• Cheap Membership Rates
• No Guidance
• Lack Knowledge of How The Body Works
• Overtraining
• Under training
• Poor Dietary Habits
• Not Willing To Ask For Help
• Lack Discipline
• Looking for The Quick Fix
• Ignorant About How Fat is Metabolized in The Body
• Not Using Supplements
• Bored
• Poor Attitude
• Exercising For All The Wrong Reasons
Cheap Membership Rates
We have all heard the saying "you get what you pay for." Well this is true even for gym memberships. Many folks join up for a gym because of the low monthly rate. I can purchase a tax program to do all my taxes for $ 49.00. Yet, I don't feel comfortable relying on my ignorance about doing taxes to trust the computer software, so I opt to spend money for a professional accountant. I figure they have a four year degree and know the tax process inside and out. I know that I paid more for the service but I know I am getting it right. Just because a person signs up for a gym membership and gets on a piece of cardiovascular equipment for 20-30 minutes does not mean that they are going to achieve their goals. FACT: 9 out of 10 people who join a fitness center without getting any formal training or program designed for them workout an average of 2 to 3 times before quitting the gym. Big Corporate Franchises cater to this type of person because they can sell cheap memberships in hopes that the members never return to the gym. The Franchise business model is designed for volume not quality. They have figured that if they have a low overhead (part time employees, no classes, no personal training) and just have a big room with equipment and charge very little for memberships that this will entice people to join regardless if they even use the membership. THE BOTTOM LINE IS TO GET 3 TO 4 THOUSAND PEOPLE TO JOIN. 90% of the people who join these centers hardly go to the gym. The franchise doesn't care because they run the person's credit card every month to get their money. The members don't cancel their membership because they figure they can waste $ 10-20 a month and it is not a big deal. They hold onto the membership thinking that someday they will exercise again. So, they lose and Big Corporation gains.
The more costly the gym membership usually means that there is more to offer, Personal Training, Classes and Professionally staffed trainers. In order to have quality services and products the cost has to be more to pay for it. Spending a little more on a personal training session and having a specifically designed workout program that caters to your needs is well worth the price. The value of seeing results for your time and efforts is worth the extra money for a trained professional.
I designed the F.I.T. Program 11 years ago to help people achieve their fitness goals. Sure you can go to a gym where the staff at the front desk is a part time high school student who has no formal education in hopes to save yourself a couple bucks on membership. Or you can pay a little more and have someone with a college degree in Exercise Science design a realistic, safe, motivating program that you can feel good about.
If you fail at fitness and find that you can't ever stick to the program, chances are you are lost in the weight room. Get some professional help and start seeing a difference. Don't just run to the cheapest membership on the Planet.
No Guidance
For some reason people never ask for help. They will continue to slave day in and day out and even injure themselves doing incorrect exercise. Here is a classic example of no guidance. A person joins the Fitness Nut House on the basic membership plan. They workout for two weeks and then I don't see them until 6 months later. When they come back I will ask them where have they been. They tell me "I have a rotator cuff injury and have going to physical therapy." When they joined they never bothered to ask me if the exercises they were doing were correct for their body. I see this all the time, egos tend to get in the way of common sense. People would rather exercise incorrectly potentially hurting themselves ending up in a physical therapy clinic, than to ask for some guidance. Again it comes down to getting the most for your money. If you want a safe program spend a little money and have me design a safe program for you.
Lack of Knowing How The Body Works
You don't have to go to medical school, but it is helpful to know the basic body parts and muscles. Looking at an anatomy chart to learn the different muscles of the body can be helpful when performing an exercise. If you can picture what the muscle looks like in your head, you can isolate it better and concentrate on the contraction. Also, knowing the various muscles can help you keep the exercise program balanced. Just working chest without working back will cause an imbalance and ultimately an injury. Learn more about the fuel systems of the body. Know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Learn about the different hormones of the body. Learn as much about the body as possible. The more you know the greater your results will be.
Overtraining
One of the greatest pitfalls on an exercise program is overtraining. When I first started working out at the age of 12 years old I was over zealous about fitness. My enthusiasm caused me to overtrain. I loved exercise so much that I thought if I did more that it would benefit me. However, this naive idea was not accurate. I remember I would be run down all the time, irritable, sore to the touch, no longer seeing results, loose bowels, insomnia. I would go to the doctor and they would say that I had a cold and gave me medication. No one put the pieces together. My problem was that I was overtraining. Once I realized that I was overtraining, I began to train smarter not harder. I figured out the right formula that worked for me to keep gaining without going over board. If you are not seeing results and are suffering from the symptoms that I had you could be overtraining. I suggest that you lighten up the intensity and rest a few days if you are experiencing an overtraining effect. Once you find the right intensity stick with if for a few workouts before increasing. You won't be able to train at 100% every time. Train smarter not harder-- avoid overtraining. If you need help with a program see me and I will design you a program that won't cause you to overtrain.
Under training
Another reason for failure is under training. I see this all the time, especially with women. Many women think that if they work out with weights that they will build massive muscles like a body builder. This is a myth. In my opinion I feel that women should be lifting weights more than doing cardiovascular exercise. Using little weights and never progressing the resistance will produce nothing. There will come a time whey you cannot possibly lift heavier weights, that is when you need to change the exercise to produce a new stimulus to the muscle. Also, taking too long a break in between sets can cause the muscle to lose the blood supply resulting in a lack of pump. You want the muscle to feel tight and warm. This indicates that you have worked it sufficiently enough to get results. If you exercise and the muscle feels cold or you don't experience any effort at all, chances are you are under training and wasting time. If you have been consistently working out for a few months and are on the same program as when you started then you could be hitting a plateau and not seeing any more results. Once your body adapts to the exercise it has figured out the stimulus. Your body doesn't like to work hard and will do what it can to adapt to the stress. Exercise is basically invoking a stress response on purpose to elicit new growth patterns of the body systems. Once the body figures out the stress pattern it becomes more fit to it, meaning it adapts. If adaptation occurs and you are no longer seeing results you could be under training. To cure this simply change the workout and try to add 2-5 pounds more to the bar each week. If you need help with exercise design I can help you. See me at the gym or email me. Under training is a waste of time.
Poor dietary Habits
To have a great looking physique depends on 2 things nutrition and exercise. Proper nutrition is 85% of the equation and exercise is 15%. It is all about nutrients and how many you can get in during the day. On average people only take in 1/3 of the daily requirement of nutrients that the body requires on a daily basis. In my opinion most Americans are malnourished. The media and pseudo trainers are confusing people on how to eat and exercise. There is a lot of people making money out there who have no idea what they are talking about. Nutrition is a complex science and unless you have a firm understanding of how the body works and what foods are the best for you, they you could be headed toward disaster. There are many variables when it comes to eating that can effect how your body looks. I suggest that you schedule an appointment with me personally, so that i can discuss what you should be eating. I don't give away my knowledge for free because it is how I make a living. My service is to provide you correct and accurate information and nutrition prescription that will help you look and feel better. If you are a junk food junky and are exercising and not seeing results you have fallen victim to misconceptions of society, believing the notion "Exercise more, eat less" malarky. PROPER NUTRITION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS!!!
Not Willing To Ask For Help
Egos rule the world. Especially male egos. I have found that most guys in a gym are too egocentric to ask for help. They feel that if they ask for help then they are viewed as dumb or weak. I see countless guys working out who do not know what they are doing. They go through the motions of working out. They follow some program that they might have read in a magazine. They usually will stay on the same program for years. They are often times stubborn. I have always looked for the master (the older guy who knew stuff) in the gym to get new ideas. I have learned more from the older generations. Older lifters have been there and done that. They know what works and what doesn't.
Women are often times intimidated in the gym and are deathly afraid to ask for help. So, they end up just on the safety confines of the treadmill. They won't ask for help because they are often times insecure about their body and don't want other people to know. Both men and women will continue to slave day in and out never asking for help and never seeing results. My suggestion is to ask questions. I spent thousands of dollars to learn nutrition and exercise science. I want to be used, it is what I went to school for. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You might learn a new technique that could save you years of wasting time.
Lack Discipline
This is the big one that I can't really help with. Discipline is a big part of success. If you are not disciplined then you won't show up to the gym. Most new years resolutioners never make it past the first two weeks because they lack discipline. If you can make it through the 30 day mark your probability of continuing increases. Discipline comes from your inner strength. You must believe in your goals and stick with them. How important your health and physical appearance is will determine how discipline you are. I admit it is hard work training and eating correctly day in and day out, but then life is hard and we must persevere to see another day. If you give up because it is a little hard they you remain a weak person never able to succeed at anything. Because all things are created by sticking with it. Discipline is the driving force for success. Without it you are doomed for failure.
Looking For The Quick Fix
The magic pill theory is bogus. Anyone looking for the magic pill to lose 10 pounds of fat in 2 days is delusional. This goes against the whole purpose of exercise. People who lack discipline are the ones that gravitate toward the magic pill. They want to sit on the couch watching television and take a pill to make their fat disappear. People who want the quick fix are usually cheaters. Steroid users are the ones that cheat the bodybuilding system by injecting anabolic drugs into their body. The steroid user is out to get huge in the shortest amount of time without having to work for it. They take their drug and within a couple of months they are muscle bound. The quick fix folks are missing out on the real reason for exercise. I have little patience for people who come to see me and ask me to give them a miracle program that will produce a 10-15 weight loss in a week, so that they can be ready for the bikini at the beach. This is bogus and I have no time for this type of mentality.
Ignorant About How Fat is Metabolized in The Body
Eating fat doesn't necessarily mean you will gain fat. There is a big misconception in the media stating that we shouldn't consume fat in the diet. This is misleading to many consumers. IF you cut out fat from the diet you risk having an imbalanced blood system. Fat is essential for the health of the body. Fat provides insulation, vitamin transport, energy and protection of vital organs, myelin sheath insulation, nerve conduction, brain health. By cutting out dietary fats you risk the influence of high sugar content in the blood stream. This can result in too much stress for the pancreas and ultimately causing heart and/or pancreatic problems. Diabetes is a disease associated with too much sugar in the blood. Insulin (an anabolic hormone) constantly has to be activated to flush the sugar from the blood stream. If the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin then dysfunction occurs.
Not Using Supplements
Today the natural vitamin and mineral supply provided by the earth is depleting. This is a known fact. If is hard to get all the vital nutrients from the food you consume. IF you are sitting on a couch and not moving then the amount of nutrients you consume from the food you eat might suffice. However, if you are active and exercise on a regular basis then you need more vital nutrients than a couch potatoe. Supplements are a great way to provide the necessary vital nutrients into your diet. Supplements help with the uptake and nutrient exchange of food consumed. Supplements provide enzymatic support for delivering vitamins and minerals to vital organs. Every one should take supplements for optimal health.
Bored
People just do not know when to change things up. Some folks are uneducated when it comes to training and have no idea what to do. They become bored and end up quitting. It is important to have an established plan. If you are bored it is time to change things up.
Poor Attitude
We all know people who are very negative, fearful and cynical. They are the downers of the world. They are drama kings and queens that are never satisfied or happy. They don't believe in much they are often times the lazy, uptight and just plain ugly. They suck the energy from most people they come in contact with. I have trained a few people like this and they drain me so much I have to take a nap later on in the day to recover. People with a poor attitude are doomed for failure because they are so negative, angry and have convinced themselves that they will never succeed. They often times will quit their gym membership within 1-3 workouts. Negativity radiates through every cell in their body. When a person is depressed every cell in the body becomes depressed. Bottom line: stay away from negative, ugly, mean people they will try everything in their cynical mind to drag you down with them. Negative people is the reason why the world is the way it is. Stay away from them!!!
Exercising For All The Wrong Reasons
Most people I come in contact with in a gym exercise for all the wrong reasons. Here are some reasons why people exercise.
• To get "buff" to get the ladies
• To get back to a lighter weight to get back on the dating trail following a divorce
• Mid life crises
• Vanity
• Weight loss: thinking that if they lose weight then their problems in life will be solved
• Peer guilt
• Cheap memberships
• Unconscious Sheep Like Mentality
Exercise has a deeper purpose for the human experience than most people realize. I rarely find people who exercise for improving their greater levels of consciousness. When I started training at the mere age of 12, I trained unconsciously. Part vanity and part baseball conditioning. I was a weight mover and endorphin junkie. As I got older I have learned more about the deeper purpose of the human experience and now use exercise as a way of delving deeper into my consciousness. The reasons for exercise should be something that makes you a better human spiritually, mentality and physically. Unfortunately, many folks only work on the physical with disregard to the other facets of consciousness. If there is no connection to the mind, body, and spirit a person is destined to fail.
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