The Four L’s of Training.
Light weight, Low Reps, Low Intensity, Lots of Rest. Those 4 L’s of training are the “Laws” that justify the lean on the bench you see in the photo. I actually took that picture myself! That device I have in front of my face is a phone! It takes pictures, and has a built in calculator! I know what you’re thinking! No way…. Well….It’s true. Technology is moving at such a fast pace I would say within the next 10 years, cassettes will be completely obsolete, and music will once again be played from a vinyl record.
I actually love working out, I use to hate it! I actually hated everything about it! My training philosophies have drastically changed in the last 17 years. A couple years ago when I physically trained one on one clients, I went out of town for a week. When I came back one of my new clients that didn’t like me very much, told me that the trainer she was with, when I was gone, was a better trainer than me.
Obviously, I cried hysterically! To think that someone could actually believe there was a trainer better than me was devastating. But 3 seconds later I recomposed myself and asked her why? Why was he a better trainer than me?
She responded “because he almost made me puke.”
So I asked “You gauge the effectiveness of a workout on nausea? So if there was exercise induced, uncontrollable violent vomiting, in your mind that would be a good workout?”
She responded “yes”.
I said “Let me get this straight…. You want me to make you puke?”
She answered “Yes!”
I said “Ok! Buckle up! Because next workout, you are going to puke.”
So her next workout (by exercise design), I controlled her blood flow, raised her heart rate, and created more lactic acid than her body could handle. I carried a trash can with me and 20 minutes into the workout she puked. After she puked I asked her “did you like it?” she said “yes.” I said ok pick up the weights lets go again. She ended up puking one more time. Looking back I went too easy on her…..
After the workout we got into a conversation her next trainer (who was her previous trainer long story). And she told him in a nicer way (she liked him) that she puked and then asked him “how are you going train me better than that?’ Looking back at her “exercise intensity gauge and expected results meter” I think puking was a 7 on her scale of effectiveness. I think she was looking for a 10, which would be full cardiac arrest.
Her next trainer (James Redcloud) by the way KILLED people if he wanted too, (not literally… I don’t think) but he knew how to inflict major pain and he had little mercy. He was my workout partner for a couple years, and he kicked my butt, he didn’t believe in the 4 L’s of training.
I said all that to say this….. Exercise should be looked at, as much as I hate to use the term…… as a marathon. You have to pace yourself! At the age of 107 I have finally learned to pace myself, so I can maintain this as an actual lifestyle. I can’t say it wasn’t hard to rethink my training philosophies. I had ambitions to be the strongest guy in my Jazzercise class, but after a few years of deep thinking I realized that was not what I really wanted.
What do you want? If you could look the way you wanted and feel the way you wanted, what would that look and feel like? That’s your goal. Now set realistic expectations on what you will do to achieve it. I start some of my clients out real slow.
A couple years ago, I gave a new client of mine three things to do. 1. Drink only one 12 oz. Diet Coke a day (she drank a ton) 2. Drink 20 oz. of water. 3. Do 10 push ups and 10 crunches a day. I told her to do it for a week and I would give her more to do. She honored those commitments and kept getting hungrier and hungrier for greater and greater results.
The end result…..She completely changed her body and her life! Now she’s helping others do the same thing.
Here is are the real 4 steps to success.
1. Have a goal make it ambitious enough to motivate you. (small goals little ambition)
2. Set realistic expectations on what you will do to achieve the goal.
3. Make a plan of attack to reach your goal.
4. HONOR SELF COMMITMENTS. IN OTHER WORDS DO THE PLAN.
It may take longer than you want to achieve your goal, but be consistent and it will come to pass. If you want my help click here fill out the form and I will personally call you, and we will talk about your fitness goals, and how we can make them happen.
Thanks for Reading
Coach Don
