PROVE ME WRONG

PROVE ME WRONG

There are always people who complain in the gym, just as in life. They either complain out loud or they do it behind closed doors, but they are both dissatisfied with the results they are getting based on the efforts they feel they are putting in. While everybody who is keeping track of their PR's and daily logs have seen increases since they have stepped in the door a great deal of people are still fighting body image and diet. I hear it from both sides. "I am eating better than I did before I came in here, but I am getting (bigger/smaller) and that is not what I wanted". Or, "I am killing the workouts and making big gains in my lifts, but I am losing everyday in the diet aspect". I want to suggest a couple of things and make a bet with you.

Working out 2, 3, or even 4 times a week at The Shop is NOT enough physical activity for a person in 1 week. Our program calls for 5 workouts at The Shop and on the 2 days you are not at The Shop, you should be doing 30 minutes to an hour of cardio. One day should be higher intensity running or a long walk and the other day should be low-intensity continuous movement (stretching or Yoga would be good). That is just a minimum. Of the 168 hours in a week, you would be doing physical activity 3-4% of that time. That means that working out at The Shop 3 days a week means you are getting less than 2% of physical activity in your week. Assuming you sleep 8 hours a day, which the body needs but is a very generous estimate for most, you have 105 hours, or 63% of your week left to eat, drink, sit at your desk, and destroy all you have killed yourself for in the gym. What are you doing in that time?

I don't expect most of you will keep a food log for the next few years, some of you don't even bother to track your training on a daily or weekly basis. We use % of max in most workouts and there are quite a few of you who have no idea what your max is, even though you have maxed out recently on the movement. Arbitrarily gauging results by how you feel is not measurable and while it can be an evaluation of your overall health it will not help you determine what changes you need to make to achieve your goals.

Goals...both Neal and I have asked for everyone to write your goals down numerous times. Who all has done it, and have you accomplished any of them? I know there are some people who have conquered some fears and achieved some goals. I have watched you do multiple double-unders, kipping pull-ups, or a new height on the box jump. I have recorded many of those moments, have you?

Everybody has a log book, or should. If you do not, come see me and I will get you one. In addition to having plenty of room for your daily workouts, there are also articles in their about movements, diet, and stretching. Everybody should have read these articles and I would recommend following the advise within. It has been proven to work. When you fill your log book full this year, come see me next year and I will get you another one. I guarantee if you use it, you will see results. You will see them in black and white, you will see them in your workout performance, and you will see them on your body.

Here is the challenge...

For 30 days, workout for at least 30 minutes a day. A normal Shop workout lasts about that long, so the days you come in, you will have less to do on your own. On days that you do not come in, there are a variety of bodyweight exercises you can do as well as simply walking the dog, or walking some trails will count. Don't have 30 minutes to spare (yeah right)? Do 3 ten-minute workouts or walks. It all counts the same, but you have to get the full time in.

Keep track of your food. It is only 30 days, and you can do it on paper, or a lot of you have phones that have apps like "loseit" or "myfitnesspal" that makes it very easy for you.

Eat good. There are a million resources out there about good eating, so I am not going to introduce anything new, or even suggest you try one method over another. Just eat a well balanced diet low on sugar and make sure you eat plenty of fish and chicken (not fried, or manufactured to look like nuggets).

If you do that for 30 days, we will give you 1/2 off your next month's dues and a free shirt.

All that I ask is that you be honest. Even that 1/2 of a filled doughnut that I finished for Lucas this morning because I didn't want to see my money getting thrown in the trash counts. And it counted as about 180 calories. That "crap" adds up fast.

Since I believe in the 80/20 rule, I will include that in the challenge. Your logs have to be filled out 80% or more after the 30 days. That means you can have 6 days where you fill in nothing. That is A LOT, and in reality you can eat a ton of junk in those missing days, but I am confident that if you try this, you will feel so much better and see the results that you will not want to sabotage yourself.

Not enough? Do it for 60 days and we will give you a FREE month. We believe in what we are doing here. We have seen it work. We believe in you, and know that you can accomplish anything and we are behind you 100%.

We will start this challenge March 1, but it doesn't end if you can't make it in the first month.

Who has it in them to do this? Does it matter if you are trying to lose weight, gain weight, or stay the same? NO. This challenge is designed to help all of you. It will help you become accountable. It will help you understand how your good workouts usually follow good eating. It will help you progress and live a longer, healthier life. It will help us be a better coach to you.

See your trainer for more information. Who's in?