We’re into the second week of the second month of 2010…

Have you followed though on your New Year’s Resolutions?

What about other training goals?

Did you even set any goals or write any Resolutions?

Don’t be embarrassed if you didn’t…many people get off track almost immediately after setting their goals and resolutions….

Many more don’t even get to thinking them through, let alone to writing them down…

I know what it’s like…

I would plan, and dream, and create the best goals you have ever seen. But it just never happened. Within a few weeks, ‘life as usual’ would derail the train…

Eventually I learned that ‘goal setting’ in of itself ain’t gonna get me what I want.

I realized I needed to consistently ‘check my bearings.’ Otherwise I’d go off course and end up stuck in a snowbank in Santa’s neck of the woods; instead of catching some rays in the Mayan Riviera.

Also, if you’re not in the ‘goal getting habit,’ starting small is a big help.

Something basic like, ‘Train 3 times per week’ or ‘Make every scheduled workout’ may seem a little ‘too small.’ But for someone who isn’t currently doing this, it’s one giant leap.

Trying to make such a drastic change can be too much.

Instead, a smaller goal can help you get the momentum going. Once you got that under control, set another one. Before you know it, those small steps add up to some real movement.

The last tip for today is an important one.

If you’ve gotten ‘off track,’ there’s no reason why you can’t get back on track starting today. All it takes is one decision. Then another one, and another one.

Maybe your original goal was too big…

Maybe you need to ‘check in’ on your progress more often…

Maybe you need a new plan…

Or maybe you just need to give yourself a good kick in the rear and get in gear.

Whatever it is, call it for what it is. Learn from it. And then just make one decision right now to get going in the right direction.

That’s it. No need to make it any more complicated…

Do this, and 2-3 weeks down the road, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the progress you make…

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

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Without wasting time, here’s where we left off in Part 2…

‘Which exercises did you cut out of the routine?’ Freddy asked

‘Ahhhh, the thick bar work and the pinch block.’ Jimmy sheepishly answered.

‘How come?’

‘Well. Um, I couldn’t use as much weight with the thick handle barbells. And I guess I kinda forgot about the pinch block.’

‘Kinda forgot, eh? It happens to the best of us kiddo.’ ‘What areas do these develop?’ Fred asked.

‘My hands. They give you a stronger grip, right?’

‘Right.’ Freddy assured him He then said ‘And where are you having difficulties now on the field Jimbo?’

Jimmy thought about it for a minute then said, ‘My grip?’

‘That’s right.’

‘You can be the strongest man this corner of the Milky Way. But without strong hands, you won’t be able to ‘express’ that strength in the ‘real world.’

Freddy continued his explanation…

‘You can have the upper body strength to bear hug your opponent, and the leg and back strength to drive him into the ground…

But if you can’t ‘keep a handle on him,’ he’ll slither away, and you won’t be able to put those powerful muscles to use…

Same goes for carrying the ball. Your legs and lungs might be powerful enough to bulldoze your way through the defensive line. ‘

But waltzing into the endzone without the ball in hand doesn’t put points on the board.’

‘Does that make sense?’

‘Sure does…I guess I wasted a lot of training time…’ Jimmy lowered his head in embarrassment

‘Don’t think like that. And stop slouching. How d’you expect to get a rib cage like Park with you doing that all of the time?’

‘Do you think I can get a chest like Reg Park? Jimmy’s eyes widened at the possibility.

‘With the effort you’ve been putting in, and the progress you’ve been making, I sure do.’ Jimmy started to elevate off the old oak couch.

Then Freddy added, ‘I also think you could be on the starting lineup if you focus on your grip training too.’

Jimmy’s eyes were about fall out of his head.

‘But you have to work it as hard as any of the major lifts…

And don’t worry if the thick bar work limit the amount of weight you can handle. You’re not going to use them forever. And I don’t have you using them on every exercise…

Best part of all, when you go back to a regular barbell, it’s going to feel like a toothpick. You’ll swear that you’ll be able to mush it in your hands like warm butter…

You’ll also find that the weights you were using with a regular Olympic bar will feel lighter. They’ll almost feel ‘connected to your body,’ as if your hands were welded to them.’

How’s that sound?’ Freddy stated

‘Awesome. Like something out of a movie, or comic book.’ Jimmy was awestruck by what he could potentially become.

‘That’s right, like a comic book hero. Where do you think those writers got their inspiration from? I’ll tell ya, from real life men of might and strength.’

—————————–

In Part 4, Freddy will share a super effective grip routine that anyone can do, even with the most minimal amount of gear.

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

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I’ve seen some BS in my life…

But rarely do I see more of it than in the in the ‘Health and Fitness’ industry.

Yep, we got everything from contraptions designed to ’take the strain out of crunches, to concoctions that miraculously melt away flab, while still allowing us to stuff our faces with refined sugar and bricks of butter..

When you stop and think about it, it’s ridiculous.

So why in the world do we still see these stupid claims?

Because these products and their ads sell ‘easy’ as well as ‘seks’. (in case you were wondering, the funny spelling was done on purpose.)

Who doesn’t want those two?

It’s an easy sell, and since the majority of people want them, that’s what we get.

Problem is, those of us who want real strength, health, performance, and all of the other stuff you gotta ‘work’ for, we’re left scratching our heads.

There just isn’t that much quality information out there.

Take one good look at late night infomercials, muscle comics, fitness magazines, and the internet, if anything, things seem to be getting worse.

That’s why you need to be extra cautious about the ideas you let into your noggin’. If one takes root, it could be a ‘sonuva’ to remove.

But don’t take this to mean there isn’t any good info out there.

There’s a lot of great stuff out there. You just need to dig a little deeper to find it than back in the Golden Era of strength training.

What I’m trying to say is, don’t fall for all of those foolish promises you see out there.

If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. And chasing them is only going to make you tired, frustrated, and waste a ton of time.

Be careful of whose Kool-Aid you drink

Everybody seems to be an expert these days. I’m not saying they’re lying, just be sure to take a close look at their advice.

And developing true super strength and conditioning requires plenty of hard work, buckets of sweat, and just as many brain cells…

A lot of people may not be up to it. And mainstream fitness and advertisers may make question ‘hard work.’

But you know truth; nothing takes the place of intelligent and consistent hard work…

And it’s worth every bit of it.

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

PS: Combining an effective training program with a customized nutrition plan is about the smartest thing you can do. The BodyDesign Nutritional System will show you how in a precise, step-by-step method.

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Let’s jump right in from where we left off in Part 1…

Freddy made his way over to the little fridge in his office. He reached in, and grabbed two of his famous chicken wraps.

He looked over at Jimmy and asked if he wanted one.

‘I’m good, I just had a shake.’ Jimmy replied.

It was a good thing too. Jimmy heard stories about Freddy’s mythical Homemade Spicy Sauce.  It could strip the powder coating of a power rack.

Freddy took the wrapping off his creation and bit into it.

‘Explain to me exactly what happens when you go for a tackle.’ He said in between chews.

‘Well, usually the guy slips by. It’s not too often you get a clean hit square on ya know?’

‘Ok, then what?’

‘Then I normally get a hold of him by a leg, arm, or the waist.’

‘Ok.’

‘I feel like I can usually take him down, but he manages to break free and get away.’ Jimmy explained.

He then went on to say…

‘Something similar always happens with the ball too. I feel like I can plow through the crowd. My legs and lungs can keep up. But more often than not, someone tears the ball away from me.

The pain of failure was evident in Jimmy’s face. He wasn’t taking this lightly.

After doing an Olajuwon jump hook and tossing the wax paper wrapper into the wastebasket, Freddy started on his second wrap.

Jimmy was a little confused because he swore he only seen Freddy take one bite out of his first one.

By this point, Freddy had heard enough. He had a hunch as to what was going on, and wanted to double check before saying anything.

‘Jimbo, I need to see your routine/’ Fred asked. You are following the routine I gave you, right?’

‘Sure am.’ Jimmy said proudly as he dug through his bag.

‘Here ya go.’ He cheerily said as he handed a crumpled up piece of loose leaf to Freddy.

‘mmhm. Uh huh.’ Freddy said as he looked over jimmy’s numbers.

‘What is it?’ Am I doing OK?’

‘Pretty darn good Jimbo. Your main lifts are up. Added 45 pounds to your squat. 30 to your bench, and 50 to your deadlift. Great job.’ Fred assured him.

Jimmy started to perk up.

‘But there is a little something…’

What is it?’ Jimmy asked

‘Well. I thought you said you were following the routine I gave you?’

‘I did. I am!’ Jimmy replied.

‘Maybe I should have added, Exactly as I laid it out?’ Freddy said back.

At this point, Jimmy realized he was doing something wrong.

‘Um…I cut out a few exercises…’

‘You sure did.’

—————————–

Find out in Part 3 what exercises he left out, and why they’re so important for maximum strength and performance…

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

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Uggghhh…Monday morning…

A whole work week before the weekend….

Four treacherous work filled days before Friday…

Like that even matters. Most of us don’t even get the weekends off anymore…

Man-o-man, we even got 48 hours, TWO WHOLE freakin’ days before ‘hump day’…

This sucks…somebody shoot me…FML…

All right… enough of that crap…

Can you imagine thinking like that?

I know a few people who do think like that. I also know people who can’t wait for Monday to come around.

Yeah, quite a few people would think of these types as ‘coo-coo.’ But then again, the ones pointing their fingers usually have the same mentality as up top.

The guys who can’t wait for Monday are ‘going places.’ They have something to do, people to see, and mountains to conquer. In fact, these people can’t wait to get going, regardless of the day.

Why?

Because they have goals, and see every day as a new possibility.

They see Monday as the beginning of 7 more days of opportunity they can use to work towards what they want.

And since it’s something they want, they enjoy it along the way (imagine that, actually enjoying your life and work!).

This goes for anything, including your training.

Just think, you can become stronger, faster, leaner, bigger, and better conditioned by the end of the week.

And that’s true regardless if you’re a greenhorn, or a grizzled lifter with years of experience under your belt.

If you’ve never trained before, by the end of the week, you can be well on your way to making drastic changes, fast.

If you do train, and last week wasn’t so great, don’t let your past dictate your future….

You have a fresh set of workouts before you. Get in and get work done, and by the end of the week, you’ll be back on track.

Looking to get lean? You can shed a few pounds by the end of the week. And that can represent somewhere around a percent of body fat.

1 percent may not sound like a lot, but it’s the difference between looking really good, and looking phenomenal.

If you’re thinking ‘yeah, but I got a lot to lose.’ That’s fine, just put one week in front of the other. Before you know it, you’ll be needing a new wardrobe.

Are you an experienced lifter?

If so, consistency is doubly important if you want continual progress. It’s one foot in front of the other…then BAM! A new PR…

Anyone of these workouts can lead to a new Personal Best.

Really think about this…

You have a week’s worth of opportunities to achieve what you want in life…how the heck can anyone dread Mondays thinking like this?

That’s 7 entire days, 168 hours, or 10.080 min for those analytical types.

That’s a whole lotta opportunity, and it’s yours for the taking…

All you need to do is; step up and TAKE IT!

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

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Jimmy moped his way into Freddy’s office.

Without looking up from his desk, Fred said ‘Hi Jimbo’

‘hey Freddy.’ Jimmy mumbled. ‘Howj’ya know it was me?’.

With his eyes still on his work, Freddy said ‘I could hear you draggin’ your feet from the changing room. You’re about the only one I know who does that.’

‘Oh…’ Jimmy said as he sunk into the oak framed couch in Fred’s office.

‘What’s your football coach think of that?’ asked Fred

‘About what?’

‘The foot draggin’. Walking like that can’t be too good for your agility on the field.’  Freddy explained

‘Ahhh it doesn’t matter…’ If you couldn’t tell before, it was now obvious, something was bother Jimmy

‘Freddy looked up from his stack of paperwork.

There are few things that bother Freddy enough to grab his attention. One in particular, is the sound of defeat in a person’s voice.

‘What is Jimmy Boy?’ ‘Got girl problems?’

‘No. No, of course not…’ Jimmy blurted out

‘Oh, of course not. How foolish of me to think such a thing.’ ‘So what’s up Don Juan?’ Freddy teased.

Jimmy looked up at Freddy who was now standing in front of him, leaning back on his desk.

‘Well.’ Jimmy started, ‘I’m getting next to no game time. And deservedly so…’ The boy hung his head in shame as he finished his sentence.

‘Really? That’s surprising. You’ve been putting in your time at practice and in here. It looks as if you gained the better part of 15 pounds of muscle during the off-season.’

Jimmy nodded his head in agreeance with Freddy.

‘I’ve seen what you’ve been lifting, and your numbers seem to be up across the board.’

‘Jimmy looked up at Fred and said ‘You’re right. I’m bigger, faster, stronger, and even in better condition. But I’m still not playing as good as I should be.’

‘What areas are giving you troubles?’ Freddy asked.

‘Well, I seem to lose the ball a lot.’

‘That’s not good’ muttered Freddy

‘I also have a hard time brining guys down.’

‘I find that hard to believe.’ Said Fred ‘I’ve seen many of the guys you play against. Quite a few of them train here. You’re just as strong as most of them, and even stronger than a few of ‘em.’

—————————–

That’s it for today. In part 2, Freddy will continue the search for the ‘truth.’ Be sure to tear into it the moment it shows p in your inbox/

Eventually, Freddy will share a lesson that’ll improve anyone’s strength and performance, be it athletes, lifters, martial artists, or your average everyday Joe.

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

PS: Fuel your workouts, and get the nutrition you need to build larger, stronger, and more enduring muscles as fast as possible by following the step-by-step plans in the BodyDesign Nutritional System…

At the end of part 1, I mentioned how some explain massive gains in size to ‘natural growth spurts.’

What I’m referring to is how a young teenager’s physique develops as he matures into adulthood.

I bring this up because some people feel that squats are overtyped.

And you know what, trained the way they are nowadays, I might agree with the naysayers. Then again, you can’t blame the exercise for a lifter’s lack of effort.

Squats work as long as you work. Period.

And Hise is a perfect example of this.

Even though Hise went from 160 lbs to 229 lbs, he still wasn’t finished ‘growing’ yet.

By the time he was 26, he weighed 237 lbs at 5’10“. (I think we can all agree that most people are finished growing by the time they’re 26 years old. So any additional gains would be fat, or muscle gained from training.)

From there he kept squattin’ away until he reached a bodyweight of 298 lbs!

Even if the original 77 lbs he gained were all due to natural growth. (in other words, he would have grown to that size without any training), the next 70 lbs gained were almost certainly due to training. And in particular, squats.

By the time he reached nearly 300 lbs, Joe’s arm measured in at 19½ inches, his chest was 56 inches and his thighs were 33 inches. And it was all packed onto a 5’10” frame.

And like the others that followed his footsteps and had similar gains, they all swear that squats were the key to their success.

That’s how powerful this exercise is.

If you want to gain size, be it 10, 20. 50, or 100 lbs, and haven’t gotten serious about squats, it’s time to rethink you plan of attack.

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

PS: Squats are intense work, and a personalized meal plan will make sure you’re up to the challenge…

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I’ve been talking a lot about squats lately.

And it ain’t for lack of other exercises to talk about.

Honest to goodness squatting, the type you put your all into, will literally change your life.

They do so much for you, books could be written on this single exercise alone.

Before ‘hard work’ became obsolete, heavy squattin’ was practically a cure-all for lifters. They’ve even been known to ‘heal the sick,’ seriously.

In fact, one of the first 300 pound ‘mass monsters’ credited his gains to this one exercise.

His name was Joseph Curtis Hise, and he achieved this feat long before supplements, machines, steroids, or super scientific training routines were created.

Joe started way back in the early 1930’s. With the regular training routines of the day, he went from 160 lbs to 200 lbs before hitting a sticking punt.

After getting his mitts onto some articles about the ‘deep knee bend‘ written by Mark Berry, things started to ‘pick up’ for big ol’ Joe.

Inside of thirty days of dedicated training on an extremely abbreviated routine of overhead presses and squats, Joe packed on 29 extra pounds!

Think about what you’ve just read for a minute….

He already went from 160 lbs to 200 lbs. And I know some are going to say that growth spurts had to have something to do with it. I agree, as a person matures into ‘adulthood’ he will add weight.

That being said, I don’t think all of the mass he gained was due to ‘normal growth spurts. Then again, what do I know? Maybe it was.

But that ain’t the end of the story. Nope, not by a long shot.

I’ll finish off the story in part 2. You’ll be blown away by what JC accomplished. Keep your eyes peeled for it.

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

PS: Squats won’t do squat without the proper nutrition plan. At most, you’ll only get a fraction of the results you could when you combine proper squattin’ with a personalized meal plan.

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One of the most frustrating situations lifters find themselves in, are plateaus…

This is a period of time when progress screeches to a halt.

Most accept it as a part of training. They think it ’comes with the territory.’

Some guys never get past it. And as a result, they don’t get anywhere near achieving their potential…

For others, the frustration is unbearable. Eventually, they throw their hands up in defeat, quitting altogether.

But I don’t think plateaus need to be ‘inevitable.’

I strongly feel if you have the right training and nutritional knowledge, you can bypass them.

At the very least you’ll shorten the amount of time you spend in a plateau.

One way in particular is to switch up your training style.

More often than not, I see guys training in one particular way FOR-E-VER.

For example, always doing ‘bodybuilding’ workouts. You know, the whole 3 to 6 sets of 8-15 reps.

If that’s how you want to train, that’s fine. But training in that manner, or any other way all the time is a recipe for going stale.

To avoid going the way of expired potato chips, try cycling back and forth between ‘Power’ workouts, and ‘Bodybuilding’ workouts.

The simplest way to do this is the following:

Spend a training cycle working on your power. Focus on compound movements, limit isolation exercises, and use lower reps so you can really pile the iron on the bar.

Once that’s cycle is over, instead of going into another power routine, switch things up to a bodybuilding cycle. Focus on slightly higher reps, add some isolation exercises, and if you want, you can pay extra attention to any lagging body parts.

This also works with other training styles.

Regardless of the training methods you use, the idea here is to always be progressing towards your goals, and to avoid plateaus.

There are also other benefits from training like this. I’ll share them with you another time.

For now, if you find you’ve ‘plateaued,’ give this a chance. It’ll likely give you the shot you need to get the progress train chuggin’ along again.

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

PS: Poor nutrition is one of the biggest reasons for slow gains and plateaus in the gym. Get what you need to know about nutrition to put your training on the fast track…

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The week before last, I covered how people identify themselves with their past.

To most, this doesn’t seem like a big co-inky-dink.

I mean, if a person spent his whole life training, and taking care of his health, then he must be a healthy person, right?

And if another person spent his days plopped in front of the boob tube; stuffing cheezies and deep fried ice cream into his face, well then, he’s obviously a Lardassian.

I’m clearly not breaking any new ground by pointing this out.

And since we’re exposed to such sayings as, ‘the past is the best indicator of future performance.’  (a very valid one by the way) it’s no wonder people think they ‘are’ their ‘past.’

But like I said last time, your present actions affect your past, and your future.

In other words, what you do this moment, defines who you are. And what you do the next moment has the potential to define you yet again.

So you constantly have the opportunity to ‘recreate yourself.’

But if the above is true, (and yes, I do admit it sounds airy-fairy), why do people limit themselves with their past.

Why do some still believe, ‘I’ve always been overweight/weak/skinny/etc, so I’ll never be strong/muscular/lean/etc’?

Because as Mike Hayden pointed out, the mind is wired for the ‘survival of the being– or anything the being considers itself to be.’

So if you believe that ‘you are your past,’ your mind will do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of that past.

And that includes dragging it around, even if it’s painful, untrue, or limiting. It’ll also remind you as often as possible. (You wouldn’t want to forget who you ‘are,’ would you?)

So, if you’ve set some goals for the New Year, looking to make some real changes in your training or life, but find yourself having difficulties, take what we just covered into consideration.

If you find yourself ‘stuck in the past, ’ take your eyes away from the rearview mirror…

Instead, fix your attention on what you really want. Be it a bigger squat, greater muscle mass, a chiseled physique, or anything else you can think of.

Once you’re looking where you want to go, focus on your present actions.

Remember, each one is an opportunity to redefine who you are.

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

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