The site for East Coast Strongman

It`s the beginning of another year and the start of many good intentions on diet and exercise for the fat, lazy and out of shape.

The main stream organizations are busy printing newsletters and advise on how to get in shape and loose pounds: Top 10 Fitness Trends for 2004:'Faster-Quicker' Workouts for Mind and Body Predicted; How Anna Nicole Smith’s New Weight Loss Secretes Revealed......on and on ad nauseam.

And then there was the segment on 20/20 [or was it 60 Minute?] on Barbara Walters training with a personal trainer who has designed a new workout program for weight loss.

Look, there are No Secrets, No New Trends, Nor are there new workout programs. As always, someone is taking training and nutrition concepts that have been utilized for decades and put their name to it, marketed it and dazzled you with bull shit. Cha Ching$$$$

Here’s the deal: You are overweight, or out of shape or just not looking the way you would like to. You are that way by your own decisions. Your own behavior. You have eaten poorly, smoked, drank, sat on the couch for years. Scuffed at going to the gym and made excuses that you did not have the time for such dangerous hard work. Hell, all those people that go to the gym are just a bunch of stupid muscle heads with no brains. At first nothing was noticeable and you got by, but as time went on, the accumulative effects of your poor lifestyle showed. Suddenly, you were no longer the great body or bodiette of your younger years. Not only is your hair falling out or receding, but gravity is taking its toll and your ass is sagging and looking wrinkled and your getting "the apron". You were sure this all occurred over night. Rest assured, it did not. Remember I just used the word accumulative, and I meant it. Now with this in mind, do you truly believe you can unravel the damage of X amount of years in just one month.

You must get it in that hard head of yours and realize that it will take time, hard work and resolve, on your part to get your body back in shape. No, you will not look like you did at 19 but you will develop a fit, leaner and stronger body/physique.

Let us begin with a clarification to ease your now troubled mind. I just used the word "physique" and you totally freaked and turned out my message. Your brain is screaming "I don’t want a physique. I refuse to be a bodybuilder." It is a shame that the words physique and bodybuilder are taboo, conjuring up scary images of Dorian Yates or Nicole Bass.....hard core pro bodybuilders.

In fact [and I like to deal with facts not feelings] we all have "physiques" and all who work out are "bodybuilders", to a degree. The difference is the level to which you desire to take your physique. This is always your choice. The same reasoning applies to "strength". You have the option of developing your level of strength to that of the norm to that of the exceptional.

As an athlete and as a fitness professional, I find it baffling as to why so many people wish to be average or below. What ever has become of wanting to be above the average person. Why is it deemed as undesirable to have a good physique and above average strength level. Is it because your friends and associates will make snide remarks, as they sit on the other side of the table stuffing their fat face with donuts and junk foods. Is this what political correctness has done to the human spirit: making people ashamed to excel and be better than average.

So what do I suggest to those who need/want to get from below average to the norm. Hire a Credible trainer who will educate and set in motion an effective and [most importantly] basic core strengthening program. This trainer will design with you a diet you will be able to follow and will include teaching you how to manage your diet with your daily schedule.

For those with basic core training skills, today may be the day for you to start taking it to the next level.

If you have been training on your own, it would behoove you to get with a trainer who is knowledgeable and proficient with training techniques focusing on functional and structural training.

Buffy and Ken may have been adequate trainers to initiate you with the fundamentals and make you feel comfortable in the gym [which can be intimidating at first].

But to advance you may need to look for a trainer who will satisfy your continuing needs to make improvements.

Not all trainers are qualified to evaluate and expand on training. Certification cannot take the place of years of practical experience in the Iron Sports.

Remember this if nothing else when choosing a training: Marketing and BS will not give you results.

In other words, just because your trainer looks like he/she belongs in the fitness mag, doesn’t mean you will acquire fitness and a great physique by association. This trainer actually has to have the knowledge on how to make it happen. The question is, can they. Have they ever had to actually diet off 20-30 pounds of cellulite. Was she ever so weak that she could not press a 5lb dumbbell and had to work at getting strong enough to handle 25lbs. In other words: where did this trainer come from. What is his/her history/background. Will this trainer actually make you work, or are you just going to stand around being "friends" for the session. [You know, talk and no work].

Next point: The responsibility of your progress is not totally on the shoulders of the trainer.

90% is your responsibility. I have seen numerous people go from trainer to trainer looking for results, but never achieving any. Can these trainers be that incompetent. Somehow I rather doubt that. Here’s how it works:

You Must train regularly. Three days per week, is optimum.

Do Not expect results if you only train 2 to 6 days out of a month and than take time off to "let my body recover from all the hard work".

You Must actually show up for your training. Showing up 10 to 40 minutes late, leaving only 50 to 10 minutes to train is not going to give you an adequate work out. So stop blaming the trainer for your lack of success.

You Must actually work during a work out and put some effort into it.

You Must actually stick with your diet. This will take time and you must realize that you will not loose 10 lbs in a week. Hell, you will be lucky if you loose 10lbs in a month. When dieting correctly, you will average 1 lb per week. Success will only come if you are tenacious and unwavering. Remember you did not put all that fat on in one month so why do you believe you will loose it in one month or less.

It is up to you to change your life style and behavior. No one can do it for you. If others try to sabotage your efforts [as they will] it is up to you to be strong and resist.

If you do all the above and you are not getting the results, then you need to address your concerns with your trainer, and possibly move on.

It’s your choice. It’s business. It’s your cash, time and body. Make it happen.

Gayle Schroeder