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Blog #14 12 Day is Christmas and Crossroads

12/22/2018

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Last night was our annual 12 days of Christmas workout! Yes we do this every year right before Christmas.  I have to say though that last night was one of the most fun times this class ever has been!  Every year it gets better. We had a full house.  Everyone was on task and put their minds to it and got it done.  This was in no way easy.  But we had everyone from seasoned vets to rooks here and everyone worked their butts off! What a great way to go into the holidays.  Having a mind set and drive to become better humans.  It beats sitting around wishing and dreaming of being able to move better and be stronger.  Most people take for granted the ability to wake up each morning and get up, move well, pick up your children, groceries, be able to do the yard work, and be able to keep up with your children.  Yet there are so many more people out there who can’t do these things.  

This is a time of year to be thankful and greatful for your abilities no matter what part of the journey your at.  Either beginning or seasoned vets, in this gym your all one team. You are all here for the same reason, to be able to do these things better and for longer!  I know we push you all past your comfort levels and encourage you to lift that next heavier weight and go those extra reps and sprint/row/cycle a little faster each time, but that is how you become better.  By forcing adaptation to the demands of your body.  Don’t let yourself be held back because you “don’t think you can”.  Always give it your best effort no matter what! 

After class we all went to Crossroads Tavern in Hilltown for drinks and burgers! What a fine group of humans! This is how we bring this team closer together and form new friendships and start feeling part of something bigger than just a gym.  How many gyms have a culture like this where every member and their family’s can all go out together after class for drinks and burgers and get to know each other better? I hope everyone had a great time last night and formed closer bonds/friendships.   Being part of a team/family is knowing that these people got your back.  It’s not Drama and negativity, but rather a group of positive people to surround yourself with who lift you up, encourage you to be better, motivate you, keep you accountable.  With all the negativity in the world it’s important to have somewhere and people in your lives who make you feel better and forget about the negativity.  Having outings like this as a team really helps everyone. As well as helps me as a coach to see what amazing people you all are.  I mean I already know you are amazing in the gym but...this is a different setting and you truely are all amazing people!

 I will encourage each of you to share this with your friends and get them in here. If we can grow this team, we can grow the energy, the positivity, the friendships and we can make a difference in this world our way!  It hard to tell someone this gym isn’t anything like other gyms as most people know the “gym” as places like Planet Fitness or LA Fitness or places like that.  As you know that’s Nothing like us and this team.  GetReal Training is all about the people and the team! It’s about us coaches getting to personally know each one of our team members. It’s about each one here becomeing better friends and teammates! This is the real meaning of Personal in personal training!  Share your team with others and get them in here.  Know someone on the fence about it, drag them in here.  Know someone who’s scared or intimidated, drag them in here. You all know there is nothing to be afraid of here.  But from outside looking in it’s easy to see why people might become intimidated.   But we are all truely just humans like anyone else, trying to make ourselves better. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Holliday! 


Schedule for the next week:

NO class Sunday

Monday: 9:30 am group class / (youth class welcome)
Tuesday : Christmas Day (family day) closed
Wednesday: 9:30 am Group class / (youth class welcome)
                    10:30am personals (If you miss tues/thurs get in here)
                    No PM classes 
Thursday: 9:30 am Personals
                  4:30pm personals
                  6:00pm youth class
                  7:00pm  Group class
Friday:  1:00pm personals
              6:30pm Group Class 
Saturday:10:00am open gym (let me know if you’ll be here) 
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Blog #13 What is a gym to you?

12/6/2018

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What is a gym to you?   Is it a place you go to simply burn calories? Is it a place you go to just run/bike/swim? Is it where you go to get strong/lift weights.  Or maybe it’s your place to socialize and meet new friends.  All of these things are right and all are commonly promoted reasons to goto the gym.  Is that your perception of what a gym is?   

Here is what I think about a gym.  I hope to help you see it in a different light after this.  

I used to think the same way the general population thinks about gyms.  They are boring places for people who are lifters and cardio seekers.  It’s “where you go to lose weight”.  I never wanted to go because I didn’t know what to do or how.  I used to go to Planet Fitness only to run on a treadmill or elliptical just because they had a bank of TVs I could watch during my hour of mindless “exercise”.  Yes it was only $10 a month, what a score, but it didn’t do anything for me. At that rate it gave me permission to skip if I felt like it. It was only $10. And that’s what happened, therefore I didn’t get anything out of it.  As much time as I spent there (3-4 days a week, if I felt like it).  I only did cardio, because that’s all I knew at the time.  Occasionally I’d try a weight machine workout.  No accountability!

Now fast forward to lost my job and changed careers.  I went to school at NPTI (National Personal Training Institute) and obtained a diploma after 500+ hours of hands on in the classroom learning of muscular anatomy, exercise science, programming, nutrition and more.  I graduated at the top of my class and went on to obtain my Bachelors of science in exercises science.  After this my vision of the gym changed.   I saw what it could do for you if used right. I saw the Real changes it made for my self and my fellow classmates as we trained each other over the 6 month period.  I had little kids at home at the time and I was now in the best shape of my life.  All because of the focus I found in the gym.  The gym to me is a place I can go to become a better human for my family, to become a better daddy to my children and get the strength and energy to keep up with them as they grow and become more active.  Yes I enjoy the gym because I have a purpose for it now not just for myself but for my family.  I am a better person after the gym.  

Why this story? If you always look at the gym as just a place full of weights and a place to do cardio there is nothing that makes it exciting or enticing.  I want you to start seeing the gym more as a tool in your quest to become a better human.  It’s not a place to go get beat down in a workout, it’s a place where you and others come together as a team and support group holding each other accountable and encouraging each other to reach your goals.  It’s a place where you can become better able to keep up with your kids and not be that parent who sits there watching their kids play because you can’t.  It’s a place where you can help yourself have a better quality of life with more strength to move better for longer.  Know your purpose and the gym becomes part of the answer. Without purpose the gym is just a room full of equipment. 

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Blog #12 Don't wish for it, Do the work

10/30/2018

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This week I finally completed a goal I set for my self after Citizens Bank Park Spartan Sprint last year.   I had just completed my first trifecta and was thinking about what to do next.  I set my next goal to complete a 3x trifecta in my next season.   That goal was completed this past weekend at Vernon mountain during a wicked Nor-easter.  

Yes, I ran 3 of each distance of these races (3 sprints 4+ miles ea/3 supers 8+ miles ea/3 Beasts 13+ miles ea) totaling 9 races at over 85 miles and 300 +/- obstacles.  Sounds like a lot! It is.  

I know people will read this and think “how inspiring” “I wish I could” or “I could never do that” and I’ll say as long as that’s how you think then you’re 100% right!  BUT you’re also 100% wrong...you CAN do this. Yes, I may be a gym owner and have the equipment at my fingertips to train for this but that doesn’t make it any easier than it is for you to get up and go to the gym.  Owning a gym and running a business doesn’t always leave a lot of time to train to do these races so I have learned how to get the work done with in my limited time.  

I started this journey 3 years ago when I was encouraged by my coach (coaches need coaches too) to give a spartan race a try.  I didn’t think I could do it either.  But because I was training and trusted my coach I decided to give it a shot. I spent the next weeks stepping up my training and put in the work to get me ready.   At the starting line I was really nervous and excited. I didn’t know what to expect.  As soon as I started up that mountain all my fears left me and my training kicked in.  I  had been training really hard.  Lifting heavy weight and working on my endurance.  All those days I spent pushing my self, my limits, my mind in the gym to lift heavier and push the sled faster was paying off.

Thinking “you can’t” is the first obstacle you must over come.  I’ll tell you getting over this obstacle is the harder than climbing a rope or traversing monkey bars over water.  I know right now you can’t see it but I promise you, your mind is by far your biggest obstacle.

     A great quote I read this morning said “you can’t determine when you will cross the finish line because you won’t let yourself show up for the race”.  

This goes for any and all goals!! Don’t sit back wishing to reach a goal yet do nothing that supports reaching it.  Once you get past the “I cants” and start taking steps toward your goals (whatever they may be) you will begin to see how easy it really is to face the physical aspect of the training.  That’s exactly how you reach these kind of goals...Training!

So before you go saying “I wish I could do that but I’m not strong enough” try getting around positive people with like goals and work up to it by training for it.  Think about this: If a child is learning to walk and falls down 50 time they don’t say to themselves “maybe this isn’t for me”!   You CAN do it! It just takes hard work and not giving up.  Put it in your mind right now that you’ll do the work to get there. Then get up and get in to the gym and start doing the work....

And that is your first obstacle ..... complete it!


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Blog #11 What is Fitness?

4/13/2018

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What is fitness?
How do you know when you are fit? Does being fit mean being able to squat 1-1/2 Times your body weight? Or running a mile in under 6 minutes? Does it mean you have become a perfect specimen of the human form? Does it mean you should be able to 500 burpees and run 100 miles?
NO!!
Fitness is Relative. Just like Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity where time is relative, fitness likewise is relative to need/demand. If you only need/plan to sit around all day and have no desire to push your self to be active then technically you are “fit” enough for that. Now this level of fitness may come with its aches and pains. As a matter of fact there is no doubt it will as inactivity leads to muscle atrophy and bone density loss. So it’s not really a level you would think people would really chose to remain. However most people never move past this level of fitness because they just don’t need to.


On another level if you want to be able to do 10 strict chin ups or run in your first spartan race or 5k run/walk or lose body fat or just want to be able to keep up with your children as they grow and become fast moving active little critters and you work to get to that point, you can’t just reach that goal and stop doing it all together and retain what you attained. You MUST keep doing it. Don’t allow reaching a goal or mile stone (as we like to refer to them) be an excuse to quit!


So as you push yourself to reach the next level of your journey you must continue doing the basics that got you there. Fitness simply is a life style of ability you chose to attain and maintain. How far up that scale you go is up to you! Raise the Bar!
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Blog#10 What Should I Do?

3/14/2018

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What should I do?

I am asked this question all the time. Mostly in reference to “diet”. In today’s society in the United States we have an epidemic of obesity and no one knows what to do.....or do they?
 
I am going to lay out my most simple answer to this question. Then you can do what you want with it.  This is what I tell all of my clients. This is what we at GetReal Training Live by. It is SIMPLE! It is EASY to do. But wait, before I tell you the answer I want to give you a 30 paragraph reason why you need this info and how much it’s going to cost you to down load our exclusive programs and our magic pills.....
FORGET THAT garbage right now.
Let’s get right to it!
 
STOP researching WHAT to do and START doing SOMETHING! I don't care WHAT it is but just do something that will get you closer to your goal.  Do it every day for at least 90 days. If it’s a diet plan or exercise plan just stick with it for 90 days. Don’t jump from “this said...” to “that said...” article/commercial/video on the internet. Stick to something and a change will start!

So what are some simple things you can do?
 
  1. I’ve had clients and non clients alike ask “what can I do to lose weight?” My answer to everyone is the same, start by drinking ONLY WATER. How hard is that? Everything you drink that’s NOT water has a potential to add calories to your diet. Think about it, soda (one of America’s biggest beverages) when was your last drink? How many glasses did you order/have? I don’t CARE if it’s “DIET” don’t drink it! Why? Because you asked what you can do and I’m telling you plain and simple!
  2. Make sure every meal you eat is loaded with vegetables. “But I don’t like veggies” Fine, well then stay the same! Again you asked what to do!
  3. Increase your protein intake. Chances are you don’t eat enough quality protein. It’s simple make sure you eat 0.8-1.5g/lb of your body wt/day. Protein is incredibly important to your fat loss. It is also the primary building block source for muscle/tendon/tissue. EAT Protein!
  4. Stop blaming CARBS! Start taking account of yourself! Stop eating like a child already. Yeah I know it’s easy to grab a bar or a hand full of cookies or a pop tart or donuts, a bagel....etc. we have all done it. I’ve done it. (And still do at times). But do you do this on a daily basis? Is this your staple breakfast/snacks? Stop it! Start thinking of your carbs as fuel. It’s the gas in your tank. Low energy output=lower carb need. High energy output=higher carb needs. This takes you back to #1 EAT more veggies.
  5. Minimize sugar intake but Eat more fruit! ........here it comes......”isn’t fruit full of sugar?” Fine let’s rephrase that, minimize PROCESSED sugar and any products it’s used in aka remember back to #1&4. (Soda,cookies,donuts,pop tarts,white bread,juice,etc..) you get the idea! Fruit is good for you cookies are not! Try it. Make fruit your ONLY “sweets”. Hey I’m just giving you the simple honest answer to your question.
  6. Fat is NOT making you fat! Eating too much food is making you fat! Simple as that! So forget “fat free” and don’t be afraid to consume fats. Your body NEEDS it!! (Avocado is my favorite)
  7. KEEP an HONEST food journal. When you don’t record that one cookie, soda, beer, whatever it is, you are cheating on your journal. And I want you ALL to know....I DON’T CARE if you do cause it’s not hurting ME! But I DO Care because We can look back when you are having a bad week or when you feel like crap and see what happened, But ONLY if your honest with yourself! I’m NOT going to judge you for eating a handful of Oreos, but if you seriously want help then you need to start recording everything honestly. Why do you want to sabotage your chances of success? However just remember even if you don’t, your body ALWAYS keeps an honest and accurate record.
  8. Next is get out and DO something. Increase your activity. Exercise more. Be consistent with it. “I don’t have time” I’m gonna make this simple, YES you do, you just don’t want to do it. Stop being lazy, Start feeling better! Be accountable and honest with yourself. If you wanted to go to the beach you’d find time to go. Why, because you WANT to. So instead of immediately saying you don’t have time, just give it a shot and go do something outside like go for a hike, jog, walk, and keep it short. See how long you are out there. Make it a habit. Before you know it you just made a new time slot in your busy schedule. Leave your watch/phone behind. Eliminate distractions of “time”. Remember “time is relative”.
  9. Lift heavy. LADIES!!!......... You HAVE to stop thinking you’ll look like Arnold! Muscle IS a key ingredient to fat loss. So many women are afraid to lift. WHY in the world a woman wouldn’t want to be strong is baffling to me. Don’t accept being the “weaker sex” your NOT! Also, to the ladies who say “I can’t lift” while walking around with a child on each hip, grocery bags in hand and a diaper bag on the shoulder.....WHAT!!? Sorry Ma’am, you CAN TOO lift! Get to it! But don’t think you Guys are any better! Come on guys when was the last time you banged out 10 push-ups, or climbed a rope or anything for that matter. I remember the pull up test in school was humiliating and few could do them. So.....then DO them! As a kid I climbed trees. That’s what kids in my day did. We didn’t have computers/phones/games consoles. We spent hours outside doing STUFF. What happened?! Go do stuff! Go lift heavy weights so stuff is easier to do! Then go do more stuff!
  10. Finally SLEEP! Don’t say you can’t! Here is what you are going to do. Tonight at 9:30/10:00 turn OFF your TV/Phones/Radio/ALL Lights/put distractions in another room (phone) crawl in bed and then squeeze every muscle in your body as hard as you can for about 30 seconds. Including your eyes, lips, fists, glutes, toes.. everything! Then after 30 seconds release your muscles as SLOW as you can and breath slow and deep. When you are completely relaxed again, don’t move for as long as you can! BAM asleep! If you truly “can’t sleep” maybe you need to look at your food journal. Chances are you have been consuming a lot of caffeine. Don’t say it doesn’t keep you from sleeping, I mean you just said you “can’t sleep”. Caffeine is a stimulant. And to sleep you MUST stop stimulating your brain prior to going to bed! ALL stimulants!! If you were doing #1 already and drinking a gallon of water a day we wouldn't be taking about caffeine now would we!
 
To recap:
  1. Drink water
  2. Eat more veggies
  3. Eat more protein
  4. Stop blaming CARBS
  5. Eat fruit not sugar
  6. Eat fats
  7. Keep an HONEST food journal
  8. Do Something active
  9. Lift weights
  10. Sleep
 
I know some of these seem harsh and honest but then that’s what puts the REAL in GetReal Training! If I just sat by and said “it’s ok, I know you can’t do it” I would only be enabling you to keep doing what’s NOT working for you. NO that’s not why you are seeking help and advice. You WANT someone to push you. You NEED someone to push you. You need someone to be honest with you and hold you accountable. It’s not comfortable to say this kind of stuff to people I truly care about. It’s not comfortable to Hear this said to you. BUT if it’s not said then do I truly care about you? Listen, your money is not what drives this gym. It’s the Real results we strive to get each of you to achieve. Each of you has a gift, that’s called LIFE! The question is do you want it to be quality and give these simple things a real chance or do you want to stay stuck in the rut you’re in now, continuing to ask “what should I do?” The choice is yours!

I challenge all of you who read this to start just ONE of these things and DO it for 90 days! See the change it makes and add another one! Do this and Prove me wrong! You won’t though, cause you’ll be too excited with your new results!
 
Finally if you want one of the best support teams to surround your self with as you begin your journey, join us. We are not like any other gym. We are a team, a support group, a positive encouragement, a motivation, a challenge, a family, but most of all we are just all in this together, doing the best we can to be the best humans possible!
Be REAL Rise Exercise And Live!
 
GetReal Training, LLC
215-416-5757

www.facebook.com/GRTLLC 

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Blog #9 The Real in GetReal Training

5/26/2017

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This morning I am sitting on a bus going on a field trip with my daughters class for the day. As I sit here I have lots of time so reflect on my team and the journey we are all on....TOGETHER!! I'll share a few thoughts.


What makes us different than most gyms? This is a question I get all the time. I have always struggled to answer this as it's not something that words can really explain. You more have to experience it. What my team has described it to me as is it's like a family, a support group, a positive, motivating, challenging, encouraging, inspiring, inclusive, non judgmental, SAFE environment. I love to hear this from our team. It's exactly the kind of environment we are trying to create here, but I have to say is our amazing clients and team members that makes it this way.


What does the real in GetReal Training mean? I've recently been asked this question and I got some of the best answers from our members. We are real people who have struggles as much as anyone else. You may think that just because I own and work at a gym everyday that it's easy for me to keep myself in shape. This is so far from the truth. We coaches struggle just as much as anyone. Sometimes maybe more as the expectation is the coach needs to be cut, supper fit, and buff. Yes we do need to live what we teach but by all means we are human as much as you are. We have struggles. We are real and we have to find the time just as much as you do to fit it into our busy daily schedules. What makes it easier for all of us is having a purpose for our training. I received a text last night from one of our amazing teammates who mentioned what she thought Real meant, "get real training that sticks. Not the fads!" I couldn't say it any better! Working out just to work out is pointless and not sustainable. So many people fail because their purpose is open ended and not focused. It becomes a chore and boring and more like a punishment for a poor lifestyle than a reason to become better. This is why we challenge each of our team to enter Spartan races with us or any other competition type events. It gives a purpose to work for. Weight loss is a good goal but it falls in the category of open ended and chore like goals. Challenging yourself to do something you are scared to do like an obstacle race makes you train hard and keep your diet on track cause you know it's going to be hard and you need to get ready for it. When you are signed up you are committed, now it makes you step up your game.
Another thing about real, we will never tell you what you want to hear. We aren't going to sugar coat the truth about fitness and diet. We will however tell you the real honest to goodness truth about what you NEED to hear. We WILL be real with you. This doesn't mean that everything you are doing is wrong or bad or you can't eat this or that cause we will never tell you you CAN'T eat, but we will coach you and give you ideas of what to change to make it better for you. It's ultimately up to you. There is no "grey area". It's either you do it or you don't. But our team will always support you and keep you accountable. One thing we always suggest is to eat less sugar, this includes sugar coated info!


As we close in on our destination I want to leave you with a few last thoughts. What ever you do to better yourself, commit 100% to it. It isn't something you can do just sometimes when ever it's convenient it's a life style change. You have to commit to it 7 days a week 365 days a year. You have to commit and live it. If you only do it half the time you only get half the benefit. Be relentless, be consistent, be accountable, be disciplined. At the end of the day you are 100% responsible for your choices. You can sit around and complain about yourself, to point at everyone else and everything else that makes it hard and not fair and keep telling yourself the same old negative story, OR you can getup right now and CHANGE your story. YOU are in control of your story. YOU are the author! WRITE A NEW CHAPTER.
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Blog #8: A Spartan Beasts Reflections

5/2/2017

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This past Saturday I embarked on a challenge that I knew would be very difficult from the beginning.  It was a beautiful day for a hike through the woods and over the mountains. But this was no ordinary hike.  I have hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail loaded with gear and it wasn’t nearly as tough as this Tri State NJ Spartan Beast Race in Vernon NJ.  What is the Spartan Beast? This is an Obstacle Course Race of about 12-15 miles and about 30-32 obstacles that stand between you and the finish line, if the terrain doesn’t get you first.  A race like this is a test of your physical and mental capability. It tests your endurance and strength, but more importantly it tests your mental ability to keep focused and keep going.  I want to share some of MY reflections while on the trail struggling to keep moving.

We headed out to the mountain early in the morning.  (We like earlier heats so we can finish while it’s still day light)  During the night before it had thunder stormed and therefore everything started a half hour later.  This is common but it just adds stress to your mental state at the starting line.  At the starting line we climbed over the wall into the corral.  It’s interesting to watch other people and how careless they are.  Some people jumped the start wall and instead of lowering to the ground they would jump down hard and a few almost twisted their ankles. Another girl who seemed to have no spatial awareness upon swinging her leg over the wall kicked another woman right broadside the head.  All this and we haven’t even started yet.  This is a race of FOCUS.  At the end of the day we all still must return to work and our lives.  Injury is not what you want from the starting line let alone anywhere during the race.  When you look around you can see thoughts like “Am I going to finish before dark?” “Am I going to finish at all?” “I don’t feel ready” “I am SO ready for this” “I am so excited”  “I am not excited at all”  “Why am I even doing this”  “I’m scared” “I’m charged and ready to go” “what was I thinking” But as soon as that horn blows it’s all  “READY OR NOT HERE WE GO” 


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For myself, I hadn’t trained as much or as hard as I should have but I knew my limitations and strengths.  I knew I could finish and all I had to do was keep moving without stopping.  The first mile was agony for me.  It was almost all up hill and we are talking steep up hill.  I know up hill is my biggest weakness.  I was with my team mates out of the gate but it wasn’t long and they pulled far ahead, rounded a corner and disappeared.  It was the last I saw of them.  I was now alone, or was I?  I was alone in the sense that my team mates were far ahead of me but I didn’t care because I wasn’t there to even try to keep up with them.  I knew they moved way faster than me. I also knew it was going to be difficult to focus on my own.  When you don’t have someone to talk to you begin to get into your own mind and it starts telling you crazy things.  Like “what were you thinking” doubts set in quickly.  But then an obstacle shows up and all thoughts leave your head and your training takes over and next thing you know you have completed it and have a boost of moral.   You are feeling good about yourself that you made it.  That’s the beauty of this kind of race you get a “rest” just when you need it.  Obstacles are such a welcomed sight when that last 2 miles were nothing but uphill climbing and scrambling rock fields.  It’s like a rest. On a Spartan race you are NEVER alone though.  There are many other Spartans running the SAME race with you.  Every one of who will struggle somewhere along the way.  You have plenty of opportunity to help someone else who is struggling. To encourage, motivate, push, help, team up, make friends with others. We begin as individuals and teams but all leave as SPARTANS!  
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So obstacles….just like in life, this race if full of them.   Half of them are UNKNOWN!  I was thinking to myself (as I had a lot of time to think) about these unknowns.  They test your ability to adapt on the fly.  You don’t know what’s coming up next and as soon as you see it you begin to strategize as to how you’ll get through it.  Same as life. We can’t see the future, but we know things happen.  What do we do to get past it?  Do we allow it to defeat us? Or do we find a way to get past it and keep moving forward.  We could just give up at the first obstacle and quit.  Or you can find a way to overcome it.  In any case you HAVE to try, you have to give an effort, you have to push yourself, it becomes a mindset.  Plan/focus/attack/conquer!  You can’t make any excuses because it’s all you.  At some point you HAVE to RISE to the challenge or move out of the way for those who are waiting and willing.  This is the same for your training.  You can’t blame and point fingers as to why you aren’t getting results.  It’s YOUR job to DO THE WORK.  To be consistent. To be disciplined. To hold YOURSELF accountable.  No one else is in charge of you. You run the ship.  If you crash it’s because you did nothing.  Again, you MUST be accountable, taking responsibility for your actions, failures, addictions, decisions, and choices. Until you can do this, you won’t succeed.  To say “this doesn’t work” when you only go as hard as is comfortable, is not fair to yourself or anyone trying to help you.  GET OUT SIDE OF THAT COMFORT ZONE! Become FEARLESS!!  Don’t shake your head at a challenge. RISE UP and take it by the horns and OWN it!  Self-doubt is one of the biggest killers of success.  Even if you FAIL, it is better to try your hardest and learn from that failure versus hiding behind an excuse and never trying.  I can show you how simple it is but simple doesn’t mean easy.  You still have to work and grind when you lest want to.  Life is a battle and you, my friend, are a warrior.  You MUST develop a warriors mentality.   

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Toward the end of this race I got a second or third wind.  I actually felt way better in the second half than at the start.  I had overcome a lot up to this point.  I had seen others on the side of the trail who were out for the count.   Quads were cramping and seizing up around me.  Ankles were being turned and at one point someone fell off the monkey bars needing EMS for assistance.   BUT these mishaps didn’t discourage me, as a trained athlete your training just takes over and you just grind on.  You know there is a reward at the end.  You just dig in and keep moving.   Early on in the race we were challenged to remember a name with 7 numbers after it.  Yes this was a memory test.  Seemed kind of silly at first, but having my mind on those numbers for miles (so I wouldn’t forget them and have to do 30 burpees for not remembering)   I STILL Remember ZULU-996-3951. It is important to keep your mind busy and just move your feet.     I thought about the Romans and Spartan warriors back in their time while we climbed up and over rocks as we ascended yet another incline, thinking they would likely have done stuff like this in full battle gear.  I also thought of our own soldiers today. They do this as well. Think of the mental toughness they must have to fight in the conditions and terrain that they do. The human body is capable of doing what you allow your mind to tell it to do.  I want all of you reading this to remember that.  There is NOTHING you CAN’T do.  To think you CAN’T is just your mind telling you LIES!
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The last miles were awesome.  We could finally hear the music back at the starting/finish line.  This makes an explosion happen within your weary tired body and you pick up pace and start to run.  I passed the 12 mile marker and came out of the woods to a long downhill (my strong point).  I had just run through some really difficult downhill boulder fields and made up a lot of time.  I had only a little more than a mile to go and 3 major obstacles.  On the downhill I could see my family waiting for me.  My son had just run in the 2 mile Kids race and to see them now was like eating 4 packs of energy gummies.    I knew he was worried about me, but all I could think about was how his race went.  He had his medal around his neck and greeted me on the trail with a giant hug.   My wife was further downhill cheering me on.  I knew I had this. I knew I could do it. But there were still 3 hard obstacles left yet.  The Bucket full of stone was heavy as I climbed back up the hill I had just run down, but I just kept going.  My Son was watching.  I HAD to show him what NOT giving up was about.  This added a new goal and made me drive hard right through to the end.  I failed the second to last obstacle but after finishing my 30 burpees it was onto the last challenge, the 20 foot rope climb.  I was so spent.  My muscles were screaming at me, I think the spectators could hear them wailing. The rope was in my hands.  My hand burned from slipping off the last obstacle but as I looked up I thought “3 for 3!”  I jumped and just went.  I heard a group cheering for me, strangers mostly, but I just kept climbing.  CLANG!! I hit the cow bell and slowly lowered myself to the ground.  YES!! I DID IT!!   HOME FREE!!! FINISH LINE HERE I COME!!!    I just completed 13.8 grueling miles.  I just ran my FIRST INSANE HALF MARATHON!!
I am a SPARTAN BEAST! 
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Challenges like this are rewarding.  They teach you that NOTHING is impossible if you put your mind to it.  I encourage every one of my clients to get out of their comfort zones and get signed up for one of these.  Maybe not the BEAST but start with the SPRINT.  Then get committed to it.  Your training will take on a new dimension, your Nutrition will become better, and your mindset will become focused.  This will give you purpose for training.  Having a goal to lose weight is an admirable goal but it is an endless fight.  You MUST have purpose for training.  What will you do when you reach your weight loss goal?  Will you go back to your old habits?  Will you begin to eat bad again?     It’s very likely UNLESS you find purpose and let the weight loss be a positive side effect.  To challenge yourself with things like this completely keep you focused on being a better human.  They keep you on track to being better in everything you do because you have the next one coming up and you want to be better than last time.  You want to move better, you want to get stronger, you want to feel better, and you want to recover faster.  It’s no longer a punishment to go to the gym but a means to make your quality of life better and isn’t that the Ultimate goal?

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Blog #7: 2 Meals 2 Mindsets 2 Different Results

4/5/2017

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“Tomorrow is the big race! I have trained hard for months for this and feel ready to go. Yes I’ll admit I’m a little nervous about my first big run, but I think I can do this.  My team is here with me and we are going to have a great time.”   If this is you, awesome!!  Congratulations on reaching an amazing goal, with a supportive team around you, getting over your fears and getting out there for your first big run/competition/event.   But here is where two completely different mindsets split and that team may be either hindering you or helping you.  One mindset of “It’s time to PARTY” and the other of “Let’s stay focused and ready”.  I have watched countless time on social media, people who have been training hard for an event and then the night before the event see the photos they post about their “before race meal/party”.  This shows a LOT about mindset, discipline and accountability.  Let’s take a look at two meals I saw recently for PRE competition and how they affect performance.  


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Here is the Party meal before the comp.  It consists of garbage feel good foods.   Yeah it’s a great time and you are having a blast with your team.  You’ve done the training, you’ve done the hard work now it’s time to relax and PARTY!!  But how will this food “FEEL” halfway into your competition?  If you fill up on fats, sugars and diuretics, it dehydrates your performance suffers.   You will likely burn out before you even get into the “back leg” resulting in stopping  to rest more often, slowing down or quitting.   This is common in children’s sports too.  Kids come to practice or games after stopping for fast food (aka chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, soda, energy drinks) and yet they almost ALWAYS perform worse than if they had taken time to properly eat before.  But try getting a kid to eat healthy!  Kids don’t care.  And that is the same mind set of this athlete.  You just don’t care.  Why train at all?  Fast food and fatty foods take a long time to digest.  It sits heavy in the digestive system, doesn’t provide quality nutrients, and may eventually make the athlete feel sick. This doesn’t mean you can’t join your team, just make GOOD choices and don’t follow bad examples! Your performance depends on it! 

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This is a meal for an athlete with DISCIPLINE!  Good solid nutrient dense protein packed meal with quality fruits and vegetables.  This is a great meal for the night before your competition.  This provides the needed nutrients your body will use during the event.  This translates into better performance.  We always tell our athletes to fuel for the activity they are about to perform.  This is a great mind set to get into as it not only helps performance for your competition but it will set you up for a healthier lifestyle over all.  This athlete cares about their health and performance and doesn’t want to throw it all away at the starting line after all that hard training.  Athletes who want to move better, be better, get stronger, and be more competitive don’t get that way by having a party mindset.  Michael Phelps wouldn’t have won 28 Olympic medals on pizza and wings before a race.  He said he would eat some protein but mostly fruits and vegetables.   


 Remember, your performance will always be as good as the quality of your nutrition.  If you eat like crap you perform like crap.  It takes a strong mindset to not be easily persuaded to indulge.  Don’t make excuses, make good choices.   Before your event eat healthy nutrient dense foods and DRINK WATER.  Get a good nights sleep and wake up charged and ready to go. DON'T stay out partying all night.  Wait till you cross that FINISH LINE. . . . NOW you can refuel and party hardy for a little bit!  Jump Right back on task the next day and continue to be disciplined, consistent, and accountable with EVERYTHING you do.   


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Blog #6: September 29th, 2016

9/29/2016

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Goals!  Why are they so important when starting any fitness program? Goals are what helps you stay focused and keeps you on track giving you a benchmark or way point to shoot for.  Are you trying to lose weight/body fat, build muscle, or get strong, but you can’t ever attain your goals? Are your goals even obtainable or realistic?  Maybe it’s as simple as they are not FUN or Exciting.   Open ended and boring goals will set you up for failure right from the beginning.  For example for weight/fat loss, setting a goal of losing X number of pounds by X date.  Although this information is necessary for tracking your progress, it is a boring goal to work toward.  It leaves little incentive for motivation.  Setting a number goal is not effective because scale weight fluctuates over time and on your good loss days you’ll be happy but on the days you see little to none or even a positive number, you become discouraged and may eventually quit.  All because of a “Number”!?   What’s that “Number” going to do for you? What’s it going to prove?  That you can reach a number?  Sure, it’s great to see the scale drop numbers when you have a lot to let go of, but this doesn’t need to be or shouldn’t be your main focus.  Instead try to make a goal that challenges you.  Something like, “I want to be able to do 10 pushups correctly by the end of ______”. Or “I want to run a 5k or obstacle run by ______”.  Enter a local race and give yourself some time to train hard for a few months.  Once you have set a date, you now HAVE to work for it. 

I don’t care who you are, if you are just working toward a number on the scale you will almost ALWAYS quit.  There is nothing to motivate you.  And you might say “Yes there is, I’ll be X number of pounds lighter”. . . . . . Really?  That’s really going to keep you motivated to not miss your workouts and to keep your nutrition on track for months? That’s really going to make you push hard through those though days?  NO IT WON’T!  But knowing you have a race or a challenge coming up in your near future will.    When you commit to a goal you are much more likely to work harder to reach it.  Having goals that reward you and not just measure you are more motivational.  If you get on the scale a few weeks after starting a weight loss program and the scale doesn’t show much movement, think what it’s going to do to your confidence.  I’m sure you would lose faith in the program and give up on it.  You also have to understand your EXPECTATIONS!  If your expectations are too high then you will also discourage yourself.  That’s where realistic goals come into play.  Saying you want to lose 50 pounds in a month is NOT realistic for the average person.  That would be over 10 pounds a week and is not a healthy recommended rate of loss.  But we are conditioned to believe this is possible because of Reality TV.  I’m here to tell you, Reality TV, lies.  Would it be interesting and fun to watch if they worked at realistic rates of 1-2 pounds a week?  NO, people would tune out.  Ratings would drop.  Shows would cancel.  That’s because it’s a SHOW! They make it exciting to watch.  So this skews your mind on what you expect when you start your program.  Put those shows out of your mind.  Let’s get back to REAL reality. 

If you are signed up for a run, it’s not long till you cross that finish line for the first time.  You’ll look back to see and feel what you JUST accomplished.  It’s an amazing feeling.  Before you know it, you’ll have run your 5th or 6th 5k/obstacle race.  You will be focused on working hard and having fun trying to reach your race deadlines that you will forget about the number on the scale.  When you FEEL your accomplishments and not just see a digital number changing, you will gain more confidence to keep going.   We encourage all our clients not to focus on the scale as it only discourages you the second the number goes up slightly and kills any progress you have made.  So next time you try setting goals for yourself, make it something fun and challenging.  Commit to it by setting a date or signing up, and then work hard and DO IT!  But Please Do yourself a favor and DON'T Let your goal only be a number on the scale!        



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Blog #6 Goals....Are they just a number?

9/29/2016

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Goals!  Why are they so important when starting any fitness program?  Are you trying to lose weight/body fat, build muscle, or get strong, but you can’t ever attain your goals? Are your goals even obtainable or realistic?  Maybe it’s as simple as they are not FUN or Exciting.   Open ended and boring goals will set you up for failure right from the beginning.  For example for weight/fat loss, setting a goal of losing X number of pounds by X date.  Although this information is necessary for tracking your progress, it is a boring goal to work toward.  It leaves little incentive for motivation.  Setting a number goal is not effective because scale weight fluctuates over time and on your good loss days you’ll be happy but on the days you see little to none or even a positive number, you become discouraged and may eventually quit.  All because of a “Number”!?   What’s that “Number” going to do for you? What’s it going to prove?  That you can reach a number?  Sure, it’s great to see the scale drop numbers when you have a lot to let go of, but this doesn’t need to be or shouldn’t be your main focus.  Instead try to make a goal that challenges you.  Something like, “I want to be able to do 10 pushups correctly by the end of ______”. Or “I want to run a 5k or obstacle run by ______”.  Enter a local race and give yourself some time to train hard for a few months.  Once you have set a date, you now HAVE to work for it. 

I don’t care who you are, if you are just working toward a number on the scale you will almost ALWAYS quit.  There is nothing to motivate you.  And you might say “Yes there is, I’ll be X number of pounds lighter”. . . . . . Really?  That’s really going to keep you motivated to not miss your workouts and to keep your nutrition on track for months? That’s really going to make you push hard through those though days?  NO IT WON’T!  But knowing you have a race or a challenge coming up in your near future will. When you commit to a goal you are much more likely to work harder to reach it.  Having goals that reward you and not just measure you are more motivational.  If you get on the scale a few weeks after starting a weight loss program and the scale doesn’t show much movement, think what it’s going to do to your confidence.  I’m sure you would lose faith in the program and give up on it.  You also have to understand your EXPECTATIONS!  If your expectations are too high then you will also discourage yourself.  That’s where realistic goals come into play.  Saying you want to lose 50 pounds in a month is NOT realistic for the average person.  That would be over 10 pounds a week and is not a healthy recommended rate of loss.  But we are conditioned to believe this is possible because of Reality TV.  I’m here to tell you, Reality TV, lies.  Would it be interesting and fun to watch if they worked at realistic rates of 1-2 pounds a week?  NO, people would tune out.  Ratings would drop.  Shows would cancel.  That’s because it’s a SHOW! They make it exciting to watch.  So this skews your mind on what you expect when you start your program.  Put those shows out of your mind.  Let’s get back to REAL reality. 

If you are signed up for a run, it’s not long till you cross that finish line for the first time.  You’ll look back to see and feel what you JUST accomplished.  It’s an amazing feeling.  Before you know it, you’ll have run your 5th or 6th 5k/obstacle race.  You will be focused on working hard and having fun trying to reach your race deadlines that you will forget about the number on the scale.  When you FEEL your accomplishments and not just see a digital number changing, you will gain more confidence to keep going.   We encourage all our clients not to focus on the scale as it only discourages you the second the number goes up slightly and kills any progress you have made.  So next time you try setting goals for yourself, make it something fun and challenging.  Commit to it by setting a date or signing up, and then work hard and DO IT!            



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    Corbin Williams is a certified personal trainer  and devote husband and father of two very spirited children. Graduating top of his class at the National
    Personal Training Institute in Philidephia Pa, Corbin assisits individuals in achiving their nutritional and personal fitness goals.  He also is a part time Instructor for NPTI in Philadelphia, and writes a fitness and nutrion advice column for the Upper Bucks Free Press . . . . Learn More about Corbin.

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