Running Out of Steam?

We all want to obtain something of high quality, and we all know that it takes a lot of work. Obtaining our dream physique, hitting a low body fat percentage, and gaining ten pounds of muscle are all examples of goals that take a tremendous amount of work. Throughout the process, it's easy to get off track and start taking steps backwards. Here are my ten tips (ranging from shallow to scientifically proven) to keep you motivated throughout your fitness journey.  

Tip #1: Set a Goal

Let's take this tip to another world. You have just been selected to compete in the Hunger Games, and Katniss Everdeen is going to be your trainer, because the bow and arrow is your weapon of choice. You walk into your first day of training, and you are preparing to start target practice. You then proceed to ask her, "what target will we be trying to hit today?" and she replies, "well, we're just going to shoot the arrows with our eyes closed and hope a few of them end up hitting a target." Immediately, you turn and look at her like she's lost her mind, because she has. My point is, going to the gym aimlessly is going to get you nowhere. It is extremely important that we have goals in life, especially when it comes to fitness. Start with small goals that work together to create large goals. Make sure they are SMART goals, too. 

S - Specific

M - Measurable

A - Achievable

R - Realistic

T - Time-bound

Pay attention to this: sometimes, SMART goals can be extremely dumb. Make sure you bend the "rules" when it comes to the A (achievable) and R (realistic). Do not allow these to enable mediocre goal-setting. Set a goal that you are unsure of achieving. No goal worthwhile is known with 100% certainty that it can be achieved from the beginning. Test yourself. Be willing to test your limits. 

Tip #2: Schedule a Time

Getting things done is extremely difficult to do when there isn't a designated time to complete them. That's why the to-do list on my phone isn't touched much. I have yet to set up a to-do list hour. But I tell you what, my workouts are scheduled. Every single day I look at my schedule and set a time to workout. It is my priority during that time, and I do not allow anything minuscule to ruin that. So find your calendar, pick a time, and stick with it. If you wake up hoping to get a workout in, the chances of you skipping are pretty high.

Tip #3: Keep a Log

Once you have set a goal and picked a time to workout, find a way to track your progress. Fitocracy is a great app that I use to track my workouts and earn points to one-up my friends. Tracking your progress allows you to see yourself approaching your goal in real time. Also, seeing a personal record for an exercise in your log may encourage you to beat it again. If you can't remember the weight because you didn't track it, odds are you won't push yourself as hard. Remember we're not the person aimlessly shooting an arrow, we are the well-shot arrow that moves in a forward direction towards a destination.  

Tip #4: Find a Buddy

Humans were not designed to be alone. We were designed to work with each other. Having a workout buddy makes it so much easier to go to the gym when you're not feeling it, especially if you have the right person by your side. Even if you enjoy working out on your own like I do, having someone in your life with the same goals and/or direction in life will benefit you and your fitness journey in so many ways.

Tip #5: Sign a Contract

Making soft commitments to yourself is a cop-out for accepting mediocrity or being scared of success. Tell someone else, and let them hold you accountable. Research shows that we are more likely to accomplish something if we have agreed to it formally and in front of others. A good example is telling your friend this: "Hey, I will pay you $20 every time I miss our workout." If you are an honorable person that stays true to your word, this method will keep you in the gym every day. This brings me to #6 on the list.

Tip #6: Pay Up

This tip applies for people in all walks of life. Whether you are an experienced lifter who has been training for ten years, or someone who has never stepped foot in a Planet Fitness, hire someone. Since most trainers and online coaches have cancelation or minimum commitment policies, you'll feel less inclined to sit on the couch if you have your hard-earned money on the line. And believe me, I understand that hiring someone is a luxury, but I bet that 9/10 times I can find a place in your budget where there is unnecessary spending and I know this: your health shouldn't be lacking because of it. 

Tip #7: Remember Who You Could Run Into

This is one of those shallow tips I was talking about. Whenever someone gives us affirmation, it feels really good. While you're having a tough time getting to the gym, remember all of the old friends you could run into. We all know that look on their face when they have something bad to say but they won't say it. So, give them a reason to say something good. Give them a reason to be astonished about what you look like. Give them a reason to say "WOW. You look so good! Have you been working out?" That's when you "modestly" say "Eh, I try to as much as I can." When in reality, you feel great inside because you actually know all of the hard work it takes to achieve the body you have. 

Tip #8: Train to Succeed

During your fitness journey, you will appreciate and understand the discipline and sacrifice it takes to reach your goals. I can't help but assume that this will spill over into other aspects of your life. It's like making your bed in the morning. It seems like a silly task, because you'll mess it up again later in the night anyway, but the repetition of completing something morning after morning can help you complete tasks in other areas of life. On the way to reaching your fitness goal, not only will you create very healthy habits, but you will also realize that reaching other goals may seem a bit easier. For example, I think mentally pushing myself to crank out two more reps when I'm near failure, is much more difficult than moving my fingers to answer all the emails that haven't been replied to. Pushing yourself in the gym will make pushing yourself in other areas of life seem much easier.

Tip #9: Get Paid

Research shows that people who were paid $100 to go to the gym doubled their attendance rate. Don't have someone to pay you that much money to workout? It's ok, neither do I. On the bright side, there is an app called Pact that will literally pay you to workout. Well, they don't pay you. The users who miss their workout are the ones that pay up. Rewards can range from $.30 to $5 per week. You can get dinged $5 for missing a workout. That doesn't seem fair, does it? Well guess what. Life isn't fair. Although this seems like a really good way to keep working out, there is something you need to know. If your reason to workout is monetary, you WILL fail. Don't let money be your primary reason to be healthy. Let it be your secondary. Your number one "why" is the most important thing. You must stick to that in order to succeed. It's just like the Ted Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire which says that successful people are successful because their "why" always overcomes their "what." 

Tip #10: Be Flexible

Although this is the last tip in the article, it is one of the most important. Being flexible with your routine is extremely important, and it applies to all areas of your health such as diet and exercise. This is true because life can throw curveballs at you every single day. You can only control your environment to a certain extent. Let's say something happened and you had to miss your 90 minute resistance training session at the gym, but you have 30 minutes to go on a run or ride your bike. Use the 30 minutes to get some physical activity. Let's say that you are over your daily allotted grams of fat, but the event you're at only offers red meat and no chicken. Eat the red meat. Don't become a crazy person with your regimen. Stay as consistent as possible, but be willing to break the rules. Additionally, excessively stressing out about your food and exercise can cause your stress hormone to spike, affecting your physique. 

Well, there they are. My ten tips for success when it comes to staying consistent. You don't need to apply all of these, but I recommend trying out at least a few, and seeing what works. If there isn't anything you can take away from this article, remember this. You know yourself better than anyone else does. You know your body and you know how it operates. Play around with different strategies, and find what works for you. I hope you enjoyed this article, and I hope that it brings a positive impact to your health and daily life. 

HIIT vs. Steady-State Cardio

HIIT vs. Steady-State Cardio

“What should I do for cardio?” This is one of the most common questions I hear as a fitness professional. Regardless of where the individual is in their training experience, there still seems to be some confusion in regards to which type of cardio is best. When I say “best”, I am speaking in terms of fat loss. Throughout this article I will be discussing the benefits of certain types of cardio in order to optimize total fat loss. In order to make sure that we are all on the same page, let’s go over some definitions for both HIIT and Steady-State. HIIT is an acronym for High Intensity Interval Training. According to some awesome trainer out there, HIIT is a form of cardio that includes both high and low intensity bouts that are intertwined. I know it’s not the best definition so let’s simplify. HIIT cardio combines both high and low intensity periods in one session. Whereas steady-state cardio is simply cardiovascular exercise at a consistent, steady pace. An example of each would go as follows:

HIIT: 15 minutes total (3 minutes easy, 1 minute hard)

Steady-State: 45 minutes total (Treadmill level 6)

Now that we are all clear on the definition and what both entail, let’s dig deeper and discuss the pros and cons in regards to optimal fat loss.

Over years and years of studying the effects of fat loss after both moderate and interval cardio routines, HIIT seems to prevail time and time again. One of the more recent studies found that the group of women performing HIIT lost six times more body fat than the group that stuck to a 40-minute steady state routine. Study after study shows us that there aren’t any significant fat loss benefits to steady-state, moderate cardio sessions. So, what is so special about the former? What makes high intensity interval training great for fat loss? Two studies (1996 & 2007) show us that those who perform their cardio workouts in an interval-style fashion burn more calories in the 24-period following the workout itself. Why? Well it’s actually quite simple if you don’t analyze too deeply. These short, intense interval periods are very hard on the body because of the effort level we are giving. The harder our bodies are worked, the more they need to be repaired. The more repair that is required, the more energy our bodies need to do it. Calories are energy so bada bing bada boom!

Not only does HIIT mean more calories burned, but there are also plenty of results to show that it positively changes the metabolic effects of our muscles. To keep you away from boredom with overwhelming numbers, I’ll just say that more studies in 2007 showed that females performing HIIT had a 30% increase in fat oxidation levels. Not only does interval training set us up for the best results when it comes to calories burned and fat oxidation increased, but it also allows us to hold on to as much muscle mass possible (when compared to steady cardiovascular exercise). Steady-state cardio has a tendency to slowly eat at our muscle tissue, especially while attempting to lean down during a caloric deficit. Put simply, compare the body of a long distance runner vs. a sprinter. Which body do you want? Skinny, but awkward and flabby, or strong, lean, and tight?

With all of the above information, it is safe to say that HIIT is clearly the way to go. Questions is, what kind of HIIT should we do? With my clients, I have found that the following format works great. Please take note, intense cardio should always be done AFTER your weight training session. Never before. I also recommend drinking your post-workout shake after your training and before your cardio. That way it can shuttle around your body completely during cardio.

Performing 15 minute sessions with the following split is a great start: 3 minutes medium intensity, 1 minute hard intensity. As your body’s ability to perform this improves, you can certainly adjust the ratios to the following: 2min/1min, 1min/1min, 1min/30sec, etc.

For more information on exercise recommendations, tips, etc. give me a follow!

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For inquiries regarding online, at-home, or in-person training, please send an email to poehlmanfitness@gmail.com. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more!

References:

"Cardio For Fat Loss: High Intensity Interval Training Cardio Vs Low Intensity        Steady State Cardio." SimplyShreddedcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 July 2016.

"The HIIT Revolution for Fat Burning Success." Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 July 2016.

Is Online Training a Better Option?

If you haven’t heard yet, online training is coming out of the woodworks to bring people like you the results they’ve always wanted; but how? In this article I will take you through all of the elements of online training that are more beneficial for you compared to hiring a personal trainer at your gym.

Before I go any further, I want to make two things clear. In no way am I putting down in-person training. Hiring a personal trainer at the gym is great. If you hire a good, approachable, knowledgeable trainer at your gym, you may have a pretty good chance of achieving your goals. All I’m saying is that there is a better, more affordable way to reach all those goals without some of the possible mishaps while training in-person. Secondly, I used to train individual clients at a club, and I enjoyed every single second of it. I know what training clients in that environment is like, so I have the experience to back up what will be said later on. Training clients in person is fun, and enjoyable, but I found a way to reach more people, change more lives, all while keeping your wallet and schedule happy, and I want to share it with you.

Moving along, let’s discuss the details of online training. This idea of training clients from a distance is relatively new in comparison to your in-person trainer at your gym. In order to further understand the concept, let’s take a look into my training business. Let’s say you have a goal in mind. Something like: “I want to have a 6-pack for my wedding”, “I want to increase my squat strength”, “I need to increase my flexibility” or “I want to shed 10 pounds of body fat.” Whatever it is, you have a goal, an idea, a vision. Rather than taking that goal to a gym, you take it to me. Forget the idea of me being your “personal trainer.” From now on, think of me as your fitness consultant. I take all of the information you have given me, as well as exercise history, limitations, etc. and create a custom plan for you that will get you to your goals. That’s online training in a nutshell.  This whole idea may seem extremely similar to the process at your health club or local gym but for many reasons, it isn’t. Moving forward, I will break the process down to help you get a solid grasp on why online training is so beneficial for you, the client.

BENEFIT #1: Online Training Allows You to Pick a Coach, Rather Than Having a Coach Pick You.

Let’s start by creating a scenario. Imagine your ultimate physique or goal that has always seemed to be a challenge, but regardless of the difficulty, you still dream of it. This is something that has been a goal of yours for a long time, but there are obstacles that seem to keep you away or, you may just have no clue on how to achieve this feat. Because online training may not even exist to you, you either read random articles from a Google search, or go to your gym to find a trainer. Before you are connected with a trainer, my guess is that the first person to speak to you about training is either someone at the front desk, or a membership/sales advisor. They listen to your needs and tell you that a trainer will be in contact with you. Not saying that is the process for all gyms, but I do know that’s how a lot of them work. Also, (and I’m not saying that this is the case all of the time, but) I’m willing to bet that over 50% of people in those positions have absolutely no clue what they’re talking about when it comes to fitness. So now we have a problem. Not only have you expressed your legitimate needs/wants/concerns with someone who may just nod their head to show that they “understand”, but you have had absolutely zero say in who you are looking for in a trainer. Doesn’t that seem odd to you? If I were investing my time and money, I would want to have the trainer of my choosing rather than have the individual with applicable specialties and the most availability give me a call. With online training, you have access to tons and tons of coaches and their bios, testimonials, experience, etc., to find the best person for you. Believe it or not, you can find a lot about a coach online and, you don’t waste any significant amount of time in the process. You can literally choose any coach in the world. How cool is that?!

BENEFIT #2 You Do You, Boo 

One of my biggest frustrations that I had when I was only doing nothing but in-person training was the 30-minute and hour-long training sessions. Why in the world does a session have to be 30 minutes or an hour?! Well, because scheduling is very, very important. Here’s the reality of in-person training: sometimes the trainer may feel like he/she is pressured to “fit a good workout in” the slot you paid for. This takes a lot of importance off of you, the client, and shifts it over to the dreaded schedule. This is a struggle a lot of trainers have or had, not just me. I bet a large majority of trainers out there would prefer to have a more loose structure, but unfortunately that doesn’t fit best with potential for “full” training schedules which puts more cash in the gym’s and trainer’s pockets. So what’s the solution? From a trainer’s perspective, having a wide-open format would be ideal but it’s pretty difficult to implement. Especially when a client calls to ask when they’ll be available and the trainer has to say “well, I’ll be done with this client in t-minus… when he gets his form down.” That could mean 10 minutes. It could mean an hour.  Not only would that damage a client’s relationship with their trainer, but it would keep the trainer from maximizing his/her business as well. Again I say, what’s the solution? As you may have guessed, online training is the solution. Online training allows clients to have access to their program 24/7. You can go to and leave from the gym whenever your heart desires. There is no pressure for you pay for 5 in-person sessions per week because your squat form needs practice. There is no pressure for you to pay hundreds to strengthen your core before you can start your fat burning program. If it takes you 30 minutes to get through your dynamic warm-up, no worries! If you want to go through stretches for 20 minutes after your workout, great! You can do so. It’s a beautiful thing because online training takes the focus off of a workout made to fill time, and puts it on giving you, the client, the well rounded training experience you deserve.

BENEFIT #3 A Lower Cost, But a Better Experience.

Having a trainer in a gym can be a great bonus if you’re stepping into the gym for the very first time, or a very experienced athlete training to improve the first two steps of your 40-yard dash. For the rest of the population (a lot of us), online training is an option that can keep your bank account full, while getting a better experience from your coach. To fully understand what I mean, let’s first discuss the price differentials between in-person and online training.

If you’re looking for 1-on-1 training in a gym, odds are the trainer is either an employee of the gym, or contracted out and pays the gym a fee for using the equipment. In our scenario from earlier in this article, you get matched up with a trainer and you begin scheduling sessions. Your next step (if they are an employee of a club) is to pay them for the services they are offering you. If the club employs them, there is a very strong chance that the gym pays for the insurance for the trainers AND takes a big cut out of the sessions you’re paying for. My intention here isn’t to bash clubs for taking a part of the trainer’s hourly rate. I get it, they’re offering tons of equipment and insurance to the team of trainers that they have. But from a client perspective (your perspective) it’s not a win.

Let’s be honest, don’t you pay the gym enough per month? I won’t get into details but you would be astonished at the percentage gyms take from their trainer’s hourly rates. If your coach is putting in hours and hours to create a program for the gym and the kitchen, shouldn’t a large majority, if not all of your investment to be going to them? My clients feel that way, and I’m sure most of you do too. No client that I’ve met is ok giving their club more and more money. It’s something to think about. But that’s the beauty of having your own fitness consultant; they get rewarded for the program they create and the results they give you. No additional cash is going down the drain. If you do not quite understand the difference yet, no worries. Let me lay it out in numbers for you. Let’s take an average cost for an hour-long personal training session. Say $60 for example. The $60 that you are paying the gym and the trainer only counts for one single session. And that trainer only gets paid when you’re in the gym, so he/she may feel inclined to get on your case to train more often. In comparison, a $100 monthly rate can get you a full month of exercise and nutrition design customized for you. Nowadays you can barely get 3 full-hour sessions with a repetitive workout “routine” for that cost.

At this point you may be thinking that personal trainers give workouts to their clients to do while they’re not training them. And they do. For the sake of making sure we’re on the same page, let me put you in the life of a 1-on-1 in-person trainer real quick (again, I have a pass to say this because I used to only operate this way). Anyway, you are now a trainer. The only way to be financially successful is to have a full schedule, correct? Yes. Plus if the gym employs you, you need a REALLY full schedule because they may take a good chuck of the hourly cost. So you work your butt off sun up and sun down to fill your schedule. You eventually get to the point of training clients ten hours per day, and you’re doing pretty well for yourself. But there’s a kicker. Working ten hours per day, finding time to workout, and finding time to sleep doesn’t give much time for anything else. Do you see what I mean? A successful trainer may not be so successful because their life is being sucked away by their schedule, and their growth, knowledge, and application hinders because… It takes A TON OF TIME to put together the best possible plan for one client alone. Since they don’t have the time to do that for 40+ clients, the quality of the service goes down. I do not believe that any trainer can put the BEST POSSIBLE PLAN together for every client they have when they are that busy. Most busy in-person trainers can only hold full schedules and a life if they use some cookie cutters. Before you know it, you are doing the same weekly workouts that your trainer’s other 39 clients are doing. The amount of time, money, and emotion the client (you), put towards achieving a goal is far more important than filling a schedule. Training people like you online is a huge win-win for the both of us. I can give my all to make sure you reach new peaks while saving you time, effort, and a boat load of money.

BENEFIT #4 – Empower Yourself

I’ll keep this one short, since you may understand the gist of things so far. Based on my experience as well as other trainers I have been around, 1-on-1 personal training has the potential to baby you. I’m not saying this is the case all of the time, but I’ve seen it happen too often. You might come into the gym not knowing what to do, so you purchase sessions and meet with a trainer a few times per week. Next thing you know, you’ve been spending $500+ per month only for sessions because your trainer hasn’t given you the opportunity to go out on your own. On the other side of the coin, receiving a plan from a coach online who is willing to offer you check-ins, accountability, progress reports etc., allows you to have access to someone who cares and is knowledgeable, but at the same time, you are in a position where you can absorb all of the things you are learning, rather than letting it go in one ear and out the other, since you’ll see your trainer two days from now anyway. The goal is not only to get you fit; it is to empower you to become a better well-rounded individual.  

Wrapping It Up

I’ve discussed a lot of things in this article. It’s a lot to take in. If you haven’t heard anything yet, hear this: In-person training is great. I love the idea of physically being there to push my clients further or fine-tune their form. Group classes are great. Having a community that is centered around the same goals you have is special. We all have things that fit our personal needs. But, if you’re looking to achieve goals, save yourself a bunch of money, and get the best attention from your trainer that’s possible without paying your gym triple the amount of your monthly membership, online training is a perfect fit. It allows you to grow as an individual on your own time. Your needs/wants/interests come first, and that’s the way it should always be.

If you have any questions regarding online training and how it may fit into your life, contact me via email (poehlmannfitness@gmail.com) as I would love to help anyway I can. For more information on online coaching as well as tips, motivation, and inspiration, “LIKE” my Facebook page (poehlmannfitness) and follow me on instagram (@poehlmann_fitness).

Really, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate and value the fact that you took time out of your day to read about my thoughts and ideas. Come back soon to find another good read!