Switch it Up

You should always be looking to expand on your current interests and routines. Although we are creatures of habit, and it is important to have a regular schedule; its also crucial to throw new aspects into your daily mix.

An example would be picking up a new hobby, with all the lifting I do I find it fun, beneficial, and relaxing to add restorative yoga once or twice into my weekly schedule. But it goes beyond that, read more books, watch more informative videos, learn more. Engage in activities you don't normally partake and develop a new respect for the practice. It doesn't have to be religious, it doesn't have to be super intense, and it doesn't have to be daily.

As you progress in life you should learn to continuously add new hobbies and interests into your life. My goals are to read and learn more about hypertrophy, gaining/leaning cycles, and tap further into the physchological portion of lifting and motivation towards goals. Another important area to look to make progress in are your relationships, start setting up weekly/monthly dates with close ones. Phone calls are always nice but spend quality time with the people near and dear to you, cherish the moments and let the bond grow stronger, have a genuinely good time with that individual/group. Furthermore it is important to look to create new relationships, grow your network, step out of your comfort zone and find new viewpoints and personalities.

Deep Breathing

People heavily underestimate the power of breathing. Something so obviously important that we don't even really think about it, and often our breaths become short, shallow, and improper. The power comes from the diaphragm and pretty much no one knows how to properly inhale and exhale, and if they do its often cut short and is rapid. This leads to a whole host of problems such as anxiety disorders, poor posture and muscular imbalances.

Once I learned and started practicing deep breathing my energy levels, motivation, and mental clarity/focus/organization made leaps and bounds. I feel better, am much more conscious and aware, and have a deeper level of intelligence and drive. I feel connected down to the most inner self I have. Its helped me develop more empathy towards others, and a need to carry myself and live life in a way that makes people want happiness for themselves. I want to inspire people to be happy through the way I live my life.

The key to deep breathing is understanding the function of the diaphragm, as you inhale your stomach should push out as the diaphragm contracts and moves down, as you exhale it relaxes and moves back up. My favorite way to train the proper functioning of this underutilized muscle is to lie on your back and put a 2.5 weight on your stomach, inhaling through your nose over a ten count the weight should slowly rise and lower upon a ten second exhale, the movement should be smooth. You'll notice as you practice your breath becomes deeper and stronger, and you'll feel a crazy surge of energy and focus.

Summer Bod Post

Folks you know what season is coming up. It's time to set goals, it is time to get focused; it's time to get serious. I am pumped for this summer and cannot wait to make new connections, foster improvement, and help others be inspired to follow their vision. The biggest thing here is staying and remaining motivated through the thick and the thin. External life will happen but you can always control the motivation from within. Hard work and being inspired to be the best no matter what is an intangible; but absolutely vital to your success in the long term. We have to change our basis of how we think, how we approach life, and subsequently how we live it. Be yourself, follow what interests you, and look to gain newfound likes and passions. Yes I will always love lifting, but it is time to expand that passion into other categories. I want all of us to be happy, that is the ultimate goal, and I want to help you guys create it. These intangibles are the key factor to your success, all the products and programs won't mean anything if you don't have the motivation and drive to take the action and put in the work. Why you ask?? Because its not easy!! It's extremely difficult and challenging. Most people will never achieve the level of happiness they want because they lost or never developed the motivation to be willing to sacrifice and work towards their dreams. We're gonna be different.

Minding Your Body Attire

What's new folks. The Minding Your Body site is continuing to grow and expand into more than just a blog. Although I do enjoy posting the blogs I feel this should be something more diverse, it should speak to its members and a sense of pride and belonging should arise from it. I've decided to open up a clothing/athletic performance attire line for the Minding Your Body community.

As I said before I think this will be a great way to start identifying ourselves and developing a family who takes care of one another, and always strives to do their best. Due to this, the product line will only offer attire that is designed and produced to improve your training! That is the main aspect behind all the items that will be offered. Style comes in a close second, but performance will never be compromised for something that looks more fashionable.

The product line is just in its embryotic stage so far.

1.  Men's "fostering physical excellence" hoodie
• Great for warm-ups
• Durable and flexible
• Snug fit for compression
• Classic drawstring and kangaroo pouch
2. Women's "I heart u" t-shirt
• Performance Dry tech to wick away moisture
• RUNS SMALL (FITTED)
• 95% polyester 5% spandex
3. The "minding your body" long sleeve t-shirt
• 100% soft ring spun cotton
• Standard fit
• Ribbed sleeve cuffs
• Imported

*** All items are machine washable

I have huge plans for this line and like I said this is only the very beginning of what will be a high performance brand. If you want the details of my plan check out my landing page where I outline what exactly I plan to do from here, its honestly some exciting stuff! Once you do that head on over to the shop and check the items out for yourself, I guarantee you'll like what ya see!!!

Visit the Shop Here!!!

The Epiphany

We all have ruts here and there, some worse than others, some longer than others, some more severe than others. I'll be the first one to admit I slip into these from time to time. This school year has not been easy for me. I've had short-comings on multiple projects I was working on to start-up my own business. As much as I played it off like it was no big deal that failure took a toll on me and my mindset. I fell into developed some poor habits and before I knew it I felt like I had no control over my life anymore, and it lasted a while.

What changed my way of thinking wasn't an acute experience, but rather a culmination and reflection on how I had been living the past few months. My room was an absolute mess, the bathroom was moldy, air filter broke, no clean clothes, beer cans everywhere... Going through the motions everyday, not paying attention in class, saying what's the point? Even when I was training I almost hated myself and it seemed all my physical imperfections got to my head, which in turn lead to more aggressive and childish behavior on my part.

Even now I am looking back not in any single situation (although some were pretty bad) because it wasn't those single moments that were the problem. The problem was the ongoing negative habits I was living by that only set me further into a negative way of thinking. My view on life was so dismal and I was too caught up in my own fear of failure paired with a perfectionist attitude that I didn't even notice how obvious it was.

Let me tell you guys this. Develop good habits and never stop practicing them. It goes both ways, the more negative habits you have, the less likely you will pursue success and the more likely you'll have a me vs. the world life-sucks type mindset. The more positive however provides a certain uplifting synergy and your at one with the world, you don't carry hatred for others and you want people to chase their wildest dreams (along with yourself). As I write this I am getting this crazy high, focus, and motivation knowing what I've been through and being able to identify what's been the problem all along. I'm sitting here in a clean room, laundry done, food ready, and a certain inspiration that I haven't felt in a while.

I want you guys to take this home with you. Say it in front of the mirror if you have to (I'll sometimes talk to myself on a late-night walk home from the gym). I am capable of anything, with the right mindset and approach there is nothing I cannot accomplish. Through daily practice and a true love for life, I will practice good habits and look to develop new ones, and I realize that the more good habits I have and the more consistently I practice them the better and more fulfilling my life will be. The concept of time is amazing, its power can almost never be fully understood, but what can be understood is our time is not unlimited. With that being said, it is important to understand how precious time is, and how valuable it is to our life. I want to make the most of my time, and I want everyone who has a goal or a dream or a vision to make the most of theirs as well. I want to live life knowing I control who I am, who I want to be, and what I do with this time. I have control of what I do with the time I have, and it will be utilized to the fullest. I've lived long enough on the negative side of life, there is no reason for it. Hardships will happen, failure will definitely occur, there will be times where you are sad, lonely, and beaten to the ground-- Here's the ringer, maybe you gave it your all and you still lost, failed, fell-- whatever you want to call it. Guess what maybe you couldn't control the outcome of that specific event(s), but what you can ALWAYS control is how you get up and respond. That's something I never truly realized up until now, and damnit I'm motivated. I want to live a life of love, I want to love people, I want to understand them, I want everyone to get better and everyone to have passion and love their life, I want to world to get better, I want to inspire and motivate people to achieve what they never thought was possible, I want to spend more time with my family, tell them I love them and owe them the world for the love they have provided me, I will make the most of every single minute, knowing that that's something I can always control.

Stay motivated folks.

Quality Nutrients

Now while I follow many principles when it comes to eating, there is often a disconnect between priorities and what people deem to be the 'most important'. In my opinion there are a lot of aspects important for a optimal diet. The two most vital in my eyes is the quantity and quality. We all know without the right amount of food you won't be able to properly gain muscle/lose fat, but I am a firm believer that the quality of nutrients should be the best you can get.

The goal is to keep the staples of your diet (chicken, red meat, pork, eggs, milk, produce) as quality as you can. Your body will thank you, but more importantly your mind will also. I heard a long-time trainer once say 'when I stopped eating solely for my body and started to eat for my mind, I ended up with a much better body'. So make sure to keep those main items fresh, whole, and organic.

Something I'd really like to see via studies (although the complexity of this isn't necessarily feasible financially) would be to test the performance and progress of someone fitting any kind of food into their macros vs. someone who kept the nutrients fresh and whole.

Plus there is just a 'feel' factor. Whether that be placebo or real (or a lil bit of both) you feel good when your eating the best available nutrients out there. You have better energy, less bloating, I even feel like my movement in general is more fluid and efficient.

What if I told you there's this magic pill where you can eat more, boost your metabolic rate, and keep fat off while gaining muscle? Would you take it?? I bet 90% would, hell I would myself!!!

So bad news first, there is no pill, supplement or even drug that will accomplish for you. However, PhD scientist Layne Norton has developed a systematic approach called reverse dieting. Now here's the thing, I have seen its success first hand on myself, and have witnessed it between multiple clients and competitors; yet it's success rate isn't through the rough. Because unlike the non-existent magic pill it requires methodical adherence, accuracy, and consistency that most people don't have the dedication to sticking to it. I put this on here because I know most of you reading my posts have a different type of mindset, so please check this E-book out and give reverse dieting a try!! P.S this works especially well for those post-competition or those who have been dieting down/in a caloric deficit for some time.
Click Here!

Shoulder Workout of the Gods

One of my strong points has always been my delts. When people ask they expect me to be pressing 120lbs dumbbells for 40 reps. While that's neither here nor there (I totally can't) I find shoulders grow best with longer sets and more overall volume at a lighter weight. Most people train the sh*t out of there front delts, but in reality that's less than 30 percent of the total deltoid head.

That being said, let me outline one of my delt workouts, it might be different from what you've seen but it will definitely help give your shoulders that 3d look.

Warmup:

• Internal external rotation with DB's
• Scapular retraction with resistance bands
• Broomstick up and over's
• Push-up plus (scapular protraction)

**The main focus here is warming up the rotator cuff muscles, stabilizing the scapulas (shoulder blades), and getting blood into the shoulder***

 All warm-ups 2 sets of 10-20 reps, nothing to failure, nothing should be strenuous, just work on achieving a fluid, full range of motion.

Training:

• Y shoulder press (not a typo) 4x20 reps
• Instead of bringing the dumbbells together at the top, slow the motion down and press outside the line of the shoulder joint, you'll hit your delts like never before
• Lateral raise 8x15-30
• Yes that's right, I do a ton of lateral raise, having big capped laterals will give you an incredibly broad and powerful look
• When performing lateral raise focus on dragging your arms across the ground until the delts are fully activation (shortened)
• Keep your head up and chest out, drive your elbows out and back
• Why 15-30, for some reason I've always just felt it out, I never felt like super heavy laterals did the trick do to momentum being lost to many muscles that are anatomically stronger in that position, furthermore, I don't necessarily go 15, 20, 25, 30 etc... I feel it out and see what's appropriate that set to get a deeper burn in my delts
• It's weird and confusing at first but once your start doing them and realizing how many different ways you can hit lateral raises you'll understand what I mean
• Never rest over 1 minute on these, ideally I like it in between 30-45 seconds
• Lateral raise machine 5x10-12 (slow controlled movement, at least 3second concentric, eccentric and iso)
• The key here is constant tension, the shoulder should always be contracted regardless of position/length
• Rear delt fly on a bench 7x12 <30 seconds rest in between sets
• Keep chest on bench the entire time, instead of 'pulling' the weight 'back', think of 'flying' the weight 'out'
• Keep your pinky pointed out

That's a lot of volume in a little amount of time, even in a packed gym I can get in the full workout plus some post lift ROM work within an hour. If you focus on the shoulder joint and how it's supposed to function, you will have a pretty crazy feeling from this lift!!!

Bless You

The entirety of the Minding Your Body site is well... about minding your body. Obviously I goes more in depth but that is the overarching theme. Improving one's mentality, outlook, and effort towards living a happy and fulfilled life. There is a strong connection between to power of the mind and the efficient operation of the body, and I have noticed the two are so closely related and I believe equally important to build together. A body without a mind is a lost cause and a mind without a body is wasted potential. Both rely and need each other to be truly happy, and when both are working together in unison it is a damn powerful thing.

That being said, I have noticed that I generally post things into more specific categories though. 

1. Training
2. Eating
3. Motivation

Simple enough but it obviously spans into either broader concepts or more specific details. Either way all of those categories are aimed at improving. When writing to an audience I can only get so specific before it becomes completely individualized, then I'm literally talking to only one other person (or myself). The point being I look forward to talking one-on-one with individuals looking to improve. I find hearing individual cases so interesting because each story is different, everyone wants are desires some different goal in life, and I always end up learning something new after talking to them. So please, if your questions or concerns fall outside of the current realms I am covering, please hit my contact page and e-mail me, I want to expand my knowledge and experience and talking to you guys is one of the best ways to do that!!!

The Minding Your Body Philosophy

What's good folks back at it again with another blog post. After setting up the website and blogs for Minding Your Body I figured to go back and mention what this community is all about. It is for everyone who has goals, everyone looking for a life change, and anyone looking for support. From all backgrounds, level of experience, and intensity of goals. It is a place to come where you will be accepted and challenged to achieve what you want out of life.

The core of this environment revolves around developing a fit, durable body, and a strong, motivated mindset. This core is meant to become such an integral part of yourself it carries on to other aspects of your life, both personal and professional. If we can dedicate ourselves to this lifestyle, than really there should be no talk of negativity, or limits placed on what can result from the lives we are continuously working to improve. The ultimate goal is self-awareness and happiness. Due to the many external aspects of life (external meaning things 100% out of our control) happiness is never constant, but it is able to grow, intensify, and be more consistent with the way we think; as well as how quick we bounce back after something sh**ty happens.

The 3 main things we cover are

• Training
• Nutrition
• Motivation

All three are related in some way and have a synergistic, momentum-like affect. The better you train, the more motivated you become, the better you eat the better the training etc... focusing on improving all three and setting goals to achieve better results is a hallmark of how we go about this and ultimately translates into how we live our lives. We want to be more empathetic, we want to be better individuals in the personal relationships we have, we want that drive that resonates and motivates everyone around us to improve.

You want to know more?? Check out my web page or contact me!!!

Without Limits Review

This movie was recommended to me by an influential fitness figure I follow. His motto embodies a hard-nosed work ethic, and lives his life to 'redefine limits'. One of the sources he attributes much of his motivation to is the movie 'without limits' released in 1998. The movie is all about the legend of Steve Prefontaine, an international track star. It was the spirit and mentality Steve had that changed the name of internal competition. His coach, Bill Bowerman later formed a little company today known as Nike. Need I say more about that connection? Sure Bill Bowerman was an innovative guy with a vision, but its easy to see the influence Steve left not only on him, but anyone that came into contact. 

Steve radiated a persona that was on a different level. He was know as extremely confident and a need for competition yet straight-forward, honest, and direct. Those who knew Pete from a young age have said that's just who he was and it didn't change for anybody. Steve was very verbose and quite imaginative, and has many well-know quotes used still to this day.

Here are some of my favorites:

• "To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift."
• "Something inside of me just said 'Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him,' and I just took off."
• "Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement"
• "A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they're capable of understanding"

Look guys the movie doesn't have an all-star rating and from a cinematic perspective I fully agree on that, the plot is sloppy and seems to run out of time. But the idea that is captured from Prefontaine's spirit is much more powerful and important in my eyes than the actual movie itself. Steve loved competition, he craved being the best, and he would stop at nothing to achieve that, which was his true happiness. That's the take home message, you don't have to be a hard core Olympian athlete, but live your life in a way that makes you truly happy, and have an intense drive to achieve it!!!!

Linked Post

I was searching around for some fitness posts today, as of late I've been looking specifically into nutrition and different training styles. I came upon something a little different, which made me realize a very important aspect that is sometimes left unsaid when it comes to fitness.

Small Chunks... Big Progress by Tashawn Howell

It was a very good read, the essence of the post was that attempting to make small changes in various aspects of your life will turn into larger overall progress. Sometimes we try to do too much, as Tashawn states we want to be Jack's of all trade... and while it is impossible to be perfect at everything, it is perfectly possible to make great strides in the things you do and how you live your life. By breaking these things down into smaller chunks, it helps the overall progress in the grander scheme of life.

Tashawn also went on to say a new promise he made to himself was to finish 1 thing everyday, regardless of how big or hows small, he must finish one thing that had been currently in progress. This he says leads to momentum and a sort of snowball affect. I had for a while lost sight of the whole idea of momentum. I was looking at it from a singular point of view, I was trying to isolate everything so much that nothing was actually getting done. After reading that post it really awoke my motivation and desire to improve again, that snowball starts as just a flake but once it gets rolling it starts picking up more and more sustenance, covers more ground, and more matter gravitates toward it. Everything has a weird ability to either directly or indirectly influence who you are and how you think, taking a step back and realizing that can really change your entire mental approach. If everything your involved with is approached from an aware mindset, one that knows good tends to follow good, those small chunks can truly lead to big progress.  

Nerd Fitness Analysis

After doing some background search for popular fitness blogs Nerd Fitness consistently came up. The basic summary of Nerd Fitness is a guy (who is a nerd) talk about his view on fitness and health. He has a coalition of over 250,000 of his membership called "the rebels".

The Topics Mr. Steve Kamb (creator of nerd fitness) covers in his blog are numerous. A lot of the posts involve more 'how-to' for prepping food. Talking about knife sets, scales, thermometers etc and other proper utilities to have in order to prep successfully. He also brings in some of his personal nerd life (comics, movie-reviews). There is actually some well written posts on what looks to be very good dishes, he includes everything from the ingredients to final product. Kamb does an excellent job with keeping a consistent up-beat tone during all his posts which range in frequency but most mostly between 4-6 days.

Although it appears Kamb has established a great following of beginning fitness enthusiasts, there are things ignored on the page. There is an extreme over-simplification of training and diet. For example his meals all include instructions on how to cook with a list of all the ingredients, even listed the total protein count on a pound of meat; but no where does it say how much that individual should be eating, in order for a diet to be successful it must include a quantitative factor. With training he says you should only use free weights never machines, but doesn't take in to the fact that most people can't to a proper wide-grip body-weight pull-up, and almost all people who execute a pull-up have mechanics that take the focus off the pull muscles. Also with diet he is all about paleo, when in reality that is not an optimal diet for everyone, due to the body metabolizes carbs as the primary energy source (pretty important if you want to be deadlifting, squatting, doing wide-grip pull-ups.

It was cool to see the design, definitively a customized type of presence. It draws you in, the page always has HD pictures in easy-clicks to any section of the page. Most everything leads you eventually to a buy-page, where he sells multiple books, guides, and training packages all on the site. It markets well because you are intrigued by the posts and other free information he gives out, so you obviously want to see what's being offered at a price.

Lifestyl3 Blog

My buddy Paul is one of the few colleagues where we can sit down and talk about health, eating, training etc... He's set up a cool page with various posts about living a healthy, balanced lifestyle (or lifestyl3). One of his recent posts "How do I stay on Track" struck me as something everyone should have an understanding of.

The main point in his post was to talk about MyFitnessPal, an app that allows you to track calories of virtually any food you could think of, and get an instant breakdown of how many fats, carbs, proteins etc. In the post he talks about common misconceptions that are deeply set in the fitness community today. Everyone thinks there are good foods and bad foods, but that is a misnomer in itself really. As Paul stated in his post, many people think an apple and peanut butter is a "healthy" snack because both are viewed as good food, but in reality that can be well over 500 calories and if your viewing that just as a healthy snack, you may have missed the more important concept. You can eat 100% 'healthy' food but won't lose a pound because you are still at a caloric surplus. So although yes peanut butter provides great fats, apples are a good source of vitamins, but if the calories are too high, then those healthy benefits will be of no use because no weight will be lost.

Paul is a great example of someone who understands the importance of tracking not only your nutrition but training. The entirety of his blog centers around being able to do this as a style of living, to make sustainable progress and still enjoy life throughout the process. If you want to know more about setting up a sustainable diet check out his ARTICLE.

Product Recomendation

A product I would definitely recommend to those reading is the cardillo weight belt. Anyone who wants to take their lifting to the next level should have this accessory within their arsenal. I believe in using a belt for multiple reasons, although wearing one all the time to 'bring down your waist' is a misconception. Wearing a belt helps with a few vital things in regards to lifting. The first is it protects your spine, it acts like an external TVA (if you don't know what that is look it up you'll learn a thing or two, maybe even stumble upon vacuums, which is a way to bring that waist down). Secondly it helps brace your core and protect your back when lifting near or at maximal capacity, you don't need one for 20 rep biceps curls. Thirdly it DOES in fact keep your core from expanding after heavy loads. Fourth it teaches you to breath correctly, almost all people I know do not breathe properly nor do they breathe deep enough. Breathing is obviously essential to life and ironically enough most humans suck at it.

So, the reason I recommend cardillo besides for 'all the Pro's are using it' is because it is truly known as the top belt provider out there. I personally like the tapered version because it doesn't clip my waist but they have the 4" all around for all ya'll who are into that. The fit is great and their sizing chart is spot on. The quality leather material really breaks into your body structure and squeezes you into a perfectly correct spinal alignment. I feel completely safe and confident when repping some heavy squats or deads. Knowing my back is in the right position and my core is staying slim, I believe it is well worth the buy.

By the way for all you hipster lifters out there they do offer a custom belt option. You can pretty much get whatever floats your boat on the things, and that's pretty cool, the one downside is they don't offer returns for that option (which is understandable) and it takes 12-14 weeks to ship and that anticipation sucks

Pop a Squat

Everyone loves a good squat (who loves training that is). For others maybe the leg press or extension machine is how they got those huge wheels (men's physique where you at). Before my crowd stops and asks what in the heck I am talking about-- I'm going to quit this ramble and get back to the squat.

DO IT.

Unless you have severe spinal degradation, a hernia, or your legs are paralyzed squatting should be part of your routine  AT LEAST once per week. This is easier said than done. My honest consensus after years of observing gym goers, training partners, IG fitness models etc perform leg movements (whether that be squat or something similar) I notice a general pattern. From talking to these folks and getting their responses (or excuses) I have realized that almost all people who A) dislike squatting B) can't squat for some unheard of medical reason C) avoid squatting because leg press is 'better' all have 1 huge thing in common--- their form SUCKS. 

The key to a successful squat has nothing to do with the weight (the weight is a result of proper form, always remember that principle) if you get strong with improper biomechanics for your body then you will either injure yourself acutely or develop chronically lengthened or shortened muscles that are weak and strong in the wrong positions. When I see a great squat, the only time I look at the bar (not even the weights, the bar itself) is to see if its moving as vertical as possible. Other than that, I am looking at the break in the hips, big chest, neutral spine, and fluidity in the eccentric/concentric. 

The crucial factor here is that OPTIMAL FORM is 100% based on body structure (femur length, position of pelvis, etc) there are some easy tips to make you squat more efficient. I can say with certainty a good squat will actually relieve joint pain, and they feel absolutely great when you do them correctly. Your core will become stronger, your back will align better, you will breath better, and you will have a stronger mindset, and do I have to mention it... Who doesn't want a set of wheels for a complete, balanced physique. 

There are many ways to perform the squat. Most people think its lifting some heavy ass weight, and while that may be the ultimate goal (for some) there are a variety of ways to emphasize certain goals. 

1. Hypertrophy squat- quads focus, muscle growth 
2. Powerlifting- glutes and hamstrings (hip drive strength) power, maximum strength
3. Olympic style- speed 

To generalize, here are 8 keys to a better squat

1. Good mobility-- if you can't hit a body weight squat with good form you should not be squatting as a matter of fact this is probably the number one reason why so many mess up on the squat.
2. Keep the line on the heels- this means the bar on your back should match up to the center of gravity being on the heels
3. Break at the hips- the hips should be the first joint to flex, not the knees
4. Sit- the easiest way to summarize the motion with proper mechanics is to sit down into the hole 
5. Make use of your traps- the trap group is the key muscle for the placement of the bar, retract your scaps and load the weight around the mid-low region of your traps, squeeze it likes it owes ya something 
6. Brace your core- you should have intra abdominal pressure throughout the phase of the squat
7. Keep your head neutral- look straight forward, this keeps your spine in a more natural alignment 
8. Take your time- I see too many people rush the process, this is a key lift, an important one, and requires attention and focus. Spend some time under the bar before lift off and find the right placement 

Fostering Physical Excellence-- A better body, a better you

Every book, every trainer, every study done has some sort of conclusion or belief that a certain method of training is superior to one another. You look in muscle magazines these days and see article after article of a mass program that guarantees 30 pounds of rock solid muscle in 4 weeks or a magic workout that will make you the most aesthetic human being to grace this planet. The reality is there are basic principles to an nearly endless inventory of possibilities when it comes to training; all of which really mean nothing unless you have the knowledge of them and practice them religiously.

The beauty in fostering physical excellence is the extreme variation of each person. Everyone has a different genetic make-up, different levels of motivation, different lifestyles, and most importantly different goals. Some people want hypertrophy, some people want pure strength, some want to be the most athletic on the court/field, some are just looking to live longer. Because of this there are certain training styles, lifts, rep ranges, etc. that will work more efficiently for people's bodies, abilities, and goals. There is no way someone can tell you 'this is the best workout, or that is the best lift to do', due to the degree of variation between each person and what they are trying to accomplish. Your health, fitness, physical abilities... whatever you consider it, can only be optimized by not only your knowledge but your application to what you want to achieve. The point of this is not to tell you what's the key to your fitness goal, but instead give useful knowledge and tips that you can take and apply in order to optimize that goal for yourself!

That being said there are some general keys to training that can be applied nearly to everyone.

• Quality over Quantity
• Practice, Practice, and Practice some more
• Even top-level lifters practice the motion with little to no weight because the technique is so vital for a successful lift (and obviously avoiding injury)
• If you thought about going ahead, sit your ass back and practice some more... No matter how good you are, or how perfect you think your form is, there is ALWAYS room for improvement, never stop trying to maximize the efficiency for YOUR body
• Periodization-- fancy word for programming your training to increase intensity in some manner
• This goes beyond just lifting more, the overarching theme is to physically become better
• Lift more weight (the obvious one) 
• Add volume
• More reps
• More sets
• More TUT (time under tension)
• Isometrics, Pause Reps, Dropsets 
• Decrease rest times
• Work past failure 
• Movements for your Goals
• Athletes 
• Squat, Push movements, Hip drive
• Bodybuilders
• Movements to maximize muscle tension/contraction
• Moms and Dads
• Functional movements
• Overhead press
• Deadlift
• Core work (including pelvic floor, diaphragm, and lower back)
• Goals
• Micro (Short-term)
• Meso (Mid-range)
• Macro (Long-term)

Essentially you should always train mindfully, with a goal in your head. Whether it be for fun or preparing for the biggest competition of your life; have a vision and train according to it!!! As I post more I will give more specific programming and exercises+ techniques that can be very useful to certain fitness demographics, stay tuned!! 

About Me

What's up folks, my name is Conor Hart and I am a senior undergrad at Illinois State. In my early years, fitness was so prevalent it had just become an assumption in my family. My parents, especially my father were always playing sports or weightlifting; so for me it became second nature. It was in 5th grade I first started weight-training with the old man, he had a simple Weider bench and barbell in the basement and the first time I started using the weights, I fell in love with it. Fast forward through my middle school and high school career I was heavily involved with sports. I was never the most naturally gifted, but I worked the hardest out there, and put in the most hours in the weight room and on the court (shout out to my Dad who woke me up at 530 every morning to help me with shooting practice). I ended up playing one year of college basketball before realizing my love for the game was gone. 

It was during this time some major life shifts were made. I was angry at myself for losing such a strong passion which made me question what I really was meant to do. I studied harder, ate better, and left every last bout of energy I had in the weight room. I came to realize it was that simple bench and barbell I truly had a passion for, and a strong surge of motivation came back. Although I loved team sports, I came to understand it was the hours of training, pushing my body to/past its limits, and physically transforming that gave me the fire. 

After my Freshman year I transferred to Illinois State. While studying business I did my own research on diet, training, and took notes from every reputable source I could find. By the end of that same year, I competed in a natural bodybuilding show and was fortunate enough to be rewarded a Pro Card. Although stepping on stage was the most unique experience I have ever been a part of, and was grateful for the opportunity to do so; the struggles were far from over. Post show I developed an overly obsessive mentality, I beat certain body parts into the ground, ate an extreme diet, trained multiple times a day, lifted through injuries, developed multiple imbalances and was generally unhappy with myself.  

 I've always felt that mindset is everything, and although I was committed to training with 100% focus and intensity I never realized what truly connecting the mind to the body meant. I didn't realize there was this negative relationship I had developed between the two, which had become the root of my problem. Through many failed attempts and missed opportunities, I began developing a balance of harmony and intensity between the mind and body. As silly as it sounds I knew that in order to be happy, my mind had to become one with my body, and vice versa. Even though I'm still insane about fitness, I have a much better mindset about my body, and my training has actually become more intense and focused because of it!!

The goal of this page is to help people build their bodies and their minds together. This is not a yoga class, or some crazy philosophy of mine. It is a truly powerful connection, and once you become aware of it you will notice (like I had) how much one can affect the other! If both are working in harmony you can live a balanced, successful, intense, motivated life!! 

The Mind, or the Body?

 Minding the Body is a straight forward concept at first glance, but its depths go far beyond what modern science covers to this day. I say with confidence that most fitness enthusiasts have heard the phrase "mind-muscle connection" at some point. The term is used so much and applied across so many movements that most people know of, and can explain the concept; but to actually make such a connection is a different story.This connection goes far beyond "feeling the movement", here are just a few benefits of properly executing the mind-muscle connection.

• Increased muscle activation
• Injury prevention
• Better mobility, less joint pain
• More efficient hypertrophy (muscle growth)
• Better self-awareness and confidence
• Clarity in thought and actions, a clear purpose
• Enhanced visualization and goal-orientation

 There was a study done at the University of South Carolina Upstate in which they took trained football players and gave them a verbal cue to focus either on the chest, or triceps during the bench press. Although the heavy tests came up inconclusive, at more moderate weight loads (where the focus on proper movement can be emphasized, rather than just moving the weight) there was a noticeable shift in muscle activity. This is an interesting study because in one acute situation from SOMEONE ELSE saying 'focus on pushing with your triceps' increased the recruitment of those fibers. The results of this study only tell a small tale of this concept. I would conclude if these football players studied the anatomy and function of the triceps, perfected the leverage and movement of the bar path to accentuate triceps recruitment, and most of all practiced it over a 1 month period; there would be much more recruitment regardless of the weight and an overall stronger accessory push muscle.

 The mind-muscle connection requires both knowledge and mileage. An individual needs to not only understand the anatomy, bio-mechanics, strength curve, etc. of each movement, but they must also apply that knowledge while they are performing. Without studying it, its impossible for your mind to conceptualize the what, how, where and why of the movement; but without the mileage (training) its impossible to polish the movement and know/feel what works most efficiently for your body. With the right information and training style, there are no limits on what can be achieved!