A Mindset That Will Change Your Fitness Forever

It seems that the more I'm in the online fitness trainer industry, the more questions I get about "the best" this and "the best" that. Whether it's diets, nutrition, supplementation, or programming, everyone wants to know what "the best" is.

Honestly, I can't blame them. If I didn't know everything about something I was dedicating time to, I'd want to make sure that I was doing the best I could for my goal, that way no time is wasted and I have a strong return on my investment.

WHAT IS "THE BEST?"

I find it very interesting that "the best" isn't always what we think it is. I believe that happens for a couple of reasons:

1. "The best" for you isn't "the best" for me and vice versa.

2. "The best" (or any version of that meaning) is often used to sell things that actually aren't so great.

When I get a question regarding "the best", I actually enjoy it quite a bit because I like to shatter people's paradigms. That's what I'd like to do today in this short article. Now, as much as I'd like to sit here and tell you about how much I hate diets and how no single diet is "best" for fat loss, I'd like to head in a different direction. I've been creating a lot of content around nutrition, so I'm going to ask your attention for a couple of minutes to talk about what's done in the gym.

So, the question I'll be addressing today is:

"What's the best rep range for ________?"

Fill in the blank with whatever you choose. Fat loss, toning, muscle-building, whatever. You get the idea.

TIME TO SHATTER YOUR PARADIGM

Here's the quick answer to all of those questions:

There isn't a best rep range for each specific thing all the time. Is there a rep range that is shown to build more muscle than others? Sure. Is there a rep range that will most likely burn more calories? Sure. The thing is, it's not the rep range that's ideal. If 8-12 reps have shown to build the most muscle, that means that I can just go grab a couple of brewskis and start curling those for 8-12 reps. Next thing you know, I'll have some great-looking muscles.

However, it just doesn't work that way. So how does it work?

Well, there is a plethora of answers to that, but as an online fitness trainer, I want to focus on one thing specifically. That thing is what I like to call the muscle mindset.

THE MUSCLE MINDSET

When most people go into the gym (whether they have a program or not) they come to the conclusion that they're going to perform _____ exercise for __ reps. This is the mindset of a beginner. This is the mindset of someone who is going to the gym to get their workout in. Is it wrong? Of course not. Is it ideal? Not really.

An individual that is a little more advanced would normally go into the gym knowing that they're going to perform ____ exercise for __ reps. This individual would then go into the exercise using a weight that is challenging at that amount of reps, understanding that the heavier they go, the more challenging it is going to be, assuming that the more reps or weight that they do, the more they'll get out of the exercise. Is it wrong? Nope. Is it ideal? I don't think so.

Someone who is much more advanced that understands their body well will go into the gym with what I call the muscle mindset. The people (beginners and intermediates) that I talked about going into the workout wanting to move weight in order to work their muscles. Someone that has the muscle mindset flips that thinking on its head and does something different. This individual goes into the workout knowing how the exercises they perform will affect their muscles. But that's not all.

They also take a completely different approach during the movement.

When performing an exercise, someone with the muscle mindset won't just move the weight. This person will ask him/herself the following question:

"How can I engage this muscle in order to move the weight and perform the exercise?"

This changes everything.

For example, when I'm going to the bench to perform an incline dumbbell bench press, I understand that the purpose of the upper chest is to bring the humerus (the bone of the upper arm) closer to the middle of my chest. Therefore, I'll perform the exercise thinking to myself, "ok Adam, you need to squeeze/flex/engage the upper chest in order to bring the upper arm closer to your chest, and that's what will move the dumbbells. Someone that doesn't have the muscle mindset would say something like "ok, I need to push these weights up with my arms for 8 reps."

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT IT?

"The muscle mindset? That sounds like something you made up. What's the point?"

That's fair. I mean, I did kinda make that term up on the spot. Put any attractive word in front of a concept and it'll sound wayyyy cooler (thanks a lot, fitness industry).

Although I made up the term, the mindset is very real. Having a good connection with your body and understanding how your muscles work during a certain exercise is extremely beneficial. That mind-muscle connection will allow you to do the following:

1. Get the most out of your exercise

2. Have more control throughout the movement

3. Have better technique and form throughout the movement

4. Improve your strength and muscle growth

Having the ability to master those four things will allow you to make great strides along your fitness journey. Getting the most out of your exercise will allow you to see more change in your muscles, causing more definition from growth. Having more control and better technique will keep you away from injury and will improve your ability to increase your strength. From that improved strength, you'll have a CNS (central nervous system) that will be able to engage more muscle fibers.

THE TAKEAWAY

The muscle mindset is simply a way of rethinking your training. In one sentence, here's how I can explain it best: Instead of moving the weight to contract the muscle, contract the muscle in order to move the weight.

You'll find that you'll get more out of each rep, leading to an increase in muscle growth and definition, bringing you the lean physique you've always wanted.

THANKS FOR BEING HERE!

I love writing, but to have someone like you reading what I write is...well friggin' amazing. Thank you for taking time out of your day to hear what I have to say. My hope and prayer is that the info in these articles gives you a new way of thinking, as well as a tangible takeaway that you can implement in your life. If you have any questions on anything health/fitness/nutrition, feel free to reach out to me. I'd love to serve you however I can with information about online personal training.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, this online personal trainer found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life. If you’re interested in hiring Adam as your coach, fill out an application here.

Change it Up, Don't Give it Up

Similar to most kids, I played a few different sports. I enjoyed shooting a basketball, playing street hockey with the neighborhood kids, and tossing a football around. I wasn't great at many of them, but I didn't really seem to care at that point in my life. Maybe I was too careless to even notice that I didn't excel. 

Although I grew up playing a lot of different sports for fun, baseball was one of the few sports that I played in an organized setting. Along with rec basketball games every weekend, I had rec baseball games lined up in the summer, too. I don't remember too much from those summers, but I do remember that I liked rec baseball the most out of all the sports I played. 

At age 10, my dad nudged me to tryout for a competitive baseball team. I tried out for a few teams, and was lucky enough to make one of them. All throughout that first year of competitive baseball, interestingly enough, I hated it.

I wasn't nearly as good as any of the other kids. If I was lucky enough to play, I hit nine-hole (that usually means you're not the best in the lineup). And when I did get the chance to step up to the plate, I couldn't hit the ball to save my life. My arm was average, too. I didn't get much playing time defensively. I was slow, and being left handed limited me to a few positions, each of which had a better player in them. I enjoyed pitching, though. At the time I didn't know what I liked about it (considering all the pressure and attention was on me and I wasn't great), but I do now (and we'll get to that later). 

After that first year of misery in competitive baseball, I was so ready to quit. But, the word "quit" doesn't really have much of a place in my family. My dad didn't let me quit. Well, I shouldn't say that. What I should say is that he urged me to play another year, but spend time practicing in between team practices and games. He knew I liked pitching, so he pushed me to give it one more year while practicing my pitching with him in the backyard.

I agreed.

So there we were, in the backyard playing catch and working on my pitching every chance we could. We would practice together every day after school until we couldn't see the ball leave the other person's hand. We practiced in the rain, and the snow. We practiced, practiced, and practiced in order to get ready for the second season. 

The second season came around, and everything was flipped on its head. I was the best pitcher on our team. I had command of my pitches. My confidence was through the roof. My teammates hardly even recognized my game on the field.

This was a massive turning point for me in my life.

For the first time ever, I saw what consistent practice on my craft did for me. Before my very eyes, I saw my hard work pay off. With every outing I had, I felt the reward of endless hours practicing with my dad in the backyard. These moments in that second season developed a deep love for time on the mound. 

And now, it makes so much sense as to why I love pitching. Pitching taught me work-ethic. It showed me a direct correlation between repetition, and execution. It showed me that hard work actually does pay off. Pitching on the mound also taught me how to have a short memory. It ruthlessly showed me that I can work, and work, and work, but there still might be situations where things don't go my way. 

My life now operates one pitch at a time. Similar to pitching, I give my all to whatever it is that I am doing. And once the "ball" leaves my hand, everything else is out of my control. 

The same thing applies to those of you who are trying to achieve a goal this year. 

Live One Pitch at a Time

Whether your goal is to lose 50 pounds of body fat, bench 300 pounds, or simply become a healthier version of yourself, a key to your success is living one pitch at a time. 

Since you're not playing baseball, your pitches are your tasks, and your days.

Each day I wake, I have a "To-Do" list set up that I put together the night before. On that "To-Do" list, there are three different sections. One section is titled "Execute" and the others are titled "Business" and "Personal".  

The "Execute" section of my list is extremely important. These are things that absolutely need to get done that day. No ifs, ands, or buts. The items under that section of my list are items that are absolutely pushing me in a forward direction in life, and business.

The "Business" section of my list is important, too. All of those items include things that need to get done in order to push business forward. Although they are important, they are secondary to the items in the "Execute" section for that day. So, my job is to always complete my "Execute" list, that way I can get to the items in "Business". 

Same thing goes for the "Personal" section. These items are usually the least important, and don't get done until everything else is done. 

I have a calendar hung up in my room. At the end of each day, I mark a big red "X" on that day if I completed everything in the "Execute" section. If I see that "X" on the calendar, I know that I threw my pitch and I did the absolute best I could. It's only a matter of time before a bunch of red marks on my calendar start to pay off.

I suggest that you do the same for your goals and resolutions. It's extremely important to know what lies at the end of the road, but if you can't see the road in front of you, then you're never going to get there. It's vital that you slice and dice your end goal into smaller jobs or tasks that you can execute each and every day. 

Let's say your goal is to drop 30 pounds of body fat by the end of 2018. Don't just tell yourself that and call it good. Because here's what's going to happen. You're going to go to the gym and eat clean for a few weeks, and then you'll have one slip and you'll let it all go. 

Break your goal down. You want to drop 30 pounds of body fat by the end of 2018? Awesome, that's fantastic and I'm all for it. But let's break things down even more. In order to reach that goal, there will be things you'll have to accomplish and be consistent at in order to get there. Those things are going to the gym, eating according to your goal, and perhaps supplementing if absolutely necessary. Keep some sort of log of what needs to get done each day, week, and month in order to get you to that goal. When you complete those things each day, give yourself your own type of red "X". Whether you make marks in a calendar, or keep some sort of journal, be aware of the small wins that you are having. Those small wins are the bricks that are going to lay the path to your goal. 

Not only will those wins keep you on the path to your goal, but they'll keep you in a positive state, too. If you're not keeping track and registering victories in your mind, one small hiccup can send you stumbling. But if you see two weeks worth of "X"s and victories, and one blank day, you'll be much more inclined to put your head down and work to get the next "X" up there.

Along with noting your small wins, go into this year with a different mindset than you've had before. 

Sh*t Will Hit the Fan

You may as well accept it now, because it's guaranteed to happen. Accepting this will be a complete game changer for you this year.

As I mentioned before, I loved pitching because I could live one pitch at a time. Once that ball left my hand, I could be calm knowing that I did all I could in that moment. Did that mean that the ball always hit the glove where I wanted to? Of course not. Does that mean I struck everyone out since I worked to do my best with every pitch? Of course not. 

It meant that once the ball left my hand, I couldn't think about it anymore. Whether that pitch got us a win on a strikeout, or a loss on a walk off home run, I had to let it go, keep my head down, and get ready for the next pitch.

There were days that this happened in practice too. I practiced, practiced, and practiced. Pitches went too far left, right, up, and down. Pitches hit the ground. I messed up some days. But that was ok. Why? I lived one pitch, one job, one day at a time. 

Change it Up, Don't Give it Up

When I write that "X" on my calendar, that's my way of telling myself that I accomplished what I set out to accomplish. It tells me that I did my job for that day. I did what I asked of myself. When that happens, and the items that I'm executing properly line up with my vision, reward usually comes soon enough.

But sometimes it doesn't work out that way! It may not mean that results show right away. In fact, there have been times where weeks of red marks are on my calendar, and I didn't see any reward or results. But that was always fine with me. Why?

It's fine because it tells me one thing. It tells me that it's time to change it up, not time to give it up.

Since I live one day, one task, one pitch at a time, I never question that my effort is useless. I only find myself questioning the items in the "Execute" section of my list. Having said that, my failures are not a reflection of my work ethic or consistency, and they're not a reflection of who I am as a person, either.

Neither are yours. If you have small goals to execute each day, you won't be in question of your efforts. You won't be in question of whether you can or can't. You won't be in question of your value as a human being, either. The only thing you'll be in question of is the items you are executing. And those are easy to change. 

The difference between success and failure in your big goal is no longer a matter of whether or not you think you can do something, it's a matter of whether or not you're willing to find out what works. 

So as you go into this new year, find your goal and put a system in place for yourself. Give yourself a way to track the small victories. Give yourself a way to see the value of your efforts, and give yourself the opportunity to explore new concepts. 

Thanks For Reading!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to hear what I have to say. I truly appreciate it. No matter where you're at along your health and fitness journey, remember that you've got a guy. I'm here to help you take that next step, regardless of what that might look like. From a simple note of encouragement to completely tailored coaching, I'm here for ya. God bless.

About the Author

Adam is a fitness professional, Chipotle fanatic, and cookie enthusiast based in Fort Collins, CO. After hanging up the baseball cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. 

As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he's constantly moved to helped people improve in all walks of life. If you're interested in hiring Adam as your coach, fill out an application here.

Setting Yourself Up For Success: Trust the Process

It's time for some serious honesty. Being a fitness coach with integrity is really hard sometimes. Do I ever consider sacrificing my integrity in my profession? Absolutely not. But is it hard to keep my integrity and make a big splash in fitness within the first year or so? You freaking bet. 

Although it's difficult, I have to trust the process. I have to understand that doing the right things now will pay off later on. There are so many options out there that could make instant money and recognition for me. I could easily photoshop pictures of myself and post them on Instagram saying that my program will get people ripped in 6 weeks or less. I could pay random individuals for pictures of transformations they completed on their own, say that I did that for them, and create a library of false testimonials in no time. I'd make a killing.

But that's just not what sets fire for me. Relationships do. Educating, encouraging, and building community with my clients is what sparks a fire inside of me. I just have to understand that if I want to pursue what gives me purpose inside of an industry like fitness, patience is a must. 

I have to understand that choosing the integrity route is going to cost more time, effort, and energy with minimal reward now, but in the end it'll pay off more than anything else would.

The same goes for your fat loss journey.

You can take diuretics, eat nothing but bananas, and take all sorts of pills but if you choose to go that route, you have to understand that your progress is going to die quicker than a middle schooler's self-esteem after his first taste of rejection.

Understand That It's a Process

I talk about state of mind a lot. I did so in my last article about how to crush your resolutions. In that article I talked about how coming to a place of understanding is one of the best things you can do if you want to achieve a goal. This is especially true when it comes to fat loss. 

If you hear anyone or anything tell you that fat loss is quick, easy, or simple, they're lying to your face. Or are they? I guess technically, they're right. You could wake up tomorrow and eat nothing but bananas and you'll probably lose weight. But is that the fat loss you're truly after?

Didn't think so.

The fat loss that you're after is long-term, sustainable fat loss that will enable you to stay leaner year-round. I mean, I guess you could choose to lose 10 pounds, put on 20, lose another 15, and put on 30, continuously gaining more and more fat over the course of your life, but hey. It's your life, not mine. Personally, I think that method is freaking miserable and it makes "health" and "fitness" become two bad words that I'd never want to say again.

Anyway, achieving long-term sustainable fat loss is similar to my story of making a splash in the lives of thousands. It's a looong process. Why? Because it involves doing things the right way. It involves taking the time to build lean muscle tissue that will support a faster metabolism. It involves prioritizing your sleep schedule so your body can rest, recover, and support it's hormone levels. It also involves knowing your body well and learning how it processes and digests certain foods. It's much more than just working out more and eating less. Does that say that it's extremely difficult and nearly impossible? 

Of course not.

 It just takes more time than you might expect. But if you go into it understanding that:

1. it's going to take some time
and
2. it's going to be more beneficial for you in the long run,

losing fat and staying lean won't bring any negative thoughts to your mind. In fact, you'll go into it with so many more positive feelings because you've already accepted the fact that you're sacrificing the easy way out for a process that is going to benefit your health and body composition for the rest of your life.

Trusting the Process

Understanding the fact that something worthwhile takes time is one thing, but completely surrendering to it and trusting it is a completely different animal. 

We can sit here all day long and talk about the different definitions we all have for trust and what it means to us on a deep level. But let's not. Let's keep it simple.

To me, trusting the process involves being educated in the process. It's too difficult to trust something that I know nothing about.

What's easier, fully placing trust in the person you're closest to, or placing your trust in the person you picked off the side of the road? The former, I'd hope. 

Perhaps you've never trusted your fat loss journey because you've never fully understood it. What does it mean to build lean muscle tissue? Why does that have an effect on your metabolism? How could sleep possibly play a role in you losing fat? Ask yourself questions like these, and if you don't know the answers, find them. 

I believe knowledge builds trust in things. 

For me, knowing why it takes time to make a make an impact in the lives of thousands helps me get up in the morning with a fire under my butt to GSD (get sh*t done). If I went into this expecting maximum rewards from minimal effort, I'd be pretty discouraged.

Same thing goes for you. Educating yourself on the requirements of long-term sustainable fat loss will make hitting your goals so much easier. You'll be more motivated, and the chances of you giving up half-way through will be much lower.

So figure out what that looks like for you. Maybe you need to learn more from a coach. Maybe you know quite a bit and you just need to remind yourself of that. Whatever it is, find someone or something to help you build trust. 

Then, GSD and crush your goals.

Thanks For Reading!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to hear what I have to say. I truly appreciate it. No matter where you're at along your health and fitness journey, remember that you've got a guy. I'm here to help you take that next step, regardless of what that might look like. From a simple note of encouragement to completely tailored coaching, I'm here for ya. God bless.

About the Author

Adam is a fitness professional, Chipotle fanatic, and cookie enthusiast based in Fort Collins, CO. After hanging up the baseball cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. 

As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he's constantly moved to helped people improve in all walks of life. If you're interested in hiring Adam as your coach, fill out an application here.