natural state): they are a relatively new addition (on an evolutionary scale) to the human diet. They are often low in nutrients, high on the glycaemic index and have many added toxins that our bodies are unable to deal with. To lose body fat quickly I would substantially decrease or eliminate processed carbohydrates like bread and pasta from your diet. Increase good fats- Omega 3 fats are found less and less in our diets so supplementing with them is a good idea for our body and mind to function properly. I swear by fish oil as an excellent supplement to lose body fat fast along with all its other health benefits. Drink lots of water- Water is often overlooked as a useful tool to change our body shape for the better. Our bodies work in an aqueous solution so if we are dehydrated in any way we will be unable to train as hard, think as clearly, transport nutrients around the body or eliminate toxins and wastes as effectively. It can also satisfy hunger pangs too. So drink up –it’s free! Add supplements. There are lots of good products out there like whey protein, glutamine and creatine to name a few. Also pre-workout supplements like Super pump 250 are extremely effective at getting you at the right level of activation for a wicked workout. I even find vaso-dilators like NIOX do the job nicely as well. There is nothing more motivating to get you back in the gym than knowing you will get an awesome pump and workout each time you train. Short on time? If you can afford it you should consider moving from a commercial gym to a home gym as it will cut down on travel time and waiting time for certain pieces of equipment in the gym. You will need a power cage with a chin up / lat-pull down and row attachment, Olympic barbell and plates, Adjustable dumbbells and an adjustable bench with leg curl/leg extension attachment. Eating right doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Fruit, salads, boiled eggs, canned chicken, fish and protein shakes are quick easy food. You will find that grilling a piece of steak and cooking some veges takes about the same time as going out for “fast food”. Abbreviate training routines. If you are short on time you can perform abbreviated workouts and still make gains. I remember Ed Coan who was a powerlifting champion perform only 3 workouts a week. He focussed on one main lift a workout with ancillary work for the rest of his muscles. Don’t be conned into thinking you need to train 2 hours every day to make decent gains. I have made some of my best gains with three 40 minute workouts every 10 days! Below are 3 workouts you could follow using the above equipment I have recommended for a home gym. 2 Day full body Tuesday
* Legs are slightly bent throughout the movement. Rep ranges could be alternated and various intensity techniques like x-reps, rest pause and negative accentuated sets could be included. 3 Day Split Monday Wednesday Friday Shoulders & Arms Legs Chest & Back 1. Rack pulls. 1. Squats. 1. Deadlifts. 2. DB Press. 2. BB Hack Squat. 2. Bench. 3. Wide grip Cable Row. 3. S bent legged dlifts* 3. Chin up. 4. DB Curl. 4. Leg curl. 4. Incline DB Bench 5. DB Pullover Ext#. 5. Calf raise 5. DB Row # This is a cross between a normal pullover and lying triceps extension. This is not too far off my current training routine except I have even more rest days in between workouts. Workouts are about 35-40 minutes long. If you recover quickly and like training more regularly but have limited time each day you could do something like this. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Chest Legs Arms Back Shoulders Bench Squat DB Curl Deadlift Rack pull In Bench Calf raise DB pullover Ext Chins DB press Workouts would take about 10-15 minutes and you could change exercises regularly so that all muscles got a fair go. Your exercise programme, diet and lifestyle should not be a chore, but something you enjoy doing. It is clear that you want to get back into shape otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this, however, sometimes it requires a little more than just “wanting something” to make it happen. It will require that you have the right mental habits, attitudes and knowledge so you can reach your goals and regain the body you once had! |
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