Inspiration

"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get back up."

This one goes out to all the BFL'ers who have persevered through the first 12 weeks and are continuing to push forward, and to those at a sticking point. I've been training for over 10 years and believing in and following the core principles taught in BFL for over a year, and I'm still learning the best ways to get my body to change. So, I know what it's like to train hard and not see the results expected. But when this happens, you MUST continue on. What is happening is not you failing to get results, it's you succeeding in learning about your body and what buttons you need to push to get it to respond. So congratulations, and keep up the great work!

"The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It's your mind you have to convince."

-Vince Lombardi

I don't think I've come across a better quote that sums up how to create a better body than this one. These words are what intensity is all about, and I want you to keep them in mind each time you're trying to get "one more" rep, or keep up that 6 minute mile pace during your last mile.

"Maximum intensity occurs AFTER you have perceived failure. Those who can go beyond that - to a higher point - to push themselves to a place where they have not been before are the ones who will experience dramatic results, fast." That line is straight out of the Body For Life book and I think is totally accurate when referring to big results in the fastest time possible. A lot of emails I get are regarding progress not being made fast enough. Increasing the intensity of your workouts is always the first answer I give. Check out the resistance training and cardio pages for ways to increase the intensity of your workouts.

"Don't be afraid to go after what you want to do, and what you want to be. But, don't be afraid to pay the price."

-Tuff Hedeman

I think these words by Tuff (an original GOB) can be applied to just about any situation from getting up the nerve to make the water jump at the Thunder Valley Motorcycle Track to going after that dream job that up to this point has been, well, just a dream.

I also think this has special meaning for would be BFL'ers. Don't be afraid to go after the body you've always wanted. And what a small price it is to pay for what you get in return. It's not as if you're being asked to quit eating, you're taught to eat a little differently. It's not as if you're being asked to give up socializing with your friends, you're given the opportunity to meet new friends and learn to socialize in other more self-fullfilling ways. In a nutshell, you're just going to be doing things a little differently, and in return you'll be getting a new, strong, lean, muscular body that is the inspiration for all your friends, a new found confidence, and a new way of approaching things that'll take you as far as you can imagine yourself going.

"Quality, not Quantity"

This is HUGE!!! I can't stress enough that more is NOT better. If at any point in your program you feel like you should be doing "something else" to get more results, then do the following.

Crank up the intensity of your workouts, not the length or frequency of them. The fact is, your body is only capable of recovering from a certain amount of work in a certain amount of time. If you start doing longer or more frequent workouts, your intensity will probably decrease, or your body is just not able to recover. So, instead try to get more out of the time that you're currently spending on the bike or hitting the weights by cranking up the intensity. You can check out the Cardio and Resistance Training pages for ideas on how to do this, as well as the Supplementation page for ways to decrease the recovery period.

In addition to this, if you feel you've hit a wall and that your intensity is already at a very high level, then you're probably either overtraining, or your body has figured out your routine and you need to change it. If overtraining is the case, then add an additional day off to your program and be sure that you're getting enough to eat. Make sure to monitor your progress and how you feel from this point forward so that you know what's working and what isn't. Then make adjustments as necessary. Also keep in mind that as you transform your body into one that has more muscle and can process energy at a faster rate, you're going to have to supply additional fuel to keep the results coming. If you're not overtraining, then check out the Resistance Training page for ways to change up your workouts.

"Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It's something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success."

-Vince Lombardi

I think this quote is one of the simplest yet most difficult things to do, and in my opinion is the entire foundation of the Body For Life program. It's simple in the fact that every single one of us has the power to do it, we can do it immediately, and it is absolutely free. I think it's difficult because not many of us have been taught what real commitment is. Real committment is not about making excuses. Real commitment is about producing results regardless of the obstacles in front of you.

From this day forward, practice commitment. Commit to taking your supplements, commit to eating 6 quality meals each day, commit to doing cardio 3 times a week, commit to resistance training 3 times a week, commit to having a better body, commit to yourself.

"The harder I work, the luckier I get."

Ever notice how the luckiest people tend work the hardest? Coincidence? A few weeks ago, I overheard two women in the gym talking about another gal. This other gal is by far in the best shape of all the women in there, and most of the men. They said something to the effect that "she's so lucky, she doesn't have to work out at all and can still look great. I don't even know why she's in here." I bit my tongue not to say anything, but the gal they were referring to has worked out consistently and intelligently since the first day I've seen her. There is absolutely no luck involved with the way she looks. Her body is the result of hours in the gym working her butt off, and continually striving to improve.

So the moral of the story here is to create your own luck. Nobody is going to do it for you, so figure out what it is you want to accomplish, and start today.

"Perseverance is one of the greatest qualities you can have. Because you only fail when you quit trying."

Let these words sink in for a moment.

One of the questions I get asked the most is: I'm getting results, but I thought I'd see more by now. Should I change my program? The answer to this is yes and no. Change is usually a good thing, but if you change your program every day just for the sake of changing it (instead of because your body has adapted to the stress you've placed on it), you'll be going in circles. Everyone changes at a different pace. The results one person gets are not guaranteed to the next guy even if they do the exact same things. But, I honestly believe that if you use the principles outlined in the Body For Life program, you'll get to where you want to be through perseverance. Sometimes you need to de-emphasize the 12 week goal if you're going to squeeze 4 weeks of work into your last week. The ultimate goal here is a Body For Life, not a Body For 12 Weeks.

I'd be happy to personally answer any questions. You can contact me at jay@gobn.net