BRACE YOURSELF -- TO GET YOUR GOALS

"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second." ~ William James

By A.F. James MacArthur Ph.A.L.

EVERYBODY wants to get in shape for the new year. Tis the season!

For the next few weeks gyms from coast to coast will resemble mosh pits at a rock concert. Wall to wall bodies.

But statistics tell us out of the nearly 50% of you who set the ill-defined goals of "losing weight" or "getting in shape," the overwhelming majority will give up long before getting there.

One of the reasons we slack off on fitness routines, especially as we get older, are aches and pains in different places on our body. Live long enough, stuff starts hurting. But this is true whether we're active or sedentary. So if we're gonna hurt anyhow, might as well get the rewards that come with an active lifestyle.


LEARN FROM THE PROS

The author wearing his "combat sleeve,"
providing compression for an elbow injury.

Knee braces, ankle wraps, shoulder sleeves and lifting belts are just some of the more common support devices used to stay in the game.

With proper care and the right gear it's possible to work through or work around all kinds of pain, sprains and discomfort. Before you decide to sit out a workout, talk to an experienced training and or medical professional to see if a simple brace or wrap along with a modified routine can help keep you in the saddle.

Losing momentum is one of the most sure paths to falling off. You don't want that.

Except in the most extreme cases of serious injury, there are usually ways to keep going. Again, with proper guidance of course. But you have to resolve in your mind your desire to go for it!
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Physical culturist and former multisport athlete, James MacArthur, has trained for, competed in, practiced and even failed at more sports and physical endeavours than a crossfitter on crack! And has the x-rays to prove it. Currently no longer involved in competition, a lifelong fan of being fit, MacArthur guides, instructs and motivates select few individuals seeking to make the most of their natural talent and abilities.

On Life And Lifting

We're never gonna be what we used to be, but each day we have an opportunity to become something we've never been.

When I first started lifting more years ago than I care to admit here, I had all these big goals and aspirations of what I was gonna get out of lifting. Now decades later I look back through the years and see some it I've achieved, a lot of it I haven't.

My workouts have changed greatly through the years.

When I was young asthetics held a much more prominent place in my motivation than it does now. I mean, who doesn't want to look good right?

But as I've gotten older and have had to deal with natural age related changes in my physical appearance, from thinning and graying hair and other things I rather not talk about, I realized how I look may change more quicker than I can control.

Whereas in the strength department, I'm still basically off the charts, and I've learned I can hold onto that, even increasing and improving it, much more than I can my ruggedly handsome good looks. 

I want to be able to look at heavy stuff, whether weights or real world objects, command it to move and with my might and my muscles, make it move -- without blowing my back out.

Today for the first time in a year I deadlifted in the high 400 pound range and didn't feel like I  was going to die. I also curled 60 pound dumbbells with ease.

Once I was strong, well balanced, a muscular young man. Now I'm middle aged, hanging on to what I got, and looking forward to making the most of what's lays ahead in life.

Today I lift to live. For the long haul. A life of strength and health is what's most important. All else is secondary.

Bad Habits And Mistakes I See In The Gym Pt.1

By A.F. James MacArthur Ph.A.L.

Every January a ritualistic pilgrimage takes place at fitness centers. Fueled with high ambition and burdened by the guilt gotten from overindulging during the holidays, millions of Americans join a gym.

For many it will be their first time ever attending a fitness facility. Others are attempting to turn around a long backward slide of inactivity.

Besides the crowding and sometimes long waits to get onto to equipment, the thing that annoys me most during this time, is seeing such a wide variety of ineffective, unproductive, or even dangerous behavior on display.

1. Vague undefined goals.

"If you don't really know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?" 

Too many people walk into a gym expecting miracles to happen, without a plan or even a picture of what exactly they want. Would you go into a restaurant and tell the waiter I'm hungry, just give me anything?

Research has proven the more specific a goal is, the greater likelihood of sticking to it and achieving ultimate success. Goals should have an action plan of how you plan to get it and a realistic timetable for completion. Be clear on WHY you've chosen a particular goal as well. Yes ladies, wanting to look great in a bikini is indeed a suitable motivator. Just saying.

Solution: (example) By March 5, it is my intention to lose 30 pounds so that I may be more within a healthy weight range for my body type. I will commit to working out at least 5 hours per week. With 168 hours in every week, I see this as a small price to pay for a better, stronger, more healthier me.

Dumbbell deadlift. Photo courtesy of SheKnows.com

2. Using incorrect form. -- As a lifelong contrarian, I'm big on individualism. Be authentic, be yourself is what I say. But when dealing with weights, your individual expression should come from the results they can give you, not lifting the wrong way and exposing yourself to serious or permanent injury. Some observers believe the number of weight-training injuries seen every year has gone up by 63%! 

Many common injuries are largely preventable.

 Solution: Seek proper instruction. Trainers and instructors at any quality gym are usually more than willing to take a moment to show you proper form on a particular given exercise. Doing exercises correctly not only helps you prevent injury, but will usually bring better results.

Avoid asking random people how to perform a particular move. Many people practice poor form that's been handed down by someone who didn't know better. The error is then passed on to all they come in contact with like a bad cold or flu. A gift that keeps on giving, pain and misery.

3. Being a cardio bunny. -- Way too many people, particularly women, are afraid to lift a little weight. There is no better way to get a toned, lean, strong body than to incorporate resistance training with cardio. 

Sure, you'll burn plenty calories with endless hours spent slaving away on devices that have their origins in tools of torture. But losing fat without building muscles can leave many people looking like a deflated basketball or even a stick figure.

I'm not suggesting you go out there and try to imitate Arnold Schwarzenegger. Besides, unless you plan on using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, you have zero chance of ever coming close.

Jack Lalanne built a classic, 

symmetrical 

physique with

weightlifting

 and cardio.

There is an unrealistic, unfounded myth still held by many, that lifting weights will make them "musclebound" and reduce their flexibility. This just isn't true. Whole entire articles have been written as to why this is false. The meatheads you see with large, bulging muscles didn't get there lifting a little weight here and there. Trust me, the average gym goer, even if he tried, will never look that way.

In the meantime, if you're not lifting weight, you're missing out on benefits such as countering bone density loss, reversing age related muscle loss and declining strength, and reducing incidence of chronic back pain and strain just to name a few.

In well over 25 years of being a fitness enthusiast, I've seen a lot habits and beliefs with little foundation, that make no sense at all. These are just a few of the common pitfalls novices regularly fall victim to.

In a future post I'll list more observations of common mistakes, as well as maybe expand on some of the ones listed above.

What questionable or annoying habits have you seen in the gym? Respond via the comments section.

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Former multisport athlete, James MacArthur, has trained for, competed in, practiced and even failed at more sports and physical endeavours than a crossfitter on crack! And has the x-rays to prove it. Currently no longer involved in competition, a lifelong fan of being fit, MacArthur guides, instructs and motivates select few individuals seeking to make the most of their natural talent and abilities.

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