Getting the most out of your workout - no matter how long you've been doing it

My last entry was about getting out of your comfort zone and doing the workouts that are harder than others. Today I'm talking about getting TOO comfortable with a workout to the point where you don't reap the benefits.

After doing a workout for awhile, all of us have a tendency to kind of go through the motions a little bit. Not increase the weight when we should or we don't drop down quite as low as we could simply because we’re in a rush or maybe we just take the workout for granted. For example, I have very strong legs. Some have called me freakishly strong. That's kind of nice (is it?). Having strong legs makes most lower body exercises easier for me. So yesterday as I was thinking about my last blog while working on Legs and Back, I came to the realization that I was getting a little lazy with this workout. I had been using the same weights for the calf raises for - ever. I wasn't getting as low as I could have in the toe role iso. So, yesterday for the first time in a long time, I really brought it. I went low. I added weight. I really did my best and FELT it as I was working out. I was sweating, breathing heavy- you know; working out!! For the first in awhile, I am SORE today and I love it!!

So- no matter how long you have done the same workout, there is always an opportunity to make it harder. Jump higher. Add weight. Go lower. Do more reps. Make the time you spend working out worth your time! It's isn't enough to just put the DVD in or go to the gym- you have to push yourself a little harder to get the results you want. If you don't, then you are cheating yourself and cheaters never win....

Now go push play and really and truly BRING IT!!!

Suffering out of my comfort zone (wah wah wah)

Well I have returned from Chicagoland and I gained weight- only 3 lbs but weight gain never the less. It's OK because I plan to do a 3 day Shakeology cleanse and today I am back to the P90X/TBF/Insanity mash up after a week of rest.

While I love P90X, I HATE the Chest, Shoulders and Triceps workout. Hate it. I thought that I would be OK with the push ups after Core Synergistics and Insanity but not so much. UGH. It's just one of those things. I have to do it because if you only do the workouts that you like - specifically when it comes to resistance, you'll miss the benefits of the muscle confusion AND if you only work on your strengths, you're missing out on gaining a better physique and overall fitness. Believe me- if I could, I'd do legs and back everyday but that would be pretty silly (and I'd probably look pretty funny too!!). And let's face it; the reason that I don't like the workout is because it isn't in my comfort zone -BUT one has to get out of their comfort zone to make progress.
I'll be the first to tell people that they should do a workout that they like so they'll stick with it and it won't be painful- but if you want to change your body you'll have to trudge through some workouts that aren't as much fun as others. While push ups and pull ups may never be as easy as working out my legs or doing cardio, they are critical to my overall physical conditioning and if I keep at it, I will improve and I will get better and better. In fact, I couldn't do more than 5 "guy" push ups when I started. Now I can do 35 elevated push ups. Clearly, I have improved, gained muscle and improved my overall fitness.

So whether you are working on a Beachbody workout or if you are doing your own thing, DO NOT skip entire body parts because they are hard!! Just do your best, forget the rest and remember to really and truly BRING IT!