By: Scott D. Krenz
Being a leader and developing leadership skills is learned. While some children may have a little more confidence in themselves than others, it does not necessarily make them a leader. It has been proven countless times throughout history that anyone can learn to be a leader. As a parent, you will play a huge part in whether your child is a leader or follower in life.
“Being a Leader” does not necessarily mean that a person is in a position to tell others what to do. Many of the most powerful or influential leaders in history simply “led” themselves but by their powerful individual choices they influenced millions or even entire generations of people around the world. One of the most important traits of a leader is the ability to make decisions for your self, being able to stand up to peer pressure and set a personal standard of behavior.
Leaders and followers step into their roles at a very young age. You can walk into a kindergarten class and within a very short period of time you will know which children are going to be the leaders in the class and who will be the followers.
As a parent, the question you need to ask is;
“Do YOU want your child to be a leader or a follower?”
Because it really is up to you! It is up to you to instill your children with the knowledge and skills to be a leader everyday of their life…beginning TODAY!
There are a few simple skills you can help your child learn and develop that will help them become a leader. These skills will empower your children with the confidence and tools to make choices for themselves and not have to follow the crowd or peer pressure.
5 Qualities of a “Leader.”
A “Leader” says “Yes, I Can!” It’s called the power of a Positive Attitude.
A Leader understands there will be many people throughout their life who will tell them why they CAN NOT do or be something. A leader stays focused on maintaining a positive attitude no matter what the people around them say or do. A leader stands up to peer pressure everyday to make choices for themselves.
Teach your children to say “Yes I can!” even when they are not sure. Help them understand the power of a positive attitude.
A “Leader” says “It’s not a problem, it’s a Challenge!” It’s called
Overcoming Adversity.
Every day life is filled with challenges, however, many people call them “problems” and therefore they are overcome by their magnitude. One of the crutches in life that leaders do not use is the phrase “I Can’t.” Leaders learn very quickly in life that saying “I can’t” is just an excuse not to try. It makes it easy to give up. The first step to being a leader is to always say “Yes, I Can.” There is always another solution. You just need to ask a different or better question to find more solutions. Each challenge in life is an opportunity to learn a new lesson.
Teach your children to ask better questions and be creative in finding solutions to life’s challenges. Help them find the lesson in each of life’s challenges.
A “Leader” says “Never give up, never give up, never give up!” It’s called Perseverance.
The easiest answer or path whenever something gets hard in life is to stop or give up. A Leader knows that the easiest path is not always the best path. A simple well known quote expresses the power of perseverance very well;
“Perseverance prevails when all else fails.”
Quitting is easy. It’s a habit that begins at a young age. Children need to learn at a very young age the power of building positive habits in life.
Teach your children the power and importance of not quitting and fulfilling their commitments in life. Help them develop a habit of persistence and fulfilling commitments.
A “Leader” says “I may fail or make mistakes BUT I always learn and move ahead!” It’s called Commitment.
Mistakes and failure are an integral part of life. We tend to learn the most in life from our mistakes or failures. Leaders learn to do their best and are not beaten down by their mistakes. A leader learns to ask them selves a powerful question each time they make a mistake or fail; “What can I learn from this experience?”
Teach your children it is O’K to make mistakes in life as long as they learn and do their very best. Help them find the lesson in each of life’s experiences.
A “Leader” says “I will always do my best!” It’s called Excellence.
“EXCELLENCE” or doing your very best, is a daily decision. It’s easy to be average. It takes a focused effort every day to do your best. It really is an attitude. Leaders choose to do their best in everything they do. It’s not about being better than other people, it’s just about challenging yourself to be your best.
Teach your children to do their own best and not worry about comparing themselves against other people. Help them understand the importance of challenging themselves to do their very best everyday.
Mile High Karate Events
Monday, June 29, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Dads with Daughters in Martail Arts
Auhor: Meredith Lyon of the Chicago Examiner.com
Everyone knows Dad’s have a soft spot for their little girls and are naturally protective regardless of how ‘grown up’ their girls may become. How do they feel when their daughters start throwing and taking punches? In this Father’s Day Special, we have some quotes from dads with daughters of varying ages, who are actively involved in martial arts.
“At first when the competition begins you are very apprehensive that she might get hurt. After the bell rings you begin to see the techniques that she has learned come into use and you become very impressed. I did not get to see a lot of her training skills until she completed her demo for her first black belt. I was quite impressed with her skill level as well as her confidence.” George Gibson, father of Alex age 19
Jack Lyons with daughter Morgan and John Dalton with daughter Christina. “There are many proud moments. Everything that she’s learning; the respect that she’s learning, the fact that she can stand there listening to an adult talk very loudly to her and can learn from that adult and not draw back. She’ll be handed things that are going to be difficult to get over [later in life] and she’ll be much more equipped to deal with those things. So if somebody talks strongly to her she’s not going to internalize it as much as I think she may have otherwise.” – John Dalton, father of Christina age 7
“I am really happy my two girls started martial arts early. They took to it immediately and haven't looked back. I figure my job is to raise my kids to be confident and successful adults. I believe strongly that their training will help them achieve this goal. My plan is to protect them while they are young and teach them what they need to know so they can protect themselves when they are adults. By the time they are 18 they should be able to handle anything short of WMD!” Trent Zilmer, father of Veronica age 12 and Genevieve age 11
Trent Zilmer with daughters Veronica and Genievive. Jack Lyons, (no relation to your examiner), tells a story of how a boy teased his daughter Morgan and tried to get her to prove her martial arts skills by beating him in a grappling match. Morgan maturely did not want to hurt the boy to prove herself.
“The boy still learned that you can not tell someone's abilities by looks, size, or gender. Morgan learned that her skills and confidence are part of her, no matter what anybody thinks. I can summarize my impression of how martial arts study has contributed to Morgan's being: schoolmates, friends, and family appreciate being with Morgan because of her self-confidence, interpersonal skills, discipline, and enjoyment of life that she has developed in large part through her martial arts training. I take comfort and pride in her abilities and motivation that will serve her well for her whole life.” Jack Lyons, father of Morgan, age 9
Everyone knows Dad’s have a soft spot for their little girls and are naturally protective regardless of how ‘grown up’ their girls may become. How do they feel when their daughters start throwing and taking punches? In this Father’s Day Special, we have some quotes from dads with daughters of varying ages, who are actively involved in martial arts.
“At first when the competition begins you are very apprehensive that she might get hurt. After the bell rings you begin to see the techniques that she has learned come into use and you become very impressed. I did not get to see a lot of her training skills until she completed her demo for her first black belt. I was quite impressed with her skill level as well as her confidence.” George Gibson, father of Alex age 19
Jack Lyons with daughter Morgan and John Dalton with daughter Christina. “There are many proud moments. Everything that she’s learning; the respect that she’s learning, the fact that she can stand there listening to an adult talk very loudly to her and can learn from that adult and not draw back. She’ll be handed things that are going to be difficult to get over [later in life] and she’ll be much more equipped to deal with those things. So if somebody talks strongly to her she’s not going to internalize it as much as I think she may have otherwise.” – John Dalton, father of Christina age 7
“I am really happy my two girls started martial arts early. They took to it immediately and haven't looked back. I figure my job is to raise my kids to be confident and successful adults. I believe strongly that their training will help them achieve this goal. My plan is to protect them while they are young and teach them what they need to know so they can protect themselves when they are adults. By the time they are 18 they should be able to handle anything short of WMD!” Trent Zilmer, father of Veronica age 12 and Genevieve age 11
Trent Zilmer with daughters Veronica and Genievive. Jack Lyons, (no relation to your examiner), tells a story of how a boy teased his daughter Morgan and tried to get her to prove her martial arts skills by beating him in a grappling match. Morgan maturely did not want to hurt the boy to prove herself.
“The boy still learned that you can not tell someone's abilities by looks, size, or gender. Morgan learned that her skills and confidence are part of her, no matter what anybody thinks. I can summarize my impression of how martial arts study has contributed to Morgan's being: schoolmates, friends, and family appreciate being with Morgan because of her self-confidence, interpersonal skills, discipline, and enjoyment of life that she has developed in large part through her martial arts training. I take comfort and pride in her abilities and motivation that will serve her well for her whole life.” Jack Lyons, father of Morgan, age 9
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
7 Father’s Day Fitness Tips
June 15th, 2009 Author: bjgaddour
Though Father’s Day should be a time for celebrating what our father’s have sacrificed to allow us to lead the lives of our dreams, to me it’s more of a rude awakening.
Look, I hate to be Debbie Downer, but someone has to say something already.
Our father’s are now in the worst shape of their lives, many suffering from a very scary condition called Metabolic Syndrome X.
One of the main indicators of someone who has metabolic disorder is abdominal obesity, as clearly demonstrated in the picture above. The scary part is that many of our father’s look just like this!
Please read below for an excellent description of Metabolic Syndrome from www.MedicineNet.com:
What is metabolic syndrome?
An association between certain metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease has been known since the 1940s. In the 1980s this association became more clearly defined and the term metabolic syndrome (also known as syndrome X or the dysmetabolic syndrome) was coined to designate a cluster of metabolic risk factors that come together in a single individual. In more current times, the term metabolic syndrome is found throughout medical literature and in the lay press as well. There are slight differences in the criteria of diagnosis - depending on which authority is quoted. Regardless, the concept of a clustering of risks factors leading to cardiovascular disease is well accepted.
The main features of metabolic syndrome include insulin resistance, hypertension (high blood pressure), cholesterol abnormalities, and an increased risk for clotting. Patients are most often overweight or obese.
Insulin resistance refers to the diminished ability of cells to respond to the action of insulin in promoting the transport of the sugar glucose, from blood into muscles and other tissues. Because of the central role that insulin resistance plays in the metabolic syndrome, a separate article is devoted to insulin resistance.
How is metabolic syndrome defined?
The definition of metabolic syndrome depends on which group of experts is doing the defining. Based on the guidelines from the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III), any three of the following traits in the same individual meet the criteria for the metabolic syndrome:
1. Abdominal obesity: a waist circumference over 102 cm (40 in) in men and over 88 cm (35 inches) in women.
2. Serum triglycerides 150 mg/dl or above.
3. HDL cholesterol 40mg/dl or lower in men and 50mg/dl or lower in women.
4. Blood pressure of 130/85 or more.
5. Fasting blood glucose of 110 mg/dl or above. (Some groups say 100mg/dl)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has slightly different criteria for the metabolic syndrome:
1. High insulin levels, an elevated fasting blood glucose or an elevated post meal glucose alone with at least 2 of the following criteria:
2. Abdominal obesity as defined by a waist to hip ratio of greater than 0.9, a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m2 or a waist measurement over 37 inches.
3. Cholesterol panel showing a triglyceride level of at least 150 mg/dl or an HDL cholesterol lower than 35 mg/dl.
4. Blood pressure of 140/90 or above (or on treatment for high blood pressure).
And though Metabolic Syndrome affects more women than men, there is certainly no shortage of men 40 years and older who have that “deadly beer gut” that literally makes them a ticking time bomb for a slew of serious medical conditions.
But there is good news amongst this frightening reality: The most common cause of metabolic disorder is of course a vicious combination of a lack of exercise and poor diet.
See below for the top 7 fitness tips to help save our father’s lives:
1.) Lay off the Brewskis
It’s no wonder why our dads have more of a keg for a gut than a six-pack. See below for the best way I know of explaining how detrimental alcohol can be on your body composition:
How Alcohol Makes You Fat
-Alcohol first passes through the esophagus as it travels to your stomach.
-From there, 20% of the alcohol is absorbed immediately by your bloodstream.
-The remaining alcohol travels to your intestines and is absorbed from there.
-The alcohol in your bloodstream then travels directly to your liver. It is here that
the body breaks the alcohol down, something that is absolutely essential since
alcohol is toxic to the body.
-Alcohol brakes down into acetate and acetaldehyde which IMMEDIATELY
signals to your body to stop burning fat. Even worse, another waste product of
alcohol, acetyl CoA, actually starts to make more body fat.
If you booze, you WON’T lose fat!
What Does this Mean?
-Your body can only effectively process 0.5 to 1 ounce of alcohol per hour
-How much damage? A 12-ounce beer contains about 0.6 ounces of alcohol. If
you consumed 5 of these, your body would be inhibited from fat burning for up to
6 hours. This is aside from the fact that your body will actually be storing fat
during these 6 hours! The more you drink, the longer your body is inhibited from
burning fat in addition to a greater fat build up from excess acetyl CoA. As you
can see, one day of binge drinking can set you back days if not a full week when
it comes to fat loss!
-What’s the worst-case scenario? Mixing alcohol with sugary beverages
promotes even further fat gain due to the resulting insulin surge that triggers fat
storage (e.g. regular beer or cocktails mixed with regular soda and/or fruit juice)
The Bottom Line
If you want to be lean, you must minimize ALCOHOL consumption!
If you must drink:
a.) Choose wine or hard liquor and “light” beer
b.) Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 days per week with a 1-2 drink per day max
References:
Campbell and Volek, “TNT Diet: Targeted Nutrition Tactics”
2.) Quit being such a pansy and work your lower body
Most dads just want to do the typical meathead workout that emphasizes the upper body only. If you are going for the Johnny Bravo look where you are built up top with chicken legs for wheels, then keep doing what you’re doing.
However, it is important to note that strong, muscular legs are the key to torching your gut. After all, the majority of your body’s muscle mass, and thus metabolism, is contained within your lower body. Not working your legs is like going to a gun fight without a gun, and here’s why:
a.) Training your whole body (legs included) not only helps you burn more calories each workout, it also maximally depletes your body’s glycogen stores (the sugar in your muscles) to allow for more total body fat burning
b.) The more lean muscle mass you have in your lower body the more calories your body will be burning 24-7-365 outside of your workouts
c.) Whenever you work your legs you generate the largest increases in natural anabolic hormone levels which translates into more total body muscle and less ugly, unwanted body fat
So if you want better abs, you better start using those legs! This can be easily accomplished with 3 total body workouts per week that train your upper body, lower body, and core within the same workout.
3.) Do something besides bench presses and curls
Look- I get why guys don’t want to train their legs. Unless you are wearing a speedo, no one is going to see them! So there is simply not as much motivation to put the time and effort into your lower body as there is for your upper body which is always on full display at the beach or poolside.
Nothing beats a little chest and bi’s baby!
However, if you are trying to develop a really nice upper body, you need to start venturing outside the realm of bench presses and curls. Don’t forget, you do have muscles on the backside of your body too!
In fact, your lats (the wings that extend from your arm pit to the bottom of your rib cage) are the biggest muscles in your upper body and when developed they really help promote that V-shaped torso that both makes your waist look smaller and your wife happy
Bruce Lee- The Lat Master Himself
Start doing at least the same amount of pulling as pushing (if not more) unless you want to end up like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Quasimodo did way too many bench presses and curls… not too sexy!
Lastly, only do isolation movements like bicep curls if you have extra time after your main workout. Compound movements like rows and pull-ups work your biceps just as hard and since they allow for the use of heavier loads, they also provide a better growth stimulus to maximize results in minimal time.
4.) Don’t eat like those idiots from NutriSystem
Here’s my take on how NutriSystem was created:
“I’ve got an idea for an incredible product and marketing campaign:
Let’s gather a group of genetically gifted former professional athletes that have put on some pounds since ending their playing days. We’ll have them all get their asses kicked by top personal trainers while following a restricted calorie diet so we lean them out real nicely.
But then we lie to the overweight male coach potato consumer and tell them that they got these results from eating the same food they are currently eating- you know, pizza, lasagna, sweets, etc. Except we’ll make the meals the size of a dime so they can still technically eat what they want and lose weight at the same time.
To make it even better, we’ll pre-package all of their meals for them to buy from us so these lazy bastards don’t have to do anything besides nuke it up and eat it!
We’ll make millions!”
Laces Out Dan!
Well, that’s exactly what has happened- thousands of sports-loving, ESPN-watching dads have been swindled to buy into this gimmick that you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight without exercise- because Dan Marino did it!
Look- if you honestly think you can keep eating the same foods that got you that gut in the first place, then I’m not sure how much more I can help you. And yes, there is portion control within the system, but to me it’s a like a big terd versus a small terd… IT’S STILL A TERD!
5.) Accept the fact that you probably need some professional fitness advice
One of my superstar clients lost 105 lbs of fat. He’s a busy executive and father of 4 in his 50’s and he spent 20+ years doing everything wrong from both a training and nutrition perspective until he met me. I interviewed him one time and asked him what his best advice was for people that are in the same position today as he was before he transformed himself and this is what he said:
“What you don’t know will hurt you, but what you think you know will KILL you!”
Seek out a fitness expert like busy dad Michael did and get life-changing results!
Dads- quit being so stubborn and macho. It doesn’t make you any less of a man to hire a personal trainer or join a boot camp because your wife and her lady friends do it. In reality, your wife (and women in general) are simply smarter than you because they effectively outsource their fitness needs to an expert whereby you try to re-invent the wheel on your own with little to no results.
If you want to lose your gut, follow the lead of the ladies
6.) Make the time for a 5-minute warm-up
You simply can’t afford to NOT warm-up. It’s like pushing the pedal to the medal in the dead of winter in your frozen car- things just don’t work right and you’re not going anywhere.
A cold body, like a cold car, doesn’t run on all cylinders
It only takes about 3-5 minutes to lengthen your muscles and lubricate your joints to best prevent injury and ready your body for a more effective workout, so don’t skip the warm-up!
Below is a great 5-minute body weight warm-up we use in our boot camps:
Alternate between 50 s of work and 10 seconds of rest for each exercise in the following warm-up circuit:
1- Stationary Running
2- Jumping Jacks
3- Lunge, Reach and Twist (left leg)
4- Lunge, Reach and Twist (right leg)
5- Push-up Walkouts
7.) The “no pain-no gain” attitude will leave you a bitter, crippled, and grumpy old man
The “no pain, no gain” methodology is quite possible the most abused practice in fitness. Pain is a good thing as long as it’s the right type of pain as outlined below:
When exercise BURNS YOUR MUSCLES that’s a good pain- this means you are pushing past your comfort zone to inspire change, working with intensity to torch calories and build muscle, and burning sugar so your body can burn fat for hours and hours after your workout.
When exercise HURTS YOUR JOINTS that’s a bad pain- it means you are quickly wearing down the structural integrity of your joints and will soon be unable to do anything without pain or stiffness. This is most often caused by a combination of using too heavy of loads, poor exercise form and technique, strength imbalances, and lack of mobility and/or flexibility- more reason to heed Tip#5 and seek professional help!
I have worked with too many dads who have beaten their bodies down and nothing’s more depressing than a dad who can’t play with his kids or participate in recreational activities with his buddies. Do yourself and your family a favor and stop being such a meathead when it comes to exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to hurt to get results and nobody wants another grumpy AND injured old man
Happy Father’s Day! I love you Dad. You mean everything to me
Mark
PS- If you are a father who is ready to make some changes, please make a comment to this blog post below to let the world know about it.
Though Father’s Day should be a time for celebrating what our father’s have sacrificed to allow us to lead the lives of our dreams, to me it’s more of a rude awakening.
Look, I hate to be Debbie Downer, but someone has to say something already.
Our father’s are now in the worst shape of their lives, many suffering from a very scary condition called Metabolic Syndrome X.
One of the main indicators of someone who has metabolic disorder is abdominal obesity, as clearly demonstrated in the picture above. The scary part is that many of our father’s look just like this!
Please read below for an excellent description of Metabolic Syndrome from www.MedicineNet.com:
What is metabolic syndrome?
An association between certain metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease has been known since the 1940s. In the 1980s this association became more clearly defined and the term metabolic syndrome (also known as syndrome X or the dysmetabolic syndrome) was coined to designate a cluster of metabolic risk factors that come together in a single individual. In more current times, the term metabolic syndrome is found throughout medical literature and in the lay press as well. There are slight differences in the criteria of diagnosis - depending on which authority is quoted. Regardless, the concept of a clustering of risks factors leading to cardiovascular disease is well accepted.
The main features of metabolic syndrome include insulin resistance, hypertension (high blood pressure), cholesterol abnormalities, and an increased risk for clotting. Patients are most often overweight or obese.
Insulin resistance refers to the diminished ability of cells to respond to the action of insulin in promoting the transport of the sugar glucose, from blood into muscles and other tissues. Because of the central role that insulin resistance plays in the metabolic syndrome, a separate article is devoted to insulin resistance.
How is metabolic syndrome defined?
The definition of metabolic syndrome depends on which group of experts is doing the defining. Based on the guidelines from the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III), any three of the following traits in the same individual meet the criteria for the metabolic syndrome:
1. Abdominal obesity: a waist circumference over 102 cm (40 in) in men and over 88 cm (35 inches) in women.
2. Serum triglycerides 150 mg/dl or above.
3. HDL cholesterol 40mg/dl or lower in men and 50mg/dl or lower in women.
4. Blood pressure of 130/85 or more.
5. Fasting blood glucose of 110 mg/dl or above. (Some groups say 100mg/dl)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has slightly different criteria for the metabolic syndrome:
1. High insulin levels, an elevated fasting blood glucose or an elevated post meal glucose alone with at least 2 of the following criteria:
2. Abdominal obesity as defined by a waist to hip ratio of greater than 0.9, a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m2 or a waist measurement over 37 inches.
3. Cholesterol panel showing a triglyceride level of at least 150 mg/dl or an HDL cholesterol lower than 35 mg/dl.
4. Blood pressure of 140/90 or above (or on treatment for high blood pressure).
And though Metabolic Syndrome affects more women than men, there is certainly no shortage of men 40 years and older who have that “deadly beer gut” that literally makes them a ticking time bomb for a slew of serious medical conditions.
But there is good news amongst this frightening reality: The most common cause of metabolic disorder is of course a vicious combination of a lack of exercise and poor diet.
See below for the top 7 fitness tips to help save our father’s lives:
1.) Lay off the Brewskis
It’s no wonder why our dads have more of a keg for a gut than a six-pack. See below for the best way I know of explaining how detrimental alcohol can be on your body composition:
How Alcohol Makes You Fat
-Alcohol first passes through the esophagus as it travels to your stomach.
-From there, 20% of the alcohol is absorbed immediately by your bloodstream.
-The remaining alcohol travels to your intestines and is absorbed from there.
-The alcohol in your bloodstream then travels directly to your liver. It is here that
the body breaks the alcohol down, something that is absolutely essential since
alcohol is toxic to the body.
-Alcohol brakes down into acetate and acetaldehyde which IMMEDIATELY
signals to your body to stop burning fat. Even worse, another waste product of
alcohol, acetyl CoA, actually starts to make more body fat.
If you booze, you WON’T lose fat!
What Does this Mean?
-Your body can only effectively process 0.5 to 1 ounce of alcohol per hour
-How much damage? A 12-ounce beer contains about 0.6 ounces of alcohol. If
you consumed 5 of these, your body would be inhibited from fat burning for up to
6 hours. This is aside from the fact that your body will actually be storing fat
during these 6 hours! The more you drink, the longer your body is inhibited from
burning fat in addition to a greater fat build up from excess acetyl CoA. As you
can see, one day of binge drinking can set you back days if not a full week when
it comes to fat loss!
-What’s the worst-case scenario? Mixing alcohol with sugary beverages
promotes even further fat gain due to the resulting insulin surge that triggers fat
storage (e.g. regular beer or cocktails mixed with regular soda and/or fruit juice)
The Bottom Line
If you want to be lean, you must minimize ALCOHOL consumption!
If you must drink:
a.) Choose wine or hard liquor and “light” beer
b.) Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 days per week with a 1-2 drink per day max
References:
Campbell and Volek, “TNT Diet: Targeted Nutrition Tactics”
2.) Quit being such a pansy and work your lower body
Most dads just want to do the typical meathead workout that emphasizes the upper body only. If you are going for the Johnny Bravo look where you are built up top with chicken legs for wheels, then keep doing what you’re doing.
However, it is important to note that strong, muscular legs are the key to torching your gut. After all, the majority of your body’s muscle mass, and thus metabolism, is contained within your lower body. Not working your legs is like going to a gun fight without a gun, and here’s why:
a.) Training your whole body (legs included) not only helps you burn more calories each workout, it also maximally depletes your body’s glycogen stores (the sugar in your muscles) to allow for more total body fat burning
b.) The more lean muscle mass you have in your lower body the more calories your body will be burning 24-7-365 outside of your workouts
c.) Whenever you work your legs you generate the largest increases in natural anabolic hormone levels which translates into more total body muscle and less ugly, unwanted body fat
So if you want better abs, you better start using those legs! This can be easily accomplished with 3 total body workouts per week that train your upper body, lower body, and core within the same workout.
3.) Do something besides bench presses and curls
Look- I get why guys don’t want to train their legs. Unless you are wearing a speedo, no one is going to see them! So there is simply not as much motivation to put the time and effort into your lower body as there is for your upper body which is always on full display at the beach or poolside.
Nothing beats a little chest and bi’s baby!
However, if you are trying to develop a really nice upper body, you need to start venturing outside the realm of bench presses and curls. Don’t forget, you do have muscles on the backside of your body too!
In fact, your lats (the wings that extend from your arm pit to the bottom of your rib cage) are the biggest muscles in your upper body and when developed they really help promote that V-shaped torso that both makes your waist look smaller and your wife happy
Bruce Lee- The Lat Master Himself
Start doing at least the same amount of pulling as pushing (if not more) unless you want to end up like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Quasimodo did way too many bench presses and curls… not too sexy!
Lastly, only do isolation movements like bicep curls if you have extra time after your main workout. Compound movements like rows and pull-ups work your biceps just as hard and since they allow for the use of heavier loads, they also provide a better growth stimulus to maximize results in minimal time.
4.) Don’t eat like those idiots from NutriSystem
Here’s my take on how NutriSystem was created:
“I’ve got an idea for an incredible product and marketing campaign:
Let’s gather a group of genetically gifted former professional athletes that have put on some pounds since ending their playing days. We’ll have them all get their asses kicked by top personal trainers while following a restricted calorie diet so we lean them out real nicely.
But then we lie to the overweight male coach potato consumer and tell them that they got these results from eating the same food they are currently eating- you know, pizza, lasagna, sweets, etc. Except we’ll make the meals the size of a dime so they can still technically eat what they want and lose weight at the same time.
To make it even better, we’ll pre-package all of their meals for them to buy from us so these lazy bastards don’t have to do anything besides nuke it up and eat it!
We’ll make millions!”
Laces Out Dan!
Well, that’s exactly what has happened- thousands of sports-loving, ESPN-watching dads have been swindled to buy into this gimmick that you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight without exercise- because Dan Marino did it!
Look- if you honestly think you can keep eating the same foods that got you that gut in the first place, then I’m not sure how much more I can help you. And yes, there is portion control within the system, but to me it’s a like a big terd versus a small terd… IT’S STILL A TERD!
5.) Accept the fact that you probably need some professional fitness advice
One of my superstar clients lost 105 lbs of fat. He’s a busy executive and father of 4 in his 50’s and he spent 20+ years doing everything wrong from both a training and nutrition perspective until he met me. I interviewed him one time and asked him what his best advice was for people that are in the same position today as he was before he transformed himself and this is what he said:
“What you don’t know will hurt you, but what you think you know will KILL you!”
Seek out a fitness expert like busy dad Michael did and get life-changing results!
Dads- quit being so stubborn and macho. It doesn’t make you any less of a man to hire a personal trainer or join a boot camp because your wife and her lady friends do it. In reality, your wife (and women in general) are simply smarter than you because they effectively outsource their fitness needs to an expert whereby you try to re-invent the wheel on your own with little to no results.
If you want to lose your gut, follow the lead of the ladies
6.) Make the time for a 5-minute warm-up
You simply can’t afford to NOT warm-up. It’s like pushing the pedal to the medal in the dead of winter in your frozen car- things just don’t work right and you’re not going anywhere.
A cold body, like a cold car, doesn’t run on all cylinders
It only takes about 3-5 minutes to lengthen your muscles and lubricate your joints to best prevent injury and ready your body for a more effective workout, so don’t skip the warm-up!
Below is a great 5-minute body weight warm-up we use in our boot camps:
Alternate between 50 s of work and 10 seconds of rest for each exercise in the following warm-up circuit:
1- Stationary Running
2- Jumping Jacks
3- Lunge, Reach and Twist (left leg)
4- Lunge, Reach and Twist (right leg)
5- Push-up Walkouts
7.) The “no pain-no gain” attitude will leave you a bitter, crippled, and grumpy old man
The “no pain, no gain” methodology is quite possible the most abused practice in fitness. Pain is a good thing as long as it’s the right type of pain as outlined below:
When exercise BURNS YOUR MUSCLES that’s a good pain- this means you are pushing past your comfort zone to inspire change, working with intensity to torch calories and build muscle, and burning sugar so your body can burn fat for hours and hours after your workout.
When exercise HURTS YOUR JOINTS that’s a bad pain- it means you are quickly wearing down the structural integrity of your joints and will soon be unable to do anything without pain or stiffness. This is most often caused by a combination of using too heavy of loads, poor exercise form and technique, strength imbalances, and lack of mobility and/or flexibility- more reason to heed Tip#5 and seek professional help!
I have worked with too many dads who have beaten their bodies down and nothing’s more depressing than a dad who can’t play with his kids or participate in recreational activities with his buddies. Do yourself and your family a favor and stop being such a meathead when it comes to exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to hurt to get results and nobody wants another grumpy AND injured old man
Happy Father’s Day! I love you Dad. You mean everything to me
Mark
PS- If you are a father who is ready to make some changes, please make a comment to this blog post below to let the world know about it.
PPS- Want to have a FREE Summer of Fitness? Call me (972-390-7161) today to find out how you can get in the best shape fo your life over the summer.
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