Healing

The last 10 days have kinda sucked.  I tweaked my back about 10 days ago while running.  I didn't realize it to the next morning when I had some sharp pains in my mid back.  I've been unable to really workout.  However, I'm healing nicely.

I don't have a lot to post today.  However, the lesson is to listen to your body.  If your back hurts so much that at times its hard to breathe, you need to take it easy.  I visited a sports chiropractor and he's helped out a lot.  I still have some more work to do to get my back to 100%, but I'm well on my way.

I'll ease back in to some simple workouts over the next week and I plan on making sure I'm at full strength by the time I get back from Colorado (we're going out for a family wedding the last weekend in May.)

Take care, I'll keep posting.  

John

Flip the mental switch: I'm an athlete!

Monica and I have loved watching this season of the Biggest Loser on NBC. While I get slightly annoyed that the show seems to focus only on weight loss, and less on body fat, the inspiration one can gain from the show is enormous. One thing caught my ear yesterday while watching the finale.

The winner of the show, Helen, said something to the effect of "I'm an athlete now."

Its that simple folks. Helen changed her mental attitude. She now sees herself as an athlete, able to take on any task with some determination.

I don't think I've yet made that switch in mental attitude myself. Sure, I've gotten in great shape. I'm more fit than I have been in a long time. Yet I haven't yet started to think of myself as an athlete.

Making this mental switch is critical. When your mental filter starts to look at the world through the perspective that "I am an athlete," your decision making changes. You start to focus on these factors throughout the day.

When deciding what to eat, you think, "what would an athlete eat?" When you are digging for that extra motivation in your workout, simply letting that inner voice in your head scream "I'M AN ATHLETE!" will make it easier to dig down and find that extra 10% of effort.

Every decision comes from a different motivation when you stop thinking of yourself as someone trying to lose a few pounds, and start focusing on the fact that you are an athlete, and your body is your tool to accomplish your goals.

So, to the world, I'm declaring "I'm an athlete."

Can't wait to see what happens!

Bring it folks.

John

Yardwork X

So, I had a busy weekend these past few days. I got ambitious and decided to pour a small concrete slab in my side yard so my garbage cans have a place to sit. (Joys of home ownership huh guys?)

Well, going back to Thursday, I went for a jog. I did about 2.5 miles, nothing crazy. On my way back I was feeling great and decided to try to keep running ahead of a couple that were leisurely riding their bikes on the street as I ran on the sidewalk. I kept ahead of them for a good half mile, then they realized what I was doing. They sped up, I tried to keep up for maybe another 200 yards and gave up. It was a great little run.

On Friday morning however, I had a real tight back. In fact, I was stuck in one place for about 2 minutes as my back seized up. I managed to get down on the ground, do a cat stretch, and upward dog, and the noises my back made when it popped scared my dog. It was kinda funny.

As Friday went on, my back felt much better. However on Sunday, I was moving a wheel barrow around and my back tightened up yet again. Yup, Yardwork X bit me in the butt. I managed to finish pouring my small concrete slab, but paid the price. I've been taking it easy the last couple days, doing some stretching and slowly easing back into my workouts. I'm going to try to do Burn Intervals tonight with Monica, but will take it easy.

That explains the lack of posts recently. I've been slightly laid up, and feeling like an idiot for managing to get myself a bit injured. I'll be fine though. The one lesson I've learned is that while doing ChaLEAN Extreme, I haven't been doing any Yoga. I think this is a big factor in my injury. I'm going to find a way to fit in some Yoga X into my routine to make sure I stay limber and don't get hurt.

Thanks guys, keep pushing play.

John

Do you need a coach?

Hey everyone. Great to get some good feedback from you through email lately. Thanks to those of you that reach out to me with questions and comments. Also, to whoever actually purchased two of my shirt designs yesterday, another big thanks. That was pretty cool!!

I get this question occasionally. People will have registered at the Team Beachbody website, or become a club member, and never hear from their assigned coach. Let me explain a bit of what is going on. As a coach, I get customers assigned to me now and then. The vast majority are restricted, meaning that Beachbody provides me the name of the customer, but no contact information. So, if Joe Sixpack signs up as a club member, he may have me assigned as his coach. However, if he doesn't want his email to be shared with me, I have no way of reaching out and contacting him.

So, for those of you that want to hear from your assigned coach, make sure to opt in for emails.

However, if you want a specific coach, you can get a new coach assigned to you. I don't want to "take you away" from another coach if you've been working with them. However, if you were assigned to a random coach, and want a new one, send me an email and I'd love to help you on your fitness journey.

On a side note, I'm absolutely loving the Push Phase of ChaLEAN Extreme. Its really forcing me to push my limits and lift heavier than I have in a while. I'm loving the challenge.

Take care my friends, push play, and remember;

Hope is not an action plan.

John

New Coach Alert!!!!

The Tough Fitness Coaching Team is absolutely rocking right now.  We've got another coach in the organization.  Jennifer Jones, welcome to the team.  Check out Jen's Blog!

For any of you wondering "what is this Beachbody coach" thing.  Here's a short video.

If you're interested, send me a quick email and let me know!!

Time to get Extreme Baby!

OK folks, forget what I may have said. The "Push" phase of ChaLEAN Extreme is no joke.

The "burn" phase focuses on synergistic moves, shooting for 12 slow controlled reps. It's a great workout, but not as intense as I was used to during P90X.

I started my first Push workout the other day not knowing what to expect. The warm-up was standard. Then Chalene says to pick a weight for 6-8 reps. First move is bicep curls. I challenged myself, set my power-blocks for 40 lbs each and got started. I've never attempted to curl more than 35 lbs an arm before. To get through 8 reps at 40 lbs an arm was a great feeling. The rest of the workout was similar. I was trying heavier weights than I had ever used before and doing great. Sweat was pouring out everywhere. When I got done with the workout, I knew I had really broken through a mental barrier in my workouts.

The one problem I've been having lately is my diet. Some really exciting things have happened at my work lately and I've been given a lot more responsibility. I've strayed a bit with my diet mainly because my schedule has been all over the place. I haven't been preparing a good healthy lunch. I've been trying to hit up Subway, but I won't lie. The Golden Arches have called my name once or twice and I've given in.

More to come soon. Sorry for the lack of time between posts.

John

BRING IT! Week

As of this afternoon I will have finished up three weeks of ChaLEAN Extreme. In the official schedule, I'd be slated to do one more week of the Burn Phase and then continue on the the Push Phase. As a P90X grad however, I've become accustomed to having "recovery weeks" on the 4th week of a program. The P90X recovery weeks are awesome, not because the workouts are easier, but the fact that they shock the system a bit with different exercises.

I'd argue that the ChaLEAN workouts, while difficult, aren't to the difficulty level of P90X. Also, I don't want to lose the amazing progress I made during P90X in one critical area; pull-ups.

So, I've concocted my own schedule for this 4th week. Instead of a recovery week, I'm going to make it "BRING IT!" Week.

Here's what my schedule for BRING IT week will be.

Day 1: Chest and Back, Ab RipperX
Day 2: Plyometrics
Day 3: Core Synergistics
Day 4: Burn Intervals and Ab Burner from ChaLEAN Extreme
Day 5: Legs and Back
Day 6: Kenpo X
Day 7: Rest/Stretch

This should give my body a good shock and keep the progress coming. It also will have 2 days of workouts with large amounts of pull-ups. I'll keep everyone posted on how this goes.

Thanks for reading.

John

My first week with ChaLEAN Extreme

So, I'm starting to get into the second week of ChaLEAN Extreme.

Let me just say I love this program. Now, as I've said and I will continue to say, I'm a huge P90X fan. But, I sure needed a change of pace to get my mind back in the game. ChaLEAN Extreme has fit the bill.

Let me start off by saying that a lot of guys will probably look at ChaLEAN Extreme, see the cute blond on the cover and think, "This isn't for me, this is for chicks." While the target audience of ChaLEAN extreme is obviously women, the workouts will get your blood flowing and muscles pumping no matter what side you take in the "seat up vs seat down" debate.

As some of my more longtime readers will know, I love the Core Synergistics workout of P90X. What I like so much about Core Synergistics is that the moves always work more than just one body part at a time. That is the philosophy of ChaLEAN Extreme. Every move in the workouts is a synergistic move. You're rarely if ever just working one body part. For example, you'll do a squat with a bicep curl, or a lunge with a deltoid lift etc. These exercise get you working hard and quickly at that.

Another good thing about ChaLEAN is that for some of you that have been working with P90X for one or two rounds may be getting a bit burned out at the time commitment required. P90X requires at least an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes a day. ChaLEAN workouts are considerably shorter. So this could be a great maintenance workout for P90X grads out there.

Take care folks, keep bringing it.

Diet vs Exercise

This video is a great visual illustration of how making mistakes or cheating on your diet can affect your results. A lot of people think, "I work out, I can afford to eat some fries, or drink a double whip white chocolate mocha."

Think about what you're doing. I know I'm not the perfect example of this. I've been struggling a lot with this lately. I'm not gaining any weight/fat. However my frequent straying from my diet has stalled my results.

Check out this video. Why I don't agree with the sentiment that Cardio isn't important. Its critical for your overall health. However, why do all the work if you're going to waste all your back breaking hard work and effort with your diet.

ChaLEAN Extreme

From John:

This is just a short post. I'll get a more complete first week review this weekend.

I LOVE ChaLEAN EXTREME! This program is fun, and tough. Just what I needed to get me out of the funk I was going through in my workouts. Don't get me wrong, P90X is a killer workout, but any program starts to get to be a bit "blah" after six months with the same routine.

Like I wrote, I'll get a full week 1 report this weekend. In the meantime, let me just say that Burn Intervals, is an awesome workout. And its fun for Monica and I to do together!

Take care, keep pushing play, and remember:

"Hope is not an Action Plan."

John

Month 2, Week 3, and Repeat

From Monica:

With the Burn Month down and the Push Month halfway through, last week I struggled. I admit it, I was slacking. Part of it was that John's motivation was down and the other part was just me being lazy. It's like when you are heading to work and you know you are going to be late. You start thinking up a million excuses when in all reality, you are just running late...that's it. I can't blame my not working out on John when it's my own fault. From what I have noticed, I love the lifting workouts and I am excited to do those. The cardio workouts, however, still kill me every time I do them. For some reason, they just have not become any easier.

So, this week starts Week 3 of ChaLean Extreme Push Month for me...again. Yes, I am repeating just Week 3. The hardest part is getting behind on my planned schedule, but I have really enjoyed this month and I don't mind repeating one week. It must be that my confidence is boosted when I look back over my tracking sheet and am completely overjoyed with the amounts I am lifting.

You see, I started CEx doing the Burn Phase and just testing out the weights I should use to fail at ten to twelve reps. When I began the Push Phase in early March, which shoots for six to eight reps, I jotted down the heaviest weight that I had lifted in Burn and planned on moving one "weight" up on each of the similar workouts. I say "weight" because I am using Power Blocks, like John is, but the female (lighter) set. The weight ranges from 3 to 24 pounds in threes. I am telling you, these weights are fantastic! The point is that now that I am starting Week 3 again, I am looking back and seeing numbers up to 24 pounds on my tracking sheet. I can't believe it...I am maxing out my weights!

If you know me at all, you know I am a bit of a penny pincher, so my immediate response is to worry about spending more money on weights, but then I have to step back and realize what I have accomplished. Out of the three different squats on Push Circuit 1, I am lifting 24 pounds on two of them. The other is a single-leg squat where I am lifting 18. Another big improvement is my push ups, also in Push Circuit 1. They are at the very end of the workout and they are done SUPER slow. I was lucky to get 5 weak push ups completed during my first session. Yesterday on Week 3 (number 2), I did 7 Super slow, Super strong push ups. I guess in the end I can say that this kind of strength is the kind I have always wanted and wasn't disciplined enough to accomplish. I wonder if I feel like John did when he could do a whole set of pull ups along with Tony. Whatever it is...it sure feels great.

Counting Calories

From Monica:

Yikes! I know...you read the title and are already downsizing the window as you read this. Stop! Don't! I promise that counting calories isn't as hard as you might think it is.

First of all, what are you eating anyway? Usually the same types of things from day to day that are actually easy for you to determine the calorie count of. I don't know about you, but I am not eating baked goods everyday which I would agree are probably the hardest foods to figure calorie counts on. Dessert for me has included grapefruit with Splenda (82 calories for the whole thing), Popcorn (175 calories to split a bag with John for non-hydrogenated and buttered), a banana (100 calories) and decaf coffee with creamer (coffee is less than 5 calories, the creamer is about 17). These things are all very easy to figure out.

The first thing you have to do is determine how many calories you should shoot for. I am 5'5, 132 lbs and I work out at a high activity level 5 days a week. John went to the Beachbody website for club members and found the calorie intake calculator. We calculated that I need 1698 in calories for my stats and activity level to be able to burn .5 pounds of fat each week. With the heavy weight lifting, I will build muscle in those areas, so my weight will probably not drop...but my body fat % will.

The key is writing it all down. I calculate my calories on my breakfast and write it down. Then I pack my morning snack, my lunch and my afternoon snack and I go ahead and write that down at the same time (I personally recommend packing your own snacks and lunch. That way you are regulated on what you can eat). When I get home from work I tally up my day, add in anything I didn't write down and determine what I have left for dinner and "dessert".

I have been doing it for 8 days now and only cheated one day! Now to show just how realistic I am being, let me paint you a picture. I work at a bank. I sit at the front desk and I socialize with almost every customer who comes in and leaves. On my desk is a jar of candy for customers. Across from my desk by the entry is a plate of cookies. The teller line has candy jars with Jelly Bellys, lollipops and caramels. Almost every week it is someone's birthday or another special event that leads to people bringing in goodies. These are the temptations that I deal with daily, and I am not talking about the R&B group!

One more piece of advice is to think about everything you eat. For instance, a regular Oreo cookie is 55 calories (how about half a grapefruit?), ten Jelly Bellys are 50 (how about coffee with creamer?), A fun size candy bar is about 100 (how about an entire banana?). Seriously...you are fueling your body and if you are working out, then you are wasting your time if you aren't watching your diet. Just take a shot at it like I did and let me know how you do. I can't believe how easy it is and that I have accomplished 8 days of this. It feels awesome!

Thank You Chalene

From Monica:

Well, I am three weeks into ChaLEAN Extreme (CEx). The first thing I want to share is what keeps me doing it every day. It's all her...Chalene.

Okay, so I am doing my workout to a DVD. I can choose to start it or I can choose to ignore it and plop down on the couch. What keeps me doing it is this idea in my head that I have an appointment with my trainer and I have to be there everyday ready to do my best. If I come home and imagine that my trainer is waiting for me (at my own house no less!), then I am more likely to do it. I am not a girl who would stand someone up!

With that said, I also have John who has his trainer waiting on him too. Now we can't let two people down! When John mentioned something tonight about doing our workouts later, I decided against it. First, I would rather get it done, have my recovery drink and make dinner than put it off as the last thing of the night. We all know how hard it is to peel ourselves off of the couch after having dinner and watching a show or two. Second, Chalene is upstairs waiting for me and I am not going to make her wait. She even says that there is nobody else who wants me to get in shape more than her and I believe her. Look what she's done for me so far!

The second thing I want to share is what the Burn Circuit piece of this workout is all about (the first 30 days). In summary, it is mostly heavy weightlifting. Chalene alternates between upper body and lower body during these workouts. She advises to use lighter weights on upper body and heavier weights on the lower body. I have used anything from 3 pounds to 18 so far, depending on the muscle group. Another thing she does to keep the lifting interesting is that she keeps you moving. For instance, you might do a lunge, lift a row, dip down and then stand up only to go down to another lunge. For the most part these "Burn Circuits" are intense, heavy lifting workouts.

The other days include first, a Burn Interval and Ab Burner day and second, a Burn It Off and Recharge day. Burn Intervals take the same lifting done on the other days, but Chalene has you use one light weight the entire time. Then she makes you work just as hard by increasing the reps. The Ab Burner only lasts about ten minutes, so it works you hard, but keeps the workout from lasting too long. Chalene pushes hard on the Burn It Off day again combining weights and cardio. Afterward, however, the Recharge (or Yoga) is awesome and totally brings you down from the intense workout before it. You also get 2 rest days a week, but I choose to do Turbo Jam on one of my rest days...because it is so much fun!

I'll keep the information coming, but for now I just want to give you a taste of the workout I am doing...and let you know why I am having such a great time doing it.

Long Time Coming

I have been working out using Chalene Johnson's ChaLEAN Extreme for the past ten days. Prior to that, I completed almost three months of Turbo Jam. I admit I have not been this active since playing volleyball and basketball in high school. Sometimes I remind myself of the days when I would attend school from 8 am to 4 pm and then spend an hour and a half...sometimes two in practice.

That was about ten years ago. Since then I have done the bare minimum to keep in shape and healthy. I've joined gym after gym, followed quick workouts in magazines and attempted to run around my neighborhood. None of these things stuck and none of them gave me results.

In just three months I am on the way to the body I had out of high school. I owe my thanks to John. This last September John was living in Novi, Michigan during the week and driving home to see me on the weekends.

All of the sudden, during his company's conference/vacation, John realized he wasn't fitting in his pants anymore. With a nod from me and extreme determination inside himself, John began P90X. I sat at home during the week working on my bachelors and doing nothing for my body. It wasn't until John hit his 90 days and I saw his results that I got interested in doing something for myself.

The first week of November, John talked me into Turbo Jam. I didn't think I could handle P90X and I wanted something really fun. Turbo Jam mixes kick boxing, cardio and dancing into a high-energy, motivating workout. Two days in and I was hooked.

After completing eleven weeks of Turbo Jam, we went on our 6 Year Anniversary/Graduation cruise. We both had rocking bodies and didn't mind strutting our stuff. The best part was that we worked out on the cruise doing yoga, cardio and walking...and it was fun.

Back home, John asked me if I was interested in ChaLEAN Extreme (CEX). I decided to give it a try partially due to another Beachbody Coach, Jessica. She wrote on Facebook and in emails how much she loved CEX.

I am ten days into CEX. I can't wait to tell you what I have been doing so far and how good I feel!

~Monica

New Author Coming Soon!

No, I'm not going anywhere.

However, one amazing person I know has been doing Turbo Jam for 3 months and just started ChaLEAN Extreme. That person is my lovely wife Monica.

She's going to be dropping by and writing about her experiences with ChaLEAN Extreme while I'll be writing about P90X etc. Her first posts should be up by the end of the week. I'm very excited of Monica's commitment.

Back when I first started P90X, I sat down with Monica and asked her for support through the program. I needed to know that she was willing to help me out, even if that meant her sacrificing having ice cream around the house etc. She's been amazing throughout. Its so much easier to stick to a workout regimen if your spouse is on one as well.

So Thank you for welcoming Monica as another author here on Tough Fitness.

John

Why I became a Beachbody Coach.

You know what's been more exciting than my own journey with P90X?  Its been talking to others that were in a similar situation as mine.  I have some friends that have been out of a regular fitness routine, not at their best level of fitness.  A couple of these folks have seen my blog, seen my results photos, and my success so far has motivated them to get on board and try out P90X or another Beachbody Fitness program such as ChaLEAN Extreme.

One of my buddies called me up and was absolutely gushing about how he loved the first week of P90X.  I forget his exact quote, but it was something along the lines of, "Dude, this has been awesome!  I'm 100% into this program!"  How cool is that?  My success has resulted in not only improving my health, but its going to change his life for the better.  I'm sure down the line someone will ask him what he's been doing and will be motivated by his success as well.

Here's the truth why I became a coach.  The primary reason I became a Beachbody coach was not to make money (although the extra cash coming in has been nice).  The real reason is that I had a long history of starting a program and quitting.  I knew that starting as a coach would be drawing a line in the sand for myself.  How could I be a "coach" to others if I wasn't sticking to a program myself?  I thought that by making an extra commitment to others by coaching, it would be a strong motivator to keep me into the program. (It worked!)

Going forward, the success of my friends that I am coaching will continue to motivate me.  I invest some time in them, help them reach their goals and get to enjoy the results.  

If you're looking into helping others improve their fitness, and are interested in coaching shoot me an email at john@toughfitness.com  

You can also check out my coaching page.