I do an excessive amount of people watching in the gym…I’m sure most people there think I’m a bit weird as I’m always scanning the room observing what everyone is doing, and I’ve come to the realization that although on the surface it seems that everyone is there simply to ‘workout’ and ‘get in shape’ there is much more going on under the surface.

Is your workout invigorating or a punishment?

I came to this realization when I started paying attention to the facial expressions of each person while they’re at the gym.

Some look calm, some look happy, others look determined, some look desperate, and some look like they’re flat out in pain, and other look hopeless.

All of these expressions are completely separate from the story their physical body is telling.

In some cases a person who seems to be in good ‘shape’ looks desperate and stressed. In other cases an individual who obviously has a ways to go in order to get into what would be considered good ‘shape’ has a calm and confident look on their face.

In some cases it appears that people are there not for the invigorating and gratifying experience that working out can deliver but rather as a self mortification ritual…in other words, to punish themselves.

It has become apparent to me that when someone is attempting to get in shape part of the journey is diet, and other is exercise. Diet is much harder to stick to and commonly has feelings of failure and guilt associated when things don’t go as planned. It would seem that at least some people use the gym to punish themselves with exercise for their failings in dieting.

This can create a vicious cycle that leads to a miserable experience in both aspects of dieting and exercise and could sour a person to the entire journey for good.

If you currently workout or are thinking about working out, think about why you do it, and never use exercise as a form of punishment. If a workout doesn’t feel good, or invigorating or gratifying then you’re not in the correct mindset to be there. Take some time off, re-evaluate what you’re doing the approach your next workout with a fresh mindset.

Your workout should always be a positive experience for both mind and body.

John

When I started working out I was about 16-17 years old. A buddy of mine and I both got weight sets and we worked out at each others houses in our basements. I was about 5’10 or so and 145-150lbs. I was pretty lanky, and I didn’t really know what I was doing. All I knew is that I wanted to be bigger, that’s it.

Best shape of my life at age 37

I read bodybuilding magazines to find out how to workout (the internet didn’t exist back then). After about a year of working out with weights at home I was finally ready to graduate up to going to a gym. This was an entirely new experience. There was so much more equipment and so many new exercises to try. There were also so many new people to talk to and observe. I tried every exercise I saw the bigger guys doing.

I talked to as many people as I could and tried to find out what worked best for them. I wanted to experiment with everything they had done so I could experience for myself.

This lead me to experimenting with all kinds of workout patterns and philosophies, supplements and even drugs. I wanted to experience it all.

Now 20 years later I can say I know whats its like to train with a world class powerlifting team, top level amateur bodybuilders, varsity athletes (hockey, football and rugby), and most recently fitness and figure competitors.

I know what it feels like to use steroids and bulk up to 250lbs, and I know what it’s like to come down off of those drugs and rediscover my body without drugs and find it’s natural strength and size limits.

Along the way I’ve worked at multiple sport supplement companies and had access to products and ingredients and used them at doses that nobody would dare try and could not afford (unless they were working there with me).

I’ve tried low carb diets, high protein diets, high fat diets, mega bulk up diets, you name it I’ve tried it.

I guess you could say that the past 20 years has been an ongoing experiment with my body, exercise and diet. The experiences I’ve had have led me to the creation of my current workout system for me the Adonis Index Workout and the Venus Index Workout for women.

The experiment isn’t over. At 37 years of age I’m in what I could easily say is the best shape of my life and my next order of business is to see how long I can maintain this condition.

Working out and paying attention to the way your diet affects your body isn’t a passing fad, or a phase that you go in and out of…at least not if you expect to have lasting results. This is a lifestyle, and something that has to be placed at the top of your priority list.

The point is that this is a process that never stops, and that doesn’t necessarily have a destination. It may have detours and stops along the way, but overall the look, shape and condition of your body will always be your responsibility and within your power to control if you choose to.

Your job is to decide what you want to do with your body, and then start the process that will make it happen.

John

Over the past two weeks I have moved from my former dwelling to a new one, in between the two places I went on a 4 day excursion to watch the opening college football game in Syracuse and visit with a good friend of mine. When I got back into town my new place still needed to be furnished and outfitted with just about everything from the ground up.

The point is that I spent almost 2 weeks without being able to cook a meal at home. I spent the entire time eating out and on the road. This isn’t how I would recommend anyone to go about eating but when it has to happen then it just happens.

This is about what my diet and workout routine has felt like the past two weeks

The interesting thing I noticed was how short of a time it takes to develop a habit or routine. When I finally got my new place set up I found it odd and almost as if I was an imposter when I finally cooked a meal at home. I even found the first trip to the grocery store to stock the new place with food to be a unfamiliar event. Even though I’ve been to that store 100 times before and I bought most of the same stuff, it just felt like it was a totally new thing. I almost felt as if it wasn’t my place to be buying groceries because I hadn’t done it for almost two weeks.

This experience just reminded me how quickly habits and routines can be formed. In just two weeks I completely lost touch with what it felt like to shop for and cook my own food.

The same thing goes for working out. It’s fine to take a few days off, and 2-3 times per year I advocate that you take a full week off and let your body recover/recharge/rest. But if you don’t plan for it, and you’re not paying attention to it, a few days off can easily turn into a few weeks off and before you know it a month will go by without working out.

We’re all creatures of habit, your daily diet routine and your workouts are both just habits. Once you get into a groove with each of them it becomes much easier to stick to a plan. But as soon as something shakes you out of your routine you’ve got to work to get it back into the groove that you had before.

It’s kinda like the messy room entropy theory. If you don’t constantly clean a room it will invariably become untidy and messy until it’s a total train wreck. The same sort of thing will happen with your diet, workouts (or lack thereof) and your body…if you don’t constantly work out, and pay attention to your diet your body will also become a train wreck.

John

We’ve all heard some form of the following phrases:

“I need to get in shape”, “I’m out of shape”, “That person is in great shape”, “I used to be in great shape”

But I’ll bet you’ve never heard anyone refer to “a shape”…as in “I want to change my body shape”

This may sound like nothing more than a semantic error but I think a more important distinction needs to be made here.

I think that people assume being IN shape also means obtaining A shape. But this is not the case at all.

You and I could get IN shape to run a half marathon without actually changing the look or shape of our bodies. These are mutually exclusive items.

Each man is 'in shape' for his sport, but they each have a different body shape.

The type of training you do both cardio and weights as well as the specific dietary approach you take will determine what your body ends up looking like.

It is entirely possible to be IN shape without looking like it. It’s also possible to have a great shape without being IN shape.

You can have a great VO2 max, be able to run 10 km’s, lift heavy weights and play sports 4 days a week and do all of the things that would describe someone as being “in shape” while still being overweight without a desirable body shape.

The point is the health, cardiovascular and performance benefits of regular training can be realized by many people who see no change in their body composition. This is what I would call being ‘in shape without a good shape’

But I think this isn’t what people want. My guess is that people don’t do all of that work just to say they can run father or lift more weight or be healthier without also looking the part.

The key to also having the body shape to go along with the other benefits is a control of your calories that allows for a lower bodyfat percentage along with specific weight training that builds the muscles you want in the proportion you want to get the shape you want.

The next time you or anyone says anything about getting “in shape” stop and think to yourself if what you or they really mean is getting to a specific looking body shape.

John

This is the only life you’re going to live (that we know of, or can prove, or can remember)

You can change the look and shape of your body if you choose to.

The shape you build your body into can garner admiration from others, boost your own self esteem and confidence, and ensure you’re as ‘healthy’ as you can be (at least from our knowledge of standard measurable health markers)

So if you  had the choice to workout and get in shape or not, why would you choose not to?

Sure working out take times, and effort, and maybe even a little pain…but the payoff is worth it.

This post is a reminder of why we workout in the first place. And if you’re the type to fall off the wagon and need to search for motivation to workout this should be it.

You only live once. And the quality and length of your life can be greatly influenced by working out and taking care of your body. And it doesn’t even really cost you anything besides a bit of time and effort.

Seems like a no brainer to me.

The mission should be to get the most out of your body and your life. Cheating on your workout or diet plan is only cheating yourself.

Here’s what I want you to do: Make a list of all the reasons you workout. And pin it somewhere as your go to motivator when you feel like backing out of a workout, or straying from your  diet plan.

John