Raise your standards

This week you may have caught a piece that was running on national radio and TV stations. It related to meetings and demonstrations older people were doing in order to highlight their plight and to push their case for not making changes to benefits in the upcoming budget. In the piece one gentleman said that his daughter had recently graduated from college after studing extremely hard for a number of years only to discover that there are no jobs she can step right into. He was angry at the way the country was being managed and frustrated that after all her studying his daughter was not being provided a job.

My instant reaction was shock!

Ohhh my God - dominic's shock face

Shocked that the father could be so blind to the fact that we are in a blinkin’ recession and the country owes his daughter nothing. If she wants a job then she has to get out there and make it happen.

I mentioned this to a client of mine (trains with me at 6.45am twice a week and has done for years) and he said that he is finding it hard to get Irish people into the jobs he is wanting to fill. He would love to employ all Irish people but he has found some of the best workers are foreign nationals. He said they were more professional, turned up on time all the time and worked harder and longer because they WANTED and NEEDED the job.

I mention all of this because at times I get clients that come to me with an attitude that in a single session I am some how going to fix all their issues and that just because they have made the decision to become fitter, want to drop the fat and feel more energetic that it’s all going to come together in a few sessions. Yes they call me Dominic the massiah!

Kapow! Another client instantly transformed

 

As the leading personal trainer in Ireland I have been very lucky to work with some hugely successful people. The single attribute that these multimillionaires possessed was their incredibly high standards. To be successful you must be like the captain of a ship that lands on new land and burns his ship to show the crew that there is no going back and failure is not an option.

I see this all the time when training highly successful clients because they apply the same dedication, planning and attention to detial to their training/diet as they would their successful businesses. Like it or not, your body is a total reflection of the standards that you hold for yourself.

This is a video I came across and it really reflects the message I am quite possibly not drilling into your mind right now. There is virtually no dialogue in it yet it conveys the message that every day you have to make a decision to move to a higher standard and thats going to take some hard work, belief and consistency.

Do you really want to look and feel your very best? Well you might WANT that particualar goal but WANTS don’t ever ever ever get met consistently, higher bloody standards do. So you must ask yourself am I willing to hold myself to a higher standard to reach my goal or am I going to break under a little bit of pressure and moan about how hard it is and what you are owed. You are owed nothing! If you want anything in life you have to work your socks off to get it and don’t for one minute think that it’s a daunting task as the path to success is not filled with others. It’s a private limited club and only those that have higher standards get in.

Are you breaking to build or are you going to pull another excuse option out of your a$$ and continue to swim in a sea of of your own coulda, shoulda and woulda?

You are the most appreciating asset you got

If you are reading this right now it’s quite likely you want more out of your workouts, nutrition possibly looking to keep motivated so you maintain the former two. Taking in mind that I am talking to someone who is going to or has the potential to listen and apply what I have to say then here is my message for today.

You are the most appreciating asset you own. Yes over time your car, house etc might increase or drop in value but the body you wake up with and go to sleep with every day is the only one you got so what are you doing to make sure it functions to yout needs every single day?

 

 

Obama appreciates a nice asset

 

If your needs consist of playing with your kids, having good concentration levels for work, not feeling exhausted every day, preventing injuries, not getting sick all the time then on a basic level just getting your diet in order and training properly (mobility work, metcons, strength, cardio, stretching etc) will make a massive difference.

If you are looking to take your body to the next level of optimal performance and look like an athlete then you are going to have to get very specific with your training and stop doing exercise that matters very little to your overall goals.

When looking at the first point of just doing the basics well  I give you the example of  a client I worked with this week that had really poor hip and calf mobility (they were soooo tight) who recently started doing some running 2-3 times per week to improve his ‘fitness.’ This on the surface may seem like a good idea but when someone has terrible mobility in any joint then getting that person to move better (through rolling and stretching) and without increased risk of injury must be the primary goal because I want him to move better in all aspect of his life i.e. playing with his kids, getting up the stairs, moving in and out of the car etc.  When working with someone at a beginner level then getting them to focus on what the most pressing needs are is the first port of call. This could be simply getting them to move better, eat healthier or get more sleep.

You really have to ask yourself what is important for you and at the end of every day you must do something that has taken you closer to that goal. This task is just as true for your work, relationship or life in general otherwise you are like a man in a boat with one oar, going around in circles and getting no where fast.

I have the best job in the world. A job in which if you told me at 18ys old my days would be spent helping people stay in shape and get to wear shorts and t-shirts all day I would be smacking the other people to get in line for that job. I bring passion and energy into the work I do and this is why every day I want to reach more people and get them to question what they are doing with their health/training,  use the blog resource to obtain the latest and best information on how to optimise their training/nutrition and become part of a fitness movement that encourages people to use all he methods I teach that makes training fun, varied and focused on performance and NOT body fat scores, weight on a scale or training muscle groups.

What does this training look like? Well I found this great Crossfit www.crossfit.ie video that represents much of what I like to see people doing in their training and what we do on a daily basis.  The start of the video shows what I think people should be avoiding at all costs.

My clients enjoy the training they do and the methods I teach because it’s varied and fun. It’s normal to see my clients run up and down the road, come in to hit some  pull ups, kettlebell swings, deadlifts etc and get more work done in less time. We don’t do endless sets of biceps curls, body part training, 15mins abs work, etc only because it does not deliver results. If it did then my clients would be doing it!

So are you treating yourself like an appreciating asset and investing time and energy into yourself and your development (physical and mental) daily or are you going to wait for monday to come round so you can ‘start properly then?’

How you do anything is how you do everything

One of the hardest parts of being and becoming a successful personal trainer is getting your clients to be compliant. My job would be so much easier if everyone just turned up ready to rock, diet was on track all the time and everyone put as much work and time into their own sessions as the ones they do with me.

Originally when I started out working as a very green trainer over ten years ago I was under the assumption that helping people get in great shape was all about training, training and God dam it blood, sweat and tears! After many failed attempts with clients I discovered the fat loss and fitness solution had to have a nutrition component so that area was worked on with clients. However, after many more failed attempts it dawned on me that helping you nail down your training and diet are all fine and dandy but without some stratigies to help keep you compliant then you are doomed to repeating a circle of a few days/weeks of good work followed by many more filled with training and diet failures.

All of the big successes I have had with clients come from helping the client to realise that how you do anything is how you do everything. What I mean by this is that if you are currently struggling to stay on track with your training and diet then I guarantee there are other areas you are failing to stay on track with also. This could come in the form of the way you approach your work, your relationship, your mental health and your overall fitness/health. If you choose to NOT take action on your diet and training daily then you are choosing to do something that is going to pull you away from looking anf feeling your best. I know at times that you might not have a whole lot of actual choice in this matter i.e. family or work commitments etc but when i have looked into the excuses as to why clients can’t stay compliant to the program it is never the things that pop up 20% of the time that is shoving them off course, it’s their response to the 80% of the events that happen on a daily basis that throws them out of kilter. It was the small decisions or attitude to anything that was a reflection of how they do everything in life.

Are you blind to the small things that really matter. like lifting weights?

For example, I worked with a client for over two years that would jump from one weight loss method to the next rather than sticking to the plan that was given as they thought that there was something missing which others were doing. This same individual wanted to ignore the glaring mistakes that were being made with their training and diet and would spend hours going to, researching and spending money on methods that were always temporary. Through conversation I discovered that this was how they approached many other parts of their life i.e. courses/classes started but never completed etc

Another example came from a client who when I asked to log their diet monday to friday there was the usual excessive carbs (that is easy enough to change) but Friday to Sunday were filled with as much as 20 pints +. When I addressed this his response was ‘It’s only a few pints and the other lads drink as much and they don’t have a big gut like me so that can’t be the answer!’

Now I am not going to get into the whole debate on what’s ok for one person is not going to work for others but again this client had the same issue with their approach – how they were looking at their health/fitness and goal to drop the belly flab was how they were approaching so many other areas of their life i.e. ignore the elephant in the room and just hope that training more would help solve the problem.

There are more ways than I care to mention here on ways to help you stay more compliant but what works best for me and my clients are -

1. Have a big goal to aim for and a financial reward or loss attached to the success or failure of that goal. It’s the small stuff that matters, the daily choices that make the big difference.

2. Wash yourself every day – you would never consider NOT washing yourself daily so why are you looking for a motivational message that is going to make it all click into place for you and keep you on track. Motivation or training your brain for success needs to be done DAILY. Dip into this blog every day and look at new or old articles to help you with this.

3. You are the problem – If you are out of shape, feeling tired all the time etc you have put yourself there so you have to dig yourself out and that is going to take some time. Every day you see massively overweight people and I can tell you it takes a huge amount of work to get to that state, it did not happen after a giant pizza and monster coke! Stop acting like a victim, go do it and then keep on track.

In this article I am not looking to persuade you into being more compliant over the long term I want to engage you so the lights go on in your head that say ‘you know what he’s right’ and then wash yourself daily.

Reach up and pull yourself to a higher level of understanding

As Malcom Gladwell said -

“The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It’s understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter”.  

Do you understand now that how you do anyhing i.e. the small stuff is how you do everything?

What a book won’t tell you.

Over 10 years ago I finished my Sports science degree and went to work in Crunch Fitness in UCD. As a spotty 21yr old I was more than a little taken a back with some of the ways guys and girls trained in a gym. I was coming from being coached in whats called a hardgainer style (very few exercises and working all out for 1-2 sets). The gym was filled with those that did not now enough and those that thought they knew it all (a bit like all gyms really).

It was during these early days that I found a great friend and great coach to me – Aiden aka www.jack.ie Jack Wise Ireland’s leading magician. It was hard NOT to notice him working out in the gym as he was generally covered in sweat all the time and screaming with grunts of effort. I was delighted to train with a guy who wanted to work hard and sweat as opposed to spending half of every session looking at yourself in the mirrors and worrying about innr biceps exercises and ‘special’ stomach flab burning exercises. What was really important was that we worked hard but had a laugh and a joke throughout even if that was at the expence of my tight fitting shorts back then (even now actually).  He was always there to tell me my squats were too high, i could do another rep and know when to back off when feeling drained. We have remained close friends over the years and its rare a week will not go by that we do not do a weights session or an hour of yoga together.

Books on training are a great resource but when I want to learn anything I HAVE to have someone watch over me to correct and improve my form. A book and even videos will never teach you that.

Pound for pound Aiden is one of the strongest and fittest people I know and its never hard to motivate myself for a session with him as I know it’s going to be filled with challenges, pain and fun. Just to show you this is him doing a nice tough metcon (black top, navy shorts) and watch the very end to get a sense of what he is like to be around.

Last weekend I went on to see him preform in the World Street performance champs in Dublin. This is where the best performers go to test themselves and it was a super day out. He went on to win the overall cometition and here is an example of him in full flight -

Yes he does kids shows -

Swallowing a sword!!

I want to sing a song and do a dance, sooo funny -

So my advice is that if at all possible get some coaching as often as you can or train with others so you can take your training and motivation to a new level. This is why I love crossfit as you always feel you have more than yourself to hold you accountable. I am doing a workout to help myself and others reach new levels and Aiden taught me that and I will be forever grateful for that life lesson.

To finish I leave you with the following two quotes and another video -

“The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called “truth.”  ~Dan Rather

“Good teachers are costly, but bad teachers cost more”.  ~Bob Talbert

The final video is from my own lifting session. I was setting up to do another 100kg power clean but Colm in crossfit Ireland www.crossfit.ie instructed me (coaching me from the side) to use 110kg and that he was certain I could hit it. Without any question I loaded the bar and this came next -

A book is a great guide to give you a peep through the key hole but a coach/trainer or someone you work well with is going to take your training and diet to another level.

Weight training for women

It frequently amazes me when a new female client starts to work with me or questions are posted on forums by women wanting to get much more toned and fit. Many of them have such crazy misconceptions about how and what to do when using weights.

No you are not going to get big and bulky and no you are not going to be lifting girly pink dumbbells because your handbag is heavier than that!!!

With all of this in mind I decided to post up a few videos of a few of my female clients that would put many many guys to shame and they are a total inspiration. I find this will get the point across quicker than just blabbing on about why women should do proper weights and get trained without resorting to treating them like little girls. They will all possibly kill me for posting these but hey I think they need to be seen as I am sure there are a few people out there that need some convincing.

First up is Trish who will possibly kill me for posting this so you will have to support me on this as she looks fab, has increased her shrength massively and lost a whopping 10kg since January this year. Every 6 weeks she comes back to me and in every group session she does (saturdays at 9.30am) she gets stronger and drops more weight. Trish you look great and are a joy to work with -

Next up is Anna who I do not see any more than twice a year as she is based in London and again she works so hard on the weights and always pushes for progress with her fitness, body fat and strength. Here she is doing a few easy deadlifts and some pull ups. Anna I only wish you were living in Dublin so you could kick butt in my group sessions.

Next is Kimella who is just a workout killer!! Every session she completely knocks it out, has superb conditioning and her strength goes up week on week. I really hope she goes in for the next crossfit invite. Here she just powers up an easy 80kg deadlift (needs some technique work but a great lift all the same) -

Last up is Elaine, mother of three kids and again a total dream client. She has fantastic conditioning, a good strength base and I have never done a session I did not enjoy taking her for.

Here she blasts out 9mins on a really tough workout ladder metcon (please try this any girls reading, hell any guys that get 9mins on this(using a 16-24kg kettlebell) I would be impressed) -

And here she hits it hard in a workout complex done before the above metcon, showing her great improvement on her press ups -

Finally, I have to say that my wife hits it hard with sessions at home using very limited equipment a few days a week and does this as out daughter tries to join in throughout!

It does not take long to stay in great shape and having a husband as a trainer does not matter a dam as I can’t lift the weights for her as she puts in the hard work all the time. I must also add that her cooking skills are the primary reason I can keep my diet in order.

All these women are a total inspiration and all show that here are NO accidents on how to look fab and feel great. They train hard, eat really well and enjoy the sessions. If you are flabby, tired much of the time and walking/running is not getting the results you are looking for then you reall need to start training like these amzing women and stop making excuses.

Fake it till you make it Part 2

Back in January I did a piece that went down well (http://thetransformationcatalyst.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/fake-it-till-you-make-it/ ) so I thought today that its been a while since I did a good motivational article. So here goes -

Has your motivation to burn the fat, get in shape and have more energy waned? Is the voice in your head that was yelling at you to get up off your bum and just do it become more of a whimper? Well then I am here to give you the much needed kick in the backside to get you up and out so you can look and feel your very best.

From my experience, having all the knowledge to help clients with their diet and using the latest cutting edge training methods do not matter a jot if you can’t keep someone motivated to come back week after week especially when results are slow in coming and progress is not quite as fast as they anticipated. Throughout the year I use the following tips to keep my clients motivated and inspired. These are simple yet highly effective when put into practice and are not only vital when it comes to fat loss but in all aspects of life.

1. Become the problem – This is really step one to lasting change in my opinion. First and foremost if you are overweight and out of shape you have got to accept that you have caused this and no one else is going to solve that for you. Face the fear and own the problem. Nobody forced you to have another latte, muffin, chocolate or glass of wine. You had to make that choice and must start making better choices today in order to get your health back on track. You must accept that there are certain foods that will just not work well for you no matter what your friends eat. It always amuses me as I work with clients and they become thinner, healthier and more toned that friends can sometimes warn them of becoming ‘too thin’ yet no one opens their mouth to tell the same person they are getting too fat. Well I am here today to say buck up and stop acting like a victim. If you believe you are a victim of life’s challenges then you throw away the power to change. Here is your mantra from today onwards – in the words of the great Brian Tracy, “If it’s got to be it’s up to me”.

 

1. Fake it till you make it – The people I work with that get in great shape and improve their health always have a clear mental image as to how they want to feel and look. They will even go so far as to run a conversation in their head on what people will say when they drop a few more pounds or turn up to an event in stunning clothes they were previously not able to fit into. This process of creating a mental movie of anything you want to achieve is so powerful as it acts to prime the brain for success. Let’s be realistic here, most people do a superb job of training their brain for failure when it comes to weight loss e.g. oh what if I get injured when training, my mum was overweight so that’s just the way it is, I just like my food too much etc. Just tell yourself a lie that is going to help you and stop filling your brain with pictures of failure. This process of faking it till you make it has to excite you as if there is no passion behind it then the old harmful patterns will just re-emerge and take over again. Successful weight loss and increased health does not come overnight so train your brain for how you want to be NOT failure.

 

1. Be lazy – When setting goals for your health please take small steps first. This could be as simple as opening your door and walking for 15mins, turn and walk 15mins back. That’s 30mins of walking done. It’s easy to see a goal as being too big or insurmountable at first but like the old phrase goes – “How do you eat and elephant? One bite at a time”. At the same time you must be tough on yourself at first to even take these small steps and discipline is required but this is where faking it comes in again. Sometimes you just have to tell yourself to ignore the lazy voice and take a small lazy step that will eventually become bigger more progressive steps. A fear of failure will stop many people from even starting to take action so keep this in mind when fearful thoughts pop up – fear is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real. You have just conditioned your mind into thinking and believing that it is easier to do nothing than to take action. Willpower is NOT what is needed. I don’t want you to think you need a rah rah pump up and everything is going to be rosy. The people that I have helped transform really really wanted it and were driven by a burning desire. How much do you want to look and feel better?

 

1. Adversity – The road to better health and vitality is never straight. Obstacles to progress are always going to crop up so get over it and get back on track. Your attitude must be one of ‘so what’ when problems emerge. You can and will overcome these problems with the right attitude and again it’s not as simple as just being positive. Being positive might not solve the problem. Solutions need to be found so you can get back on track. Say you get injured while training, do you pack it in or do you ask yourself a better question like – What can I still do? How can I get this fixed ASAP? I meet plenty of positive people out there that are positive about sitting on the fence and not taking action. Pick the splinters out of your bum from sitting on that fence and surround yourself with people, books and articles like this to keep you on track.

 

finish it out!!

1. Be a finisher – I work with lots of clients that have made jaw-dropping progress and lots that made zero progress. Check out my amazing transformations   -http://thetransformationcatalyst.wordpress.com/category/amazing-transformations/   What’s the difference between them? The successful ones were more consistent over the entire year. It’s easy to make progress for 2-3 months and then revert back to old ways and habits. From today onwards you have to build a record of finishing tasks, however small they might be. Use someone like myself as a mentor for your progress or keep reading this blog for articles and videos that will help you to find faster ways to get in shape and drop the fat. You should celebrate every small achievement by buying new clothes or treating yourself to a massage. Becoming a finisher creates a sense of confidence and reassurance in the choices you have made to become healthier and remember we rate ability in what we finish not in what we attempt.  

59 seconds – think a little, change a lot

Having just finished the brilliant book 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman I thought I would search the tube for some of his videos to give you a few of the tips I picked up from the book.

The book is packed with solid research on small changes or exercises you can do to make you happier, healthier, more successful etc. It is a book you can dip in and out of but if you are like me you want the info you can implement right away.

Here are a few videos as examples -

How to achieve your goals -

Develop the gratitude attitude -

The tuth about self help books interview -

I really enjoyed the book and one very interesting point in the book was that when people were put in a room with food and mirrors there was a massive 35% reduction in their eating habits. So if you need to work on eating less place a mirror near by and the simple act of looking at your reflection can help you eat less as you are presented with what you are trying to change in your body/appearance.

Are pull ups just for guys?

I saw this video the other day and just had to share. Her name is Crystal West and is 44yrs young.

She hold the world record for doing weighted chin ups with an added 77lbs!

She may look a little unflattering in that video as the lighting is not very helpful so this should help as I think she looks superb here  -

So if you have NOT been doing at the very least lots of inverted rows then please start today and those of you that are knocking the inverted rows out without much of a problem then you really need to get working on your pull ups/chin ups. Start by jumping your chin over the bar and lowering for no quicker than 4secs and repeat for 3-4sets and for 5-8reps. Remember this advice goes for the guys also!

Are pull ups just for the guys? I think not my friend. It’s always nice to stumble across an inspiring person from time to time and hope it pushes you to work on your pull ups a bit more.

Her site is – http://crystalwestfitness.com/

Are you having an average day?

On passing our book shelf yesterday I spotted one that I have not looked at in quite some time. It was Tom Peter’s book on innovation which I picked up at a seminar I went to see him give oh maybe 6-7 years ago. I was blown away by this passion, creativity and really it is only now I refelct and see how much I have learned and applied from him. I also remember the tickets to the seminar were over €1000 all those years ago and that was a time when I was only starting out in business and did not have it to spare. A client of mine bought the ticket for me and I will be forever grateful for the lessons I learned. http://www.tompeters.com/

If you are not familiar with Tom then please take a very quick look and listen to this video on too much talk too little do -

The following is taken from his site -

Perhaps the Bloomsbury Press book, Movers and Shakers: The 100 Most Influential Figures in Modern Business, summed Tom’s work up best. Reviewing the historical contributions of the giants of management thinking and practice, from Machiavelli and J.P. Morgan to Tom and Jack Welch, they said:

“Tom Peters has probably done more than anyone else to shift the debate on management from the confines of boardrooms, academia, and consultancies to a broader, worldwide audience, where it has become the staple diet of the media and managers alike. Peter Drucker has written more and his ideas have withstood a longer test of time, but it is Peters—as consultant, writer, columnist, seminar lecturer, and stage performer—whose energy, style, influence, and ideas have shaped new management thinking.”

Here is another quick video with Tom speeking on the importance of energy and passion in business -

It is that kind of passion and energy that I bring to my work every single day as I love what I do and always feel like its a blessing to be given the chance to help people lead a healthier life. I remember before I set up my own business I had to interview potential trainers to work in the gym I was the fitness director for and ALWAYS said that I hire for passion and enthusiasm and train for knowledge. You see I never did mind if one of my trainers did not have the absolute best knowledge as I knew I could train and teach that quality but I could NEVER show someone how to be more passionate about their job. In the words of the great Brian Tracy – if your employees are not fired with passion then fire them with passion i.e. get rid of them.

Please do not have an average day today. The people that achieve great success do do because they truly believe in what they do. Remember enthusiasm is infectious so please do NOT read this and say thanks for the thought and go back to your normal day – get your butt moving on training and diet, be passionate and know average is NOT for you.

No more stinkin’ thinkin’

In the interest of mental health and the fact that its positive thinking day http://www.positivethinkingday.com/ I give you this video from the great Denis Waitley who is one of the best motivational speekers ever. His program, the pyschology of winning is possibly the greatest I have ever listened to when it comes to creating a winning mindset. When I listened to it on the way to work over 10 years ago I would replay certain parts over and over again. Just a mine of amazing insights. http://www.waitley.com/

I am a firm believer in the phrase that you become what you think about most so filling your mind with what you want rather than what you don’t want is vital for all goals in life.

Drop the stinkin’ thinkin’ and get with the type of thinking that creates champions.