January
(1-12-2020) So many times I wish that I was “Mic’d” up in the gym. The lessons learned within those warehouse walls could not be anymore genuine. There’s something so raw and gritty about being at the gym during a Max Effort day. Be it Lower or Upper body. It’s a type of atmosphere like no other. People walk in knowing whats about to happen. They know the mission for the day. With that they have a standard of expectation. With that in mind, we expect to exceed what we used to be. Progress is our motivation. We need it. It’s the fuel for our journey. But it’s not that simple. When dealing with the body there are so many determining factors that can play a huge role in how we perform the next day. Here are a few things to consider and try to master: Sleep: How intensely are you approaching your sleep protocol? Probably not that intense, huh? Im placing this number one for a very good reason. This is when your body recovers. It’s pretty much that simple. Without a good night rest your recovery from today’s training is garbage. Your training next day is garbage. I’m keeping it that simple. Get some sleep. Set your alarm to start your nightly routine. Pick activities that will help to “wind you down” rather then stimulate you. These can be a warm bath, reading, stretching, or even meditating. Wake up on time. When your alarm goes off, don’t “snooze” get your ass up. If you didn’t get enough rest well then do better tomorrow. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s time to get up and get after it. Being adult is hard and it means sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to. Focus on getting this solid and you will be very surprised how much progress it will give you in other areas of your fitness. Nutrition: Eat good foods. Don’t chase fad diets. Just keep it simple with REAL food. You know...meats, vegetables, and alot of water. Its simple, and also very affordable. Is it sexy? Hell, no. Frankly, in the beginning it really sucks. It’s like the whole world is having this awesome party and your the only one not invited. So, fuck them! Let those people make the same goals every year while your smashing them and pushing forward. Your Nutrition is your energy. You eat to perform well. So if you are not getting what’s expected on your lifts then that’s derivative of the things you put in your body. Along with that, your nutrition helps to build your QUALITY of sleep. Good nutritional habits will lead to better and deeper sleep. It’s a vicious cycle the other way. If you have lack of sleep you will actually produce hormones that induce more hunger. That’s not hunger for Kale neither. Its fatty and sugary foods. We don’t want that! These holes in your diet will lend you a more restless sleep, hence crappy progress. Lock in your diet sooner then later. Unfortunately, It has to be the one thing that people address at the latest point in their athletic career. If your just starting get this right first! You won’t regret it. Stress: Stress is universal. It's accumulating and the body knows zero difference. Meaning the stress you feel from work, relationships, etc. mixes with the stress you place upon your body in training. This is one of the hardest areas to improve. It’s not very practical to just quit your job. You have to make money to buy good food. You have to make money for a shelter over your head so you can sleep well. You can’t help (sometimes) the drama that ensues in your life. But what you can do is try to BE PRESENT in your training. You have made it to the gym. For most of us this is one of THE BEST parts of our day. So it’s okay to enjoy that and really take that in. If you can leave all your outside stress out of the gym then you can really dig deep into your training. You could focus on the task at hand and really get the benefits of your training. Know that anything that may be stressing you outside the gym can literally wait for this moment in time. You may find that taking some time for yourself may bring alot of clarity and perspectives to these stresses. Which may actually help to solve or eliminate them! Relax: Seriously, you don’t know everything. To think that you have it all figured out is a little unrealistic. The body is a complex organism that works much more like a Sine Wave then a Linear Graph. Ups and Downs are alot more times constant then anything else in your fitness journey. Accept them as a part of the journey. Because honestly, if it was that easy then we wouldn’t really have anything worth chasing. Its perfectly fine to have an idea of what you want to achieve. I think everyone should have a scope of that. But don’t linger. If you didn’t get the numbers or results you expected. Take a second to accept that and then move on. Your expectation was truly a false sense of entitlement. Look at your entire scope of self-care. Your sleep, nutrition, stress levels, etc. If any of those are out of alignment then you can expect that you are not at your very best. This is by no means an excuse or a “cop-out.” You should analyze yourself and make the appropriate changes. Then make sure they are at the highest levels for the longest duration of time possible. Track all of these factors and make the reasons to fail at anything minimal. Always in Strength, Never in Weakness, Dan
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I have reserves that my very first article would outline a subject so “cliche” to this time of the year. But, I have to remember that everyone starts their fitness, health, or strength journey at different times. What might be so common to me is actually very new to someone else. So here’s hoping that this will be one of many articles that may help someone out there seeking guidance in their journey!
Last year flew by quicker than any year before. There was big movement around every corner. I feel that is true of everyone. As we all are on this Earth going through life as best as we can. We are inherently connected through the same pace that the universe determines. On that note, I wanted to make an effort to realize that we are all creating our story and no one is truly looking to cause resistance in anyone else’s journey. We are just “figuring it out.” New Year, New Beginnings, New Challenges. Going into this New year let’s work together and make it the most successful yet. On that note, I have created three principles that can help you create a true heading in your journey. Are they “New Ideas”? Most certainly, not. But they will help you to get started and hopefully keep you going into the next year learning and loving life. The Three D’s (no not that “D” you sicko”) Determine: Determine what your mission is. Where is your heading? Every journey deserves a defined destination. Make it simple yet strong. I WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT. Okay, that clear. Remember, creating too many goals can spread you too thin. If I’m chasing too many rabbits I will most likely catch none. I want to lose weight, have a 29 inch waist, fit in my old wedding dress, eat only carrots. No, keep it simple. Make your goals complimentary. Do they align with each other realistically? If your goals end up pushing and pulling at each other rather then working mutually then you will have a more difficult time accomplishing them. I WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT AND SQUAT 100 MORE POUNDS. This is an example of that. You have to understand that if you want to lose weight efficiently you may lose some strength. Changing our body changes our leverages. If I was to lose 20 lbs my Bench Press will feel much different. Make sense? Determine your destination. Make it clear. Don’t chase too many rabbits Devise: Devise the plan. With no plan we essentially only plan to fail. Outline what lifestyle and behavioral changes need to be made in order for you to succeed. Be truthful with yourself. Act as if you are a third party looking within. Do you really eat healthy? Or are you under your own delusional spell? Be open-minded. Obviously, what you have been doing hasn’t been working. If it was then you wouldn’t be resolving to change or improve. So doing things you haven’t done before will create something you haven’t been before. Devise the habit that will enforce your success. If I want to lose weight what habit will complement that? I WILL DRINK AT LEAST 1 GALLON OF WATER PER DAY. If you are someone that consumes alot of liquid calories then this habit will enforce your success. Devise your plan to pave your way. Discipline: All the above means nothing without discipline. Discipline is doing the task no matter the time of the day or how you feel. I have a saying in the gym. Whenever an Athlete expresses fear, disdain, or anything pushing them away from accomplishing the task. I tell them, “Sometimes the heaviest things we lift are our feelings.” This is obviously meant in jest. But the point is that we tend to overthink and overanalyze when the action is so much simpler. Just get shit done. In all of the above be disciplined. Execute no matter how you feel. In summary, know that it is YOUR journey. Along that journey you will come across hard-ships, distractions, and set-backs. How you react after will determine your success. If you fail in one thing. It’s just that one thing. Get back on that fucking horse and ride. You are worth not giving up on. Best of luck in the New year! Let’s make these goals old goals next year. Stay Strong My Friends, Dan |
AuthorDan Schlemmer Archives
July 2020
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