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Archives for February 2011

Working out for Muscle

February 28, 2011 by 3 Comments

Resistance training and lifting weights will produce a few major measurable changes depending on the workout protocol you are following including:

Rachel McLish Venus Index

Here is Rachel McLish the first Ms Olympia on the cover of Ironman magazine, over 40 years old looking amazing.

Increased Strength

Increased Endurance

Increased Strength-Endurance

Increased muscle size

Almost any resistance training program will produce some measurable changes in each of these categories. The specific set, rep, and rest scheme will determine to some degree which changes are maximized.

In general terms, as long as you’re lifting weight that is above approximately 40% of your 1-rep max you will be stimulating some degree of muscle adaptation in all of the above mentioned categories.

The specific set and rep ranges you  work within coupled with your genetically determined responsiveness will determine how fast and to what degree you will develop in each category.

Some people will react faster than others, some will respond to higher reps vs lower reps, but in general most people will have similar responses in the same rep and set ranges.

The specific sets and reps you choose to do will have less impact on your overall progress than your consistency and intensity.

In other words, working out consistently every week and pushing hard each workout is going to have a much bigger impact than trying to come up with complicated rep and set schemes to follow.

Changing from high to low rep ranges has less of an impact on your physiology than it does on your psychology.

Or said another way, most people just get bored doing the same rep and set ranges too often so they want something to change…but the reality is the same reps and sets can work if you just push through them.

As always the real test of your progress is your VI numbers and how close you are to your ideal VI (or your specific goal, whether that is a look, or performance or a combination of both).

The biggest benefit of mixing up set and rep ranges might just be to fight off boredom and make working out less monotonous and more interesting.

In today’s podcast we discuss sets and reps and the specifics of working out for muscle and if there are differences in men and women when it comes to strength training.

John

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Hot State Management – Getting Through Tough Times

February 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

We are getting into the thick of the transformation contest run, there is about 50 days to go and now is the time to remind yourself what your goals are and why you want to achieve them.

But with that said I want to make it clear that being in the contest isn’t about beating anyone else, it’s about doing the best you can do.

The point is to make a change that you want for yourself…it’s not about anyone else.

The contest is here to help give you some structure, some support, a defined deadline, and some people to work towards that deadline with.

Winning isn’t really about finishing in the money and claiming first prize, winning is proving to yourself that you can make it through to the end and see a real change in your body.

Your big win might be getting past your sabotage points and into new uncharted territory. Or maybe it’s just sticking to something for 12 weeks no matter what your measurements turn out to be.

The point is to build momentum and confidence that you can indeed change your body if you put your mind to it and prove to yourself that you can do it if you want to.

Winning or placing in the money in our contest is just the icing on the cake, but it shouldn’t be the only reason you’re making this change.

In today’s podcast we talk about “hot state management” and how controlling and getting through your hot states is going to be a major factor (and likely the biggest factor) to your success.

“Hot States” are moments or situations when you know you will likely not have enough control or ‘will power’ to stop from eating something or drinking something that isn’t inline with your goals. Some forward thinking and short term planning can help manage these states so you’re not at the mercy of your cravings and impulses.

Just remember that the real work happens when nobody is looking.

John

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How I lost 47lbs: Interview With Lisa Etwell

February 14, 2011 by 8 Comments

Millions of people say they want to lose weight, but only a few of them ever will. So what determines if you can successfully lose weight? The first step is accepting where you are, and the second is setting a goal, and finally taking action to achieve that goal.

My sister Lisa did just that and lost 47lbs in 2010.

Venus Index Lisa

In todays podcast Lisa will explain the mindset shifts that finally got her to take action and get in the best shape of her life. Her story is real and so are her results.

She reveals key insights including:

Accepting where you are to set a positive mindset to make a real change

Taking responsibility for her actions and her body

Realizing that changing your body has to be for YOU and nobody else

Putting food in its rightful place in her life

Learning what it means to be a good example to her kids

Lisa explains her fears and barriers about losing weight and her fears of even attempting to lose weight. She also talks about her sabotage point and getting past normal and going towards her new goal of achieving her ideal Venus Index ratio.

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How I lost 47lbs: Interview with Lisa Etwell

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Filed Under: fat loss, weight loss Tagged With: ,

Getting Over Your Sabotage Point

February 7, 2011 by 5 Comments

SABOTAGE!

Venus Index Sabotage Point

You’ll do it to yourself more than anyone else will do it to you. For some reason many of us have built in barriers that prevent us from reaching our goals. It could be something we learned as a child, or a social construct that keeps us from going outside of our comfort zone.

Whatever the reason we all seem to have a point that feels comfortable and then beyond that point is uncharted territory.

Moving past that comfort point and into that unknown is the sabotage point. In the case of your Venus Index transformation it’s a matter of taking your body to a level that you might not have believed is possible or to a level that you have never been before.

Some people might think there is something that is actually physically wrong with their body, but I assure you your body is working just fine.

The sabotage point is almost entirely a psychosocial phenomenon where social feedback and even the progress you see in the mirror and on the scale start to change.

Venus Index Reports Getting Over Your Sabotage Point

It can be tempting to just stop at your sabotage point because it feels ‘good enough’…but this is the time to rally more support and momentum to push past it and don’t stop until you’ve gone as far as you truly can go.

There is nothing stopping you from getting the body you want…except you. In today’s podcast we’ll talk about some of the reasons the sabotage point comes up and how to get past it once and for all.

John

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