You don’t have to spend your life in the gym, starve yourself or follow some wacky exercise or diet routine. You just need to have an effective plan, consistently follow it and you will have the body of your dreams!
Most gyms today have a circuit or equipment grouped in such a way that you can work your whole body just by going down the line of equipment. In most gyms across the country this is for the novice and is a complete waste of time because it isn’t done properly. Done properly you can make fantastic gains in a very short period of time. So if this is the way you have been training or want to start training this way… read on!
This type of training was made very popular back in the 70’s by Arthur Jones the inventor of Nautilus equipment. Jones would put someone on the first machine, have them go to muscular failure and then with little rest move onto the next piece of equipment that worked a fresh muscle group. This was done so hard they would have buckets at each station in the event someone got sick. This is a far cry from what people do on circuits today. HIT (High Intensity Training) circuit training is very effective both in getting you into shape and on the amount of time it takes to complete.
OK lets get started. First warm up for five minutes on the stationary bike or treadmill. Then go to the first machine in the circuit and do a couple of light warm up sets. Once you are warmed up do the first exercise for 12 to 15 reps. Make sure the weight is heavy enough that you couldn’t do the 16th rep, if you can use more weight. As soon as you are done move onto the next exercise doing the same thing, 12 to 15 reps to failure then onto the next exercise. Do this until you finish the circuit.
Most circuits have 12 to 15 machines, so this workout should not take no more then 20 minutes. It will work your muscles, your heart and make you burn fat all at the same time. If you want to make this more intense you can do an exercise, then skip rope for a minute, then go onto the next exercise and do this all the way down the circuit. The key is intensity, you have to work this hard in order to see the results but you will see results!
Some points of safety. The reason machines are good for this type of training is because of the safety concerns. Since you don’t have to balance of the weights you can just focus on working your muscles without getting hurt. Do not skip the warm up, and when moving the weight you should do the negative part of the exercise twice as slow as the positive. If it takes 2 seconds to raise the weight then take 4 seconds to lower it. The purpose of doing this is to make sure your muscles are doing the work and not your joints. This will allow you to get the best results in the least amount of time without getting hurt.
Now I know you want to get into shape quick but you must realize that diet is 80% of the battle. The best way to eat is to eat your protein, green veggies and some fruit and to stay away from all the complex starchy carbohydrates. You need at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight and you should be getting it from good sources like chicken and turkey breast, fish, eggs and egg whites, cottage cheese, etc. Eat all the green veggies you want, eat 2 pieces of fruit a day, one of which should be after your work out and drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water a day.
If all of this sounds simple, that is because it is. It is simple but it takes discipline to do it. Oh no, I can hear you now… the “D” word! The most important key to getting in shape is consistency and it takes discipline to be consistent. The good news is once you are doing this for a few weeks it turns into a habit and then it becomes easy. Just like tying your shoes, after a while it is second nature and you do it automatically. Just be disciplined long enough to form this healthy habit.
Oh and one more thing! You don’t need to do those crazy exercise you see people doing on TV in order to get into fantastic shape. In fact many of these exercises are very dangerous and very irresponsible to be putting on TV. I saw a celebrity trainer on the Biggest Looser TV show, recently showing how to do a stiff leg dead lift standing on one leg. I know she was doing this with good intent but this exercise is dangerous enough if you don’t know how to do it on two legs on one leg it is ridiculous and irresponsible. Sometimes the best advise is to watch what some of these people are doing…and do just the opposite and you will get into great shape. Only half joking. It is your body, if something looks wrong it probably is, use your best judgement.
Do a good circuit training routine. Learn how to do the exercises properly. Do the basics with intensity and eat properly and you will get in fantastic shape just in time for the holidays!Get
First off today was my daughter Jessica’s 22nd birthday! We went to lunch together and had some sushi! yummy!!!
Today was abs, biceps & cardio.
All sets are after warm ups.
crunches 3 sets of 15 reps
Biceps Incline Dumbbell curls 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
Straight barbell curls 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
Hammer curl machine 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
Hammer selecterized machine 2 sets of 10 to 15 reps
If you don’t have these machines don’t worry about it, I change exercises all the time so my mind and my muscles stay stimulated. The important thing is consistency!!!
I did 15 minutes on the treadmill with the incline all the way up and 20 minutes on the gauntlet. The reason I used the treadmill is becuase all the gauntlets were being used. If something is being used, do something else!
As far as my diet goes, I get at least 250 grams of protein a day, I eat as many green leafy vegetables as I want and I will have one or two pieces of fruit. As I get leaner I will add a small yam to my post work out meal.
This morning I had my body-fat tested. It was 13.9% which is good for my age but I don’t want to be good for my age, I want to be in the best shape I can be without being obsessive. Plus 10% or under is best for health, energy and over all well being. Plus if you are under 10% you will look fantastic.
Today was Shoulders day.
crunches 3 sets on 15 reps
Shoulders: hammer shoulder press 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps
Dumbbell lateral raises 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps
Hammer shoulder press (different machine then the 1st exercise) 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
30 minutes on the gauntlet I was a little tired today.
My wife left for NY early this morning so I didn’t get a good nights sleep. Plus this is my 11th day in a row of training without a break. I am training straight though because I am going out of town on Friday. I don’t normally do this. Next week I will be back to normal with my training and be more rested and recovered.
Just got back from the gym. I did abs., back & cardio. As I mentioned in the previous post I have an event next weekend. My wife is also traveling to see her mom and then meeting me at the event so we started our workout week on Saturday instead of Monday.For back I did:
3 sets of pull ups
3 sets of pull downs
3 sets of close grip pull downs
3 sets hammer strength machine rows
2 sets hammer strength high rows,
1 set hammer strength reverse grip pull downs
Then I did 30 minutes on the stepmill gauntlet.
When I lift I really don’t count sets, I do my warm ups and then hit it. The first exercise I keep in the 6 to 10 rep range with a 2 to 3 minute rest between sets and then each exercise after that I shorten the rest period a little and keep my reps in the 8 to 12 rep range. Sometimes toward the end of the work out I will go up to 20 reps. The key is I make sure I am feeling the muscle work.
I mix things up a lot, I use drop sets, DC training, X-Rep training, 10X10, etc. There are many ways to skin a cat, to keep your muscles guessing and to keep motivated The bodybuilders out there will know what I am talking about. Most of you don’t need to worry about the terminology, just keep your reps in the 8 to 12 rep range and get into the gym consistently, the key is consistency!
Also keep in mind that every fitness or weight loss trend out there comes from the bodybuilding community. They just take one facet of the bodybuilding lifestyle and turn it into a book or philosophy so they can be the new “guru”. I am going to show you what a healthy, fit lifestyle looks like and you alter it to meet your lifestyle.
Don’t forget I am not a bodybuilder, fitness model or professional athlete I am a author, speaker and entrepreneur with a busy life just like you. But one thing I know for sure, God created us to operate at peak performance and our modern day lifestyle is hampering many of our abilities to achieve all we where meant to achieve.<em />
God bless you and I look forward to hearing about your victories!!!
I am getting ready to start a 12 week training program myself to get ready for a photo shoot for my next book and I thought it would be fun if I documented it. I also thought that this may be a great way for me to help others as well. I am recruiting the help of some friends and will have the resourses from their sites as well to help you achieve your goals what ever they may be.
My buddy Jeff Behar and his incredible site http://mybesthealthportal.com/ are going to be on board with us as we bring our bodies and our lives to the next level.
Leave me a message on here and let me know if you have any questions and if you are going to join us. There may even be an opportunity to be in my next book. can’t make any promises, Bucky Rosenbaum, my agent and our publisher will review this option with me when the time is right.
For now let me know how I can help and tell all your friends about this. I start my program tomorrow and will update my progress on a regular basis!
God bless you as you strive to be all you where created to be. Remember your talents, abilities and skills are Gods gift to you, what you do with them are Gods gift to the world.
Now go out and be all you where created to be! Until next time!!
John
PS you can join in of follow me @ http://johnrowleyblog.com/ I will also try to post everything here as well!
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The Power of Determination
”We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” –Jesse Owens
As a boy, I started reading stories that would ignite my spirit and spur me on. Later in life I would turn to my Zig Ziglar tapes and CD’s to do the same for me in my career. One of these stories from my childhood stands out in my mind, some 35 years later as an example of what we can achieve if we don’t give up.
A little six year old boy had the job of heating his tiny country schoolhouse with his older brother. They came in early so the building was warm when everyone arrived. One February morning in 1916, the stove exploded killing the older brother and leaving the little boy with incredible burns brutalizing the lower half of his body.
From his hospital bed the painfully burned, semi-conscious little boy faintly heard the doctor telling his mother that her son would surely die - which was for the best because the poor little boy would surely be a cripple. But this boy wasn’t quitting! He made up his mind then and there that he would survive.
Every day his mother would massage his little lifeless legs, but there was no feeling, no control, nothing. Yet the determination that he would walk was as strong as ever. One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh air, instead of sitting there; he threw himself from the chair, pulled himself across the grass and raised himself up on the picket fence. He then proceeded to drag himself along the fence, determined that he would walk again. He did this every day until he wore a path along the fence.
Through his daily massages, his iron persistence and his resolute determination, he did develop the ability to stand up, then to walk with assistance, then to walk by himself - and then - to run. He began to walk to school and then to run to school.
And run he did. This little boy, that was told he would never walk again, made the track team in college and then one day in Madison Square Garden, this young man who was not expected to survive, who would absolutely never walk, who could never ever dream of running - this determined young man, Glenn Cunningham, ran the world’s fastest mile!
Is this story about you? Somehow the odds have been stacked against you and you have more to overcome than you ever thought? Well take a lesson from Glenn Cunningham, massage your obstacles and then stand up and get going! If you can’t walk…then run! Set you mind to something and put all your energy into it and the world will not deny you! In fact, the world will somehow help!
This is the time of year where we all starting thinking about what we want to acheive next year. Goals are the road map to your future. Walking through life with no goals is like driving cross country with no road map, you will get somewhere but it may not be where you wanted to go. Set your path with goals and see your dreams come true.
The fuel of a goal brought me from a boiler room in Brooklyn to a board room on Madison Avenue and from the board room on Madison Ave to owning the the east coast mecca of bodybuilding, the gym I dreamed of owning as a child, the gym where pumping iron was filmed. I knew exactly where I was going even though everyone else thought I would fail. The fact of the matter is that I was willing to fail if that what it took for me to reach my goals. Like Og Mandino said, “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
<em />Come on; let’s design your perfect future.
<em />How to set goals: Action Step 1:
Take out a sheet of paper and list all of your goals and next to it the time in which you would like them completed. i.e. within 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 years.
Action Step 2:
Write down “why” next to all of the things on your list and write a paragraph why you are committed to achieving it. Why is very powerful.
Action Step 3:
Divide your goals into three categories: Short range (1 month or less), Mid range (1 month to 1 year) and Long range (1 year or more) goals.
Action Step 4:
For each of your top 5 goals write down one action you can do today to get started.
The key is to start today and adjust your goals as needed.
Before I begin I wanted to let you know that my new book is now available. you can go to www.johnmrowley.com and click on the book or go to and order Climb YOUR Ladder of Success Without Running Out of Gas! It is the very first success book that brings the bodybuilding lifestyle into the equation! http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=climb+your+ladder+of+success +without+running+out+of+gas&z=y
Let’s get right to the point. Anything in life worth pursuing will require some investment of energy on your part. Did you know that most people don’t fail in life because they lack the ability, the intelligence or the skill? They fail because they run out of emotional, physical and spiritual gas while climbing the ladder of success. They simply don’t have the energy to succeed. You can have the best education, outstanding skills, be highly intelligent and possess all the ability in the world and still fail! That’s right, you can have it all and still fall flat on your face. It happens every day! The reverse is also true, you can be lacking in those attributes and still become a raving success. Don’t you know someone like that? They shouldn’t be successful but they are? Success lies not in what you have but in what you DO with what you have. You must have the energy to fuel your passions, abilities and skills in order to be successful.
Is lack of energy stopping you from fulfilling your destiny? Are you too tired to do all the things you want to do or worse yet, all the things you need to do? Are you living a life of passion or are you just going through the motions? If you can relate to not having enough “oomph” to get through the day, much less fulfill your destiny, you are not alone.
People from all walks of life are too tired to pursue their destinies. Their spirits may be willing, but their bodies and minds are tired. Success requires energy! Energy is the fuel to ignite passion and passion is the engine of success! Everyone is created to operate at peak performance and to pursue their passions, yet lifestyle choices can stop us from really living. Right choices will quickly give you energy to live a life of passion! Isn’t that encouraging? All you need to do is change a few things and you can have the life of your dreams.
Success comes from what you do, not from what you have.
Let me share someone’s life history with you. This was a man who:
At the age of 21 he failed in business.
At the age of 22 he lost a state legislative race.
At the age of 24 he failed in business again.
At the age of 26 his sweetheart died.
At the age of 27 he had a nervous breakdown.
At the age of 34 he lost a congressional race.
At the age of 36 he lost another congressional race.
At the age of 45 he lost a senatorial race.
At the age of 47 he lost a race for vice-president.
At the age of 49 he again lost a senatorial race.
At the age of 52 he was elected President of the United States.
This man was Abraham Lincoln.
Could he have become President of the United States if he didn’t “keep on keeping on”? This man did not give up. He was also very energetic and fit. He kept pushing forward in life until he succeeded. He must have been very passionate about what he was doing. He was willing to put in the required energy to pursue his dreams and to change a nation. I bet old Abe also changed himself in the process. Abe Lincoln is an example in perseverance and determination. He may not have been the smartest, most educated or best looking man of his time but he certainly used what he was given and didn’t give up on his dream.
My friend Brian McLaughlin sent this to me to help me keep my spirits up when I was struggling I kept this timeline of Abe Lincoln’s life over my desk for many years to help me persevere through some tough times. . I have been one step from being homeless. I have had times when our family didn’t have food to eat. We have had our electricity turned off, our water turned off and we have had to give back a car we didn’t want to. We have had the sheriff at our door giving us an eviction notice and we have had times when we couldn’t afford medical care for our children or ourselves. We had the Revenue Department take every penny we had without notice. I have been put in jail. I have lost more than one business…but I have never, ever given up.
For year’s people, especially family, criticized me, laughed at me or were embarrassed by me. They didn’t encourage me. They wanted me to give up. Because they couldn’t do something I was pursuing, they thought I couldn’t do it either. I didn’t accept that. Did I have times of despair? You bet! Did I have any doubt that I could make it? Yes! But I knew, without a doubt, that if I gave up that I definitely wouldn’t make it. I also knew that if I could overcome failure enough times that I would ultimately prevail.
I had people kicking me when I was down but I was blessed to have the most important person in my life, my wife Cathy, struggle through this with me. She believed in me and told me so. Even in the midst of it all, she believes in me. All this to say, that I feel qualified to encourage you and tell you that no matter where you are today, as long as you “keep on keeping on”, you can succeed tomorrow! Invest the energy to get yourself going in the right direction and you will overcome all the odds, no matter how great they seem at this moment. Education or lack there of, isn’t the issue. The real issue is, are you willing to do what it takes to get what you want? Well, are you? I think you are or you wouldn’t be reading this book. I feel we are kindred spirits because I know you may be where I was and I want you to know that you can do it! You were created for greatness!
This quote by Walt Disney has been hanging on my office wall for decades. Also in my office, are 2 checks that paid my membership many years ago when I first joined R&J Health Studio LONG before I realized my dream of owning it and a jar of coal my Dad gave me for Christmas. I know it sounds like an odd combination but let me explain. All of the above, are there because I was bold enough to take the challenge from Walt Disney to Think, Believe, Dream and Dare.
I grew up being told not to dream. “You are such a dreamer, why don’t you grow up!” I would be told time and time again as a child. Then when I got older and had a family, I constantly had people close to me reminding me that I shouldn’t dream. I had a family to support. I am being selfish and childish. I am not smart enough, educated enough or good enough to do the things I want to achieve. I should just settle for my lot in life. People will discourage you because they know they can’t do it. Let me tell you right now, if you are hearing things like that, don’t listen! Those words are right out of the pit of hell. Let no man dictate what you can and can not do. You were created for greatness. I am very fortunate that the most important person in my life, my beautiful wife Cathy, has always encouraged me and told me to focus on my dreams and to be all I could be. I am truly blessed with a wonderful encourager for a wife.
The reason I have Walt Disney’s quote hanging on my office wall next to the check to R&J Health Studio and a jar of coal sitting on my desk, is for a daily reminder to myself that if I DO think, believe, dream and dare, I can achieve what seems to be the impossible. When I was a young man, I talked about owning a gym just like R&J Health Studio and I was constantly shot down by everyone but my wife. You may be getting the same thing with your speaking career. When other can’t do it the want you to fail as well. They may start by discouraging you and then by offering you what seems to be “good advice” to short circuit your success. It is your job to push through to success.
Yes, I did buy R&J Health Studio and the years I owned it were some of the best years of my life. The coal on my desk was given to me by my dad. I had just gotten into Manhattan real estate at William B. May on Madison Avenue and that very Christmas, Dad gave me and my brothers a jar of coal to remind us of our family roots. My dad’s ancestors were coal miners in Pennsylvania. But for me it held an additional meaning. One of my duties while working in a New York City Public School was to shovel coal into boilers to heat the building. A LOT of coal. Not only did I shovel the coal into the boiler, but I had to bring the coal from the coal pit to the boiler. Then after the coal was burned, I had to clean out all the ash, put it into the cans and bring the ash cans up out to the street for pick up. It was physically exhausting, filthy work. I kept that jar of coal on my desk as a reminder that regardless of how many challenges I may have in the business world, it could be worse. I could be back in the boiler room breathing in coal dust and shoveling coal into a boiler. There is nothing wrong with shoveling coal, it is good honest work, but the thought leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. (pun not intended) You see, I had people telling me that I should be doing just that – ONLY that - all the while, trying to discourage me from trying to “conquer the world”. For me, I would rather not have to do it again…, ever.
Most people are not being malicious when they try to discourage you from striving for outstanding success. They are just voicing their own fears. To them, failure is the worst thing that can happen. To ME failure is simply a part of success and not trying is failure. Let them keep their fear and negativity I don’t want any part of it and neither should you. Remember, success and failure aren’t’ opposites, they are neighbors separated by a thin line… by a single decision… the decision not to quit.
I once heard that Walt Disney wouldn’t even take on a project unless every person on his board of directors told him not to do it! You heard right…not to do it! He believed that if everyone agreed with him, that he wasn’t thinking big enough. He also said “We did it (referring to Disneyland), in the knowledge that most of the people I talked to, thought it would be a financial disaster - closed and forgotten within the first year.” Good thing for us old Walt didn’t listen to those people. What should you be doing that you are holding back on, out of fear? What great dream have you had that others told you was impossible or that you were nuts to even consider? Should you be speaking more often or starting that book that is in your heart? If Walt Disney is any example, the very things you “aren’t” doing may be your road to greatness. Go for it! Pursue your dreams with passion and enthusiasm and I will see you on top of your ladder of success!
The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm (Passion) to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.
James Whitcomb Riley
When you have the energy to fuel your passion, success is sure to follow close behind. The 1-2 punch of energy and passion is the key to success in life. In order to be successful in any endeavor you will need to overcome much discouragement, frustration and failure and the key to rising above these things is energy and passion. That is why I always say that “energy is the fuel to ignite passion and passion is the engine of success!”
In the movie Cinderella Man, Russell Crowe plays a down and out boxer that makes a dramatic come back. The back drop to this movie is the great depression and previous to the great depression Crowe’s character, Jimmy Braddock was a champion boxer that lost his way. After his come back a reporter asks him, “You have lost before, what’s the difference this time?” Jimmy Braddock then answers “I know what I’m fighting for” The reporter follows up with “And what’s that?” and Jimmy comes back with what I feel is the most memorable and inspiring line in the whole movie, he simply says, “Milk”. That says it all; now knew why he was fighting. He was fighting to feed his kids. He was able to look defeat straight in the face and say “okay, one more round.” He was able to overcome failure because he had the energy and passion to achieve his goal of putting milk on the table. I feel this is the story of America. A spirited passion for a worthy goal that will let nothing stand in her way. “Okay let’s go one more round” was the unspoken mantra for generations of Americans and what has made America the greatest country in the world.
Many years ago when I got started in sales, I didn’t know how to sell but I was passionate and energetic. One of my first clients told me that as my skill increases it is natural for my passion to wane. He told me the key to my success will lie in my passion and if I can combine an infectious passion with proven sales skills, I will always be a top producing sales person. Was he right!
Put the 1-2 punch of energy and passion to work in your life so you can change the world for the better and fulfill your destiny!
Only half joking. It is your body, if something looks wrong it probably is, use your best judgement.
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