Many people talk about wanting to lose weight and get in shape but struggle with finding the motivation to make it happen. Having something to prepare for, such as a wedding or a beach vacation, often helps people focus their energy and achieve the results that they desire.  These events can allow individuals to find a level of discipline with their exercise and nutrition that they had previously been unable to attain.  If you don’t have any upcoming events of personal importance, another way to harness that type of motivation is to find a challenge to commit yourself to.

Adventure races are a great way to help spur the motivation to get in the best shape of your life.  By incorporating physical barriers into a running course, these races force you to train for strength and agility as well as the cardiovascular component that comes with running a normal race.  This can help add a sense of excitement to your workouts knowing that you are training your body to overcome the real world obstacles that you will be encountering.

There are several upcoming adventure races in the northeast that you can sign up for including the 8 mile Tough Mudder in early May, the 3.2 mile Warrior Dash in August and the 3.2 mile Rugged Maniac in September.  If this is your first time trying one of these races you may want to start with one of the shorter ones to see if you like it.  I personally did the Rugged Maniac last year with some friends and we had a great time.  Be sure to incorporate hill running into your training as I found that to be the toughest part of the course.

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Everyone always wants to know what the best exercise routine or best diet is for reaching their goals.  The truth is that there is no one best path to success.  Each person is a different and can be successful on any number of different paths.  Which path you choose is less important than how you prepare for the journey.

The biggest reason that so many people fail to achieve the results they expect is that they underestimate what it will take for them to reach their fitness goals while at the same time overestimating the amount of work that they are putting into the process.  The problem is that we are constantly bombarded by the media with messages that losing weight and getting in shape is easy...just use our product.  Then in small print or a quick voice at the end of the commercial, you get the old disclaimer, "Individual results may vary".  The reality is that it is not easy to reach your goals; it requires hard work and dedication to achieve the kind of results that are being advertised by these companies.  I'm not pointing this out to discourage you from striving for those results.  I'm simply trying to help you keep your expectations realistic.  So now that you know what not to do, let's talk about how to get where you want to be. 

The first important part of being successful is recognizing the difference between a goal and a wish.  I'm sure you've either heard or said one or more of the following: "I wish I could win the lottery", "I want to lose 30lbs", "I wish I could find a better job". Basically, a wish is something that you want to happen to you.  There's not a lot of thought or planning put into a wish.  You may go out and buy a lotto ticket, start arbitrarily exercising, or post your resume on a job site, but at the end of the day you're putting little effort and perhaps misdirected energy into the process and hoping for the best.  Conversely, a goal involves a great deal of planning and personal investment in order to make it a reality.  For more info about the importance of goal setting or how to set proper goals check out these articles: To succeed in weight loss you will need: Goals and Setting S.M.A.R.T Goals

The next thing that you will need is to be able to tap into your own individual motivations.  I often encounter people that tell me that they want to work with a trainer because they need someone to motivate them to want to get in shape.  I always explain that motivation comes from a desire to make a positive change in your life.  That is not something that can be given to you; it must come from within.  As a coach, I help people uncover their motivation and better harness it, but I can't make anyone want to improve themselves.  The way to maximize your motivation is to find the root of why you want to achieve your goals.  Spend some time identifying those deeper reasons then use them to drive the daily decisions you make regarding exercise and nutrition.  For more help with motivation check out my articles on Willpower.

Finally, the most important part is not to get caught up in your outcome goals. As I discuss in Psychology of the Scale, if you lose weight the right way through increasing your metabolism, your results won't always be reflected day to day on the scale. This is why you must focus on the process not the outcome. Work on the things that you can control including daily behaviors such as the amount and type of food you eat and how much effort you devote to exercise.  If you are successful in setting and achieving goals in these areas week after week then the outcome goals will take care of themselves.

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Group 1 (repeat 3x with 30sec or less rest between super sets)

a)      Body Weight Rows - to failure each set (can be done with a TRX or ropes if available)

b)      Cable Judo Twist - 12 reps per side

Group 2 (repeat 3x with 30sec or less rest between super sets)

a)      Single Arm Cable Row -12 reps per arm (if you can't balance on one leg hold a lunge position with the back leg on the ground)

b)      Box Jumps (as high as you can) -15 reps

Group 3 (repeat 3x with 30sec or less rest between super sets)

a)      Rope Pull Ups - failure each set

b)      Body Weight Hindu Squats -12 reps (if knee issues: replace with standard body weight squats keeping your weight back on your heels)

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Here's the first of many Rugged Workouts of the Day.  These will be accompanied by video demonstrations as soon as I get up to speed on editing video from my new Flip Cam.  In the mean time if you have any questions about any of the exercises feel free to email me: brian@areyourugged.com. 

Always use resistance that allows for clean safe form on all exercises.

First Super Set - repeat 3x with 30sec or less between each set
a) 12 reps Push Ups or Bench Press @65% of 1RM
b) 8 reps each leg - Barbell Overhead Walking Lunges
    (core tight & shoulder packed)

Second Super Set - repeat 2x with 30sec or less between each set
a) 12 Push Ups or Bench press @65% of 1RM
b) 8 reps each arm - Single Arm Barbell Overhead Walking Lunges
    (use about 50-60% of the weight you did with 2 arms)

Third Super Set - 3x (a-12rep + b; a-10rep + b; a-8rep + b) 30sec or less rest
a) 12, 10, 8 Pyramid - Get Up Sit Up (increase wt each set)
b) 12 - Dips (can be assisted, body wt, or resisted depending on your strength level)

Finish with:
3 sets of 6 reps/arm of Single Arm Barbell Clean & Press
Shown in this video.  Adding the overhead squat is optional.

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Before we get into the actual battle between nature and science, let's first define the purpose of a sports drink. Wikipedia gives a great explanation: "A sports drink is a beverage designed to help athletes rehydrate, as well as restore electrolytes, carbohydrates, and other nutrients, which can be depleted after training or competition. Electrolyte replacement promotes proper rehydration, which is important in delaying the onset of fatigue during exercise." Couldn't have said it better myself. Electrolytes include sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and other minerals vital to proper body function. When you sweat you lose these minerals along with water, which is why it is so important to replace them when rehydrating from prolonged intense exercise. Drinking water alone will not replace these electrolytes and can lead to muscle cramps, increased fatigue and in extreme cases death. 

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