We are now 6 weeks into the “new year”

How many new year’s resolutionists are still kicking? According to current statistics (I’m not sure how reliable this is) it’s only around 55%. A large chunk of those resolutions involve losing weight and getting fit; some folks want to bulk up. To each their own.

I spent a total of 11 months deployed and during that time I saw a ton of people, both men and women, spend countless hours at the gym yet never change physically. I, on the other hand, spend at most 45 minutes working out at each session (longer if I do cardio afterward) and have always been able to accomplish any goals I set for myself. At every gym I’ve been a member of, whoever works the front desk and even other gymgoers have asked me why I only work out for 45 minutes and how the hell I got the way I am doing that. This quote sums it up quite well, and has been my approach to health and wellness for the last 6 years:

Your body is like a piece of dynamite. You can tap it with a pencil all day, but you’ll never make it explode. You hit it once with a hammer: Bang! Get serious. Do 40 hard minutes, not an hour and a half of nonsense.     –Jason Statham

I use my phone at the gym, every time I’m there. I have a plan for every workout and between sets, I check my email, return messages, read a couple of blogs and I listen to podcasts the entire time I’m there. I use my phone responsibly.

There is no need to spend 10 minutes “jogging” on a treadmill to warm up when you’re going to be working out your back that day. Whatever move you’re going to do first, do two sets of 15-20 slow, controlled repetitions while stretching between those sets. Now get into it.

I see guys (and gals) all the time who get to their first machine or spot, spend 5 minutes finding a playlist, do static stretching before they’re warmed up (GIANT waste of time, look it up fellas) then do a few sets of 8-10 reps with a weight they could have easily pushed out 15-20 with.

If you’re going to spend the time, money and willpower on showing up at the gym, do yourself a favor and make the most of it.

While I was deployed I (and the people I trained) spent half as long at the gym as the majority of the other guys in my shop. My crew stayed together the entire time, only taking days off when someone was sick or didn’t sleep. We all made major improvements and none of us took anything (with regards to supplements) other than creatine and pre-workout on and off.

You don’t need to spend hundreds per month on supplements to get to a point that is healthy for your body. Anything beyond that and you’re getting into bodybuilding range and for most people, losing their gut and filling out their t-shirts in the right way can be accomplished in a few months.

Train insane, or remain the same.

Saw this on a t-shirt a long time ago. My friends said I should buy, I didn’t. I don’t workout the way I do to impress anyone other than myself. It’s the standard I’ve decided long ago to hold myself to and, as with every area of life, I follow through. I most certainly don’t need a shirt to tell others how I conduct myself in regard to health and fitness.

Actions speak louder than words, do yourself a favor and let the world hear.