Your Warm Up Needs Improvement

What is the first thing you do when you go to a gym?  Is it hop on the treadmill like everyone else and then grab your 10lb weights and crank out endless reps with no sense of control for the movement?  If so then you your warm up sucks and so does your programming, but no worries I am going to tell you how you can fix it.  Yes walking on a treadmill can be healthy for some people, but it does nothing to prepare your body for the workout you are about to perform.  The only thing a treadmill will do is assist you in walking or running since it pulls you along and depending on the fitness level of the person it may increase your heart rate.  After people get off the treadmill they immediately go into a workout of squats or some kind of weird thing on a bosu ball with a shake weight. 

Think about the joints in your body and the way they bend and move.  At any time on the treadmill did your hips, knees, and ankles experience full ranges of motion?  No they did not.  What about the joints in your arms, back, and neck did they experience any full ranges of motion?  Once again the answer is no.  A warm up should include full ranges of motion to all the joints in your body this is how you properly prepare the body for the workout it is about to perform and prevent injury.  Joints need blood in order to perform properly and the best way to get blood flowing to the joints is by using movements that require full ranges of motion.  Focus on joint mobility movements and movement flow which is constantly moving your body freely in just about any range of motion you can think of.

Warm ups are also a time to work on your weak areas such as being tight in certain joints.  Can you do an overhead squat holding a stick overhead with your feet right against the wall going all the way down thighs to calves without the elbows bending, back bending, knees calving in, heels coming off the ground or falling backwards?  If not guess what you are an average American and your mobility sucks and needs work.  So why not take time in warm up to work on your mobility and improve your range motion.  Your body will be better prepared for the workout and you will also notice that your lifts will be better as well.   By taking time to work on your mobility in the beginning of each training session, your joints are going to feel better and you will also increase the longevity of your life by constantly working your joints through full ranges of motion.  Remember joints crave blood and the only way to do that is with movements that create full ranges of motion.  Otherwise the joint gets stiff and sore and that is when problems occur, hence why sitting all day is terrible.  If we were a smart health conscious society we would get rid of all the chairs, put are beds on the floor, and lower the toilet seats down to the floor as well.  This would force us to go through full ranges of motion each day without even thinking about it and it would be much better for our health.

So what joint mobility exercises should you be doing for your warm ups?  Well there are a lot of people with some great information about joint mobility movements.  Two people I highly recommend looking up is Steve Maxwell and Max Shank.  I listed some links on here to both of them below.  So in your warm ups take time and work on improving your mobility and if you do this on a consistent basis over time you will start to see your range of motion improve as well as having joints that feel better as well.  Treat joint mobility the same as flossing make it a habit of doing it every day!

 Here is a link to one of Steve’s articles about the daily mobility exercises he does:  http://www.maxwellsc.com/articles.cfm?art_id=3000&startrow=51 

Here is a link to a video of Max explaining about his 5 minute movement flow method: https://youtu.be/6oaJ_mnuzPc

Get Strong Just by Carrying Something

Loaded carries are probably one of the simplest and most effective exercises there are.  They are also one of the basic movements we perform on a daily basis.  We constantly pick stuff up and carry it throughout the day.   Now it may not always be a refrigerator or a huge boulder unless you work in some kind of labor position, but you are still carrying something every day.  This is why loaded carries should be included into everyone’s training.  Some benefits of loaded carries are increased strength, size, conditioning, and fat loss.  The reason loaded carries are so effective is that we try to carry a maximum load as far as we can before setting it back on the ground.  The longer we are able to carry the load the stronger we will get.  This is called time under tension which you may have heard about.  So not only will you get stronger the longer you are able to carry the load, but you will also increase your muscle size as well.

 Now think about the muscles involved on a loaded carry which one’s are we using?  Well if you answered just legs you are wrong.  Every muscle in your body is being used to help you carry that load across a certain distance.  The longer you carry that load the more you will start to notice and feel muscles you never knew you had.  This is the beauty of the loaded carry and effect it has on training your body.  Loaded carries are self-correcting as well.  Which means the heavy load you are using will force you to use good form otherwise it will be a short trip as you will be quickly setting the weight back down on the ground.  Didn’t I mention something about conditioning and fat loss?  Yes indeed I did.  Pick up a heavy weight and carry it as far as you can without putting it down and you will notice your lungs are on fire from gasping for air.  Don’t believe me give it a try and see for yourself.   Like Dan John and others we believe this is one of the best fat loss solutions out there.  Dan even created an infomercial about it and what he says is “pick up a heavy weight carry it as far as you can, thank you I will now take your money”. 

So I can see you are ready to start carrying around some weight transforming your body if not you may go back to your bon-bons and Oprah reruns.  Well for those of you that are ready here are a few different variations for you to try. 

Kettlebells loaded carry complex:

1.)    Grab 2 kettlebells carry them overhead for 25 meters or more

2.)    Then perform 5 double push presses

3.)    Keep the kettlebells in the rack position against your chest and walk back 25 meters

4.)    Now perform 5 double front squats

5.)    Lower the kettlebells to your sides and perform a farmers walk back down for another 25 meters

6.)    Finish with 5 double cleans or long cycle then you can rest and put the kettlebells down

*Once you pick up the kettlebells you cannot set them down until after you have finished your 5 cleans.  This can be done with only one kettlebell as well, just do one whole side first before moving on to the other.

Sandbag loaded carry complex:

1.)    Perform 5 sandbag clean and press

2.)    Carry the sandbag in a front loaded position and walk for 25 meters

3.)    Perfrom 5 sandbag front squats

4.)    Carry the sandbag back for 25 meters

5.)    Rinse, recycle, repeat for as many rounds as your heart desires

*Obviously you will be setting the sandbag down on the ground during the clean and press.  Do not set the sandbag down during the carry and squats.

Triple pleasure loaded carry

1.)    Grab a backpack and put some weight in it, use a bodyweight vest, or put some chains around you

2.)    Grab a harness and attach a sled, tire, car, etc. to you

3.)    Pick up a heavy pair dumbbells, kettlebells, anvils, etc.

4.)    Now just go for a walk with all 3 as far as you can

*If you don’t have a harness and still have something to push, carry the heavy weights with the backpack on you first.  Then drop the weights keep the backpack on you and then push the object you have.  Just keep going back and forth between the two.

So there you have it a few different variations for you to try.  You can do these for a certain amount of sets or go for time and see how many rounds you can get within a certain time period.  Add these to your training sessions at least 1-2 times a week and you will witness firsthand the benefits of loaded carries.

Real World Strength

What is real world strength you ask?  Real world strength is having the ability to take on any task physical or mental at any time.  At a moment’s instance we need to be able to sprint, jump, crawl, climb, lift, carry, fight, etc.  In the real world there is no set amount of sets or reps with adequate rest in between.  You have to carry out a given task until completed and that could be a few minutes or the whole day.  We have no time warm up in the face of an accident or unseen danger.  You have to be agile and mobile to be able to react and move quickly or suffer the consequences.  At the same time if we have poor agility and mobility then when it comes to moving quickly you will more than likely injure something. 

Real world strength could be something as simple to carrying groceries up a flight of stairs to helping someone from drowning in a freezing lake.  Real world strength is unique to each individual and their daily habits and profession.  Think about your profession and the task it involves and what you need to get through a successful day.  I say successful because you should be striving to get better every day and not just going through the motions.  Now think about those tasks are they more physical or mental.  For most people it is mental as they are constantly sitting all day and having to use their brain a lot.  For others their jobs are more physical as they are more labor intensive. 

Here is something most people don’t know and that is getting stronger physically will also make you stronger mentally.  So by getting stronger the office worker will be to be more productive and have more energy and not be drained at the end of the day.  The laborer will also be more productive and will notice that they do not need as much rest as they once did.  You see when you strength train properly you push yourself into the state of being uncomfortable and a strong urge to quit suddenly appears in your thoughts.  It is that moment when the mental training begins and you can either give up or you can take on this new discomfort and fight through.  This is how we become stronger mentally from strength training by pushing ourselves to do something we once thought in our minds was impossible.  The most successful people in the world are mentally strong as they are able to take on any challenge and risk knowing full well there is going to be a long treacherous road ahead of them.  Some physical benefits the office worker will gain from strength training is going to be improved posture, no more back pain, and they will sleep better at night.  The physical benefits for the laborer is that his joints will feel better, more stamina throughout the day, and no more aches and pains.

This is what real world strength is all about and that it is being able to function and move pain free and while having tons of energy to enjoy and live life.  After isn’t that what it’s all about it?  Having the strength to lift some object off another person or being able to carry your kid for 3 miles if need be is real world strength.  Taking a 5 hour test or being able to concentrate on work in a room full of distractions is real world strength.  So when you train, train to become stronger both physically and mentally.  Make sure incorporate sprinting, crawling, climbing, jumping, carrying odd objects, and mobility into training sessions.  Also make sure you work the basic movements of pushing, pulling, hinging, and squatting.  One thing you should incorporate into training as well is learning how to defend yourself, this is just one thing everyone should know how to do.  You should be able squat, sprint, climb, do push ups, carry an object, and crawl with ease. Remember in life there is no prep time or ideal situations just the fact that you will need to have the strength to be able to react and move quickly.

A Complete Workout with Just One Exercise

Clean, Squat, Press

 If you had to choose just one exercise to do this would be it.  With the complex movement of the clean, squat, and press you can train the whole the body in minimal time.  This complex covers each of the 4 main movements push, pull, squat, and hinge.  You can build enormous strength and size with just this movement.  Also you will need to buy some new pants or get some suspenders, because your pants won’t be able to stay up from all the fat you have burnt off.  What makes this movement so effective is that you are constantly changes levels between major lifts.  All of your muscles will be working overtime on each rep you take as well.   In this movement you also spend a lot of time under tension which will make you stronger and build muscle.  You will also notice that your lungs will be on fire after just a few reps.

 How does one perform this wonderful movement you ask? 

1.)    Clean the kettlebell up to the rack position

2.)    Keep the kettlebell in the rack position and then perform a front squat

3.)    Lock out the legs and then press the kettlebell overhead

4.)    Lower the kettlebell back to the rack position and repeat the process all over with the clean

Now this exercise can be performed with one or two kettlebells.  You can also perform this exercise with a barbell, sandbag, rock, lamb, etc.  For the kettlebells start with one master the movement and then move on two kettlebells.  The exercise will humble you all over again when you make the switch to two kettlebells. 

How many sets and reps should I do?

Here are two different variations for you to try.

1.)    Ladder method – do 1,2,3 reps or 2,3,5 reps or even 1,2,3,4,5 reps and then pick between 3-5 sets .  For example: do one rep set the bells down rest and then do two reps.  Once you get to 3 reps that is one set and now you get start all over back at 1 rep.

2.)    Time – just pick a rep range between 2-5 reps and then pick a time limit between 10-30 minutes.  Just see how many rounds you can get with good form in the time set.

Just a few side notes make sure that each movement has been completed before moving on to the next we want quality movements here, not fish out of water.  Easiest way to do this is take a breath between each movement.  So clean the kettlebells up into the rack position and take a breath.  Get set and then perform your front squat.  Once you have stood up from your front squat take another breath.  Get set again and then press the kettlebells up overhead we want to make sure we are pressing the kettlebells from a dead start with no momentum.  Once overhead lockout the arms and take another breath and lower the kettlebells back to the rack position where you can take one more breath before going back into the clean.  The breaths in between the movements will help slow down the movement so that each rep performed with good control.  It will help you relax and focus as well.  So give it a try and quickly you will see why this movement is so effective in such little time.

Embrace Change

You have aches and pains all over.  You feel tired all the time and have no energy once you get home from work.  You constantly order out to eat because cooking seems like a monumental task.  You get winded from going up a flight of stairs and none of your clothes fit right.  You have unwanted fat and weights in the garage collecting dust or better yet a membership to a gym you never go to.  You say next week on Monday you will start fresh and make a change for the better.  Then you realize you have a trip coming up in a couple weeks so it makes no sense to start training now and then take a break.  You will just start fresh when you get back from the trip.  You get back from the trip and then decide you want to wait till next month to start and then push it back even further to after the holidays and start fresh next year.  Yet in the meantime nothing has changed except you have gotten weaker, fatter, sicker, and still are in a lot of pain and have no energy to get through the day. 

 Here is your wakeup call.  Each day you wake up is one day closer to your death bed!  The more you put something off the more chances are of that never happening.  So you can accelerate your life here on earth or you can prolong it by making a change.   It all starts with you and making the decision that you actually want to make that change.  Your friends and family will encourage you or not.  They may be in the same boat as you and if that is case then you are going to be going at it alone.  So it is going to take a lot of will power and discipline on your part to make that change a reality.  Now the good part is if you find a good coach and group of people to train with they will help support and motivate you on your journey. 

When you actually do decide to make that change on your own, be prepared for a lot of work because that’s what change is work!  Change is not easy it takes weeks, months, and sometimes years to attain the goal you want to achieve.  Although how bad do you want that goal?  To get a degree in college it takes four years, 1 year if you’re Doogie Howser.  Those 4 years can be brutal depending on the degree you are working on, but you get through it and graduate.  Now the reason you got thru it because you knew starting out it would take that long and also not every course was pushed into one semester it was spread out over those 4 years. 

People think they need workout 3 hours every day in order to see results.  If you try doing that after doing nothing for a while you will be so sore and you will not want to workout again for another month, because in your mind you have created negative emotions with training.  When it comes to training it is best to build up slowly over time and make little progressions each time you train.  Every time you finish a training session you should feel reenergized and that you got one step closer to your goal.  The way you feel about training has a lot to do with the results of your change.  So the more positive we can the experience the better the outcome will be for you.  Not every training session is going to be positive as some days it will be the last thing you want to do and you may be sick and tired, but still somehow find the way to fight thru and get it done.  I guarantee after that training you will feel at least 10 times better than when you started. 

Change takes consistency on a regular basis to happen.  This makes it easier to accomplish this way because we break it up over the week.  Training 3 times a week will get great results for most people, high level athletes will need more.  So embrace change and know that it will be a long fought out battle.  Throughout your years of training there will be times that you will have to make little changes here and there to keep making progress towards your goals which is normal.  Our bodies adapt after a while and that is why we need to mix things up every now and then.  Zach Even-Esh says it best and that is “get comfortable being uncomfortable”!  The more uncomfortable situations you can put yourself in the better and the stronger you will be as a whole person because of it.  I cannot force you to make this change nor can your friends.  I can hype you up and get you so excited that you feel unstoppable, but nothing will happen until you actually decide for yourself that you want to make that change and take on the lifelong challenge that lies before you.  That’s what training is and should be a daily habit for life.  If you decide that you actually want to make a change then I urge you to seek out a highly qualified coach to help you along with your journey.

Improve your Mobility with these Kettlebell Exercises

Kettlebells for Mobility

  In the society we live in today it is hard not to have tight and stiff joints.  Joints thrive on blood flow and range of motion so when we sit at desks and in cars for years on end it takes a toll on our bodies.  Also staring at a computer screen as well as cell phones hunched over all day does us no good as well.  You can reverse the damage you have done to your body and feel better again but it will take a lot of work.  The 3 areas we are all tight in the most is our shoulders/lats, hips, and ankles.  Here are a few kettlebell exercises that can help open up those joints and help you regain your lost mobility.  

For the shoulders and lats overhead holds can do wonders.  To perform simply hold a kettlebell overhead make sure the arm is completely straight pointing straight up at 12 o’clock.  For some just getting to the 12 o’clock position will be a challenge.  Then make sure your shoulder blade is not shrugged up but rather pulled down.  Now you can simply perform this hold for time or go for a walk either scenario is fine.  The goal is to be able to keep increasing the length of time or distance you hold the kettlebell overhead.  So start light and go for 30 sec to 1 min from keeping gradually adding time in small increments such as 15 sec.  Once you can hold the kettlebell overhead for 3 minutes then it is time to move on to a heavier kettlebell.  An advanced version would be holding 2 kettlebells overhead.  

For the hips and ankles the goblet squat is a great go to exercise.  To perform hold the kettlebell out in front of you with arms in elbows down.  Take a good squat stance shoulder width then slightly turn your feet outwards.  From there sit back and push your knees to the outside.  The weight of the kettlebell should help you get into a lower squat position.  At your lowest point in the squat hold for a few seconds and let your hips stretch and get comfortable in that position stand back up and repeat.  Just like in the overhead holds start light but not too light as a kettlebell that is too light for you will not help assist in pulling you down.  Start off by doing 5 reps holding for 3 secs at the bottom from there you could increase the reps until 10 or increase the secs at the bottom to 5 sec.  Once you can get into a full squat or you feel as if it is getting too easy and aren’t getting any kind of stretch then go up in weight.  Another thing you can do to help open the hips and work on the ankles as well is while you are at the bottom of the squat keep one foot flat on the ground with the other foot you will roll your ankle to the outside edge of your foot.  So you are inverting your foot in so that it looks like a stunt car driving on 2 wheels.  Hold that for a few seconds and then do the same to the other foot stand up and then squat down and repeat again.  

The king of all mobility tests is the overhead squat.  One has to have excellent mobility in the shoulder, hips, and ankles in order to successfully complete this exercise.  To perform lift one kettlebell overhead and squat down without the ankles losing contact with the ground and without the arm bending at the elbow or breaking forward or to the side.  Make sure knees go to the knees go to the outside and do not cave in.  This is one of those exercises where you take it slow no need to go fast as it won’t help you with your mobility.  Hold for a few seconds in the bottom of this squat as well as your tight lats will thank you afterwards.  Once you can comfortably do 10 reps try going up to a heavier kettlebell.  Want to get advanced try performing a double overhead squat and you will quickly find out what all of your limitations are in your body.

Make mobility a daily habit and in time you will have strong and healthy joints.  My advice is take a few minutes and do one or two sets of these before your next workout.  You should notice an improvement in your pressing or squatting that session. 

Some Take It or Leave It Training Advice

Some Take It or Leave It Training Advice

1.       Mobility just do it – The key to healthy joints and longevity in life is mobility work.  Mobility is basically moving all of the joints in your body in full ranges of motion.  So for example we would want to make sure that we did movements that gave the knee full flexion.  So things like deep squats and Cossacks would be good for the knee.  Mobility promotes blood flow to the joints which is what it craves and it also helps increase the range of motion in the joint.  When a joint becomes stiff it is due to lack of movement and that is why when you sit around for long periods of time you become stiff in your knees, back, hips, and ankles is because there is a lack of blood flow going on while you are sitting doing nothing.  Think of your joints like an engine or a machine.  Both the engine and machine need oil to properly perform and your joints need blood to properly perform.  So do your joints a favor and take 5 to 10 minutes each day working on your mobility.

2.       Mental training – to become better as a whole physical training alone will not cut it, you need to have a strong mind as well.  The mind and body will play tricks on you during your competitions and training.  Do you have the mental capacity to keep calm and keep driving forward when your body is screaming at you to give up during a training session or competition?  Another example is that you are playing in one of your worst games ever, do you have the ability to regain focus and correct your performance when everything else is going wrong?  There are a ton of books out there on mental training just go on Amazon buy one and get reading.

3.       Quality vs. Quantity – Become a master of technique every time you train always seek for good quality reps.  It takes 3 good reps to correct 1 bad one.  So make a lot of bad reps in a row and then you will have a lot of self-correcting to do.  If you want to actually make progressions in your training then make sure each rep is solid.  Don’t just go thru the motions and look like you are having convulsions while training it will do nothing for you except give you a good sweat.

4.       Keep and open mind when it comes to training - Don’t drink the kool aid and think there is only one way to train and everyone has to do it this way and if they are not doing it this way then they are training wrong and suck at life.  When it comes to training a lot of it is trial and error and finding out what works best for you and what will give you the best results for whatever it is you are training for.   Learn from as many different people as you can.  The same goes for training types as well.  Question people to why they train the way they do or do a movement in a different way than you have seen.  Then go and create your own training philosophy and at the same time always be open to learning something new.  If you like it hang on to it if not discard it.

5.       What is the goal? – Dan John says it best keep the goal the goal!  This is a simple question you must ask yourself when programming your training.  Make sure training reflects what you want to achieve.  Would you advise an Olympic lifter to do long distance runs?  Then why are trying to mimic throwing a javelin with a barbell on a bosu ball standing on one foot while doing bicep curls with your favorite Jillian Michaels dumbbell?  It doesn’t make any sense and it won’t make you any better at throwing the javelin.  Remember this; you train with weights to become stronger and better conditioned for your sport of choice.  You become better at your sport by practicing that skill as the same you would in competition.

6.       Keep things simple – Don’t overcomplicate things by doing 30 exercises in one training session or trying the latest workout you saw in the fitness magazine or on the internet.  Pick a few exercises for each training session and attack them.  Your time is precious so when it comes to training don’t waste it on fluff.  With the millions of programs out there it can get quite confusing as well.  Here is a clue if you do not understand the program or can’t remember it then chances are you will not get the results you want on that program without a coach guiding you along.  Think simple like the classic 5x5 program.

7.       80% rule – Maxing out every time you train will just fry your central nervous system and increase your chances of becoming injury prone.  Instead make sure when you are lifting you do not go to failure but stay fresh.  What that means is when you lift make sure you are able to perform the lift with control and good technique.  If during a set your technique starts to go south then that is when you need to stop.  Same goes if you are lifting a weight where it looks like your body is performing a weird contortionist act then that is obvious sign that you are not ready for that weight yet.  Always stop one or two reps short of failure.  There is a time to go heavy but you don’t want to do it all the time.  By lifting at the 80% mark you will actually get stronger because your technique will be solid on every rep and you will build confidence in yourself by never missing a lift.

8.       Focus on yourself not what someone else is doing – Trying to lift like Dmitry Klokov and comparing yourself to him will do nothing but leave you constantly frustrated every time you train.  Instead focus on yourself and getting better in the lifts you train.  Who cares if someone can lift more than you right now, you have no idea how long they have been working on that lift or who they had help them with their technique.  As long as your numbers and weight keeps going up then guess what you are making progress and it all that matters.

9.       Focus on movements not the exercise of the month on social media – Push, pull, squat, hinge these are your basic movements and what you should be working on when you train.  We can also add rotation, abdominal movements, run, crawl, jump, and climb, but when it comes to lifting weight all you need is the basic movements of push, pull, squat, and hinge.  When it comes to pushing think vertical and horizontal movements the same goes with pulling movements.  Squat is obviously squatting and the hinge is your deadlift motions, cleans would also be qualified as a hinge motion which is good for building power.  Make sure throughout your week of training all four of these movements are covered and in return it will make you a much better well rounded athlete.

10.   Instead of reps trying going for time – Time under tension has some tremendous benefits to your training it will not only make you stronger but it will also increase your endurance.  Try doing push ups straight for 3 minutes without ever losing form.  So no taking breaks and no dropping down to your knees or pushing your butt up into the air.  Don’t worry about how many reps you get just see if you can last the whole 3 minutes without stopping.  You can vary the length of time as well as the exercise.  Keep the weight light to start out and then as it gets easier and you are able to do more reps then go ahead and add more weight. 

11.   Don’t under estimate the power of bodyweight exercises – Bodyweight exercises teaches one how to control their own bodyweight which is highly valuable when it comes to training.  If you cannot do a push up on the floor with complete control throughout the movement then you really should not be loading your body with weights since you cannot control your own weight yet.  Push ups, pull ups, dips, single leg squats, bridges, and leg raises are all great movements that should be included in your training.  Learn some of the advance bodyweight movements as well such free standing handstand push ups, front levers, and strict muscle ups.  Simply adding weights to get strong is the easy way, but how does one get strong without any equipment?  Your answer look at gymnasts they have incredible physiques along with tremendous strength and power.

12.   Ego in check – This goes along with quality training and that is make sure you always control the weight throughout the whole movement.  If you are bouncing the bar off your chest in the bench press then guess what?  That weight is too heavy for you and all it will do either two things leave you with a cracked sternum or just teach you incorrect form, which will probably mess up your back from constantly humping the sky as you bench press.

13.   Consistency – Ever wonder why you are not getting results in your training?  Well answer this question first how long have you been sticking to your current program?  If the answer is less than 12 weeks then that is the reason why.  Training like anything takes time and to get better at something you have to do it over and over again on a consistent basis.  Don’t just keep jumping from one program to another unless you really never want to get good at anything.  In school you did not study math for a couple weeks then do reading for another couple, and from there jump into science and then go back to math.  Instead you did them all in small amounts on a weekly basis for 9 months.  Training is the same way want to get better at something then you have to be consistent in your training on a weekly basis.  Now if you are not seeing results in your training after you have been consistently training for 12 weeks then go ahead and make some changes.  Just remember though there will always be ups and downs in your training, but if you stay consistent with your training the results you seek will come.

14.   Breathing – This is probably one of the most over looked things when it comes to training.  If you want to be able lift more and perform better on the field then you need to learn how to master your breathe.  Take about 5 to 10 minutes each day and focus on your breathing find an area in nature is best or an area where there will no distractions for you.  Now breathe into your belly for a count of 5, hold for a count of 5, then exhale for a count of 5, hold for a count of 5.  Repeat that process for 5 to 10 minutes.  This will be a challenge to empty your head and just sit there in silence and do nothing but focusing on breathing, but it will help with mental clarity when it comes time to focus and also it will help you stay focused and relaxed in training.  The more oxygen we can intake the better our performance hence why breathing is so important.  Just like anything there are a ton of books about breathing out there just do a search on Amazon and get reading.

15.    Have fun! – This goes without saying but if you are not having fun in your training then you need to take a break from what you are doing or try something else.  If you are constantly dreading your training sessions then something is wrong.  Maybe you are going to heavy or maybe you constantly keep missing lifts or maybe just don’t like the lifts you are working on.  Remember not every training session should be balls to walls take a step back work on your technique or do lighter weights with pauses in between the reps.  Go do some yoga, go for a bike ride or swim, play a game with friends, or just rest.  Then come back fresh and excited to train.  Not every training session will be easy and you will have sessions that will push your limits, but that is why you train to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself beyond your limits.  Training makes you feel good and able to live a long healthy life so make it fun!