I train in an abandoned high school weightroom. There are no machines, no mirrors, no water fountains, no bathrooms, and no straight bars. There are, however, plenty of mice.
The closest "real" gym in 20 miles away from me. But I'm not complaining, at least not too much. I'm in the best shape of my life, much better shape than I was in when training in a shiny franchise gym. Problem is, the old weightroom is such a wreck that the door sometimes breaks and can't be opened. That, folks, is redneck ghetto.
So far this week, I haven't been able to get into the weightroom. That sucks, but it's also kinda cool. Why? Because it's forced me to train in a different way in a different location. I've had two amazing workouts this week -- workouts I would've never gotten if the damn gym door had been working.
I'm currently using an upper body / lower body split, so my upper body "no gym" day looked like this:
Take gymnastic rings to the park along with a few Olympic plates (25 and 45 pounds). Set up rings on the monkey bars.
1) Pull-ups
2) Inverted rows
3) Dips
4) Suspended push-ups / inverted flyes (as you fail with the flyes, switch to push-ups mid-set)
5) Twisting close-grip pull-ups
6) Skin-the-cats (Picture a hanging leg raise where you keep going until your legs are behind your body and you're upside down; lower slowly while trying not to shoot a kidney out of your ass.)
The Olympic plates are held between my legs for extra resistance on many exercises.
Lower body day was performed half in my garage and half in my backyard:
1) Dumbbell deadlifts
2) Dumbbell stiff-leg deadlifts
3) Short stroke lunges (quad emphasis)
4) Calf raises
5) Ab roller, a.k.a. the "Evil Wheel"
A little jump roping rounded out the workouts.
Not surprisingly, I'm very sore. While soreness isn't the goal, it does tell me that I worked my body in a way that it wasn't used to. I threw it for a loop, and that usually results in continued progress.
What strikes me as kinda funny is that some people would've used the broken door as a perfectly good reason to skip their workouts. It's amazing how easy it is to find excuses when you don't want to do it anyway. It's like "forgetting" about a dentist appointment for some people: easy to do since you don't want to go in the first place.
Then there are "fanatics" like us, who'll find a way to train regardless of the circumstances. I think this signifies the transition from "person who exercises but hates it and usually quits" to "person who makes this a permanent lifestyle change." For us, we'd no more skip a workout than skip brushing our teeth.
And the truth is, sometimes we learn a lot when things go wrong. Ever stay at a hotel where the "complete fitness center" turns out to be two treadmills (one broken) stuffed into a closet? You find new and interesting ways to train real fast. My broken door problem reminded me of the value of ring training, plus it forced me to perform exercises I haven't done in a long time, such as dumbbell deadlifts.
Henry Kaiser, the industrialist, once said that trouble is only opportunity in work clothes. I believe it. I value it. I kinda even look forward to it. So should you.
Join date: Mar 2003
Location: Nevada, USA
Posts: 1150
Motivation creates opportunities and spark the imagination.
You created a $10 glass of lemonade out two dried up lemons, a few cubes of ice, a cup of water and a half a pack of NutraShit.
You have me thinking about how I can get in good workouts while in Kauai next week while staying at a golf course condo with no fitness center. Dips, pullups, handstand push ups, suitcase walking lunges sound about right to me.
Shugs wrote:
I think this signifies the transition from "person who exercises but hates it and usually quits" to "person who makes this a permanent lifestyle change." For us, we'd no more skip a workout than skip brushing our teeth.
I know it's seen as a lazy/newbie/annoying/begging thing to ask but I'd love to see this particular transition thing looked at more. It's the one I have most trouble with and I think one that you and Dan John in particular on this website are most qualified to deal with and examine.
It's got to be trainable. Many people when asked about how to effect said transition are told to "just do it", "suck it up", "quit talking and start doing" or some other appropriate phrase. However, I think that's like telling someone just to squat more weight. I know what the idea behind it is but I still think something's being skipped over that could make for a good article.
I work out regularly, I have all the information I need, and I believe in the mission statement or philosophy espoused on this site. I "know" much of what I need to do. Yet I would hesitate to stand up as a shining example of what T-Nation stands for. The transition above is something that I have not yet effected successfully in my life. It's something I batter against, instead of it being a part of me. I'm closer to it than ever before but it still eludes me.
I guess I'm saying if you ever decide to do an article on it, you'll have one reader for sure.
Join date: Feb 2003
Location: Florida, USA
Posts: 1108
Gotta agree with flynniec6. What happens to a person to make the transition to "fitness as a lifestyle"? There has to be some kind of positive reinforcement behind it. What is it?
We study abnormal psychology a lot. Instead, what is the psychology of success?
Last week for the first time I can remember I got in some kind of workout every single day of the week, alternating weights with energy systems work. Now I just need to keep it up. Hope I don't lose the attitude.
Join date: Sep 2003
Location: Oklahoma, USA
Posts: 235
Yorik et al,
I think that y'all might be overcomplicating the issue.
Find a goal. You'll know it's the right goal when you HAVE to plan rest.
For some it's the whole chick magnet deal. That works for my younger bros rather well. For me it's strength. Brutal, raw, unrelenting, applicable strength. I work myself into the dirt trying to be stronger in a real-world applicable fashion. I picked a sport that (I think) requires that sort of strength. Highland Games.
I liked strongman comps before the advent of belts and groove briefs to cover the events. I don't want to compete in any venue where you need equipment other than whatever is being lifted, or thrown.
This transition phase thing is an interesting topic. I could possible get an article out of it. Just some thinking out loud comments:
First, let's define what we mean here.
The "Before Transition" Person: They train and eat right but not consistently. They force themselves to do it but they really don't enjoy it or perhaps they don't feel rewarded. It's not a lifestyle or habit yet, and any little thing can throw them off the program.
The "After Transition" Person: Gets anxious if he or she can't get to the gym. Eats right and enjoys it more than eating crap. Loves training. Doesn't really need motivated to do it, just enjoys doing it.
Some thoughts:
1) It's normal to have many false starts: you get into it (training and eating right and taking supplements) then you get out of it, then back into it, then out of it, etc.
No one jumps into it with both feet either. Most men take up lifting first, then worry about diet later, usually only after they see they have to worry about it to make progress. It takes a while to get everything going at once. There's a learning curve. BTW, most women do the opposite: diet only at first, then training, if they ever even reach that step.
2) The Reward Factor: In spite of how we're always shown amazing "before and after" photos that only take a few weeks, it's much tougher than that for most people. Fast transformations are possible, but most people in the pre-transition phase don't have the knowledge or discipline to do it yet.
So basically, it takes a while for the rewards to start showing up. Example: If you're overly fat, then it's hard to get excited about ab training. Why do those tough Thibaudeau ab programs if you can't see anything? Well, you should for many reasons, but the fact is that most people have a hard timing doing something if they never see the reward.
But what happens when the guy who's never had visible abs suddenly has a four pack? He doubles his ab training (and probably dieting) efforts! We must have that positive reinforcement to keep going and make it a lifestyle. But that reinforcement (seeing results in the mirror, for most people) takes some time.
I swear, if I were a personal trainer I'd pay a pretty girl to make a nice comment to my male clients every three weeks, and vice versa. That little bit of reinforcement would keep them on track!
Sidetrack: Why aren't you getting that reward then? Well, if you're not seeing results, then the cause is probably one of these:
a) Poor training, maybe half-hearted, maybe just going through the motions, maybe missing key elements.
b) Poor diet, keeps you overly fat or overly skinny, not supportive of your goals, maybe you think you can train hard enough so that diet doesn't matter.
c) Unrealistic expectations, you expect it to happen too fast or with only a little effort. This is the "infomercial effect": the false idea that you can get what you want in an easy workout that takes four minutes a day. Or for bodybuilders, the false idea that you can look like Mr. O without drugs, great genetics, and making it a full-time job.
3) Reality Check: I think a complete transition may take years. Maybe some people are born with it, and maybe they've been athletic since high school and never quit working out afterward. But I don't think this is where most people are.
I'll use myself as an example. I had several false starts. I focused too much on either training or diet while neglecting the other, for years! I have only recently conquered my cravings for bad foods and my habit of pigging out on the weekends. (The Velocity Diet was a big part of this.)
Now, some bad habits can be replaced by good ones in as little as 21 days. But I have a theory that you can only cure one thing at a time. You can't drop all bad habits in one 21 day period.
In short, the transition is a slow and step-by-step process. So what many people are commenting on in this thread is actually not a personal failure, but a pretty normal pattern.
How's that? Any more questions? Really, this is a great topic and questions may help me do an article on this.
I'm actually speaking on this subject this week (staff training). It's more on how to get inside a clients head to really get results.
AC
www.alwyncosgrove.com
Chris Shugart wrote:
This transition phase thing is an interesting topic. I could possible get an article out of it. Just some thinking out loud comments:
First, let's define what we mean here.
The "Before Transition" Person: They train and eat right but not consistently. They force themselves to do it but they really don't enjoy it or perhaps they don't feel rewarded. It's not a lifestyle or habit yet, and any little thing can throw them off the program.
The "After Transition" Person: Gets anxious if he or she can't get to the gym. Eats right and enjoys it more than eating crap. Loves training. Doesn't really need motivated to do it, just enjoys doing it.
Some thoughts:
1) It's normal to have many false starts: you get into it (training and eating right and taking supplements) then you get out of it, then back into it, then out of it, etc.
No one jumps into it with both feet either. Most men take up lifting first, then worry about diet later, usually only after they see they have to worry about it to make progress. It takes a while to get everything going at once. There's a learning curve. BTW, most women do the opposite: diet only at first, then training, if they ever even reach that step.
2) The Reward Factor: In spite of how we're always shown amazing "before and after" photos that only take a few weeks, it's much tougher than that for most people. Fast transformations are possible, but most people in the pre-transition phase don't have the knowledge or discipline to do it yet.
So basically, it takes a while for the rewards to start showing up. Example: If you're overly fat, then it's hard to get excited about ab training. Why do those tough Thibaudeau ab programs if you can't see anything? Well, you should for many reasons, but the fact is that most people have a hard timing doing something if they never see the reward.
But what happens when the guy who's never had visible abs suddenly has a four pack? He doubles his ab training (and probably dieting) efforts! We must have that positive reinforcement to keep going and make it a lifestyle. But that reinforcement (seeing results in the mirror, for most people) takes some time.
I swear, if I were a personal trainer I'd pay a pretty girl to make a nice comment to my male clients every three weeks, and vice versa. That little bit of reinforcement would keep them on track!
Sidetrack: Why aren't you getting that reward then? Well, if you're not seeing results, then the cause is probably one of these:
a) Poor training, maybe half-hearted, maybe just going through the motions, maybe missing key elements.
b) Poor diet, keeps you overly fat or overly skinny, not supportive of your goals, maybe you think you can train hard enough so that diet doesn't matter.
c) Unrealistic expectations, you expect it to happen too fast or with only a little effort. This is the "infomercial effect": the false idea that you can get what you want in an easy workout that takes four minutes a day. Or for bodybuilders, the false idea that you can look like Mr. O without drugs, great genetics, and making it a full-time job.
3) Reality Check: I think a complete transition may take years. Maybe some people are born with it, and maybe they've been athletic since high school and never quit working out afterward. But I don't think this is where most people are.
I'll use myself as an example. I had several false starts. I focused too much on either training or diet while neglecting the other, for years! I have only recently conquered my cravings for bad foods and my habit of pigging out on the weekends. (The Velocity Diet was a big part of this.)
Now, some bad habits can be replaced by good ones in as little as 21 days. But I have a theory that you can only cure one thing at a time. You can't drop all bad habits in one 21 day period.
In short, the transition is a slow and step-by-step process. So what many people are commenting on in this thread is actually not a personal failure, but a pretty normal pattern.
How's that? Any more questions? Really, this is a great topic and questions may help me do an article on this.
Join date: Nov 2004
Location: California, USA
Posts: 314
This is a great topic and one that strikes close to home.
As a FFB, I've had my share of false starts, yo-yo diets, Tony Little, bad advice, Atkins, spin class; the list could go on. I now find myself in the "gotta train" catagory where I get downright sullen if I can't get to the gym. I even hate it when I can't get my morning walk in becasue I have too much to do at work. In that case, I find myself doing some GTG work on push ups, squats, maybe some sit ups, and lots of flexibility work (I just started reading some of Mike Robertson's articles. . .outstanding results already). In all, gotta train.
I can't say where the transformation took place, but I do know that information had an awful lot to do with it. This site has been a watershed of information that has helped the transformation. I have also gained great insight from Crossfit and their WOD's. By the way, your 2 day "locked out" experience seems the essence of Crossfitting.
Ring work, dumbbells, complex lifts; right up the Crossfit alley.
As FDR said: "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." (or something to that effect)
Thanks Mike Burgener for the quote.
Side note: If you want to start the transformaton, go on vacation; take pictures of yourself, preferably in a swimsuit; develop pictures; be disgusted. Keep looking at the pictures. I do.
Join date: Feb 2005
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 7321
I would say that a small percentage of people are actually in that "after" transition phase. This the phase where you almost get withdrawl if you don't go to the gym; convulsions, shakes, sweats, etc.
Kidding. But there is a withdrawl if I don't work out for a couple days. I don't feel like I'm doing what I should be doing, and I am certainly irritable. I feel bad for eating McDonald's at any time.
Since I started working out, I have not taken "time off". I'm either gaining or maintaining, or changing my goals. I might be off the 1 rm goal, and onto the 80 straight pushups goal, or the one arm, one leg pushup goal. But I can't stop completely.
Join date: Jun 2004
Location: New York, USA
Posts: 1528
I'd probably skip brushing my teeth than a workout. Hope it's a good thing. But it's totally true that you would never invent such new and intresting ways to train if not for the actual limitations. Whenever that happens it's like some kind of instinct awakens in me and I end up being shocked at how I managed such simple yet brilliant ways to get a good workout. It's sometimes even disappointing that I couldn't come up with the stuff earlier, but that's how it works - response to a need.
The "Before Transition" Person: They train and eat right but not consistently. They force themselves to do it but they really don't enjoy it or perhaps they don't feel rewarded. It's not a lifestyle or habit yet, and any little thing can throw them off the program.
The "After Transition" Person: Gets anxious if he or she can't get to the gym. Eats right and enjoys it more than eating crap. Loves training. Doesn't really need motivated to do it, just enjoys doing it.
It is very interesting topic. I have never had a problem with mental transition. I started to be interested in improving my physique very late (at the age of nearly 40) and I have gained an attitude towards training and nutrition of that "After Transition" Person above very fast. I do everything I can to eat right. I love training and never miss workouts. I have quit smoking after 20 years just by saying "Okay, that's the last one, now I quit". I never need additional motivation, I do my best and always try to learn new things, expand my knowledge and use it in my training and nutrition. So mental transition which seems to be a problem of majority of people I see around was an easy part for me. The real struggle is physical transition "from scrawny to brawny" since results are coming very, very slow despite of all efforts made. Maybe I have just started that transformation too late in my life, or maybe I'm still making training and nutritional mistakes, but I'm sure there is no way back to lousy eating and couch potato behavior. I hope one day physical transformation will simply follow mental transition, sooner or later ...
Okay, you folks have inspired me to write an article on the "transition." If it's not TC's cup o' tea, then I'll just post it here since there seems to be some interest.
Join date: Feb 2005
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 7321
Chris Shugart wrote:
Okay, you folks have inspired me to write an article on the "transition." If it's not TC's cup o' tea, then I'll just post it here since there seems to be some interest.
Thanks!
Excellent! I think it will be the kind of article that will push people towards that transition....cause we know how you love sarcasm. Thanks!
Join date: Jun 2004
Location: California, USA
Posts: 3398
I've actually been thinking about writing an article to submit for a while. I was going to call it "Becoming Hardcore" or "The hardcore transition", something to taht effect. Its basically about what we've been talking about... Starting off at one point and working your way up to the crazy mothers we have on this site.
Steps:
1 and 2 - Training and eating healthy, depending on the person, one usually comes before the other.
3 - Frequent eating, slowing easing into eating every 2-3 hours.
4 - Following a written training program . Trainee no longer just works out, he/she adds structure to program and makes sure he/she progresses each week.
5 - Starts logging food intake and training in a journal.
Yadda yadda until you get the people who eat stuff they don't even like for nutritional value. The road to hardcore has begun.
I think I'm going to focus my article on the idea of reinforcement. After all, what better way to become hardcore in your efforts than to start seeing results?
The trick is to have realistic expectations, and be able to measure or see the payoff.
Well, first, I'm delighted that it's not just me that would like to see a bit more on this subject. I've gone through a number of false starts too, although I notice that each subsequent start is more intelligent and for better reasons each time. Maybe there's something there to explore more.
I was thinking about this transition subject a lot yesterday. I live in Spain, and one of the primary reasons for moving here was to learn the language. I was at a loose end and decided to take advantage of the time available. I've gotten to a decent level of conversational Spanish now.
I always feel that what you learn in one area can help you in another, so I started thinking more about the Spanish learning. What I concluded was that I could have paid someone to teach me in another country, gone to regular classes, studied and read, made Spanish-speaking friends and generally done everything available to people who want to learn a language these days. I'm resourceful and enthusiastic and I would have had no problem doing any and all of the aforementioned in an effort to become fluent.
But it would always have been an "extra effort" - something I did in addition to my life instead of something intrinsic to it. This is, I feel, the crux of the whole thing. By moving to Spain, I made it part of my life. I made Spanish language a part of me, something I did every day. In short, I became a person who speaks Spanish instead of being a person who is learning Spanish. That difference is still key. I think the effort involved in learning a language in the country itself is more than learning it in your country on your own terms, yet the perceived effort is less. I have reset my expectations. Whereas someone else may expect to endure an hour-long conversation class twice a week, I put in up to 12 hours daily without blinking. I had to work as hard as anyone else to get to that level, but the point is, it didn't seem like work at the time, just something that had to be done, like eating, sleeping and paying the rent. When it wasn't an option, it stopped being a debate.
I would hazard a guess that a similar situation from a bodybuilding and physical fitness point-of-view would have similar effects. Imagine getting a job with T-Nation, becoming room-mates with Berardi, spending your day assisting Dan John while running understudy to Cressey and Robertson. Just imagine it. Within 6 months I think most of us would be completely unrecognisable, and probably more physically advanced than we ever thought possible. What's more, we'd be damn happy about it, hitting the gym would never be open for debate or discussion, we would always be motivated and we would not be able to fathom a life without said training.
Most people can't do what I did for language learning, just drop and go. Similarly, most of us can't do the same for physical fitness, drop our current job and life obligations to centre everything around physical fitness. But I do feel that mentally that option is open to us, the idea that working out and dietary control can be viewed the same as eating, sleeping and paying the rent/mortgage. That they are something that you do, not something that you can or might or should do.
As I said, I am really looking forward to reading this proposed article, and I am also really glad that I am not the only one that feels like he's foundering when everyone else is screaming ahead full tilt. I'll be watching!
off topic: Hi Chris, I just wanted say that thanks to your articles die fatty die, and stay fatty and die i was motivated enough to lose a lil over 30 kg's (atm i weight 103 kg's).
on topic: what's your opinion on implementing gymanstic movements in muscle building routines (i'm talking about stuff like dips, handstand pushups on rings, planches and the such...)
Join date: Feb 2008
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 161
"I swear, if I were a personal trainer I'd pay a pretty girl to make a nice comment to my male clients every three weeks, and vice versa. That little bit of reinforcement would keep them on track!"
Wow! What truth behind this statement. Someone noticing your "ball-busting" efforts in the gym is a major factor in consistency and long-term commitment.
I still remember a few months back, when one of the gym hotties told me I was "lookin good." This has stayed with me and actually motivates me to work even harder!!!
This is a very interesting topic. Touching on your notes re: unrealistic expectations and reality checks....
I think I made it from the "before transition" phase to "after transition" relatively quickly, mostly because I took to lifting weights like a duck to water. But I think a huge factor in my persistence was constantly reminding myself that physique transformations happen on a scale of months and *years*, so even though I wasn't seeing daily changes as I looked in the mirror, I trusted that with time my hard work would pay off. Having more realistic expectations meant as the changes came I became hugely motivated to make the gym a permanent part of my life and continue to improve my nutrition.
