Category Archives: Resources

In the general public eye is more like a vanity gesture, however, it brings more benefit to understand the muscle functionality and large improvements. For instance, a common term use in the fitness industry is the mind-muscle connection, as one person training using the mental mindset to focus on the activation of the muscle to feel the pump satiation during the workout. Posing on another hand is flexing with a proper visual aid to view the muscle the overall balance and symmetrical muscle growth. With consistent posing, an athlete and their coach are able to identify the muscle imbalances, weak points, and strong points. In addition, the benefit of posing is that the athlete is able to keep the focus on the engagement of the muscle to have a full contraction on the pump satiation.

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.

Deloads. How do you know you need one? I covered this in a post quite long ago but it's fine to recap.

Physical: Decrease in performance, eg. Grip strength, explosive power, eg. Vertical jump

Decreased rate of force production, decreased endurance.

The recovery rate gets more and more compromised between workouts.

Niggling joint pains become more severe and aggravating in most cases.

Mental: Feels like you're dragging your ass to the gym even though you've slept sufficiently and optimized your nutrition.

Since I was bitching in my stories about overreaching, a follower asked if there was a difference between overreaching and overtraining.

Overreaching is a temporary state.

Overtraining is a chronic state.

Overreaching: A state which occurs in response to heavy or intense loads. Keyword, TEMPORARY.

Overtraining: Extreme fatigue state. Caused by repeated prolonged high intensity, high volume training sessions. Keyword, CHRONIC.

That being said, TOO MANY of you like to use the word overtraining too much. You're most likely UNDER RECOVERING because you're probably eating way too little because you want to get/stay shredded or not getting sufficient rest/sleep.

There are actually two different issues that you’re bringing up here which are general fatigue and soreness.

First, the easier of the two is soreness. Simply, this doesn’t matter. Soreness appears to mainly be an issue of connective tissue damage more than anything muscularly (despite still being called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and there is no problem training through it.

Most find that by the time they are done warming up, the majority of the soreness is gone, and even more find that as they get used to a higher training frequency soreness becomes much less anyhow. They also usually start growing better.

 

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.