Finding That Extra Gear

This week’s question comes from a dynamo doctor who refuses to let his life pass him by – from skiing double black diamonds and learning how to train like a wild animal, he embodies the need to conquer! Father Time be damned, he never uses his six decades of worldly experience as an excuse, and is interested in how to push even harder! What an inspiration!

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Q: How do I push harder without you [or another trainer/training partner] looking over my shoulder?

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A: Great question – This can be a difficult task, but it is a critical problem faced by many and is certainly worth solving. Remember, intensity in the gym is far more productive and conducive to producing real, lasting results than utilizing longer durations/volumes of a lesser intensity.

Let’s break this topic down into a few steps.

My first suggestion is to figure out why you’re even looking to be working harder. Nobody wants to work harder because it involves hard work. Hard work itself sucks. Yet, people out there choose to work hard every single day, so something has to be worth more than “the suck” of hard work.

So how do you figure this out for yourself?

Set aside some time to think about why you even go to the gym in the first place. What is it that you want to accomplish? Why is it important to you? Most importantly, make sure you identify what is the alternative to NOT pursuing and reaching your goals?

If you honestly can’t find anything, perhaps you should re-evaluate your habit.

Why continue to spend time and effort even going to the gym? I’m sure you have better things to do. I train because I love the process and the experience, even if it is usually challenging and even grueling at times. If I didn’t love training, I wouldn’t do it, nor would you be reading this right now.

Do yourself a favor. Don’t be the person who mindlessly performs soulless activities in his daily life, which he hates. The world doesn’t need any more drones who go about their work day only to do the bare minimum, effectively wasting their lives as they wait to go home. Your dreams are bigger than that, so be spectacular and go all-in once you find what you love.

Once you have found your reason, create a general plan of how exercise will help you achieve your goal. Give it positive association! Sure, exercise can be uncomfortable and hard work at times, but if you learn to associate those feelings with climbing one step closer towards your goal, you will be far more likely to achieve it. Your mind can be a powerful ally… or your greatest source of sabotage.

Congratulations. You have a purpose now – so keep it fresh in your mind! Write it on a notecard that you carry around in your wallet. Slap a post-it on on kitchen fridge, bathroom mirror, or at your desk.

While the fire within can provide you the ultimate fuel, understand that you alone are responsible for your own success. As a trainer and coach, I can lead a horse to water, but you have to take the drink.

Drink the water.

How does it taste? Well, I have another question for you…

One thing that helped me immensely in my early days of learning to exercise with intensity was a simple question that I would ask myself the exact moment the discomfort seemed overwhelming, when I felt truly challenged.

Imagine for a moment you’re doing your hardest set of pushups, squats, or sprint intervals… Your core is buckling, your muscles are on fire, and the only thought in your mind is how excruciating your suffering is. You’ve never wanted to quit as badly as you do right now. Close your eyes, and imagine the suffering until it almost becomes real.

While recalling your purpose for being in the gym and performing the present exercise that is causing such a challenge, ask yourself this question:

“Can I be working harder?”

If the answer is yes, then up the ante! Give all of your effort! Flex just a little harder, hold just a little longer, and add at least one more rep to the set. Show the world, but especially yourself, how badly you want to achieve your personal success!

If the answer is no, well then this is a bit of a trick question. If you cannot be working harder, then all of your mental reserves will be taken up in the effort you’re putting out and you won’t be asking this question in the first place. Sorry, it’s just the way it is.

This question is a simple trick to dissociate your mind from your body. Most people are too quick to listen/react to their minds, disregarding the signals of their body. During a challenging set, the under-developed mind will always quit first while the musculature has plenty in reserve. Asking this question is especially important because your results will reflect the intensity of the work and effort you consistently put out. As with many things in life, the more you put in, the more you receive.

Eventually you will get to a point of mental strength and development that entering this mental state as you enter the gym will become a standard ritual, just as the great warrior dons the tribal war paint before heading into battle. Every session, with great certainty, you’re ready to give everything, holding nothing back, as you engage the iron in a fight to the finish. You will be assured victory and success.

Finally, I have one last recommendation to further stimulate your aggression to succeed . Upon speaking with acclaimed bodybuilding and connoisseur of brutal training methods, John Meadows, I was given sage advice to pass on. I asked him about his history with training partners, and he replied by extolling their necessity in a productive training environment.

“No matter how hard you can push yourself, you always have a higher gear.” – John Meadows

The Mountain Dog hath spoken.

In my own training, I have experienced how much of a difference a trusted training partner can provide. He is a knowledgeable and observant eye as well as a sharp motivator, challenging you to overcome your personal weaknesses at the very moment they begin to take hold. This is a special form of therapy and training that, unfortunately, many never get to experience.

Find a training partner who is at a similar level to your own, preferably higher. The only crucial trait he must possess is the undying desire to improve. Negativity will not be tolerated – your success depends on it.

To recap:

1. Identify your fire and purpose.

2. “Can I be working harder?”

3. Train with a competent training partner.

Thanks for the question, and always strive to train harder!

January 1, 2016January 4, 2016 by Nick Categories: Think.Tags: endure, john meadows, mentality, mindset, purpose, strength, training Leave a comment

The Secret Sauce

“The only secret is that there are no secrets. Just hard work and consistency.”

True as that may seem, the fact of the matter is that until you discover the solutions to the critical errors you’re making, they might as well be secrets.

Today, you’re going to discover the secret sauces that the leanest individuals know gives their food maximum taste with zero interference with their diet and physique.

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When dieting, we want to maximize food volume, satiety, and flavor while minimizing any excess calories beyond our essential requirements.

When looking for an appropriate condiment to provide that taste satisfaction, we want it to do two things:

1. Add tons of flavor.
2. Contribute zero or minimal (less than 10 calories per serving) caloric content through sugars or fats.

These two requirements seem to be quite conflicting at first since most sauces depend on sugar and fat to trick you into thinking whatever they’re being poured on tastes good. In reality, adding salt, sugar, and fat to anything will make it taste good since it appeals to our primitive need for energy. It simply doesn’t count.

Let’s now unveil the real powerhouses of flavor.

#1. Hot Sauce (Cayenne Pepper Sauce)

This is the only size.

With simple ingredients like spicy cayenne pepper and tangy vinegar, hot sauce is a minimalist master of versatility. Fortunately, most hot sauces aren’t prohibitively hot, just rich in flavor.

 

Put that #!$@ on everything.

But seriously.

Everything.

Eggs, meat, veggies, rice, beans (pinto and black beans work best). Just make sure you don’t put it in your ice cream…because you won’t be able to stop.

Personal Favorite: Frank’s Red Hot

Suggested Use: Use it to enhance classic physique-friendly staples like lean chili, eggs / egg whites / omelets, rice and beans, or ground beef/turkey.

CAUTION: Be sure to avoid buffalo sauces that typically use a base of canola oil or any other fat source. Also look out for unnecessary thickeners like xanthan gum, corn starch, or maltodextrin, which invite unnecessary carbohydrates to your flavor party.

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#2. Spicy Brown Mustard

The classic, the staple, this condiment packs a punch of flavor with zero caloric contribution. The taste of the ballpark, the burger joint, and the deli, all wrapped into one. The classic taste of mustard will make whatever you’re eating taste like a hamburger.

As an added bonus, like most of the sauces on this list, it never really expires either!

Personal Favorite: Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard

Suggested Use: Spicy brown mustard goes with many things, but it works particularly well when mixed into a salad dressing base. Try making burger patty salads – the mustard-based dressing works wonderfully.

Also try munching on fresh sweet carrots with a little brown mustard. Guilt-free snacking at its finest.

CAUTION: The ingredient list should be truly simple: mustard seed, vinegar, turmeric, and salt are really all you’re looking for here. Avoid honey mustard or variations that are sneaking sugar in along with them.

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#3 Salsa

A southwestern staple, it’s more mild than hot sauce but richer in flavor. And what’s not to like about a sauce based around veggies?

Your meat and veggies love salsa. Boring old broccoli and chicken breast comes alive when salsa joins the party.

Personal Favorite: Tostito’s (Medium or Mild) Salsa

Suggested Use: Scoop out some salsa to accompany otherwise boring scrambled eggs. Use it to top your chicken breast, black/pinto beans, mixed veggies or even potatoes.

CAUTION: Look out for sweeteners and preservatives like sodium benzoate. Salsa is a pretty simple item, don’t let the food companies mess it up.

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#4 Tamari (Gluten-Free Soy Sauce)

While soy sauce is effectively “flavored liquid salt,” don’t let its simplicity fool you. Any sauce that can turn a microwaved bowl of frozen vegetables into something delicious deserves its time in the spotlight.

Personal Favorite: San-J Tamari – Gluten-Free Soy Sauce

Suggested Use: Do you like the taste of wasabi or horseradish? If you can find some Chinese hot mustard powder, the mixture of the two gives birth to a bold Asian dressing that can be used to season your oversized portion of broccoli, carrots, and pea pods with pure excitement. It will even bestow superpowers of flavor unto your favorite cuts of lean steak or fish as a savory marinade.

CAUTION: Watch out for cheaper store-brand soy sauces that will use wheat as a primary ingredient, sweeteners such as corn syrup, and unnecessary artificial colorings and preservatives like sodium benzoate.

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#5. Szechuan Sauce

Continuing our homage to Asian cuisine is Szechuan sauce, a derivative of soy sauce that was first introduced to me by the MountainDog himself, John Meadows. I promptly hunted for this item in the nearest grocery market in utter disbelief that until that point, I’d never even heard of it.

Paying no attention to the fire-breathing dragon cartooned onto its label, I unwittingly doused a steaming bed of broccoli and chicken with this new sauce. Following my own first lesson in fire-breathing, requiring no less than a beach towel to mop up my nose and eyes, I first noticed the dragon on the label.

If spicy food isn’t your thing, don’t write it off just yet! Make no mistake, this sauce is a kick in the teeth, but just the right amount can add a world of flavor while leaving your smoke alarms silent.

Personal Favorite: San-J Gluten-Free Szechuan Sauce

Suggested Use: Drizzle a bit over your next stir-fry of lean beef cuts and tons of veggies. Or, drizzle a bit over rice and veggies in tupperware that you’ve prepared to take with you to work. The spice will over time and seep deep into the rice and different vegetables for rich flavor!

CAUTION: This sauce is super spicy. Look out for sugars and oils in the ingredients that are near the top, and most prevalent ingredients. This product shouldn’t be adding more than 5-10 calories per use (the nuclear spiciness should help to offset that).

#6. Fat Free Plain Yogurt

Here is a gift to all the lovers of ranch dressing, mayonnaise, creamy heavy-handed salad dressings, and fully loaded baked potatoes.

Plain yogurt is a perfect alternative base for those creamy salad dressings and sauces, ready to be seasoned to your liking. It provides texture and tang while preventing your otherwise boring salad from being dull and dry (and adding needless calories).

By choosing the fat free variety, we keep additional calories to a minimum and flavor to a maximum. Not only that, but plain yogurt (especially Greek yogurt) also adds valuable protein to the overall content of your meal, which will keep you fuller and help to retain your lean muscle tissue while on a phase of lower calories.

Personal Favorite: Store-brand Fat-Free Plain Yogurt

Suggested Use: Mix a generously whopping dollop of yogurt (a small bowl, really) with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and curry powder as a sauce that will complement a meal of shredded chicken, cucumbers, and chickpeas or hummus. This would work well enclosed in a wrap or as a salad too.

Experiment with flavoring – get creative!

CAUTION: Your yogurt’s ingredients list should be super simple and contain only cultured milk/non-fat milk and several live cultures of active bacterial strains (like L. Acidophilus). Look out for additional sweeteners, sugars, starches or thickeners, and extra protein additives like whey concentrate.

That’s it, the secret’s out! Now that you know about the secret sauces, you can no longer call them secrets. It’s now up to you to apply them and make your fat loss phases more enjoyable.

If you have a special recipe idea or like a physique-friendly sauce I didn’t mention, COMMENT below!

 

December 7, 2015December 19, 2015 by Nick Categories: Eat., Think., Train.Tags: bodybuilding, calories, condiment, diet, dieting, fat loss, fitness, gym, macronutrients, nutrition, physique, sauce, spices, training, weight loss Leave a comment