Let me start this post off by asking…Why are you going to the gym? Before you do another rep, sweat another bead, make another ugly gym face, run another “lap” on the treadmill, make another excuse to not go, you need to answer that question honestly for yourself. I’ll explain to you how to find out why you are really going..just keep reading.
In my blog post about time saving gym techniques, I spoke about finding what truly motivates you. This is where the journey begins. Before you get bogged down in the nuts and bolts of working out, you have to start here.
I said before that if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll go anywhere, but if you don’t why you’re trying to move in the first place, you won’t move much at all.
Total body transformation is a serious undertaking. It can be done, but not without great effort. I’m speaking the obvious, but sometimes we need to be reminded of what we are already concious of. The body is a tricky thing. It wants to operate as efficiently as possible, but it doesn’t like change.
In being resistant to this change, your body will give you tons of reasons why you shouldn’t be changing, but your mind has to be strong enough to perservere. That’s really what this boils down to. Are you mentally strong enough to get through? Weak minded people don’t accomplish much in this life and they never get the body they want either.
So I’ll ask you again…why are you going to the gym? Finding your motivating factor is the turning point in your journey. It’s what’s going to keep you going to the gym when you are sore, exhausted, sleepy, faced with problems in your personal life, haven’t achieved a goal, and so on and so on.
Your Emotional Motivating Factor or EMF has to be something that resonates with you emotionally. As a side note, EMF also stands for Electromotive Force, another name for a battery which starts the current in an electrical circuit and gets it moving.
Your EMF can’t be something logical such as “I want to gain weight.” Why do you want to gain weight? There’s an emotional reason behind that. It’s said that we make decisions emotionally and back them up with logic.
An example would be, that you want to be more appealing to the opposite sex. This is an emotional reason. You back that up with logic that says, “I’m too skinny, so I need to gain weight. The best way to do that is to hit the gym.” You see where I’m going with this?
Once you have that emotional reason in place, you can be concious of why you are going. This will stir up the emotions you want to feel once you have achieved that goal, which is a powerful motivating factor and will keep you in the gym.
Examples of Emotional Reasons are:
- More appealing to the opposite sex – Desire for more sex (men) / Desire for security (women)
- To be more appealing to your husband/wife
- Just plain Vanity – you like looking at yourself
- To be able to play with the kids more
- To be better at the sport you play
- To win a fitness competition
- To improve self-esteem/self-image
All of these are good emotions that release endorphins into the system when stimulated. You get the picture.
Examples of Logical Reaons are:
- To gain/lose weight
- To bench press X amount
- To run X amount of miles
- To get a six pack
- To get larger arms
- For better health
- Doctor’s orders
All of these may be good reasons to go initially, but none of them will keep you in the gym very long. At most, you may stay for a weeks or couple of months. That’s why the gym subscriptions drop off as the year goes on. People make logical reasons for why they are going to the gym, but aren’t really aware of their emotional reason…their true EMF.
I often remind myself and others that to keep going to the gym, you have to love the pleasure enough to endure the pain. It’s also said that we make decisions in our lives to either avoid pain, or gain pleasure. Often, when people stop going to the gym, their avoidance of pain outweighs their desire to gain pleasure.
Your EMF is the battery that fires up your circuit and gets your current flowing to keep you in the gym. It’s directly tied to the emotional reason you have for going and gives you pleasure. The logical reasons all stem from emotional reasons if you think about it.
I’ve always been a pretty steady gym goer, thought I’ve gone through peaks and valleys with my attendance. Since I started this blog, I’ve had to do some soul searching to find my own EMF’s and they are: to be more appealing to the opposite sex, money, and vanity. I’ll just be honest with you.
I get a rush whenever a female comments on my muscles, gives me that look, or runs her hand across my chest. I get a rush when I look into the mirror and I see improvements where my hard work has paid off. I remember the skinny guy I used to be, so I can appreciate the journey. I get a rush when someone asks for advice or looks up to me as a fitness mentor and want to pay me for my services.
These are the things that motivate me. One alone is pretty strong, but combine them, and you can clearly see why I hit the gym 3 or 4 times a week. My mind is tied to the pleasure of the outcome, not the pain of the journey.
Now you may ask, “Mitch, how do I find my EMF?”
Most likely, you have some logical reason for going to the gym. It’s probably in the above mentioned list as a matter of fact. Now look at your logical reason. It may be to gain weight for example. To find your EMF, ask yourself “If I gain weight, what will that allow me to do or have?” The following answer should be your EMF or list of EMF’s.
For instance my logical reason for going to the gym is to gain weight. So I ask myself “If I gain weight, what will that allow me to do or have?” My answer: It would allow me to look sexier and attract hotter women. It would be a testament to my mental strength and personal example that I can accomplish anything. It would allow me more opportunities to write, give value, and gain customers in my blog and in the gym.
Motivation is a big topic so I’ll be writing more about tricks and tips to keep you in the gym, but this is the meat and potatoes to gym motivation. Once you have your EMF in place, it’s time to set some goals. So I’ll ask you one more time…Why are you going to the gym?
Don’t forget to check out my Articles page for more knowledge. Until next time, Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Muscle Building Exercises, Workout Motivation by on Mar 1st, 2009. 3 Comments. 
One of the most FAQ by beginners is “What should I eat?”. This of course comes only after they realize Nutrition is a MAJOR part of their weight lifting goals.
Well I’ll try to keep this blog post short. I realize people don’t like reading books, but once I get started, it’s hard to stop…
A lot of people ask me what to eat, but then turn around and say “But I don’t want to do XYZ, or eat XYZ” and I tell them, they aren’t really serious about building muscle then.
It will require a diet change because what you’ve been eating has only gotten you to where you are…think about it. So if you aren’t willing to make a sacrifice, you aren’t really committed to your goal.
Ok, so you have your macro-nutrition which consists of Protiens, Carbs, and Fats. Each is essential to the body and play a different role in weight training.
Proteins, as you know, are the building blocks of muscles. But this doesn’t mean you should overload your building site with blocks!
1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight is a good start if you want to build muscle. Protein makes you feel full faster for longer, so if you’re trying to lose weight, get more protein, and less carbs.
Speaking of carbs, they are your body’s go-to source for quick energy. They store as fat when loaded in excess and are best used before or right after a workout. Eating lots of carbs really late can lead to unwanted fat gain.
Fats preserve nitrogen and increase testosterone levels. Fat also acts as a passageway to bring other muscle building hormones to the muscles. Protein is 16% Nitrogen so an increase in nitrogen = build muscle and decrease in nitrogen = breaking down.
Now for more on what to eat…my top 5 in each category:
Proteins:
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lean Serloin
- Skinless chicken and turkey breast
- 90% ground beef
Avoid: Heavy meats such as lots of steak (I love a rib eye from time to time), pork (I love ribs too), lots of packaged meat.
Carbs:
- Wheat bread
- Sweet potatoes – I LOVE Sweet Potato Pie…just can’t eat it that often
- Old-Fashioned Oatmeal – I eat every morning
- Whole grain pasta
- Whole grain rice
Avoid: White rice, pasta, potatoes, white bread – digest quickly and converts too easily to fat
Fats: Avoid Saturated and get more Unsaturated
- Canola Oil
- Olive Oil – what I cook with every night
- Peanut Oil
- Most nuts – never was much of a nut for Nuts, but they are a part of my daily diet
- Avocados
Avoid: Butter, Margarine, French Fries – high in trans fat (unnatural)
I hope this offers some guidance on what to eat. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, but I promised to keep this short. If you haven’t incorporated these into your daily diet, do so as much as possible.
So be on the look out the next time you’re grocery shopping. Until next time, Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Muscle Building Programs by on Mar 6th, 2009. Comment.
People often ask “Mitch, what do I eat to build muscle?” but the follow up question to that should be “Mitch, when should I eat to build muscle?”
Often times in life, it’s the unspoken questions that really matter.
Just like that picture above, timing when it comes to building muscle is crucial.
I cringe when I hear people brag about eating only once a day or say “I don’t eat breakfast!”
Biology lesson people…We are warm-blooded, not cold-blooded!
Meaning, we need food several times a day, not just a few times a week. I’ve been there, and trust me, you will wither away faster than you know.
But it’s not the kind of wither you want if you’re trying to cut fat because you will be losing muscle! 
Eating like this, only slows down your metabolism and sends your body into a Survival Mode. And you CAN’T build muscle in Survival Mode.
Survival Mode is basically where you body stores everything it’s given because it doesn’t know if it’ll get anymore.
The proper timing to eat if you really want to gain weight and build muscle is:
- Right after you wake – starts your metabolism
- Every 3-4 hrs after that – keeps your metabolism burning hot
- 1 hr before a workout and within 1 hr after a workout – provides muscles with proper nutrition for growth
The reason behind this timing is that you want to provide proper fuel to your body at the proper time to keep your metabolism burning hot which will send your body into an Efficiency Mode.
In an Efficiency Mode, your body knows it’ll keep getting more and more fuel, so it doesn’t see the need to store a lot of fat or excess nutrients that aren’t needed.
Your body will be more efficient with the use of it’s nutrients, allowing you essentials to build muscle properly.
You have to do this for a few days consecutively before you body will start to “believe you” and change its ways.
Now, you may say “Mitch, if I eat that often, I’ll blow up!”
No, you won’t.
The trick is, to eat every 3-4 hrs, but not eat dinner sized meals that often. Yeah, you’ll blow up if you do that and you’re not an Olympic athlete (Michael Phelps).
Determine your Daily Calorie needs, and divide that up into about 5 or 6 meals. Shoot for that target each meal.
My target is about 500 calories per meal, which really isn’t much. It’s easy to reach, and I easily get the amount I need to gain weight and build muscle consistently.
To give you an example, an average meal at Subway is 420 calories, a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut is about 660 calories, and a Big Mac alone is 540 calories before you add the fries and drink!
I stay away from fast food, except for the occasional $5 Footlong when I REALLY don’t feel like cooking, but that was just to give you an example.
I’ll be writing a blog soon on how to determine your Daily Calorie Needs so you can break it down for yourself.
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Don’t forget to check out the ebooks and Articles for more nutritional information.
Until next time, Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Muscle Building Programs by on Mar 11th, 2009. Comment.
Today’s post will be about my total bicep workout that I use to build fuller biceps quickly, without spending an hour doing curls!
But before we jump into it, I need to educate you a little bit on what exactly IS the bicep and what it’s meant for.
I find that once you know how a particular muscle works and its purpose, you will:
- Benefit greatly from a workout
- Be able to invent your own workout plans
- Not be fooled by the “latest and greatest” gimmick
The bicep is mainly made of two muscles….the short head and the long head, which attach to the shoulder blade in different places, but attach to one of the bones in the forearm in the same place.
Their main job is to twist your hand to face you.
Try this… Face your palms toward the ground. Now turn them up and notice your biceps flex without you pulling your forearm toward you.
The secondary muscles in this part of the upper arm are the coracobrachialis and brachialis (we’ll just call this the “outer bicep” for short)
Your “outer bicep” attaches to the other bone in your forearm. (You have two bones in the forearm…the long and short head attach to the other one).
Your “outer bicep’s main job is to flex your forearm toward you. When you properly train this muscle, it will give you more full looking biceps!
When your palms are facing down or facing each other and you flex your arm, your long and short head biceps ard doing very little work. But when you turn your palms toward you and flex your arm, they start to see more action then.
Now, for the workouts!
Now that you understand what the muslces are and what they do, I’ll go over with you a few exercises.
The traditional Bicep Curl with a twist is good to work both the short head and long head, as well as the outer bicep because it starts with the palms facing in hitting the outer bicep and twists as the arm comes up, hitting the short and long heads.
Hammer Curls are good for working the outer biceps.
Now this next workout will add a little spice to your biceps routine, but will give you nice volume.
I call it the Triple Hit.
I start with the EZ Bar while standing and do a variation of close grip, medium grip, and wide grips on it.
This allows me to further isolate each section of my biceps individually.
The close grip focuses on the short and the long head of the biceps.
The medium grip targets both short head/long head, and the outer biceps.
The wide grip targets the outer biceps.
I like to do a set with each grip 2 or 3 times for a total of 6 to 9 sets in all with 8 to 10 reps, which is a full bicep workout.
There is a philosophy for beginners that says doing combination exercises is best, so I do some Chin Ups with my palms facing each other to incorporate more muscles and get a greater release of testosterone in there.
And there you have it, one of the most comprehensive biceps workouts I’ve come across. It’s helped me put on 1/2 inch in a month (of course I had to eat right and do other things) so it definately works.
The video of this will be coming soon!
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Until next time, Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Body Building Tips, Muscle Building Exercises by on Mar 16th, 2009. 2 Comments.
I’m going to piss off a lot of people when I ruin their classic chest exercise with this blog post, but oh well.
I remember as a kid in martial arts, my friends and I would have push-up and sit up competitions. We’d stand in the mirror and try to flex our bird chests to show off for each other.
One of my friends always beat me. By the age of 15, he could do 100 pushups in 50 secs. I still haven’t been able to hit this benchmark!
Of course, this whole thing was before we found the wonders of the gym and started using weights instead of home exercises.
I’m not knocking home exercises, I’m just a fan of efficiency and the shortest route to my goal.
Bodyweight exercises can be great if you’re going for a particular body type of strength and not size. I’m not pursuing that goal, so I use weights.
I say strength and not size because doing bodyweight exercises will give you some size, but only enough to match the strength needed to lift that amount of weight.
Once you can lift that amount of weight successfully, the muscle will continue to get stronger, but size will come a lot slower after that.
All Chest Exercises Are NOT Created Equal!
If you are building for size and strength in your chest, the winner hands down is still the bench press.
It incorporates the most muscles in one exercise with the chest muscles doing a lot of work (depending on your arm placement).
Push-Ups DO NOT significantly help with your overall bench press from my experience and understanding.
Here’s why…
Push-Ups use your Type I, or fast twitch fibers, but it uses them into do a different movement for a different weight. Sure you’ll be able to do more and more push-ups the more you practice, but the weight you’re pushing isn’t significantly increases, so your strength and size won’t significantly increase either.
You have to understand that muscles build themselves to do a particular task better, and that’s about it.
They stick to muscle memory (neural connections already made) and not much cross-over is done between exercises.
I remember reading an article years ago about a man that did a study doing push-ups, flys, and bench presses.
He did only one of the exercises for a period of 6 to 8 weeks. Then he tried to see if the amount of weight he could do on one of the other exercises increased…and it did’nt!
He tried flys to increase his bench and that didn’t work, although he saw growth in his pectoral muscles.
He tried Push Ups to increase his bench and that didn’t work, although he saw growth in his pectoral muscles.
The main reason is that he hadn’t build the necessary neural connections (brain to muscle connections) that would allow him to bench more efficiently.
Neither does it go the other way.
Before I started lifting regularly, I could do only about 60 to 70 push-ups.
Before I wrote this post, I was just able to crank out 80 before I ate carpet. But I’ve increased my bench press max by 50 lbs since I’ve started!
I still can’t do 100 full push ups none stop, but who cares! I’m getting a larger, fuller, stronger chest with weights.
So just keep your goal in mind when you are choosing to do a particular exercise next time. This will keep you from falling prey to any gimmicks.
Muscles are funny things. It’s weird sometimes how little we understand about our own bodies.
Until next time, Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Body Building Tips by on Mar 23rd, 2009. Comment.
