In the last post HERE we covered points 10 through 6, so today we’ll be rounding off this 2 part extravaganza of emotional motivational emotiveness and hopefully give you some ideas to help express your strengths.

Before we get to that though, I just wanted to touch base about the recent beta testing program I’m launching for a new digital workout system I’m planning to release sometime early next year. You see, I’m looking to get 100 people who want to be guinnea pigs for the program, get behind the scenes access to it and help with development,and who are willing to supply a lot of data points regarding body composition, strength, before & after pics, etc. I’ll run their results through a statistical analysis to see whether the program produced any real benefits, show averages, etc, and make it legitimate in terms of me saying to someone looking to try it “people have lost on average ‘X’ pounds during the program.

It’s a 6 month semi-custom program, based on individual self assessments and categorized into various tracks, as well as to whether people want to gain muscle or lose weight. It also breaks down options for a 2, 3, or 4 day per week rotation, various types of gym set up (or lack thereof), and has no geographical limitation.

Additionally, you’ll also get exclusive access to an app to track your workouts without worrying about pen and paper, but if you’re down for that option, you can totally do it. I’m also going to throw in a few extra goodies that people will have to pay a hefty fee to get when the product is launched. Most products provide silver, gold and platinum levels of product, but you’re so much better and better looking than that, silver is getting the boot. Now there’s only gold, platinum, and ADAMANTIUM!!!

 

The kicker is that since there’s going to be a lot of personal involvement, plus an assistant to help me track everything, I’ll need to ask for a registration fee of $199 to make it all fly. I’m capping registrations at 100, and once we hit that number I’m closing registration to keep it relatively sane so that this doesn’t turn into another full time job. As it stands I’ve currently had over 80 registrants, so space is limited.

If you’re looking to test drive a new workout system, semi-tailored to you and your abilities, gym set up, and schedule, have 6 months to commit and don’t mind people potentially seeing you in before and after pictures, just fill out the form below and hit submit to get into the program. I’ll email everyone once we’re ready to roll as I’m currently still working out some of the kinks in the assessment and initial program flow.

[gravityform id=”5″ name=”Beta Test Signup”]

Now, onto the last 5 ways to immediately increase your fitness results

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#5: Test yourself

Tests tend to bring out the best in people physically. Every now and then I’ll throw a surprise test day at my clients to get them amped up and focused on what they’re doing. It could be a cardio test, 1RM test, work capacity test, timed sled sprint series, or some measurable variable that determines their specific fitness in a movement or load.

Recently Crossfit did their Open 14.X series, which amounted to tests to see who could complete the most reps or time, etc at a given activity or series. These were workouts that most trainers would absolutely cringe at seeing in someone’s program, but the point wasn’t to have them be training sessions, but tests to see what people could do. The kettlebell snatch test in the RKC and SFG certification (100 reps in 5 minutes with a 24 kg bell for men and a 16 kg bell for women) is another example. This isn’t something you want to do on a regular basis, but to see what you can do, once.

Maybe twice.

A great option for a challenge you could try is a recent WeightTraining.com battle I started that looks for whomever can lift the most weight in a week. The results are based on weight lifted times the number of reps, so I recommend 1000 kettlebell swings a day, plus other stuff to help add the numbers up.

===> Click HERE to register for the FREE battle <===

#4: Compete Against Someone/Something

Speaking of Crossfit, one of the main reasons why it continues to be so popular is that it creates a sense of community and competition simultaneously. Everyone doing the same workout will inevitably breed competition and animosity to one another. It’s paleo.

Another activity that seems to breed this competitive community thought process is endurance activities. Marathon runners who train alone tend to suffer more when they get into a group setting or a race as they find the pacing difficult, seeing as how it’s not their normal speed. Runners who train in groups tend to be competitive with each other, sometimes pushing themselves harder in training than they would in a race. What seemed like a short hill run turns into a life or death metaphor for your mere existence and value as a human being.

 

You could also compete against known standards, much like the Crossfit Open. I know, I just said standards and Crossfit in the same context. Sorry, but it’s true. If 10,000 people do a workout and their results get tallied and ranked, you can see where you wind up based on your performance, much like an endurance athlete who runs the same course as everyone else can see where they finished, especially if it means they beat that one blonde runner who wouldn’t take her head phones off even though the race marshall warned her about it, then she cut you off and broke your tempo. You hope you beat her and beat her bad.

Damn.

She beat you by 10 minutes.

Sorry brusef. Maybe you should get some headphones.

#3: Stick to Your Strengths

“If you’re bad at it you should do it more.”

This statement can go fuck off right now. I hate everything about this statement. For instance, I’m pretty crappy at doing back bends like a Cirque de Soliel contortionist, so by that logic I should do more of them, even though I might wind up crippled. Maybe I should try to play hockey more even though I can’t skate to save my life (I may lose my Canadian citizenship by announcing that publicly), or run a marathon barefoot against a Kenyan. These are all terrible, terrible ideas and they will all end badly for everyone, including me.

Instead of forcing yourself to endure personal and probably public humiliation from floundering around doing stuff you suck at, why not spend more time getting better at the stuff you’re really good at and enjoy doing because you’re good at it? It’s a novel concept, but doing stuff that makes you happy tends to leave you feeling happy and more likely to partake in said endeavour again, and with a vigour met only Flash Gordon looking to rid the world of Ming the Merciless.

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If you like it, do it every day. If you don’t like it, do it when you have nothing better to do and want to give it a shot. Maybe you just had a bad day last time you tried it. You know, the sun was in your eyes and there was sand in your nether regions. It sucked, so try it again, but don’t make it your bread and butter unless you really REALLY enjoy it this time. Or the next time.

“But what about imbalances??”

Listen. Shut up. There. No more imbalances. Happy?

Life will create imbalances. You’re body is pretty smart and can figure most things out on it’s own without spending all day trying to figure out how to get your transverse abdominis turned on. Also, most imbalances are only a problem when they become a problem and require specific interventions to address. A well designed program will offer a lot of the stimulus variation that will help prevent imbalances and still have you feeling like you enjoy life.

#2: Watch a Rocky Training Montage before hitting the gym.

Seriously. No matter how many times you’ve seen it you’ll also want to run through the streets with people throwing you apples, do 1armed pushups with old guys yelling pure rasp at you before punching some meat in a freezer before sprinting along a pier and up stairs while smashing some abs and jump rope and rocking some yoke squat jumps with behind the neck presses and heavy bag work “YOU’RE GONNA EAT LIGHTNING AND CRAP THUNDER!!!!” shadowbox running with neighbourhood kids and working out in a barn with Russian security detail following you through the woods. You will in deed.

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#1: Deadlift. Errday

Start each workout off with some significant heavy deadlifts. You could also substitute other hip hinge type, ahem, recreational activities, as this would also be an awesome active warm up and spike testosterone in a similar manner, plus make you want to rip through a phone book with your bare hands.

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