Are You Following THIS Fitness Formula?

Everyone likes to say “I workout”. It sounds impressive and something you’re suppose to do.

But the reality is completely subjective and debatable. It’s more of saying the right things and wanting to fit in verbally claiming to do the right things.

Yet how does this attitude really play out in your body? Are you really in shape, getting in shape or are these just mere poser words?

 

I had a great test this weekend with my 11 year old son. We went to a large park as a family where the little ones played on the swings, some played sand volleyball and my oldest son was dying to get on the basketball courts to run with the big boys. Doing some scouting while we were waiting for “next” (game), I noticed two immediate observations:

• these guys could play I mean really play
• every single one was at least half of my age

I couldn’t wait for next and to play with my 11 year old son. This was going to be a good test for both of us.

Finally our time came. We picked up three extra guys and it was go time.

The first couple of points everyone is figuring out who they’re guarding and who can really play. Myself included. My son was quickly catching on to big boy street rules.

But as the game progressed, I could use my size and strength to make a difference in the game. My endurance allowed me to keep up and to be honest, it felt so good at my age.

As the game grew in score and intensity, more guys around the other courts came to watch this close, intense game.

While some other guys were tiring, I was able to stay strong and the onlookers enjoyed watching the “old white guy” take the young ballers down.

I was SO proud of playing with my son (who held his own and did great!) And it felt great to be in shape to still play street / playground ball at 45!

How did this happen? I’ve committed to not being the person who “says” they workout and could back it up with guys half my age. But this didn’t happen by accident or overnight.

Let me give you a formula:

FREQUENCY

To say you officially workout, here are some general guidelines:

20 min (minimum and no breaks) or 30 min (preferred)
3 days a week (minimum) to 4 to 5 days (preferred)

You simply have to commit to showing up for a certain amount of time over a certain amount of days. No questions asked.

There is power in the momentum of Frequency and it’s the first “must have” in the formula.

INTENSITY

I’ve worked out with SO many people who prefer “hanging out” more than “working out” during their fitness time and sadly, their results are obvious.

Just watching them check their phones, go to get a drink of water after every single set, chat or make a phone call, etc. just absolutely tanks my energy level. I can only imagine the little results that come from their lack of intensity. (if it’s not physically obvious)

They’re underestimating the power of Intensity. You lose all momentum of Frequency is you dog it on Intensity.

FOCUS

Most do not focus when they workout. It’s more of a “la de da” time then really focusing on the overall workout, each set, and even to each rep. I subscribe to the philosophy of No Rep Left Behind to achieve maximum results. This alone will allow you to see gains in your workouts.

Focus starts with the following:

scheduling the workout
preparing physically for the workout – clothes / going to the gym or prepping the DVDs
preparing mentally for the workout – getting yourself in a mindset of making the most of the workout

Focus requires going in with a plan and getting it done. You know exactly what you need to do next and you follow the plan.

It seems so basic yet few really Focus and miss the reward of…

Fitness Results

IF you’re going to take this time, why not actually see tangible results?

And IF you do this formula, you will see results.

This is the overall goal, right? Then why not work the formula to get the end results?

I know it’s hard. And it takes time. But it’s there’s a major difference between showing up and working out.

Here’s my motto for working out:

Get In – Get It Done – Get Out

Get In is your frequency.

Get It Done is your Intensity.

Get Out is guarding your time after you’ve been productive with your workout and moving on to the rest of your day.

This is why I absolutely love Beach Body workouts.

The Frequency or set time – most workouts land around the 30 min mark and are 5 days a weeks.

The Intensity – it’s go time for that allotted amount of time. There are breaks but barely enough to catch your breath or chug some much needed water. And you can always hit the pause button.

The Focus – you can choose what kind of workout you want. For example:

Turbo Fire is pure cardio and 25 very long but focused minutes

P90X3 is strength training and some cardio focused for 30 minutes

Insanity Max:30 is mostly cardio with some strength training and absolutely insane!

Body Beast is all dumbbell based workouts that are around 30 minutes and perfect for the traveler. I absolutely love this workout.

These are just examples of taking Frequency x Intensity divided by Focus to receive Fitness Results and they subscribe to Get In – Get It Done – Get Out

Closing Challenge…

In the end, ONLY YOU are responsible for your fitness. No one else can make you workout and definitely no one can make you work the formula of…

Motivated, busy professionals need to take care of the areas only you can do to excel in your lives and fitness is a MAJOR area that could use improvement for most people.

It’s like the Rob Lowe DirecTV commercials of “Don’t Be This Guy”

Don’t be “this guy” who brags about their workouts but would be completely embarrassed and even ashamed if someone saw what they actually do (or more like don’t do) for their workouts.

I challenge you to really question your workouts.

Closing Questions…

How frequent are your workouts?
How intense are your workouts?
How much do you focus on and during your workouts?
Are you seeing the fitness results you want and need?