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Time Efficient Training

By Robert DeWees

Learn How You Can Feel Stronger, Move Without Pain, and Enjoy Life Knowing You Have The Abundant Energy To Participate No Matter What Comes At You

Use These 5 Jealously Guarded Workout Strategies of The Fitness Elite To Maximize Your Results in The Shortest Time Possible!

DO YOU REMEMBER

My BEST days for me back then started after school. I had enough time to catch a quick tan – in the middle of our asphalt driveway between 3:30 and 4:30 pm. The Pennsylvania sun lavished my vegetable-oil soaked skin and cooked it to a golden brown. I was at work by 5:00pm, donning my polyester brown pants with my white button-up collard shirt – complete with the matching brown polyester bow-tie. I was a waiter back then (now called servers) at the Radisson Inn's fancy-pants "Oxford Dining Room". I was treated to 4-Star Cuisine daily and often ordered a second meal at the end of my shift.

I'd rush to the gym by 8:30 to meet the night-crew - other dedicated (or bored) adults who had nothing better to do but lift weights. "Watcha' workin today Robert? Legs-in shoulders, right?"

"My favorite!!!" I responded sarcastically. I can, however, honestly say that I enjoy every single rep, every ounce of discomfort - the burning sensation you get as your muscles twitch with fatigue, your mind filled with doubts, encouraging you 'you've done enough – let's go!.' And then the voice – "c'mon --- you got this, you can do this…. show'em you can do this – Mind over muscle, man, Mind over Muscle!" Every time I persevered, I felt like I WON a Gold Medal. I was a triple-jumper and a 1 meter springboard diver. I was involved with gymnastics and martial arts. Each discipline required me to compete within myself. And I always won.

THE HIDDEN TRUTH ABOUT WORKING-OUT

It wasn't until this year, 2008 – which I was made to realize the unfortunate truth about exercising and working out! During one of my business seminars, Michael Prosnic – a business coach and owner of www.Bodyworkz.com, stated this fact: Out of everyone you see in [your] gym facility, only 10% of those people actually enjoy being there! That means [he continues] that the other 90% - don't want to be there! Most are there out of necessity, to either improve their health through weight loss or even prevent disease by exercising and being more active as mandated by their doctor.

WHAT! – Not liking to be here? Not enjoying working out? How…. How can this be? 15 years and 6 months later, I understand. Not everyone finds joy out of spending 2 hours a day figuring out the next method of torturing oneself - just to see if you can. Heck, now-a-days, even I don't have all the time in the world to play around with the weights.

THE NEED FOR SPEED

In today's fast-paced society, the need for efficiency and 'time-saving' devices are making a fortune. I think the latest is a late night commercial for some sinus-medication promising to "give you back 2-hours of your life." My personal favorite: the whole {insert ridiculously small number} – Abs Routine e.g. 6-Minute Abs. Get a grip, do you ever wonder why it's called WORKING-out. Work being applying a force, like hanging from a pull-up bar, and creating movement over a distance…. lifting your knees to your elbows (otherwise known as a lower-leg-lift).

I'm pretty sure that if you practice every single day, for just 6 minutes, you still won't have a six-pack! Time-efficient Training is essential for our working professionals. It's about strategically planning your efforts and behaviors to match your personal fitness goals. It's about expendicating [that's not a real word by the way] just enough energy to accomplish specific tasks while not wasting time or energy on those that don't propel your forward toward your goal.

The days of the Dinosaur of Split-Routines are numbered. The typical person today needs to lose about 20-40 pounds, has a job involving mostly sitting, and barely has enough time to tend to kids, pamper spouses, and eat two square meals a day! To think these people can fit in 5-8 hours of exercise a week is UNREALISTIC to say the least!

ENTER TIME EFFICIENT TRAINING

Of course working directly with a fitness coach is the BEST way to devise your individualized program that will address both your specific goals and your need to have a life outside of the gym. I will always have a job because I am great at guiding and motivating you through something that 90% of you will never enjoy! As a fitness coach, I view training as a metaphor for life – my client's experiences transcends the physical realm – they are not only looking and feeling good, but are good at it! So let me share a few of my secrets to hopefully get you closer towards the fitness end of the spectrum of health.

Robert's Fab Five Tips For Firing-up Your Fat Burning Furnace
  1. Commit and stay legit – if you're looking for that secret exercise or gut busting device, you won't find it here! To me, it doesn't matter if I tell you exactly which exercises would be perfect for you. How many reps, how many sets, how fast and slow…. I could even tell you how long to rest. I could tell you to use free-weights instead of machines, but none of that matters if you only do the program 50% of the time or with only 50% effort. Committing to a program means it doesn't matter if it's designed just for you or not….you just got to complete it! Stick with a routine for at least a month before switching. Don't try to change the exercise, don't do less weight – consider it an obstacle course, you either get across or don't – success comes from finishing in spite of the challenges; not instead of!

  2. Do your best – set your own standards – Each and every time you set aside time for your workouts, you got to get in the game. Create some mental ritual you use during your warm-up to redirect your focus on you and your time. Forget about that argument you had earlier this morning; forget about being ticked off at the traffic on your way here! Stop thinking about all those things you have to do after your workout. This is your time and you want to do your BEST for today. Each day is different with defilement challenges. Do what you can and manage your horsepower to get the most out of what you have in your tank today. This is your NEW Standard. You have standards for everything else, dating, kids behavior, standards of cleanliness (I hope) – why not for yourself and your fitness time!

  3. Proper Planning …. – Remember the five P's: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance? You need to have a Plan B – a plan B for when you get called into a meeting and was forced to work through lunchtime, a plan B for when you forgot it was your turn to car pool the kids to karate class, a plan B for when your spouse questions you about why you didn't answer the phone at such-and-such time…..ooops that's an alibi you need.

  4. Divide & Conquer – Reverse engineer your plan starting from your specific goal. Say you want to lose x-amount of weight and that would take you about 6-8 months to accomplish. That means you need 2 four-month plans. Most workouts these days are divided into 3 or 4 phases of progression anyways .e.g. 90 day this and 12-week that; it's no coincidence they are designed this way. Get it down to what you need to do this week, for this day, during this session. Get your mind thinking in spurts of 10-20 minutes of work. I train clients to accomplish specific task within a specified time frame. Want more info on this topic then Google: Escalating Density Training.

  5. Be The Answer, Be Part of the Solution – Stop allowing yourself to make excuses. I don't allow it, why should you? Successful people don't whine about being tired or not having time…. Fit people don't jibber about sore muscles and worried about not being able to do it. If it's too hard, then do what you can, come back to it and try again. The chances of anyone doing 12 pull-ups right off the bat is very slim. Perhaps starting with a jumping version or a swinging version to start. Maybe doing only part of your pull-ups is better than avoiding them all together. Find the answers, be the solutions… If you can think it and create it in your mind, then you can start believing and achieving.


Remember, fitness is a way of life, a series of habits that more often than not, propel you towards betterment while avoiding those behaviors and consequences that hold you back. In the end you are held accountable for your decisions – no one else is going to bail you out. Leaving our mark on this world isn't about pyramids, tall buildings, or business empires… All we really leave when we finally go, is the impressions we've left on each other. Will the children who inherit this planet remember you as a role model, who overcame, and inspired a whole new generation to better themselves.

You ARE that person who by no actions other than caring for yourself, caring for your health, and putting yourself first – can lead the future minds of America's children to a better understanding of not only the importance of daily movement but the fun and joy of learning about the world through a natural curiosity and wonderment about our surroundings. Employing our inert abilities to run, swing, crawl, jump and throw to navigate our now urban jungles.

About the Author:

Robert DeWees is an ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) certified Health & Fitness instructor and a NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) Corrective Exercise Specialist with a B.S. in Exercise & Sports Medicine. You may contact him here.