Fit Tips #11: The Triumvirate of Fitness Success

The Triforce consists of Intensity, Nutrition, and Consistency.

There are 3 keys that lead you to have the killer physique and supreme confidence that you desire:

a)  Intensity.  Have you seen Rocky IV?  After Ivan Drago folded Apollo like fresh laundry, Rocky had to avenge his friend.  He had to step up his training to new level.  The way he prepared for the fight with Drago is what intensity is all about.  Training with honest, hard work and with a defined goal.  Make your goal your Drago.  Attack it with ferocity.  Training like a dope on drugs will get you nowhere, although if you glance around your typical gym, most (99%) members are in a daze wondering what to do next.  The way to keep your training intense is to set mini goals.  So for example if I am a natural bodybuilder and I have a contest in 12 weeks, I essentially have 10 weeks to get ready.  By marking a calendar date and sticking to my plan my training and nutrition will be supremely focused and my intensity will be higher than normal.  The ones without a map drift off course and into oblivion.

b)  Nutrition.  Did you watch Supersize Me?  It is an excellent portrayal of what the typical American diet looks like.  Ultra high in refined, processed carbs, extremely high in sugar, and overloaded in unhealthy fats.  To quote an iconic rapper, as a country we are "looking like Larry Holmes, Flabby and Sick."  Humans are designed to eat natural carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats.  Over time the game has changed and most foods have become over processed like a brotha with the S-Curl.  For those trying to drop excess bodyfat, (and I know most of you are) the timing and the content of your meals is the main idea.  Eat your carbs in the morning, before you train and after you train.  The rest of your carbs throughout the day should come from vegetables.  The best combinations of your macro nutrients is protein/carbs or protein/fat.  Notice that most foods that are carb/fat lead to bodyfat gains.  (Pizza, Pastries etc)  I do not care to hear how hard it will be.  Have some stones, be accountable, and stick to your goal.  And when you reach it, then enjoy some pizza!  (And get back on track ASAP)

c)  Consistency.  Do you know or are you the person who trains all the time?  5 or 6 days a week?  Everyday??  Everyone knows someone who "works out" every day.  They are religiously in the gym and they are there for hours at a time.  Meanwhile when you look at this person, you see zero hints of a fit person at all.  There is nothing wrong with being consistent, but the result should match the consistency.  Just because you are at the gym, does not mean anything of value is occurring.  Conversating the whole time, doing dango exercises, and going aimlessly from machine to machine does not constitute that you trained.  You can effectively train in under an hour or less depending on what your goal is.  Have a plan and execute it with frequency.  Do not be the gym rat and have nothing to show for it.  You can be strong, lean, and fit with a frequent, progressive scheme.