Posts Tagged ‘Honolulu’

4 Reasons You’re Not Seeing Results

Posted: November 16, 2016 in Exercise, Fitness, Hawaii, Strength Training
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Most people already have a general idea of what to do with respect towards achieving a better physique. They do everything right. They consistently put in the work, and they follow all the right advice — they’re pretty much hell-bent on doing whatever it takes to get from point A to point B in the quickest way possible.

Regardless of what the goal may be, the recurring theme (unfortunately) always seems to be people not getting the results they’re looking for.

Here’s four reasons why you’re not seeing results.

1. Lack Of Discipline and Work Ethic

 

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If there’s one thing that working in a commercial gym has taught me, it’s that most folks go through the motions. This absolutely drives me nuts.

Getting out of your comfort zone is necessary if you ultimately want to look better and perform better. Taking selfies in the gym and posting your workout on social media does not equate to productivity in the gym — you’re just a douche.

2. You Don’t Even Lift

 

Following up with the point above, nothing beats hard work.  What’s most unfortunate is people falling prey to fads and gimmicks promising fast results. There’s a reason why compound movements such as Squats, Deadlifts, Pull-Ups, Presses and Rows are staples in so many strength training programs. Adhering to the basics and training with intensity gets the job done.

Prioritizing compound movements are going to give you a more impressive physique than you’d get from curls and sit-ups.  If you think for one second that you’d be better off without them, something is seriously wrong with you. Get bigger, stronger, faster, and leaner by sticking to the big lifts before you think about isolating your arms and abs.

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3. Train With A Purpose

 

While I do think far too many people place too much of an emphasis on advanced training protocols, you have to appreciate how beneficial actually having a plan can help. As the old adage goes, “Failure to prepare is preparing to fail”.  You’d be wise to take that into consideration because at the end of the day, you have to train with a purpose.  You’d be hard-pressed to find anybody with a good looking physique that doesn’t track their progress. Establish a plan and get after it.

4. Hydration and Sleep Are Kind Of Important

 

Let’s face it: the vast majority of the population are constantly dehydrated and are sleep deprived. In fact, in addition to how negatively it impacts performance, studies have shown that dehydration and sleep deprivation leads to an increase in fat mass. You can follow any training program to a T, but if you’re not doing the simple things such as drinking more water and getting enough sleep, you’re just spinning your wheels.

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5 Lessons I Learned As A Trainer

Posted: October 19, 2016 in Personal Training
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A few months back I hit the three year mark as a trainer. This was a big milestone for me considering I’m in an industry where the vast majority burn out within 1-2 years (sometimes even less). Although I’ve only been in the game for three years, I’ve learned quite a ton and gained a unique perspective.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned:

1. There’s a lot of hard work involved

 

This should come as no surprise. It’s really silly to think you can skip steps and avoid the process — like there’s some magic formula. Quite frankly, that type of thinking is repulsive. Pay your dues. Everyday. The vast majority that don’t “make it” fail to understand the simple concept of hard work.

To go against this grain just spells entitled douche bag.

2. Professionalism goes a long way

 

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As a kid, the one virtue that was drilled into my head over and over again was humility (thanks Ma). You’re not superior to your craft and others. That’s why I continually stress the importance of never looking down and thinking you’re above everything or anyone.

Let me tell you, when it’s time to shut my mouth and learn, I take my trainer hat off. I can make a legitimate argument that that’s what paid dividends to my success early on.

If you want to standout, conduct yourself like a professional — serve as an example and an inspiration.

3. You can’t help everyone

 

I can’t stress this enough. When I first started out, I wanted to help everyone. The reality that quickly took place, however, was the complete opposite — I learned the hard way that you can’t help someone who doesn’t genuinely want help.

There is a fine distinction between someone who says they need help, and someone who actually wants help. With that in mind, it’s virtually impossible to help everyone that crosses your path. This was such a tough pill for me to swallow considering my optimistic nature.

So… in the grand scheme of things, actively seek out people who actually want help.

4. Have positive interactions

 

This, in many ways, ties into the second lesson mentioned above. Being good at what you do is a given — no way around that.  It’s essential that you do your work and get really, really, REALLY good at it. However, further down the road, having positive interactions and building relationships makes a bigger impact.

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As a frame of reference, my former employer back when I used to teach P.E. was such a huge influence in my life he and I became good friends. In fact, he was the one that made the intro to the owner of the gym I currently run my business in. Some would label that situation as luck (which is sort of true), but this is a perfect example of where preparation meets opportunity.

5. Be clear and concise

 

Understand that people are inherently skeptical, and trying to impress them doesn’t do any good. On many occasions, I’ve had my clients nod their head whenever I tried to articulate the reasoning behind a certain drill and/or exercise — it’s safe to say they didn’t know what the hell I was saying. With that said, you have to understand that everybody caters to simplicity. In the realm of strength and conditioning, minimizing trainer jargon and becoming proficient in your communication skills is paramount.

The best trainers and coaches in the world are the ones who are able to convey their message as if they’re the client.

Think and act like a trainer, but speak like a client.

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4 Nutrition Myths Debunked

Posted: October 6, 2016 in Fat Loss, Fitness, Hawaii, Nutrition
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As human beings, we have a natural inclination to think in the context of right and wrong, yes and no, black and white.  As a result, we overlook this huge gray area that really hasn’t quite established its mark. This blunder is largely due to misinformation that has saturated the fitness industry since the internet came along.

The plethora of misinformation has created so much confusion that it made it really difficult for us to understand what the best approach is.  In short, we became victims of paralysis by analysis.

In this article, I’m going to enlighten you by debunking a number of pervasive nutrition myths, so you can get the ball rolling in the right direction.

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Myth 1: Eating smaller meals throughout the day increases metabolism

 

Perhaps the most obvious of the bunch. For as long as I could remember, we have been led to believe that eating smaller and more frequently would stoke our metabolism. Albeit well-intended and logical, there’s very little evidence that supports that claim. Fortunately, research has shown that there’s no difference between eating six smaller meals, four moderate sized meals, or three big meals.  At the end of the day, if the total caloric intake is the same, your body is still going to induce the same response.

I don’t know about you, but eating smaller meals throughout the day is too much of a hassle and does not fit my schedule. Plus, being hungry all the time is a pain. If it works for you, great. The point is… choose a frequency that fits your lifestyle.

Myth 2: Brown rice is better than white rice

 

This was another tidbit that I had the misfortune of adopting because it was the norm. Brown rice is more nutrient dense, so it was a no-brainer.  It’s simple logic — you eat the foods that are going to give you the biggest return in your investment. Not so fast! It is slightly more nutrient dense. Just slightly. Here’s the thing: the phytic acid content that brown rice has inhibits proper digestion, so to be blunt, you’re really not absorbing them. All in all though, if you like it, eat it. No right or wrong here. Just putting things into perspective.

But seriously though, white rice for the win ;).

Myth 3: Eggs yolks are bad for you

 

For decades, we’ve been brainwashed into thinking that cholesterol is the enemy —associating it with cardiovascular disease. There was always this contention that just because egg yolks were high in cholesterol, consuming them was frowned upon.  Let me put it this way, most people would cringe if they saw how many whole eggs I eat in a week.

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I know what you’re thinking: this guy is a typical gym douche who can eat whatever he wants and can get away with it. Before you close the curtains on me, eggs are actually healthy for you. Not only is it the most bioavailable source of protein, it’s packed with tons of vitamins and minerals.

Have a couple whole eggs here and there. Nothing to worry about.

Myth 4: Salt causes high blood pressure

 

Just like eggs yolks, salt has been demonized due to the claim that it causes high blood pressure. The vast majority of medical professionals will be quick to tell you to cut back on salt if that is the case.  What drives me nuts is that they fail to look at your overall lifestyle — it’s less work to prescribe medication and tell you to cut back on sodium than it is to actually ohh I don’t know…educate.

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Contrary to popular belief, optimal sodium intake is essential for optimal health.  It increases blood volume, which then helps deliver nutrients to the body and helps remove waste. More often than not, you’re eating too much processed foods and you’re not getting enough exercise. Simply, moving more proves to be more beneficial than the alternative (as is the case with virtually everything). Remember: it’s much easier to add in, than it is take out. Additionally, reducing your sodium intake poses potential health risks down the road such as: low blood volume, electrolyte imbalance, and chronic fatigue.

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