Category Archives: General Fitness Knowledge

One of my most significant experiences as a coach and why mindset is more important than motivation.

Let me tell you a story. A story of a young man who approached me some time ago for online coaching.

Where when I was halfway interviewing him to see if he was eligible for coaching, he had tears in his eyes, and I asked him what was wrong and he said he felt useless, worthless. Helpless with his current weight issues. My coaching slots were full. But it was there and then I saw the desperation in his eyes and a glimpse of the inner strength he had to change. That the fact he teared up in front of a stranger and poured his heart out, I knew I had to accept him.

It was no easy task. You cannot undo decades of bad habits with just a few weeks or months. His mind had to be conditioned and strengthened against temptation lest he falls back into his old habits. And he did fall off the bandwagon. But only once. And he continued the journey. I taught him flexibility, forgiving himself if he encountered setbacks. And most of all believing in himself. He has a full-time job, works shifts at night. Close to exhaustion by the time it was due for the gym. He still hustled. As an online client we rarely meet up as he stayed in another state, but when he visited, even I was impressed by his progress in the flesh. My current clients asked what was his secret.

What was the greatest lesson your coach imparted to you?

His response. "Coach said to get rid of your motivation. You hit the weights whether you feel like it or not because you just have to do. Not wait for motivation to come to you". I don't believe in rapid transformations. The risk of rebound is too great. We have seen it time and time again. I wanted the fat off, and I wanted it to STAY OFF. The mind is your greatest weapon. Faith in your own capabilities is your shield and armor. Strengthen your mind, and it will impart the same strength to your body.

Today Amin eats almost what he wants within reasonable limits. And still is losing weight. Why? He doesn't overeat. He still counts calories or at least guesstimates. It doesn't matter if people call you a killjoy. They don't know your past, your history of eating disorders, and the temptation you face every waking moment.

Well. I'm satisfied. For the moment. He still has work to do.

Losing weight is nice and all, but there's an important piece of the puzzle that often gets forgotten.

What happens AFTER you lose weight?

Here’s the thing.

However much weight you lose in whatever amount of time, it is irrelevant if you aren't able to maintain it in the long run.

 

I get it.

Building habits isn't very exciting...

It's hard to get motivated about “taking it slow..."

WE ALL WANT FAST!

Which is why, in the beginning, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being primarily motivated by weight loss & physical changes.

Just remember. Regardless of how long it takes to achieve your goal body, you're going to reach a point where you'll shift into maintaining it.

At that point, HOW you lost weight will become 10x more important than how quickly you lost it.

Quick FIX? No problem 500 bucks to drop 5-10kg in one month. The thing they really promote is you can get fit without exercise (effort). You can gain confidence when you lose weight? But true confidence comes from how you can bring the best out of yourself.

So what’s next?

Just remember. Regardless of how long it takes to achieve your goal body, you're going to reach a point where you'll shift into maintaining it.

At that point, HOW you lost weight will become 10x more important than how quickly you lost it.

My advice?

Take your time and do it the right way.

❌ NO DETOX.

❌ NO JUICE FAST.

INSTEAD...

✅ LEARN ABOUT CALORIES, MACROS, & PORTION SIZES.

✅ DEVELOP FLEXIBLE EATING STRATEGIES THAT LET YOU CONTINUE LIVING YOUR LIFE.

And when you go through periods where your weight doesn't drop as quickly as you'd like — which will happen...

Remember that it doesn't matter.

Not one bit.

Because you're not doing this for a quick drop on the scale…

You're doing this to better the rest of your life. I believe in you, and you have the team to keep you on track.

One of the most overlook accessories for weight lifting is the type of shoes that are worn by athletes.

Running shoes are commonly used by the general public as its portrayed as sports shoes, however, wearing running shoes for heavy weight lifting is potentially dangerous to the athlete who is wearing them. Due to the light soft rubber insole and out-sole of the shoe as it is built for long-distance running with its cushioning and curve-like structure. With those elements, it could not support fully while lifting a heavyweight causing a rocking motion during the lift, potentiality throwing off balance.



Therefore shoes with hard rubber and a flat-out sole are highly recommended for heavy lifting. Due to its heavyweight and solid stability that holds on the foot of the athlete during its lift having no rocking motion giving full confidence to train effectively. Shoes such as Converse, Vans, Nike Air Jordan 1s, Nike Blazers, or Nike Air Force 1s. Those are the common flat-out sole shoes. However, sports apparel Companies had put into consideration to make shoes specifically for weight lifters with a high cost.

 

There are 3 popular splits in the gym that are commonly used when athletes are looking at training hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is already commonly known as the best way to gain muscle growth, here we are explaining what are the 3 ways to fitting your own particular exercise.

Full Body Split

Firstly a Full body split is a program that includes 1 to 2 exercises for each body part. For example, this training splits trains the entire body for a day, increasing the training frequency allowing the body to be familiar with the exercises over time. This method is recommended for beginners or a person that has not been training for a while. This plan is highly recommended 4 times a week with 3 days rest.

Push, Pull, Legs

Secondly, a PPL Split also known as Push, Pull, Legs. Is commonly use by intermediate athletes or advance athletes. The plan splits 3days of different body parts for each of the days, for example on day 1 is push meaning the plan can include chest and shoulder exercises, day 2 pull a back and arms exercises are included, and finally, legs as the name listed it willing be training a leg training plan. By doing these splits the body can focus on the minor details of specific muscle groups for those who are looking to have extra-fine detail on their muscle group. This plan can be done 6 times a week. Not recommended to beginners

Upper Lower Split

Third and last is the upper-lower split. As the plan will have 1-day training upper body like chest, back, shoulders and arms then another day is lower which will be training legs such as quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. This split can be used by either beginner up to advance as this training plan can be done 4 to 6 times a week depending on that athlete's training level.