After I graduated college with an exercise science degree, I was interested in developing a career in fitness. Instead, I went to the Medical University of South Carolina to physical therapy school. Now looking back on my life, I realize that I became a therapist because people told me that was what I should do. Although I did enjoy the education, once I graduated and started logging hours and seeing over 100 patients a week, my body started telling me something different. For the first year or so, however, I just chose not to listen.

The Knot

On Sunday evenings, I would get a “knot” in my gut and begin to count the minutes left of my weekend. There became no greater dread than my alarm clock on Monday morning which always seemed to buzz too soon. I also began to live for Friday nights and Saturdays throughout the week. Instead of getting from my job, I slowly began to focus more on getting through it. Saturday’s became the day I could be myself. I would train with my friends, compete in sports and share ideas about fitness and performance. My library expanded more about sport performance and biomechanics than rehabilitation. I was living on a weekly 1 to 6 ratio in terms of time spent on passion and work. That knot on Sunday evenings was my body begging me to reverse the equation.

Before I go further, I don’t want to give you the wrong impression of physical therapy. I enjoyed helping people and watching my patients improve, but that knot was telling me I was meant for something slightly different. I wanted to use the knowledge I had gained from therapy, but on a slightly different population. I valued the relationships I had built with my therapist coworkers and I grew immensely from the experience and pressure of managing people’s health.

The Goal

It didn’t take sitting in an hour each commute of traffic to realize I missed sport, but the time sitting in my car hammered home my need for a new direction. I missed the rush of fitness and sport, but most of all, I missed achievement. My body was telling me I was built for action. That knot was my sign that I was designed for more than one happy day per week. I believe that everyone has this internal desire to reach a high level in some vocation. We all respect and adore people that have achieved mastery in some area. Unfortunately, most people attempt to reach high levels in something other than their job. When your job is where you aspire to be your best and that job is also your passion and purpose, however, you will find endless energy and true happiness. The alignment of your passion, purpose and vocation is magical. Things will come naturally and your body works at full energy and impact. The challenge is that sometimes our biggest obstacles to achieve this alignment are the people closest to us.

The Obstacles

I can remember the day I told my parents I was going to leave my budding physical therapy career and live in a guy’s basement to help drive a start-up company that was focused on the new concept of speed and strength improvement for young athletes. I also remember the opposition that I met from them and my closest friends. “What? Leave therapy to run kids around? Therapy is a good career and you are born either fast or slow. Strength training for girls? You are out of your mind and will go broke,” was the common response.

Most people never reached for their dreams, so most may try to stop you from getting to yours. Being “safe” in life can sometimes lead to being “sorry” later regardless of what the old anecdote says. The lesson I learned is that people don’t always know what is best for you. Your knot may be there to help you decide that for yourself.

The Leap

To me, leaving my first career was like jumping out of a plane. The first step involved anxiety and fear, but once I was out, the real exhilaration began. I realize now you may have to go through some pain to get to the pleasure, but you have to trust in your “gut” and go for your passion. My advice would be to take that leap and go for it. Unlike the plane, if things don’t go your way, have confidence that you can always go back to where you started.

The List

Use the checklist below to examine your current situation. If you experience any of these, this could confirm your need for a change:

You count the minutes until you finish work on Friday.
Saturday is your day to do what you love.
You wish Sunday had 30 hours instead of 24.
Monday morning is the most difficult time to hear the alarm clock.
Your real passion doesn’t have much to do with your work.

The Questions

Do you have a knot in your stomach? Take a moment to truthfully answer these four questions and your answers may just give you the directions on how to untie it:

Do you ever notice your body trying to tell you something about your career path?

Do you have people around you that may be keeping you from your passion?

What is your passion/work ratio?

If you had all the money in the world, what would you do for a living?

The Answer

Rooney Rule: Successful people love mondays.

Being successful isn’t about being rich, it is first about untying your “knot” and being happy. Most people measure success in wealth. I believe that you cannot put a price on doing what you love. I also believe that if you do what you love and you aspire to become great at that thing, the money will also come. When you reach this greatness, and you are aligned with your passion, you don’t hate mondays.

You live for them.

I am always honored when I am asked to do an interview because it is humbling to know that there are people out there that care what I think about certain topics.  I also enjoy to perform interviews because asking the “right” questions can lead to enlightenment and growth.  An interview, I have realized, is an interesting and fun exchange.  Just like a tennis match, oftentimes questions and answers are volleyed back and forth with a predetermined direction or goal in mind by each participant.  Each player in the exchange attempts to strategically move the conversation toward his or her particular objective and the “winner” may be deemed the one that scored the most “points” in their favor.  For instance, an interviewer’s goal could be to get the interviewee to clarify or to support a certain concept, while the interviewee’s goal could be to sway the interviewer to see things from another perspective. Regardless of which role I play, I like to have fun.

Over the last few weeks, I have done a few interviews that have caused me to reflect on the state of both the fitness industry and human nature. During the interviews, I was repeated asked a handful of questions that all seemed to be seeking out the same thing: A Silver Bullet.  Whether it was about health and fitness, nutrition, or money, every interviewer attempted to get me to support the concept of a Silver Bullet while I did my best to sway them to see things from a different perspective.  Below are some of the enlightening exchanges:

Question #1

Interviewer: “If you were on a deserted island and could only do one exercise, what would it be?”

MR:  “That is a tough one.  I need to decide the most effective use of my time.”

Interviewer: “Well, you like to dead lift and bench press.  Maybe that is a start?”

MR:  “They have barbells and hundreds of pounds of plates on deserted islands?”

Interviewer: “Well no, but those would be pretty complex exercises.”

MR: “I was thinking complex exercises like trying to decide between the breast and the free.”

Interviewer:  “Those sound good.  What equipment do you need for those?”

MR: “Equipment? None?  If I was on a deserted island and could only do one exercise, I would choose to SWIM.  I am not a great swimmer and those are two types of strokes I would have to practice to get off that island!”

Question #2

Interviewer: “If all you could eat was one supplement, what would it be?”

MR:  “Only one?  Man, can’t I at least name two?”

Interviewer: “No, only one.”

MR:  “Well, I could go with creatine for strength and power, or fish oils for my joints and skin, but I think I will go with a CoCo Puffs.”

Interviewer: “CoCo Puffs?  Why do you say that?”

MR:  “It’s obvious.  The box says it is part of a nutritious breakfast, loaded with vitamins and heart healthy too!  Creatine doesn’t have that.”

Interviewer:  “Come on, I am talking about just taking one supplement.”

MR:  “If I only eat one supplement, I would die fairly quick.  If that is going to happen, I choose CoCo Puffs.  They are tastier than Fish Oil and chocolate milk will keep me alive longer.”

Interviewer:  “You can’t pick that.  And they are not even that healthy.”

MR:  “What??  Are you saying that General Mills is lying?”

Question #3

Interviewer: “What are the essential areas of the body to develop to be a great athlete?”

MR: “I would say the first to develop is an open mind.”

Interviewer: “I know where you are going, but I am talking about areas you can build like the posterior chain.”

MR:  “Well, you can’t build that without an open mind.  If I can’t choose that then I pick the heart.”

Interviewer: “Good. So you mean to develop it for stroke volume and cardiac efficiency.”

MR:  “No, I mean for desire and compassion. You can’t have them without heart.”

Interviewer: “Come on Martin.  I know what you mean, but what about the back?”

MR: Okay, I then choose to develop a strong back.”

Interviewer: “Would you develop this for sprint speed and jumping ability.”

MR:  “Neither. I would develop the back to support the weight of your goals and dreams.”

Interviewer: “This interview is not going the way I wanted.”

MR:  “Don’t worry, that is why I have also picked thick skin as an essential area to develop….”

Question #4

Interviewer: “What are a few things you need to know to be a great trainer?”

MR:  “There are so many things.  But I guess I would start with knowing how to be on time.”

Interviewer: “That is ok, but I was thinking more about science ideas.”

MR: “Science doesn’t matter much if you are 15 minutes late for an hour session.”

Interviewer: “I know that, but what about biomechanics?”

MR: “Yes, that is important.  I would focus on standing up straight and keeping the hands out of the pockets.”

Interviewer: “What? Who cares about that?”

MR:  “The client.  When you stand up straight and keep your hands out of your pocket, you look more interested.  When you are more interested, your client knows you care and gets better results.”

Interviewer:  “Come on.  I want things a trainer can learn or do.”

MR:  “I am giving you those and by doing that, I have shown you a third important thing to being a great trainer.”

Interviewer:  “Yeah, what’s that?”

MR: “Being honest…”

Although it might have been easier to answer with the bench press, a book title or a body part, I wrote this blog to remind us that being fit and successful usually involves more than one or two things.  As I reflect on these questions, the more I realize how attractive and misleading the concept of a Silver Bullet really is.  There will always be a flood of enticing ideas like 6 minute abs, magical elixirs like 5 hour energy, and remarkable claims of the Shake Weight. The moral of the exchanges above is that there is no single best way.  If there was, I guess we would all be doing it.  Your goal is to realize that and be on the careful search for “better.”

Two Weeks.  14 Days.  336 Hours.

Two weeks can seem very different to two people.  Depending on the circumstance, some might see it as a long time, or a short span.  For instance, one could be in a job that they dislike or a hospital bed, and those 14 days could seem to stretch forever.  Another could be on a luxurious beach vacation and the time could seem to fly by.  In either case, two weeks is 14 days and what each person does in those 336 hours will determine their outlook.

The last two weeks in my life have been nothing short of amazing. Although some parts seemed long and others quite short, I hope you might agree that my last 14 days might be hard to believe:

This two week span challenged the mental fortitude, physical strength and professional skills that I have worked to develop over the last few decades.  In those 14 days, I traveled the globe, worked with athletes and coaches of the highest levels in sport, and saw some of the wonders of the world.  The 14 days began at Fort Benning, Georgia where I was honored to return and train the Army Ranger elite instructors.  From there, I took a 15 hour flight to Beijing, China and stood atop the historic Great Wall, rode a 200+ mph bullet train, presented for over 24 hours to over 500 high level Chinese athletes and coaches in the top sport province of Shandong, walked the cobble stone floors of the Forbidden City and tried some exotic foods that I would wish to forget.  Upon returning to the US, I watched my top fighter and training partner, Jim Miller win “Submission of the Night” in a UFC Main Event Fight in Nashville, TN and then hosted a 2-day TFW Certification event in NJ for 23 new members.  The final night of the 14th day was a surreal finish when I saw that 9 players from the Patriots and Giants with which I have previously worked would be going to the Super Bowl as I performed the final sign off on my third book with Harper Collins.

I didn’t list those things above to impress you.  I listed them to impress upon you that what caused those events to happen are not as a result of what you think.  Every week, I receive emails and questions from people around the world who ask me what is the one thing they need to do, eat, read or exercise to have have a week or two like this.  What I tell them, however, is not what they have to do to make it happen, but instead what they DON’T have to do.  Getting to present in China was not easy.  Neither was writing a 420 page book or having the courage to step into a room full of Army Rangers and discuss what it means to be a warrior.  In a world where people are constantly either looking for or being sold a silver bullet, I have come to the realization that those two weeks actually took 20 years of not doing a lot of things to make them happen.

Confused?  Good.  Because the purpose of my blog to get you to think (and then act, of course).

Life is cumulative.  To me, this means that where you currently are in your life is not just a culmination of all of the things you have done, but more so all the things you chose not to do.  Many people, however, choose to believe that the things you do are the ones in which you are measured.  Although this may be true, doing the wrong things can lead to mediocrity.  Removing them is what leads to eventual greatness.  Removing the inappropriate things from your life may just be the faster and easier route to achieve your goals in life.  So, instead of believing my life is measured by the books I read and places I went, I like to think my life is measured by all the parties I missed, the TV I didn’t watch, the bad food I didn’t eat, the video games I didn’t play, the bad or negative people I didn’t surround myself with and workouts I did not miss.  It was the missing of all these things that was actually what allowed the other things to happen.

Using my philosophy, what do you need to quit right now to succeed?  Where are you spending time that is going to hold you back?  Many people think a “Bucket List” is all the things you would like to do in your life.  I have a slightly different approach.  In order to achieve your “To Do” Bucket List, I first think you should make a “Not To Do” Bucket List of the things you shouldn’t be doing.  Start checking off that list and I promise the “To Do” Bucket List will get much closer to reality because the easiest way to get what you want is to first remove what is holding you back.

Using this approach, you should see that adding a few new items to an already poor diet is not going to reduce body fat.  Instead of worrying what it is you need to eat to get lean, first start by removing all the things you know you should not be eating and I guarantee you will immediately get leaner.  Then add the healthy things you know you should be eating and you will be well on your way to the body you want.  This is much easier and less confusing that spending hours reading another fad diet book that you won’t stick with.  Helpful hints here would be removing processed sugars and replacing most liquids you drink with water.  Then worry about the benefits of quinoa and kale.

I hope that you see there is a secret in this philosophy.  To have a few weeks like I listed above is not reserved for the rich or naturally talented.  It is reserved for the one that is prepared to do (and not do) what it takes to be great.  The secret is that it is all under your control.

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”  Robert Frost

New Year’s Eve is perhaps my favorite day of the year.  Not just because this day is renown for great parties, but I also cherish this day as both an opportunity to reflect on the past and also to look forward to the future.  Every year, on New Year’s Eve, I take part in the most strenuous workout I can perform.  During this annual workout, I have developed an interesting exercise tradition that helps me to reconnect with myself and my vision for the future.  Of all the exercises I have delivered over the years, this one may actually give you the greatest results in terms of affecting your destiny.

How the session is devised is that I want you to pick some of the toughest (and often least favorite) exercises to perform.  Do this to not only finish the year with something difficult, but also to enter in to the new year with a new standard of toughness.  These sets of exercises in themselves is not the magic behind the New Year’s Eve session.  Although the exercises are great to work and build the body, that happens in between each set, however, is actually the exercise that works your most important muscle: your mind.  To work this area of the body, you should have one piece of paper and a pen.  During the rest periods between each demanding set that leaves your heart pounding in our chest, you are required to write down a number of meaningful “promises” to yourself that you must achieve in the new year.  Although this may not sound special, this could be the best holiday season gift you could ever receive.  (Note that I am calling these gifts promises, not goals or resolutions.  People often make resolutions and goals and then do not stick to them or see them through. These are no longer strong enough words.  Goals and resolutions are often quickly forgotten, but a promise to ourself is meant to be kept!)

Make The Investment

The greatest investment you can make is an investment in yourself.  All too often, however, we are so caught up in what we are currently doing that we rarely sit back, analyze where we are and what we have done and make a decision about where we would like to go next.  I am also quite sure that we don’t spend any time writing down powerful promises to ourselves.  Spending time doing this at least one day per year  can make a difference in your life.  I know that it has for me.  Try my method of writing down your promises with your next workout.  Even though it may be a few days after the new year, there is never a bad time to start this process.  Find a couple of hours, get the pen, the paper and get going.

“Thou ought to be nice, even to superstition, in keeping thy promises, and therefore equally cautious in making them.” Thomas Fuller

As a guide to writing your promises during the rest periods of the workout, I recommend that you split your promises for the year down into three specific areas:  Physical, Spiritual and Financial. I have concluded that a person must sustain growth and development in these three areas if he or she is to continue to lead the life he or she imagined.

To help all the readers with more specific direction, here is a short, but potentially life-altering set of 14 promises that are always mandatory items for my yearly list.  Although you may have many more, I recommend that you start with this list.

Physical Items for your future

I promise to have a Bodyweight and Bodyfat of……

I promise to make the following changes in my diet…. (i.e. foods, calories, etc.)

I promise to exercise …… many days per week

I promise to quit the following bad habits …..(i.e. smoking, drinking, etc)

I promise to attain the following new skills…..(i.e. surfing, skiing, etc)

I promise to attain a ……level in my chosen sport

Spiritual Items for your future

I promise to read ….. number of books

I promise to investigate the following topics…. (i.e. communication, leadership, etc.)

I promise to develop better relationships with …..

I promise to take a vacation of …. days to ……

Financial Items for your future

I promise my income for following year will be….

I promise to invest …..dollars

I promise to donate ….dollars/my time to charity

I promise myself ……(major purchases) for the following year (i.e. car, house, etc.)

When drawing up your list, attempt to make the promises both specific and as realistic as possible.  The promises should be something that you can attain with hard work and the specificity will give you something exact for which to strive.  Once your list is completed, make a few copies of the list and hang them prominently in a few places that you will see every day.  You should also cross off each promise once it is attained or keep a running list of your totals so that at year’s end you can see how many promises you kept to yourself.

“Promises are like crying babies in a theater, they should be carried out at once.” Norman Vincent Peale

There is no better time to start carrying out your promises to yourself than today.  Go out and get the next book you promised to read, call the person you promised to call, get to practice or change your diet.   Remember that 2012 is not about what you are going to do, but about what you are going to become.  By following through on your list, I promise you that this year is going to be your breakout year to become that someone that you have always promised yourself you would be!

Need More Inspiration? Here is a video link from my New Year’s workout:

The holiday season is a classic time to look back on your past, remembering both the good times and the bad.  As we shuffle through the memories of our lives, there are often some moments that stand out more than others.  In the past few years, I have had the good fortune to have traveled to over 20 countries and many famous cities of the world.  During my travels, in addition to training, I have also investigated the foods, cultures, and customs of these wonderful places.

A common question I receive is, “Which place did you like the best?”  This is a difficult question to answer because each place was radically different yet equally enjoyable.  I was inspired by the relaxed feel of Rio de Janiero, Brazil, but also by the lighting pace of Tokyo, Japan.  I stood in awe of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy the same way I did Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland.  I have made lifelong friends in chilly Helsinki, Finland as well as in steamy Bangkok, Thailand.  Narrowing my favorite to one place is nearly impossible. If I am pressed, however, Russia stands out as my most intriguing trip.  Having grown up during the years of the “Iron Curtain,” I was unsure what I was going to discover.  One important thing I found is you can’t always believe what you hear.

Moscow is a progressive city pushing Russia into the future with modern businesses, cars and fashion.  St. Petersburg is an incredible example of how architecture can instantly transport a person back hundreds of years.  In between those two cities, however, is a lesser-known jewel of Russia, Yaroslavl.  At 1000 years old, Yaroslavl is one of Russia’s oldest cities.  It also houses some of the nicest people to some of the tastiest food I have ever eaten.  My hosts were successful men that had established themselves in the city.  Dressed impeccably, they radiated class and distinction.  One night in Yaroslavl, however, they also demonstrated another important quality: compassion.

As we stood outside of a restaurant nestled against the Volga river, a small boy no older than 8 came up to our group.  He wasn’t wearing any shoes and was quite dirty.  I was stunned because I realized that this boy had approached to beg us for money.  Although I had many experiences like this, never was it the child was doing the begging.  Before I could search for loose change, my host told the child he had a deal for him.  He said that if the boy could do 20 pushups, he would give him 100 dollars!  The boy looked at the man in disbelief, but the other distinguished gentlemen assured the boy this was a legitimate deal.

My host got down on the ground in his fancy clothes, and demonstrated a perfect pushup the way it had to be performed for the boy to get the money.  The boy got down on the ground and started. The first few looked good, but at 7 reps, my experience told me he wasn’t getting 20.  He struggled and fought with everything he had, but at 13 his tiny arms gave out under his weight.

The little boy rose to his tiny, dirty feet with his head and eyes down looking absolutely dejected and defeated.  Just as I started to resent my host for putting the boy through this hopeless challenge, the man took a knee, looked the boy in the eye and delivered the lesson.  He stated, “If you continue to beg the rest of your life, you will always remain weak.  If you do this exercise each day and get strong, some day you will build the strength so you no longer have to beg. Do you understand?”  The boy nodded yes, and then, in what shocked both me and the boy, my host gave him the 100 dollars.

This experience made me appreciate not only what I had, but also what I have become.  You see, I can remember being like that boy.  Although I may not have been begging in the streets, I did not have many of the things I desired in my life.  Through physical training I have been afforded opportunities that would not have been possible without the strength and confidence I have developed.  The lesson my Russian host provided was true:  With physical strength comes ability.  And with ability comes confidence.  And with confidence comes the courage to take on challenges.  I am so passionate about fitness because I know that being fit means far more than having a low body fat or strong muscles.  Being fit will help you lead a more productive life.

On the banks of the Volga, I began my training love-affair with the humble pushup.  Since then I have traveled the globe finding over 100 variations of this powerful tool that builds both the body and mind.  I consider my books, videos, articles and blog gifts that I give to everyone.  My latest present is my PUSHUP WARRIOR app that shares everything I know about pushups.  With over 120 variations and 60 workouts, I know you will find your “lesson” here:

TFW’s PUSHUP WARRIOR APP

The story should remind you that as 2011 comes to a close, you should not just reflect on what you have done, but also what you could have done better.  Your hindsight should influence your foresight and, therefore, your actions for 2012.  Every thing left unsaid and deed left undone is your guide for future behavior to achieve your dreams.  If you choose to accept them, you will come to see that mishaps and missed opportunities will be the greatest gifts you receive.  This story should also remind you that your purpose after receiving these gifts is to give them away so others can benefit from your mistakes.  By sharing your experiences, you help others to move more quickly and safely toward their dreams.  What my mom always told me is actually true.  It is far better to give than receive.  Happy Holidays.

“Of all the animals, man is the most unmanageable” Plato

Most people state that they would like to have less body fat, more muscle, less injuries and more time for their training.  When they are asked how they are “managing” the processes to gain these results, however, the answer is usually a blank stare. Think of your Health and Fitness as a business.  Management is the most important ability that can lead to the achievement of this business’ goals.  Whether you are a champion or a challenger, I guarantee this blog will prove that your “training management” skills can be improved.

“Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny”  Kin Hubbard

Below are 5 “departments” of your business that must be managed to be more successful:

#1 Time Management 

Rooney Rule: Your success is not a result of natural ability or resources, but simply from how and where you spend your energy and time. Where these are spent will determine your destiny.  People often complain that they would achieve their goals if they had more time.

There are 168 hours in a week.  If we agree that 8 should be spent sleeping each night and around 8 should be spent working each day, that would still allow 8 more hours every day available for amazing things.  How are you spending those extra 8 hours?  If TV, internet surfing, computer games, texting friends and or lying around the house is filling most or some of that time, you are wasting one thing in life you can’t have back once it is gone.

TFW Solution:  Take an inventory this week of where you are spending your free time and “manage” it.  If you are not spending the time toward the achievement of your goals, you must make some simple changes in your schedule.

#2 Energy Management

            Rooney Rule: Your success will not be measured by how many days you get to “take off”, but instead by how many of the days you correctly “take on.”  Most people forget to “manage” their energy throughout the week.  Energy management problems are not due to errors in quantity, but because of the mismanagement of the intensity of training.

Simple signs of energy mismanagement are being overtired, sore, chronically injured, and having less desire to train.  To avoid these, you must take a hard look at how you apply the intensity of your training.

            TFW Solution:  Simple energy level evaluation can help you undulate the intensity throughout the week.  For example, if Monday was an intense day of lifting and then an all-out sport training session that evening, you must recognize that if you train on Tuesday, drilling at a lower intensity would be a better choice to let your body do the most important thing: recover.  Another piece of advice is not to be afraid to skip a day.  Although your mind may think in a week of seven days, your body cares about getting rest.

#3 Caloric Management

            Rooney Rule: Eating right or eating wrong is not a “knowledge” thing, it is a “choice” thing.  Read a book about that instead of the next fad diet. When discussing nutrition my athletes usually tell me what they eat, instead of how they “manage” the amount and when they eat.  What you eat is only part of the equation for weight loss or gain and performance.

Simply put, the law of thermodynamics states that if you consume more calories than you expend you are going to gain weight.  So, if you are not managing your calories according to training and non-training days, you are not in control of your weight.

TFW Solution:  A way to manage your caloric intake is to make sure that you consume less on non-training days than on training days.  A good rule of thumb is to take in 500 calories less on non-training days.  Undulating the caloric intake can keep you leaner and maintain your muscle.

#4 Tension Management

            Rooney Rule: If you are spending three hours in the gym every workout, you are not probably there to move weights, you are there to make friends.  Athletes often tell me “how long” they are in the gym.  I like to remind these people that it is not the length of time, but what happens during that time that counts.

The real amount of time you are actually training is the time that is spent putting tension through your body to create a training effect.  The best technique to “manage” tension throughout a resistance training workout is by monitoring the tempo of each repetition.   Athletes often pay no attention to this important variable of training.  Tempo is time it takes to complete a single repetition and is broken down into the eccentric, concentric and isometric portions of lift.

TFW Solution:  It is not just the reps and sets that are performed, but also the time it takes to perform that set that can determine results.  My simple strategy for tempo management is to follow a pace for every lift.  A classic suggestion is using a 3 second lowering on every lift coupled with a one second pause at the stopping phase of the lift and then moving as fast as possible back to the initial position.  See if that doesn’t change the weight and “feel” during your next workout.

#5 Injury Management

            Rooney Rule: Your body’s fitness is like a valuable coupon that never expires. It is never too late to go to the gym and redeem yourself.  If you are not healthy, you cant train.  If you can’t train, you cant be healthy.  An injury that has been nagging you is an indication of poor management.  Athletes press through small physical issues that eventually become chronic big obstacles.

People that train or compete often have some issue with their body, yet rarely do anything to rehabilitate these areas.  If you fit this mold, it is time to “manage” the situation better.

TFW Solution:  Make an assessment of any area of the body that is bothering you right now.   Address the most major injuries now, and prehab your “weak” spots to make sure they stay off your list.

To enhance your Training Division, you need to address the above 5 departments and redefine management from “getting things done effectively through effort” to “effectively developing yourself through your effort.”  Translation: Smart work is better than hard work.

This week, I was given a great honor.  I was featured in the December edition of Muscle and Fitness in a six-page article about my history and contribution to the fitness industry.  I believe that this article is the best I have ever had written about me not because it covered one particular aspect of my career, but because it was the first to ever encompass and connect all of them.  The opportunity to be featured was especially humbling because Muscle and Fitness is the magazine that I originally went to for both my training information and inspiration.  As a teenager I constantly found myself replicating the workouts I pulled from the magazine and dreaming of having arms like Arnold and legs like Platz.  In an interesting example of how life comes full circle, those magazines were the kick start to the training that led to my career choice that led to being featured in the same magazine 25 years later.

Since the magazine hit the newsstands last week, I have had a number of people contact me about the article.  In addition to kind words about the article, most people asked how I have been able to do so many different things in my career or how I “got so lucky.”  As I kept getting asked those two questions, I realized that within the answer was an important lesson which could make everyone more productive.  This answer reminded me of a quote by the famous artist Michelangelo:

“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.”

Over the last 20 years, I have done a number of things.  I have attained three degrees with honors, competed as a US bobsledder, treated as a physical therapist, presented for Fortune 500 companies, written six books, built two successful companies, earned a black belt in judo, traveled to 23 different countries, trained hundreds of professional athletes, and loved as a father and husband.  I don’t write these things to impress you, I write them to impress something upon you:  Behind each one of these accomplishments were years of focused and disciplined effort.  When I look back at my list of achievements from the Muscle and Fitness article, however, I realized the answer of how to be successful was even more specific than that.  The solution had to do not with what I had done, but how I was able to do it:

Successful People Do Daily What Mediocre People Do Occasionally!

How I have been able to do what I have done has been a result of a daily pursuit of goals put together for decades in a row.  When you are a “daily,” it is amazing how much you can accomplish in a couple of decades. The secret is not about talent or ability.  The secret was hidden in the little things I was able to do daily that others were not willing to do.  In the end, the secret is quite simple to understand: If you want to lose weight or body fat, eat right daily. If you want to be more physically fit, exercise daily. If you want to be a more technical at whatever it is you do, train something technical daily. If you really want to be a better writer, reader, dancer, parent, worker, etc, you have do those things daily for decades in a row.

My question is, “Are you a daily person or a occasionally person?” I believe that this subtle difference is what stops most people from being great. If you could just string enough days in a row of doing the right things, there is nothing that you cannot achieve. What can you start doing daily starting tomorrow that could get you closer to your dreams? Are you willing to do it? If not, then maybe you don’t want it as bad as you think you do.

I believe that most people are “occasionally” at best.  What I mean is that people do the things they need to do every once in a while, but as a result of this lack of consistency, they never get where they want to go.  Let’s use nutrition as an example.  Most people eat a healthy meal or too a couple times a week.  The problem is, if you want to be lean and healthy, eating well every once in a while doesn’t work.  It needs to be daily.  I believe that the obesity, diabetes, and heart disease epidemics that plague our society are not caused by a lack or want for knowledge, but by a distinct lack of daily action.  When I ask anyone I meet which foods are considered good or healthy versus foods that are unhealthy, everyone seems to know the correct answer.  The challenge is to be able to apply this knowledge and eat well on a daily basis.  Unfortunately, as a result of their lack of consistent daily actions many people in the world have chosen to be mediocre. When most people are asked if they want to have more money, skills, fitness or happiness, they all answer “yes.” But when they don’t do the things that it takes on a daily basis to achieve these goals, they are really saying “no.”

Rooney Rule:

Your daily thoughts tell the world what you want, Your daily actions tell the world what you will get.

If you want to reach your dreams, be daily, not occasionally.  The decades are going to go by.  What you put into each day along the way will decide what goes in the article that they write about you.

When you were born, your entry level job was to be happy and have fun. Your immediate job responsibility was about being happy or avoiding anything that made you upset.  Under the watchful eye of many superiors, you learned important “on the job” skills like crying and smiling to reach your quarterly goals of maximum contentment.  After a few years in this position, you took your first steps up the corporate ladder, when you started school.  Even with your first introduction of a schedule and reporting systems, your main objective was still to be happy. High school brought on another advancement of position in your job.  With a greater network of associates and freedom, you took more of a management role in your production of fun.  In this managerial role, you were able to determine what produced your greatest happiness and you increased your creativity and skills in fun production.  Your impressive resume lead to your final promotion to CEO when you reached college. This position required building a solid team of like-minded people on a mission to reach maximum happiness with a little studying thrown in there sometimes.  Just as the ride at “Happiness Inc.” has hit its peak, however, something scary happened to your job security.

When college ended you were convinced by people of another “work force” that for some reason you needed to get a “new” job.  This group asserted that it is acceptable and often a requirement to exchange your former payment currency of happiness for money.  As a result of this new compensation package, your concept of a “job” transformed from doing things to have as much enjoyment as possible to represent whatever task you can perform to produce as much money as possible. In this new position you are expected to spend most of the rest of your life doing tasks you may not enjoy in order to produce enough money to do what makes you happy in the little spare time this new job offers.  This career not only requires, but demands 5 stressful days per week.  After trying to maximally enjoy Saturdays and Sundays for the next 50 years, you are ironically allowed to “retire” from this job and rejoin your original career at the young age of 65.

Does any of this sound familiar? I hope you see something terribly wrong with this way of thinking.  If we are supposed to start off and end our lives having fun, why don’t many of us believe we can have fun in the middle?  I suggest there is a better way to measure success than in houses, cars, flat screen TVs and money.

Rooney Rule:  Success in life can be measured as the amount of time you spend doing what makes you happy with people that make you happy.

When most people hear this new idea, they say anyone that has a job that leads to happiness is lucky. Happiness is not something the lucky deserve, it is something the successful demand!  Are you having as much fun as you deserve? If you aren’t as successful as you want to be according to the rule above, it is time to demand more. Time spent doing things you dread because the world said “that is how it is supposed to be” is a giant waste of your passion and gifts.

The Job Hunter’s Toolbelt

Here is my list of 4 tools you need to help pave a new career path.  Since they are not always easy to use, I have recruited some of the best and brightest minds in history for some “on the job” training.

Tool 1: Belief

Belief is like a crowbar.  You can use it to separate the “haves” and “have nots.” Most people do not believe that they are supposed to have a job that makes them happy. Use this tool to separate yourself from the competition.

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be.  If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it.  On the contrary, if I shall have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning.”  Mahatma Gandhi

Tool 2: Responsibility

Responsibility is like a compass.  Once it is set, it will tell you the direction you need to go. After you set it on something you believe makes you happy, then it is your choice whether or not to pursue it.

“…Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”  Victor Frankl

Tool 3: Inspiration

Inspiration is like industrial-strength glue.  Once it has locked on, it is hard to separate it from its purpose.  Once you have inspiration in place, you will be hard to pull off track.

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds.  Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.  Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”  Patanjali

Tool 4: Action

Action is like a hammer. It only produces a result when you use it.  Instead of waiting for the “right” time, the best way to use this tool is to start swinging.

“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.”  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I hope this blog a wake up call. If you are unhappy, there is more waiting for you.  Find your calling and you will never “work” another day in your life. How do I know?  Because it worked for me.

Cameras are magical tools.  Not only are they devices that have the unique ability to capture important moments of our lives, but they also have a most interesting “transformational” effect on people.  In front of a camera, we strangely strive to become a better man or woman.  In addition to the compulsory smile, this transformation also involves making sure our hair is neat, clothes are clean, stomach is held tight, posture is straight and that we are turned to be seen from our “good side.”  If there is another person joining us in the picture, we commonly throw an arm around them and pull them close in loving admiration.  If you really think about it, cameras are not just tools to record our best times, but cues to bring out our best behavior.

Last week I experienced the physical and mental effects this transformation can provide.  In Phoenix, Arizona I was honored to present at the “Meeting of the Minds” with numerous stars of the fitness industry.  Five days later, I presented twice in New York City at the TSI Summit.  In between those lectures, I taped a webinar for the Parisi Speed School national franchise and performed over 300 exercises on three straight days for the Perform Better Catalog.  Each one of these events was spent “on camera.”

The week left my body and mind more fatigued than expected.  The camera forced me to deliver with razor-sharp precision. Every word was specifically chosen and every exercise was meticulously performed. Being in front of the camera caused me to turn ordinary moments into extraordinary events.  As I spent Sunday recovering, I had an epiphany:  Why don’t we live like the camera is always on?  Since your life happens from moment to moment and you don’t know which one will be the most important, why not make them all special?  Just because there is no physical camera in sight, why not keep a camera on in your mind?

The photos you take are symbolic of the life you live.  If you have scrapbooks of photos from all the successes of your life, you have probably done a number of things to make those events happen.  If the photos you seek have not yet been taken, there are a number of “adjustments” you need to make with that camera in your mind. By adjusting your camera correctly, you will automatically have a better opportunity to get the “right” shot.

There are 6 ways to adjust the camera in your mind to increase your level of success:

1. Set Your Focus

What do you really want?  When most people are asked about their goals, they have vague answers like “more money” or “to be happy.”  In order to get what you want you have to improve your focus.  By precisely focusing on what it is you want from life, only then can you take the necessary steps toward making it happen.  If you want something, you must first focus your vision on seeing it clearly

2. Get Your Angle

What do you stand for?  If you don’t stand for something, you will likely fall for anything.  By knowing your “angle” you will be able not only to convey your point of view, but also be more sympathetic with other people’s perspective as well.  Having the correct angle on things will ultimately help you be a more effective communicator.  If you define who you are and the values that give you direction, you will always know the proper angle to take.

3.  Check Your Exposure.

Are you open minded?  Your camera must be able to open enough to let in the perfect amount of light.  Most people’s minds, however, are often “closed” off.  Light can be positive or negative, you just need to make sure to let in the right amount.  Negativity is a lot like the sun, too much exposure and you will eventually get burned.  On the other hand positive information or criticism can make you better, but only if you are open and prepared to receive the appropriate exposure.

4.  Find Your Speed

Is your life under control?  As this world continues to accelerate, you must be sure you are not speeding out of balance.  Life is all about timing.  To get where you want to go, some aspects of your life may need to speed up, while others may need to slow down.  In order to achieve success, you will have to let life happen at the right time.

5. Select Your Background 

Are you where you want to be?  Having the right environment and people surrounding you is critical to getting the shots you want.  All too often, people continue bad habits, relationships or frequent negative places that should be avoided.  By understanding what you want in your shot, you will surround yourself with the people and environment to make that happen.

6.  Create Your Composition 

Is your life cluttered?  Only you can decide what you leave in or take out of your life.  What you keep in your frame of reference will make or break the perfect shot.  To make a life, you need to eliminate what is not necessary or consistent with the picture you are trying to create.  If you learn to “trim the fat” and only include what will make a quality photo, your esteem will increase.

Your whole life is simply one big photo shoot.  Not every picture is going to come out great, but if you have the right focus, do things in the right light and create a solid background, you will lead a “photogenic” life.  My advice is to keep shooting until you get the shot you want.  Like any other camera, it will take time to learn to use the one in your mind.  No great photo just happens; it takes work so just keep taking shots. Do something people will remember.  How your camera is set will determine the results you get. Be sure you make necessary adjustments so your camera always produces your best “shot.”

Last week I was invited to be the “mystery reader” for my daughter’s 3rd grade class.  I was to read a children’s book and teach a lesson.  I chose to teach a lesson about imagination.  Although this is not a traditional lesson, I believe this topic is more important than facts about pumpkins or candy as suggested.  While preparing, I realized that imagination is the most powerful tool we possess.  Upon deeper introspection, I discovered that this tool is simply a product of our thoughts.  So, the summary of my lesson was your thoughts collectively form your imagination and your imagination ultimately forms your future.

Successful people begin each day with more empowering thoughts than that of the less successful. Have thoughts of success and your imagination will lead you to take successful actions.  Start each day with mediocre thoughts and mediocre actions are the only possible outcome.  But why do you think the way you do?  Most of your thoughts were influenced or “programmed” by someone or some experiences in your life.  Whether the “programmers” were your parents, teachers, coaches or friends, your thought process has been shaped by someone or something else.  By recognizing this, you can challenge the way you think and actually “reprogram”  your thoughts.  This “upgrade” process is a skill that you can learn.  If you change your thoughts, these new thoughts will lead to a new level of imagination and, therefore, different results.

The purpose of this blog is to challenge 3 different thoughts that have been ingrained into your mind.  If you continue to subscribe to these “lies,” you won’t reach your potential.  I don’t think these “lies” were told to you maliciously, I just think that they need a Rooney upgrade.  By accepting the upgrade, I promise positive changes in your personal fitness, bank account and relationships.

Lie #1: Quitters Never Win

The concept of “never quitting” is misleading. You were probably taught that quitting is a bad thing and a “never say die” attitude is not only to be sought after, but a secret to success. On the contrary, never quitting can also be the fast track to failure and mediocrity.  I am not saying you should not persevere toward goals.  Successful people do stay the course with behaviors that lead them to success.  These successful people, however, also quit the behaviors that are holding them back!

If you want six-pack abs, there are things you have to stick with and others you have to quit. For instance, you will have to stick with training and eating right, but quit all the bad habits that are stopping you from getting leaner.  Beside your personal fitness, you can apply quitting to your studies, your job, and your relationships and enjoy more success.

I advise removing one type of food from your diet, a few hours of television to get in an extra training session or stop gossiping with negative people. Start small, start today, be a quitter.

Rooney Rule: Quitting old things that hold you back will achieve success faster than starting new things that you will probably never finish.                                                                                                                                    Rooney Upgrade:  Winners Quit All The Time

Lie #2: Knowledge is Power

You have been convinced that as long as you know something or continue to accumulate knowledge, your life are changed for the better.  Not true.  Your knowledge only tells you what you know.  Your actions tell you what you will get.  And I will be as bold to say that a person with less knowledge that takes more action will be more successful than the most knowledgeable person that does nothing.  Action is more powerful than knowledge.  A knower has less power than a doer.  In fact, I am often amazed how knowledgeable people are irritated when less knowledgeable people become more successful than them.  My suggestion would be instead of complaining about it, DO something to become more instead.

If you know what to do but never do what you know. it is actually worse that you know it.  This leads not to power, but to guilt.  You don’t need another diet or nutrition book, you need motivation like this to take action and change your behavior.

Rooney Rule:  Do what you know.  It doesn’t matter that you know broccoli, blueberries and spinach are good for you if you never put them in your mouth!

Rooney Upgrade:  Knowledge Plus Action is Power

Lie #3: Success is Built on Success

It is almost impossible to have success without first experiencing some level of failure. Think about how a baby learns to walk.  There are a lot of falls but through those falls, getting back up and trying again does she learn to walk.  The same philosophy holds true for anything that you do.  You have to be ready to fall.  You cannot have fear to fail.  Failing is learning. Failure is ok. Giving up is not.

Successful people have failed more than the less successful.  If there was one thing I have learned, successful people know how to “fail forward.”  You must first face and then embrace adversity to eventually reach success. It is not the failure itself, but the number of times you fail and keep going that makes the difference between a failiure and champion. Your success, therefore, will be built on failure, shortcomings, defeats and the occasional tragedy.  History is nothing more than difficulty defeated by an eventual triumph of enthusiasm. Let your enthusiasm be stronger than the failures you experience and rewrite your own history.

Rooney Rule: Joy follows success. Success follows experience. Experience follows failure. Don’t fear failure. Without failure there is no joy.

Rooney Upgrade:  Success is Built on Failure.

Summary: You create your thoughts.  Choose to create unstoppable thoughts.  Unstoppable thoughts cause your imagination to turn your knowledge into unstoppable actions that overcome even the biggest failure.