I want to take a moment and thank everyone who came out for our Grand Opening party last Friday. We also kicked off our 5-week Back to School Body Fat Challenge. It was a great night filled with friends, food, raffle prizes and laughs. Stay tuned for our announcement of the winner on November 21st. One of the highlights for me was showing guests the workout floor, where we keep the TRXs, where we store our kettlebells, and keep the sandbags. I enjoyed listening to a few members share their workout stories. One of the common themes I heard from members was how we do so much with so little. By little, I mean we use 3 pieces of equipment. Now the weights may vary from workout to workout, depending on what we’re doing, but 3 pieces nonetheless. It's been one of my goals to teach that a workout's effectiveness should be judged by it's results, not by the quantity of equipment
When I created the Torch workout I wanted to create a workout that would change the focus from being “the latest & greatest exercises” to mastering a series of core moves, no pun intended. From that foundation, we would build everything. In the exercise world we are distracted by what’s the latest thing, instead of focusing on doing a few things really, really well. I frequently tell our members that you should leave every workout feeling that you did better than the last session.
Being a trainer in Vegas, I’m approached and hired by casino executives frequently. A few years back, I was approached by Caesar’s Palace president, Gary Selesner. Gary is a great client and has evolved into a better friend. This last year Caesar’s re-launched their buffet, The Bacchanal Buffet. I’m not a buffet guy, but this buffet is amazing. It’s been heralded as the best buffet in Las Vegas and that’s saying something. I can remember when Gary invited me to the hotel to check it out. Sushi, King crab legs, prime rib, pasta bar, tacos. Everything you could think of, every style of cuisine is represented. I can remember acting like a kid in a candy store. I want this, and this, and this, until I got to the next station. No, I want that! It's that mindset, in my opinion, that some of you approach your workouts. You start with barbell work for legs and then jump on the cable machine because it’s available. You use low reps for this exercise, followed by high reps for the next. You mix in descending sets with ascending sets. There is no rhyme or reason.
When you’re creating a workout you have to first establish the goal. Then everything in that workout should tie into that goal. You also have to give yourself enough time on a program. I recommend 6-12 weeks. I’ve observed people trying a new exercise and if they don’t master it day 1, they never do it again. Here’s another popular scenario. They read about the latest celebrity workout, try it once, and then decide it’s no good. My question to those people is this. If you took up golf, would you expect to hit a hole in one on your first day out? What we need to do is re-title our workouts to “practice”. In those words spoken by Allen Iverson, "You’re talking about practice”. My good friend, Brian Nguyen runs a studio in Santa Monica, California called Brik Fitness. He works with many of Hollywood’s most famous celebrities. He told me that “People would be shocked at how simple our workouts are. We’re very consistent and stick to a program." If you think it doesn’t work, Brian has been Mark Wahlberg’s trainer for years.
Brian and I at a TRX conference this summer
It’s been proven in research that beginners experience huge strength increases in their first few weeks. This dramatic change is due to the fact that your body is making neurological adaptations. You’re not stronger, your body is just smarter. So next time you’re in the gym don’t be distracted with the new exercise you saw on YouTube, stay focused on your program, and give it some time. See you at the studio!
-Doug
P.S. If you want to try the Torch Workout and experience the leading fat loss & strengthening workout in Las Vegas just shoot me an e-mail at Doug@janddfitness.com. I took 1 year to research and create this workout so that I could GUARANTEE RESULTS for you. You have nothing to lose other than fat & inches.