I am sure you have seen Greg on numerous tv shows and commercials. His latest tv appearances include the Bowflex commercial and a home improvement show on HGTV. All and all Greg has graced the covers of over 75 fitness magazines in the last 3 years. Greg’s Chiseled physique is the result of consistently hard workouts and strict eating.
Nothing in life worthwhile will ever come easy … you have to work for everything that is respected in life … being in shape is no different. It takes dedication, sacrifice, work ethic, and time … you have to be patient. My philosophy is to fall in love with the workout and not the results of the workout.
When you work out, your body releases all kinds of endorphins and it gives you a natural high that cannot be compared to any supplemental drug that others might use. Overcoming your past levels of fitness, whether it be in your run time going down or your strength improving in lifting, all are powerful results that grows your confidence and gets your hungry to come back to the gym. There are no shortcuts … easy come, easy go.
Working out in the gym isn’t as much a transformation of your physical body as it is a transformation of your mental confidence. Transforming your physical body from A to B is great to look at in the mirror, but the real reward is the mental confidence that you know you have what it takes (dedication, work ethic, sacrifice, etc) to see a goal through and finish what you started. That toughness is learned in the theater of the gym but is the fundamental element that all champions have in all theaters of life (corporate America, doctors, lawyers, law enforcement, etc) where they start at a certain place and through hard work they work their way to the top. You cannot cheat the process of mailroom to CEO, so why do it in the gym?
Your mind is the strongest and most valuable muscle you can grow in the gym, make no mistakes about it. You fall in love with the sweat equity of life and then it’s not a matter of “if” just “when” the results and fruits of your labor come to life.
A few “rules” I live by is that I try to go to bed on an empty stomach so my body is breaking down fat throughout the night. I drink tons of water and stay away from sugar; I eat low-carb and high-protein diet; I don’t eat anything four hours before I go to bed.
I do cardio in the morning and lift in the evening before going to bed; I eat two large meals a day (sometimes only one), and above all, I check my pride at the gym door everyday. I don’t go after lifting a certain amount of weight. I go after the pump which is achieved quicker with lighter weight and proper form as opposed to your ego getting involved and causing you to lift a load too heavy for you that causes you to get out of form and possibly injured.
Also, on eating, I eat to fuel my body … not to satisfy an appetite. The hell with what it tastes like — it’s about feeding your body what it needs, not your taste buds. Now, some will read what I say and call BS to my routine, which is fine. This is what works for me, maybe it works for you, maybe not … we all are different (source).
Adria Ali
(CES, PES, CPT, BS)
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