The most
valuable commodity you have is your time and time management is not the solution. As a matter of fact, time management is a myth as time is unmanageable. The only thing you can manage are your choices you make with the same 24 hours of time everyone else has. So, from this point forward, I want to coach you to focus on “choice management” and abandon the myth of “time management”.
There are two discoveries within the areas of time and choices to look at as we begin to dig in to making money in training.
Discovery Number One: There are only so many people you can train “in person” each day. This puts a cap on your earning capabilities as you drive revenue through billable hours.
Discovery Number Two: There is an obvious growing trend of online trainers.
This is where you get to make a choice of HOW you exchange your hours for dollars. A little bit of research shows you can make three-four times the amount of money as an online trainer vs. one-on-one, in person trainer. So, the decision is yours. You are trading hours for dollars, it’s that simple. Online training has the greatest opportunity for growth. Also keep in mind, as you grow your online business, reputation, and client base, you will continue to feed people into your daily schedule of in person training. The objective is balance of revenue sources as you grow your business.
With
the onset of the New Year and so many people beginning their resolutions it is very important to talk about the idea of “perfection” that many of us hold or rather, society holds. You see, we live in an imperfect world so to expect and even aim for perfection does nothing but set us up for failure in the long run. The true skill is recognizing that life truly is a journey with many twists and turns and if through it all we strive for Progress and NOT Perfection we are able to make continual long-term improvements. The beauty is finding that it is our imperfections that make us unique, if we all were perfect, we all would be the same and what a boring place that would be!
Muscular 
Symmetry is the hallmark of an aesthetic physique. A more subtle, yet no less important, aspect to muscular balance is your inner muscular symmetry. This consists of developing appropriate strength and flexibility between opposing muscle groups not only for the sake of appearance but for musculoskeletal health as well!
Muscles in the body tend to work in pairs that have opposite functions (called Functional Antagonists). For example the biceps on the front of the arm bends your elbow while the triceps on the back of the arm straightens the elbow.
As you can imagine if the biceps was in a chronically tight position you would have a situation where your arms would favor a flexed position as its “normal” resting state. This would also put your triceps in a chronically stretched position. I’m sure we’ve all seen guys in the gym who spend 90 % of their arm workouts doing curls and walk around with their arms bent 24-7!
The most problematic imbalances involve muscles that affect posture.
Ladies 
and gentlemen the darkness is upon us. It descends upon our gyms, fitness centers and health clubs like a plague. The plague cares not for gym etiquette, has zero appreciation for proper form, and will hog a piece of cardio equipment like nobody’s business.
The plague is known by many names including newbie, beginner or worst still: resolutionist. (Note: resolutionists are those people that make New Year’s Resolutions.)
According to a study conducted by the University of Scranton, 45% of American’s will make a New Year’s Resolutions in 2012 and 38% of those will be weight-related. So, what that means is that the first couple months of 2013 are going to be extremely busy.
Fret not because all is not lost as the contagion can be contained and short lived.
Here are a few tips for surviving the early part of 2013:
I 
hope you enjoyed my back workout from last month. Now that we warmed your body up from the chest and back workouts, I thought it would be time to get serious and move to the legs. Just like the other workouts this is not designed for the beginner. This is designed for individuals that have put some time into the gym, have learned and mastered the form of these exercises, and whose bodies are use to a little pain ;-). Make sure you drink plenty of fluids leading up to and after this workout as always. Feed the body the nutrients it needs to get through the workout and have that post meal ready to start recovery immediately. Have fun and hit me up on Facebook and tell me what you liked best about it.
Zinc 
is a vital mineral which is found in every tissue in the body due to its involvement in cell division. In the world of fitness and bodybuilding, zinc has a number of roles, including maintenance of normal hormonal levels, proper endocrine function, body composition, energy levels, optimal physical performance and protein synthesis. Thus it is crucial to maintain normal levels of zinc in the body when training or prepping for a competition.
Zinc is highly concentrated in meat, dairy and some seafood. This is why vegetarians most commonly suffer from zinc deficiency. So how can you tell if you suffer from a zinc deficiency? Common symptoms include an altered sense of taste which leads to cravings for sweets and salty foods. Other symptoms of zinc deficiency include low energy, infertility, low libido, memory problems, poor immunity and diarrhea.
How
do I get a sponsor? This must be one of the most asked questions by fitness competitors. Through personal experience with sponsorships and being a business man myself, I think J.F.K conceptually answers the question perfectly with his statement, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."
Recently, 
I have learned some new techniques and exercises from fellow trainers and others in the gym that have helped me make drastic improvements in my muscular development and overall physique. I am reminded of when I first started working with my trainer, I quickly realized I had previously only gained minimal knowledge of training. I knew the basics of common exercises and an understanding of training techniques, but I was struggling to make consistent improvements. Limited as my experience was, I would not think to ask others in the gym for advice. Once I started working with my trainer, he taught me how to eat properly and train effectively. Literally ten weeks from the day I started training, I was able to shed over thirty pounds and had the opportunity to do my first photo shoot. It scares me to think if I had not been open to receiving this guidance, I would likely still be fighting the same weight loss battle today.
We, 
as Men’s Physique Competitors, have a problem. A serious problem. Let me explain. We enjoy pain. We enjoy discomfort. We enjoy getting up at 4:30 in the morning because others don’t do it. We don’t like to be normal. We push ourselves outside of our comfort zone. We push ourselves to a point that we didn’t know we could. We eat peculiarly, or as my kids say ‘food for our muscles’. We cook our food for a week at a time. We eat almonds out of a plastic bag, and drink protein shakes at family barbeques.
The problem? Our desire to succeed and build the best body possible can become an obsession and take away from other, more important parts of our life, namely our family, our religion, our job, etc.. So, how do we build a balanced life, while still having that same dedication and inner strength we strive for?
Let me share a couple things that I have done that has helped me to remain focused & committed, but helped me achieve balance in my life.
No 
matter how many times this topic has been covered on this site and elsewhere, it is still a question I get asked daily – “How do I go about getting sponsored?”
Firstly, you must be realistic! If you are just an average gym goer who does not compete or work in the sports and fitness industry what are you looking to be sponsored for? You often see the phrase on a person’s facebook or twitter bio “sponsored athlete” or “sponsored fitness model”. I can’t say I have ever seen a bio that contains the phrase “sponsored average gym goer”.
With 
us is Rodney Razor. Congrats on a great showing earlier this year! What made you decide to compete in the Men’s Physique Division?
Thank you. As a trainer and gym manager I always wanted to compete to put all my fitness knowledge I had learned over the years to the test on my own body. I always got tons of compliments on my physique everywhere I went. I wanted to see where my physique ranking amongst the best out there though. At the time, which was at the beginning year, I had never even heard of Men’s Physique and after talking with friend and Pro Bodybuilder Ed Nunn and a few others, I set my mind on bodybuilding. In the back of my mind I didn’t really want to get that big but I thought that was the only way I could compete. Still hesitant, I continued to look online for other options. I stumbled across RX Muscle and notice there were guys on there in board shorts winning and the Category was call Men’s Physique. I was intrigued. Instantly I felt this was my calling. It was fairly new and after looking at pictures of the guys competing I felt I belonged. I then went on the search to find my first NPC show to compete in. Once I discovered there was a local competition called The GNC Classic, it was time to put the knowledge and hard work to the test.
There 
comes a time in our lives, when many of us find ourselves to be in somewhat of a “rut”. There are many reasons and/or circumstances for this, unique to every person and situation. I recently found myself in this position, before making a major change in my life, to finally pursue the career that I am truly passionate about. Ever since I was fourteen years old, I have been working in the restaurant industry, the last eighteen years of which was in management. For the longest time, I believed that this was my calling in life. I really enjoyed being able to welcome people into “my home” and provide them with the highest level of hospitality.
No 
matter what we accomplish or what we are going through, we all at times will go through moments where we question what we are doing or just want to give up all together. These are the times that truly define someone who has the Warrior Spirit, you see, it is easy for anyone to give thanks, be excited, and have endless energy when things are going great and everything seems to just be happening in our favor. The times when the chips are down are the times we really have three choices to make; just stay where we are at, give in to the urge to quit, or realize why we started in the first place and snap out of it and make it happen! You see, to say that we all do not experience trying times would simply be naive, but in the grand scheme of this life and there being literally millions of things that go into what is happening at our present moments, we are also very naive to not realize that things are just as they should be! This is a concept that is very easy to say, but also very difficult to master; it takes the realization that our reactions and attitudes ultimately dictate our outcomes. It takes the realization that with millions of things coming into play to make a single moment, that there are far many factors other than just what we are currently doing. Above all, it takes the realization that people, things, and events do not in themselves cause emotions or dictate whether something is “good” or “bad,” but rather how we perceive them and if we treat life as a learning experience, rather than just something to mindlessly discount as if it isn’t our fault. Let me tell you, with the utmost conviction, that everything that we feel and experience is ultimately by our own doing, our greatest secret lies deep within ourselves, where we already have the answers!
Almost one year ago, I receive a piece of advice from the 2012 Bikini Olympia Champion, Nathalia Melo, during a brief discussion in a downtown Fort Lauderdale gym. During our exchange, I told Nathalia that I was planning to compete in Men’s Physique and she prompted urged me to hire a nutrition/workout coach lickity split. Ok, she didn’t use the term lickity split but she did communicate that time was of the essence given that my first competition was a month away.
According to Nathalia, coaches have a way of “seeing things that you can’t see.” She went on to say that competitors have a way of “going crazy” in those last few weeks and days before a show.
Training 
the traps can be a bit tricky, because of the unique anatomical configuration of the muscle. It’s fan-shaped - originating over a broad area along the upper spine, and narrowing down to a much smaller insertion on the shoulder blade (scapula). Because of this configuration, it is able to pull the shoulder carriage straight upward, slightly back and upward, straight backward, back and slightly downward.
Part of the trapezius already works, during a typical back workout that involves rowing. The lower portion of the trapezius works when we do pulldowns, provided the pulley is slightly in front of us (thereby causing us to pull slightly backward, as well as downward). This is why we usually do standing shrugs for our traps - because the upper part doesn’t get enough stimulation from rowing and pulldowns.
Well 
the Excalibur contest has come and gone, what seemed like a long 24-week prep came and went quickly.
So many lessons learned from that journey I feel I must share with you today.
In my previous article I wrote about trusting those we have entrusted to coach us; however what I did not prepare for was what if your coach isn’t available or unable to see you within that final 48-hour pre contest window?
Fats: 
the good the bad and the down right ugly
How many times do you see people in the supermarket staring at food labels and get stuck when it come to the breakdown of fats? Help is at hand as I will explain what fats are good and bad for you.
There are four major types of fats:
- monounsaturated fats
- polyunsaturated fats
- saturated fats
- trans fats
You
have that moment when you look in the mirror and the person staring back at you is old? Yikes! What happened? The face once free of wrinkles now has crow’s feet around the eyes, the perfect hair is thinning or grey or both, and the bright eyes are now drawn and tired. Perhaps all a bit dramatic, but nonetheless, there is no doubt, we are all facing the effects of aging. I look at many of my peers who are in their late 30′s and 40′s…who have accepted age…and with it a sedentary lifestyle. They have accepted the low energy, the beer gut, the fatigue, the soreness, the loss of agility. Although we can’t waive the magic wand and push off the aging process for good, we can certainly make huge strides to ensure we can stay super fit and active while we age! I’m 41 and in the best shape of my life…and I hope to continue to make great strides towards my health and fitness. I know I can’t stop time, but I am determined to make sure that as I age, I look great, feel great, and have the energy I need to live a full life.
In Part 1, 
we discussed the benefits of using Creatine, Protein and a Multi-Vitamin. In part 2 we will introduce the benefits of supplement with Fish Oil, BCAA’s and Glutamine. Supplementation can make up a major part of anyone’s game plan so understanding which ones to use is a great benefit in achieving your goals.
Fish Oil:
Most of the health benefits of fish oil can be contributed to the presence to Omega 3 fatty acids...
I 
hope you enjoyed my chest workout from last month. I thought I might continue with a back workout to even things out a bit. This should give your back a little shock and awe!! This workout is not for the beginner…..you have been warned. Try it out and let me know what you think. Hit me up on Facebook and tell me what you liked best about it.
BACK ATTACK: The Lift...
So
you are thinking about hiring a personal trainer. That is terrific, because more people are working out with their very own exercise consultant than ever before. Personal trainers are not just for Hollywood stars and the “rich and famous” anymore! For good reason, since personal trainers can make the difference between a great workout and a ho-hum one—or even no workout at all. Your personal trainer will motivate you, keep you on track and make sure your workouts are safe, enjoyable and effective.
Of course, you want your personal trainer to exhibit the same qualities you demand of any provider of professional services, say, your tax preparer or dentist—a high degree of knowledge in their field, demonstrated expertise, plus a personality that’s compatible with yours.
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