Earlier today while I was between clients, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and saw the post above by The Chive (Chive on!).

Though I appreciate the humor of this it highlights an issue that should be addressed.  For one thing he knows what he’s doing and is deceptive about it.  It’s not uncommon for me to hear things like “My dietician said only clear liquids. Vodka is a clear liquid so I’m having that.”

Yes vodka is a clear liquid, and not that I’m opposed to having a drink or two but who do you think you’re fooling and what do you think you’re getting away with?

Second, is why not just get stronger, leaner, fitter, or healthier while you’re there at least?  It is no secret that people who exercise are healthier, happier, more productive and a zillion other bulletpoints that if you were to put it into a bottle would be a best seller in no time.

Training doesn’t have to be miserable to be effective and can provide a worthwhile and meaningful pursuit in itself.  Every time one of my personal training clients hits a personal record and the cowbell is rung to commemorate it, I see the look  that the feeling of accomplishment gives them.  I know the feeling well myself.

Set a goal, go after it.  When you achieve it set another one.  There are many things to pursue.

If you don’t know how, hire a coach or personal trainer (one that knows what they are doing of course) to teach you and provide effective feedback.  If you can’t afford one, buy a book or dvd course that can at least show you proper training.  If nothing else, learn from your mistakes.

If you are in the Morris County area near Boonton Township, look me up.  I’ll set you up with a trial membership, teach you a thing or 2 and we can see if you are a good fit to continue as one of my accolytes of awesomeness.

I was having a discussion with 2 separate people on 2 separate days on my approach to training.  Both of them had been subjected to things like;

“You need to train to failure in order to get stronger.”

and

“You need to keep moving, rest less in between exercises”

I disagree.  Who am I to disagree?  Well I come at it from 2 different perspectives.  I’m a professional performing strongman and I’m a personal trainer (and a good one too).

As a personal trainer I have to dispel some of the things that other well meaning but misinformed personal trainers say.  And my approach often causes argument because it goes against the things they believed.

First off about that whole training to failure thing.  I used to believe that too.  It was brainwashing by bodybuilding magazines, and it was the writings of Pavel Tsatsouline that had changed my course of thinking.

Here’s the thing.  With strength training I like to explain it as a process.

The brain sends a command through the central nervous system to tell your muscle fibers to contract.  Muscle pulls on tendon which pulls on bone and that’s how movement occurs.

The central nervous system in the average person only normally contracts 20-30% of their muscle fibers.  The strength is there in you already, you just don’t have access to it yet.  Paul McIlroy has a quote that I love “Strength isn’t built, it’s granted by the nervous system.”

By teaching your body to use more of what you already have, you can get stronger, without having to train like a maniac, without getting bulky and you do it much faster.  This is why I recommend people take my no cost trial.

Because during the no cost trial you’ll discover noticeable differences in your strength…within the week…oftentimes within the first session.

So how is this accomplished?  By training to success not failure.  By being generous with rest periods so that you can recover between sets.  And by taking advantage of various neurological “tricks” that teach your body to activate more of what it’s already got more effectively.

Do yourself a favor and train effectively the first time by taking advantage of my no cost trial.

You can join my many success stories and get in the best shape of your life, even if you’ve failed before.