The Push Up

We’ve made it!

At last we get to have a chat with the almighty Push Up.

If Squats are the king of all leg exercises, push ups would definitely be considered the king of upper body exercises. Not trailing far behind, and occasionally wearing the crown, the Pull Up.

The term push-up is American and it’s been around for 100 years.  The press-up is the English term and its been around  65 years.  Nonetheless, the actual movement of the push up (or any variation of pushing) has always been around in humans.

Pushing is very functional in our lives because we use it for so many things.  Whether it’s used with one arm, two arms or the entire body, we do it everyday for something.  Just think about it.

Push Ups are at the top of the pushing exercise list.  They cover all the basics; total body-weight pushing strength, core strength, chest, back, shoulders and arms strength.  This combination you do not attain with a bench press.  A bench press is great for isolating the pushing muscles but it neglects to use everything else in conjunction, which is what makes the push up so functional.

For you gym rats out there, superset your bench presses with push ups and you will be on your way to greater gains while maintaining some natural function in your upper body.

*A simple fact to remember; the less you weigh, the easier the push up will be because you are pushing less weight. So keep working on achieving your weight loss goals and you will be half way through the battle of mastering your push ups.

(Copyright 2011 by Javier Fleites/Mr. Workout. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

Lebron “King” James

My first Celebrity Workout post will be about none other than the Miami Heat’s new All-Star forward, Lebron James!  As we approach the 2010-2011 NBA season, I believe this is perfect time to discuss how the biggest free agent in history exercises. I am ecstatic (and still in denial) that he’s playing on my hometown basketball team.  Watch out world for Miami Heat’s #6!

Interested in learning about some of his past training sessions? You’ve come to the right place.  As you will soon find out, Lebron does not perform traditional bodybuilding exercises.  He has no need for big bulging muscles or steroids.  In fact, his weight room training consists of exercises specific to his sport, his position, and his own specific needs.

The video above is an old workout from the Cavalier’s weight room before a game against the Celtics.  Have you ever seen those exercises before? If yes, then great for you!  You must be training for overall strength, power, function, or you really want to be like Lebron, not Mike.  If you have not seen these exercises, it’s because they are not promoted by basic commercialized fitness or bodybuilding magazines.

If you expected King James to be squatting 600 pounds, bench pressing 400, and curling 50 pound dumbells for biceps, then you were quite mistaken.  Although sometimes, especially in the off-season, it is important to perform these classic exercises to increase basic strength and size. Beyond that, this type of training will put a damper on his basketball performance (i.e. the reason why he is a multi-millionaire and a superstar).

Instead, he uses exercises that promote total-body explosive power, single arm and single leg strength, core rotation and stability, speed, balance and coordination, and of course, endurance. All the things needed by Lebron. I especially enjoy the X-Band Walk that he is doing at 1:06 in the video.  It may look weird and funny, but it is great for dynamically strengthening the rotator cuff of the shoulders and the internal glute (butt) muscles. These muscles are important to strengthen because they support the big muscles that are required to push, pull and jump, and most importantly, they help prevent injury. It basically translates into better blocking and improved sideways (lateral) movement on the court. Also, apparently Lebron uses a little help from Tupac to get motivated and “in the zone”.

For those that know a little more about working out and would like to see something in writing, here is another workout by the King provided by Men’s Health (www.menshealth.com):

THE LEBRON JAMES WORKOUT

The King’s workout plan blends cutting-edge training techniques with classic muscle-building exercises.

From the Fitness Editors of Men’s Health

MONDAY

Superset 1
1) Pushup
Do as many reps as you can.
2) Pullup
Aim for 10 reps.

Superset 2
1) Dumbbell Snatch
Aim for 5 reps with each arm.
2) Single-Arm Cable RowDo 10 reps with each arm.

TUESDAY

Superset 1
1) Dumbbell Squat
Do eight to 12 reps.
2) Swiss-Ball Hip Raise and Leg Curl
Do 12 reps.

Superset 2
1) Dumbbell Stepup
Do 10 reps with each leg.
2) Single-Leg Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise
Do 12 reps with one leg before repeating with the other leg.

THURSDAY

Superset 1
1) Dumbbell Incline-Bench Press
Do 10 reps.
2) Lat Pulldown
Do 10 reps.

Superset 2
1) Single-Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Do six to eight before repeating with the other arm.
2) Single-Arm Neutral Grip Dumbbell Row and Rotation
Do 10 reps on each side.

FRIDAY

Superset 1
1) Single-Leg Squat
Aim for five reps per leg.
2) Single-Leg Swiss-Ball Leg Curl
Aim for 10 reps with each leg.

SUPERSET 2
1) Dumbbell Side Lunge
Do 10 reps in each direction.
2) Unstable Jump Rope
Skip rope for 45 seconds on a cushiony surface, such as a stretching mat. The instability will help strengthen your ankles.

I would enjoy answering any questions on the above exercises. Please leave a comment or write me an email at mrworkout@gmail.com

For all you Miami fans out there, here is one more video of the King practicing with Coach Spo.  I hope they will soon release footage of a different workout plan with Miami. Til’ next time!

(Copyright 2010 by Javier Fleites/Mr. Workout. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

To Squat or Not To Squat?

99% of the time the answer is simple:  YES!

Squatting is one of the most natural movements the human body can do.  You squat every time you sit down and stand back up, when you get in and out of your car, when you pick something up from the floor, when you go to the bathroom, when you jump, when you play a sport, heck even babies and toddlers squat often. In fact, babies and toddlers have perfect squat form

When was the last time you were able to squat this low without discomfort?

As you can see, it is a very functional movement.  Functional for sport and for life in general.  Unless there is some specific ailment or injury, YOU SHOULD BE SQUATTING!

If you haven’t squatted in a while, you should really think about restoring this natural function to your life. Squatting requires LEG strength, flexibility and stability, CORE strength and endurance, and UPPER BODY strength and stability.  It is a FULL BODY movement that keeps you alive!

Ever felt pain, discomfort, or lack of breath in performing daily activities such as sitting and standing? Strength and proficiency in the squat movement will help you perform those daily activities with ease.

There are many different types of squats. Some aren’t even called squats but they use the same movement. As far as a workout is concerned, incorporating squats to your routine or on leg day would be extremely beneficial.  They make you strong from your toes to your head.  They stimulate anabolic hormone production (great for lean muscle-building) and they burn more calories than other, simpler leg exercises or leg presses.

Many males, young and old, refuse to perform squats because they are afraid or they do not care to train their legs. Whatever the EXCUSES are, Squats will help you get bigger and stronger in the upper body.  That’s right! Your chest, back, arms and abs will benefit from squats and/or any powerful leg exercise.

Men's Fitness Barbell Back Squat

As with everything in life, squats do require some practice.  If you have never squatted before or have taken some time off, body weight squats are a great way to start.  Lower back and knee injuries can prevent you from squatting properly, or at all, but as soon as you begin to rehab you should attempt the squat movement and perfect your form.  If you are inflexible and tight in certain areas, then you need to stretch, strengthen your core, and practice the squat form with body weight until you improve.

Body Weight Squat

Stay tuned for more on squats and training!

(Copyright 2010 by Javier Fleites/Mr. Workout. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

The Truth About Women And Weights

Here is the big one! “Women who weight train become bulky and masculine.”

Or “I stay away from weights and resistance training because I don’t want to look like a man”.

How many times have you heard this stuff?  I hear this everyday!  It seems no matter how much research has concluded these phrases to be false, they will never go away. I will point out right away the ONLY ways this can happen to women:

-Anabolic steroids (most obvious)

-Having higher than normal testosterone levels and/or lower than normal estrogen to testosterone ratio

-Highly mesomorphic genetics.  (predominance of robust & muscular body structures)

-Very Intensive weight training program (i.e. certain female advanced bodybuilding programs)

-Any combination of the above [1]

Now that we have established the above, I will point out the ways this CANNOT happen to MOST women:

-Beginning a strength training program

-Beginning a fitness program which includes strength, cardio, and flexibility

-Adding some resistance training to a cardiovascular training program

-Adding some resistance training to Yoga, Pilates, or any group fitness class schedule

-Allowing yourself to lift heavy weight periodically (not just low weight and high reps all the time)

-Allowing yourself to give resistance training a try for at least 1 month and finding out what the results were for you.  Because it never hurts to try.

With all of the above out of the way, we may continue.

So you want to know the difference between female muscle and male muscle? Well the answer is very simple;

There is none!

No need to point out differences anymore because now you know the truth.  Muscle is muscle whether it’s on a boy or a girl, a man or a woman.  Muscles are muscles just like bones are bones and livers are livers and hair is hair.. etc.  Muscles all function the same and connect to the same things; bones and connective tissue.

Muscles will contract and stretch, they will thermoregulate, they are told what to do by the brain (innervated by nerves), they have dozens and arguably hundreds of functions in the body in which they do not matter if you’re a male, female, cow or chicken.

What determines the size difference, in regards to muscle, between males and females is two-fold:

1) Testosterone: males have ten times the amount of this hormone when compared to females *[2]

2) Genetics: you can say it determines the layout of the body as well as potential testosterone production, and pretty much everything else

There you have it.  From a MUSCULAR standpoint: Your genes (from your parents) determine your specific layout and hormone producing potential.  Your hormones (endocrine system) determine the size of the muscles and how the muscles use energy, but again, muscle tissue is still only muscle tissue.

Testosterone is the number one male hormone. In essence, it is what makes us men.  Simply put, because men on average have 10 times the amount of “T” that women do, women WILL NOT look like men nor do their muscles have the same potential for anabolic growth. So don’t be afraid to try the weights ladies! You will appreciate the benefits.

Many of my female clients, prior to training, had this fear based from myth created by misinformation and commercialized fitness.  Even explaining everything to them sometimes isn’t enough to convince them otherwise.  Then they begin to see the differences for themselves after we build a trusting, trainer-client team relationship. As a result, they worked hard to achieve certain aesthetic results without looking like a man or the Hulk.

Needless to say, they have a much better understanding and appreciation of healthy muscles after they experienced it for themselves. Their muscles all over became only a little bit bigger and they lost the right amount of bodyfat.  This is a killer combination for sexy and defined muscles of the shoulders, upper back, arms, abs, butt, thighs and calves.

Cat Haayen

Here is a friend and fellow Yogi, Cat, who is the mastermind behind (www.yogathleta.com); a more athletic and strength oriented form of yoga.

Put a male under the same training program as the female, and he would have become stronger, faster than the female counterpart, have increased more muscle mass than the female counterpart, and would have lost more bodyfat percentage than the female counterpart.  The “T” is just that powerful. Sorry ladies! [1, 2, 3, 4]

Although, there are plenty of exceptions.

For example, one of those exceptions is the lower body.  Research has concluded that women have the same amount and/or greater potential to build the legs.  This means, in many cases, women may become just as strong, or stronger, with leg exercises when compared with men.  They also have the same ability for lower body hypertrophy (muscle growth).  The upper body is mainly where males strive. [3,4]

I have personally observed this phenomenon when training some of my female friends or clients.  In fact, last week I exercised with a female friend of mine, Danielle. We performed the deadlift exercise (squatting down to the floor to grab the large weighted barbell and squatting straight up to a standing position with the bar in your hands; picture below left).  We were both lifting 275 pounds off the floor.  Very impressive on her part!

But when we compare the shoulder press exercise (pressing the weighted barbell from shoulder level straight up over your head; picture above right), I was significantly stronger.  She was lifting 95 pounds (still an impressive amount) and I was using 155 pounds.  Like myself, Danielle is very physical and has been training for most of her life for sports or recreation.  Most importantly, she does NOT look like the Hulk.

Lou Ferrigno (my favorite Hulk of all time)

More so, I have also observed petite collegiate female athletes able to squat with 225 pounds on their backs! Crazy stuff to even think about for most women.

Monik Lopez-Calleja

Check out this great blog site (www.rxgirlsmiami.com) from my friend Monik, a fellow female CrossFitter who has motivated many women to look beyond the myths and change their lives.

More about hormones.

When any individual, male or female, lifts heavy weights, they stimulate growth hormone production as well as a few other anabolic hormones.  (Anabolic simply means in a state of growth, as opposed to catabolic which means in a state of break down.)  Two very important functions of growth hormone (GH) are bone density growth and bodyfat metabolism. [1,2,4]

This is what women want on their side; this should be the goal. Females need to build and maintain strong and healthy bones to help prevent osteoporosis (thinning of bone mass) and osteopenia (mild thinning of bone mass).  Two debilitating conditions that usually target women as they get older.  GH also has a unique ability to metabolize fat cells when stimulated by intense resistance workouts. [2,4] In other words, GH is where you get the bang for the buck!

Another factor to be considered with resistance training is an increase in metabolism.  Numerous research has concluded that after a resistance training session, your metabolism is increased and is still burning calories, specifically from fat, for a few hours afterwards. [2,4,] This is great news for trying to achieve lean muscle mass, which is what the generic term “tone” really means.

After a period of training, lets say 6 months, your body will have an increased metabolism compared to when you began training because it has to maintain all the lean muscle mass you put on.  Because women strength train, they could be burning more fat even while they are sitting at their desk at work.  For more on metabolism, check out my friend’s blog: (www.dietarymythbuster.com)

Dietary Myth Buster

I hope I have helped my readers better understand the truth about resistance training for females.  I would love to see more women hitting the weights hard and reaping the benefits.  It is just as important as cardiovascular exercise and flexibility.

Mix this combination with a healthy diet and BOOM..! you’re on the way to a newer, sexier, leaner, stronger, and healthier you!  It does not matter if you are young, old, pre or post part-um.  If you are happy with the current amount of muscle mass that you have worked hard to attain, then you can always stop the continuing of growth and maintain what you currently have.  Also, if you are one of the lucky gals that has great mesomorphic genes and can put on lean muscle quickly, I congratulate you and you can also maintain the level of muscle you have worked for.  Or you can periodize your training program the same way athletes do.. but that’s a whole other topic.

As always, believe in your abilities, train hard and consistent, and most especially, train smart!

-Mr. Workout

(Copyright 2010 by Javier Fleites/Mr. Workout. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

References:

*[1] – Wilmore, J.H. and D.L. Costill. Physiology of sport and exercise.Champaign: Human Kinetics Pub., 1994

*[2] – Research conducted through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

*[3] – Wilmore, J.H. Alterations in strength, body composition, and anthropometric measurements consequent to a 10 week training program. Med. Sci. Sports and Exer. 6 (1974): 133-138

*[4] – Research conducted through the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA)

Gym Etiquette Lesson 1

Picking up after yourself.

Ever been to a gym where the weights, dumbbells and other equipment are scattered and disorganized?  This is one of my biggest pet peeves!

Not Good

Every time I workout at a big gym It takes me more time to find the weights and equipment I am looking for than it does for me to actually work out.  I do not understand why people fall in to this selfish habit.  That’s exactly what it is, a habit, and a BAD habit at that.

From: (dictionary.reference.com).  Habit: an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street.

That being said; when you experience the ease of leaving your weights on the squat rack after you are done using it (whether it be from laziness or the hopes that someone else will use the same amount of weight or will pick it up for you), it will create a pattern in your head because it is easy to do.  It’s easy to leave the weights on the machine. It’s easy to leave the dumbbells on the floor far away from the dumbbell rack. It’s easy to leave the bands and medicine balls where ever you were using them.  It seems as though nobody cares to pick up after themselves at the gym. It is worse when knowing eventually, or almost immediately, someone will be left with the burden of picking up the mess you left behind.  This is selfishness in my book.

Imagine the typical strong gym dude who can squat 315 pounds on his back as though it was made out of foam.  He completes his 4 sets of squats and decides to leave the weights on the squat bar because he is lazy and selfish and full of bad habits.  He probably also checked to see if anyone was watching him before he walked away so he wouldn’t feel bad about leaving the weights behind.  Mind you, 315 is three large 45 pound weights on each side of the barbell.  If he can put the weights on and squat 4 sets of 315, he can definitely take the time and energy to put it back.  Then there is a lady and her friend who want to squat with light weight and they need to ask someone for help to unrack all that weight.  I’ve seen this happen and I’ve seen many other examples of the same sort.  Guys assuming everyone can bench press 135 pounds (one 45 lb. plate on each side of the barbell) so they leave it behind.  Same thing on the leg press with two 45 pound plates on each side.

I must admit I have been guilty of this in the past when I was younger, but only sometimes. Sometimes, I would leave my weights behind because everything was left behind for me, so I figured what is the point if nobody is doing the right thing.  I have observed that this behavior usually occurs inside big popular gyms during the rush hour of exercising (7-10am & 5-9pm).  Once I started to work at a school gym and other private gyms, I was taught and almost forced to always pick up the weights.  It is simple courtesy.  Doing it so often created a good habit for me.  Nowadays when I visit a big popular gym for a workout, I immediately and involuntarily start to pick up and organize weights that I will use, or have been using.  Then I stop and realize that I am the only one doing it!  Oh well.. I do my part!

Good!

My point is to not be discourteous, lazy and/or selfish.  Please pick up after yourselves!  It’s okay to ask someone to please leave the weights behind if you will use them after they do.  It is also okay to ask the person waiting for you to finish how much weight he/she would like you to leave behind.  And only sometimes is it okay to get caught up in great training sessions where you circuit different exercises in different locations and truly forget about the weights (mess) you left behind.  Create and maintain this habit of picking up and cleaning for you and your fellow gym peers.  Just like an exercise routine, it is a good habit to have.  =)

-Mr. Workout

(Copyright 2010 by Javier Fleites/Mr. Workout. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

Start the new year the right way!

Hello all.  My first post is to help those who:

-Never exercised before and are thinking about it

-Have trouble keeping an exercise routine

-Want to “get serious” starting in the new year

-Are bored of the same routine and lost motivation

For those who are more advanced and always motivated, you can still benefit from this post to gain some insight and begin to help others.  Great job nonetheless!

I appreciate all my readers allowing me to take 10-15 minutes of their time.  Who knows, these 10-15 minutes could change your life.

The 1st Dimension:

Don’t let yourself fall into the same old trap of beginning your outstanding, but unrealistic fitness program as a new year’s resolution. What do I mean by “outstanding, but unrealistic”? Well, I will give you a common example.

As the new year approaches and all the holiday festivities and great foods are available, Amanda (29 years) begins to think about her plans for the new year. She has not exercised in a few years and gained an unwanted 15 pounds. She thinks to herself what a great time for her to start fresh on a program for “toning” (slim but defined shoulders, triceps, abs and calves) and “weight loss” (loss of belly, thigh and arm fat). Highly motivated by the idea, she quickly begins to asses her financial situation, searches for the right gym (which will include fitness classes and personal training), and begins to plan her schedule starting the first week of January. At the same time, she is enjoying herself with all the candies, cookies, foods, and drinks from the holidays. Her mentality is “Hey, I can go all out with my diet and partying because in just a few short weeks I will start my fitness program”. This was December 2008

www.countryliving.com

Monday, January 5th, 2009. Amanda is back from vacation working at her office from 9 to 5 pm. She arrives at the local health club around 6 pm and observes what seems to be a disorganized circus full of people with the same highly motivated plans she thought of. So she signs the contract without fully reading it and pays for the registration fee and the first & last month fee. She also agreed to receive automatic payment deductions of about $40.00/month. Then she visits the personal trainer section and fills out the waivers, pays an extra $160/month (roughly) and is given a body fat assessment.  Amanda and her new trainer create a work out plan that consists of 3 resistance training days and 3 cardio days, plus a diet which consists of too much protein, eating 6 small meals a day and limiting her carbs. Then she and her trainer begin a 30 minute bodybuilding-like workout. Needless to say, every part of the first day was extremely overwhelming; the gym chaos, the extra money she did not know she was going to spend, the trainer speaking words way over her head, and homework (diet) that is 24 hours 7 days a week.

Monday, January 19th, 2009. Amanda is a little more adjusted to her new fitness schedule, but still needs improvement. The 6 smalls meals/day and the specific number of proteins/day is very tough for her. Work meetings and family distractions can get in the way. She was feeling very sore throughout the first 2 weeks and had to cancel on some training and cardio sessions due to fatigue and mental stress from everything building up at once, as they tend to do at the beginning of every year (work, school, gym, family, relationships, car maintenance). She still persists and tries really hard to continue, but has lost much of the focus and motivation she had when the “toning and weight loss” program was only an idea. She is starting to believe it is too hard for her to keep up. Her trainer works her out on all the bodybuilding-like machines and she is not sure if this program is going to achieve her goals of “toning and weight loss”.

Monday, February 9th, 2009. Poor Amanda has realized she cannot keep up with this outstanding new year’s resolution (wanting to get in shape really is an outstanding idea). Although she achieved some results (3-4 pounds weight loss, and increase of strength), she has realized it was unrealistic for her to follow in many ways. She then decides to quit the training sessions and ease up on her strict diet. She still has plans to go to the gym and do her cardio/workout on her own when she finds the time. Well, we all can see where this is going.. before spring is over, Amanda is back to the way she was in December 2008.

Unfortunately, this example is no made up story. I have seen this happen to many people and it creates a negative association in their minds when they think about exercise and gyms. Amanda’s situation was one of too much too soon. She was bombarded with an overwhelming amount of stress (mental and physical) when she originally thought it was going to be something fun and exciting. Now she will forever be turned off to the idea of being fit and lean, although she might try it again in the future and yield the same outcome.

Dear Readers, this is not what exercise is supposed to be! The previous example is one of commercialized fitness and bodybuilding hype/myth. It will not apply well to your average person/working individual. A modern-day adult, who is in the process of only thinking about losing weight and getting into shape, is like a young child trying to learn something new. When you are teaching children how to ride a bike, you do not want to make it a stressful situation for them because it will create fear in their minds, therefore turning them away from riding. Ideally, you would want to give them confidence, be gentle, give positive reinforcement, and only practice for 15 minutes a day. Not overwhelm them with hour-long practices, riding with kids who already know how to ride, or negative reinforcement when they fall or do not want to participate. There is a gradual build up of confidence and skill which will not develop if there is “too much too soon”. The children must establish a strong and positive psychological foundation in order for him/her to be motivated and want to accomplish their bicycle riding skill on their own.  The same applies for fitness.

An introduction to my philosophies:

Exercise IS and SHOULD BE fun, exciting, and healthy.  Unfortunately, mainstream media, bodybuilding, nutritional supplements, and all other forms of commercialized fitness, although very effective when applied correctly, have influenced people in a one-dimensional way.   What happened to the days of going outside and playing a pick up game of basketball, soccer, volleyball?  Or going for a walk/jog/hike/bike ride with family or friends?  What happened to the days when kids used to run around and play man-hunt? Or when seniors would physically play with their grandkids?  When was the last time coworkers took 5 minutes out of their lunch break to toss a football, or take the stairs instead of the elevator?  The more movement, the more efficient your muscles and joints will be and the more calories you will burn.  Let’s begin to think outside the box people!

The 1 dimension approach to fitness and a healthy lifestyle is part of the reason why obese individuals are turned away from the idea of exercise.  Many of them think it HAS to be at a crowded gym, it HAS to be a certain amount of time on a certain machine, it HAS to be a certain amount of calories, it HAS to be this or that… etc.  I am here to tell you it does NOT have to be that way.  That stuff is stressful to think about, even to me.  Don’t let other people tell you how to move your body.  I am here to help you create a fresh start in the way you think about health, exercise and fitness. The purpose of my blog is to use it as a vehicle for me to share realistic and professional knowledge to those who seek help.  As individuals, we need to establish a strong, but open-minded psychological foundation just like we would want our children to.

Additionally, the one-dimensional fitness world that I speak of can become very superficial.  People start to focus more on the way they look inside and outside of the gym, how big their muscles can be, how much weight they can lift, who is doing what exercise, what female can look better than the other, and what male is bigger than the other.  This is called working out your ego, not working out to get healthy and in shape.  It is not a good place for people to start because it will either intimidate them and scare them away, or they will eventually jump on the superficial bandwagon and have an altered sense of why they exercise.  But hey, who is to argue that defined muscles and slim waists look good?  Just don’t let it get to your head and have it become your sole purpose.

Furthermore, “I have to find the time between picking up the kids and traffic and work and bills…etc, in order to get to the gym”  If you have ever caught yourself saying anything similar to this, you are already making it a stressful association in your head and will be setting yourself up for failure.  This is not your fault, as I have mentioned how commercialism and the social notion of how exercise has to be this, that, there and then, make you think if you can’t make the time, then you are lazy, unmotivated, too old or it’s just not meant for you.

Here are some unusual examples of how you can work around this to get started:  First, stop thinking you need to attend a chaotic gym.  Do 15 bodyweight squats when you wake up, do 5 or more push ups, brush your teeth standing on one leg, park further from your work place so you have to walk more, take the stairs, at lunch do 15 BW squats and 5+ push ups, pick up the kids and go with them to walk/bike/rollerblade with the dog (yes, kids and dogs need exercise too), before dinner do 20 walking lunges, do 5+ jumping jacks every TV commercial break, push your car 10 feet on your street if possible.  All these examples, as silly as some may seem, are small lifestyle changes that add up tremendously!  And, if you noticed, they are randomly spread throughout the day and require only seconds at a time.  You can make them up yourself.  If you make them a part of your life routine, just like taking a shower and tying your shoes, it will be enough to maintain a good amount of strength and endurance.

Eventually, you will find more time to do longer bouts of exercise.  Eventually, you’ll learn how to set aside 1 hour twice/week for physical activity while still doing the maintenance routine stuff from the previous paragraph. Eventually, 4 times a week and you’ll learn how to tweak your diet the right way. Eventually, you’ll be ready to join a gym as a supplemental component to your fitness.  I know you get the point by now. Mentally and physically, fitness requires time to build up.  It does NOT happen in 1 day or 1 week.  Remember this:  Fitness is a way of life and it is also a journey.  It is not a chore or a destination.  It is part of you!

It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone should have their exercise routines flow with their learning curves and their energy levels.  One-dimensional thinking, and “Too much, too soon” does not do this.  Eventually, little by little, you will understand more about the body and exercises, you will want more, and you will have more energy to progress to higher levels.  Also, watch out for that spike in your learning curve and that big jump in your energy level that appear to happen out of no where.  When those happen you should learn, do more and take advantage!

If you have ever observed kids play at recess, you will notice they are not preoccupied with sets, reps, time, etc.  They do not even consider what they are doing to be exercise or a work out.  The same should apply to us adults.  It is not natural for the human brain to quantify how the human body moves, it should just move.  Just get out there and move your body!  Way back in the caveman days, they had to run after their food and they had to run away from becoming food.  They jumped, crawled, sprinted, threw spears, climbed trees because they had to survive. It was random bouts of exercise, which I’m assuming they did not think twice about or make up excuses.  When they learned how to do it in large groups, then they were more successful at the hunt.  It was their mission.  I can’t even imagine a fat caveman.  As extreme as all this may seem, we still have the same bodies and instincts.  Our bodies are made for exercise.  It is the reason we have feet, legs, upright torsos, arms, and of course, cardiovascular systems.

I’m a strong advocate of the phrase, “If you don’t use it, you lose it” especially to the elderly.  This can apply to both our bodies and our minds.  In today’s age, we are all slaves to the mighty man-made dollar and we are caught up in sedentary lifestyles.  Our minds are stuck in a reality where we work, we eat, we spend, we eat, we sleep, we eat, we hurt each other, we drive, and we start the cycle over every single day.  News flash, our bodies will deteriorate with these inactive and greedy demands.  Again, I am here to help you realize that there are other realities to experience.  The ones that are natural, that ones that you are born with, the ones that make you feel like a real human being again!  I believe every single person needs a daily break from the slave-like reality to go out and play (exercise, basketball, walk on the beach/park) not only for the body’s health but for the mind’s health.  It will re-center you in a spiritual-like way (especially when the endorphins kick in) and you will be able to go back and tackle on your position in society better and with motivation.

Now back to the reason why you are here, the best time to start or improve your exercise routine is right now.  Don’t wait for a calendar/schedule made by someone else to dictate when you will improve yourself.  You have to be your own leader to yourself before you can take care of others.  Amanda should’ve begun her exercise plan during the holidays to get a head start and balance out some of the holiday calories consumed.

Finally, once you do decide on a plan, surround yourself with your goals.  Post up notes, reminders, pictures on walls and refrigerators, facebook status’, etc. so you do not forget.  Get your family, friends and peers involved to support and motivate you.  Have at least 1 person join you.  You will be doing them a favor.  Try different types of group exercise classes (pilates, yoga, spinning, dance, boot camp). You will find the right one for you and will gravitate towards the one you are good at.

Obesity and sedentary lifestyles have contagious tendencies, but luckily so does the other side of the spectrum.  Before you know it, people will want to join you on your journey, or have you help them on theirs.  I can sit here on my laptop and give you an endless list of the health benefits of exercise, short and long-term, but you won’t truly appreciate them until you walk through that open door and experience them for yourself.  It is what you are made to do!  No more waiting, no more excuses, the time is right now!

I wish everyone Happy Holidays and an active New Year!

-Mr. Workout

(Copyright 2009 by Javier Fleites/Mr. Workout. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)