Strength Of Body And Mind

We all have goals, some big, some small.Some of us actually achieve our goals, and others don't.Why is that? Is it because there is some secret winning DNA in some people, and losing DNA in others?No.There are a lot of things that successful people do differently, but one major reason they win is because they are willing to do one main thing: plant a flag in the ground and declare that they will be successful no matter what.They are able to create accountability for themselves by telling everyone, everywhere, all day, every day that they will be successful. They make the idea of defeating that goal a form of oxygen, so they literally cannot live without pursuing it with ferocity.Successful people aren't special, they're just hungrier than others. One of the ways they stay hungry is by being accountable to everyone, everywhere. If you need to lose 100 lbs, there are things you need to practice to do that - tactics, and philosophy. The philosophy is the lifestyle. It is the oxygen that I mentioned earlier. The

The Core:Why is the core so important?Why do we care so much about a 6 pack?Why do some people do a million crunches and never see abs?Why do people say abs are made in the kitchen?Why cant most people see their abs?How do we build our abs to be stronger, more visible, and how it affects the rest of our performance in LIFE in and out of the gym?In this episode, I dive into each of these things and really dissect what it takes to build abs and WHY everyone should build their ab/core strength and size.Not only that, I explain exactly how to build up your abs AND make them pop for a full, muscular, toned look (while also being practical simply by having a stronger core).We also get into the ab muscle anatomy, which is essentially comprised of 4 parts:1) Rectus Abdominis2) Internal Obliques3) External Obliques4) Transverse AbdominisWhat are these? Where are they on the body? How do they differ and which ones are more important to train?Check out the episode to get a better understanding of the body's core and how

In this episode, we dive into 5 consumable foods that people OFTEN tell me are bad, but they do so without having ANY data or supporting information. These people are headline readers, blog title scanners, and surround themselves with information-spewing individuals that don't always have their facts straight. All this leads to is a viral contagion of bad information and opinions/beliefs that aren't based on facts.Dive in and listen to the 5 things that Gordon hears the most about through his interactions with people in the fitness space. Bottom line: do your research. This episode can be a piece of your research spectrum, but the best thing you can do if you're questioning a food or product is to do your own research and develop your own opinion based on FACTS or from people who have experience (like me, or a credible nutritionist)Please listen, share with a like-minded friend and of course, if you DID get value out of this episode drop me a rating and review in iTunes.Thanks for checking it out!Twitter: @go

What are compound lifts and why are they so important?In general, a compound lift is a type of lift that utilizes more than one joint and more than one muscle group. Think of a squat and how that exercise requires the knees and hip flexors to go through a wide range of motion in order to perform the lift correctly. This activates both joints, and supporting muscle groups within, above and below each of those joints (calves all the way up through the core). An isolation exercise is the opposite of a compound lift. Isolation exercises exist to isolate a muscle group as much as possible, as well as limit the body's range of motion to a single joint. Think of a bicep curl and how your elbow is the only joint that really becomes active throughout that exercise. This allows for the athlete to put a tremendous amount of the load directly on that muscle group in order to build it and develop strength, size and density.Which of these is better? Personally, I think compound lifts are the gateway to the body that most p

How is it that some people seem to NEVER get down on themselves? How is it that they ALWAYS seem to be motivated and fired up?For some reason they seem to be 100% driven, motivated and focused at any given time.The reason it seems this way is NOT because they never get down or demotivated, it's because they know exactly how to deal with it.Everyone - literally, EVERYONE gets down, or loses their focus and drive. Regarding fitness and nutrition, this means falling off of their diet or nutrition plan, and potentially missing gym sessions. Again, this happens to EVERYONE.The reason that some people appear to never experience this from afar is because they've been able to experience this so many times over a long period of time that they understand how to deal with it. They understand the feeling when it is creeping up, and understand how to navigate through it.Staying fit and keeping nutrition clean and healthy is not easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it. The reason there are so many obese and out of shape

I have LONG been a student of learning the pros, cons, ups and downs of total body training vs. split training.I've studied both. I've tested both on myself. I've tested both on other people I've discussed (at length) this topic with others going back over the past 14 years. The main punchline is that your goal, your ambition, and your expected outcomes MATTER to what you decide to do. It's incredibly important that you are thoughtful and specific about how you approach training.This episode is JAMMED with info on what makes these two training approaches different, and how (and when) to utilize each of them. Inside the episode I talk about 3 different weightlifting scenarios that I would use given 3 specific individuals with uniquely different "weak link" muscle groups. These are shown below:Example 1 (Legs and triceps are the weak links for this person):-Day 1: quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes-Day 2: chest+triceps-Day 3: back+biceps-Day 4: shoulders+triceps-Day 5: rest/cardio-Day 6: quads, hamstrings, calve

Do you ever get stuck in your own head?This occurs when people are grinding along with something, day in and day out, and then all of the sudden they hit a wall for what seems like no reason.All of their drive, energy and forward progress seems to come to halt.For most people, this hits us hardest on the mental side of things...meaning, when we experience this sudden drop in drive and focus, we tend to create a lazy, lethargic, and slow moving mindset.Why?It's human nature. It's just what happens. As a whole, we were meant to be inquisitive and curious of our situations, especially during times of consistency where patterns and habits begin to occur. This inquisitiveness and curiosity is what drives us to begin questioning things in our lives.This isn't a bad thing, in fact, it's the opposite.The unfortunate thing is that most of us don't know how to handle when our bodies and minds begin questioning our daily grind and consistent nature of doing things. This causes us to get off course, and often times for e

Ah, the age-old debate of weight training vs. cardio.Truthfully, I believe this should not be a debate. While similar, these are two very different methods of exercise which map to very different objectives. Because of this, it's important to be thoughtful about how you're training, and deploying your strategy in a way that links to your main desired objective or goal.Minute for minute, cardio burns more calories than weightlifting. However, weight training will increase resting metabolism in a way that cardio does notWeight training provides muscle mass growth, which equates to strength gain. Since muscle and strength are functions of eachother, the more you build, the stronger you become. The stronger you become, the better and more effective you become when weight training. The results of this combination are substantially better resting metabolic rates, a fuller and more defined aesthetic, and an easier every day life due to increased strength.If you're wondering whether you should be performing cardio or

Are you TRULY comfortable in your own skin?Unfortunately, this is the thing that keeps most people BACK from achieving their fitness goal. That's right, it seems opposite, but it's the truth.People are so uncomfortable in their own skin, that instead of becoming empowered to get more fit, stronger, lose weight, gain weight, etc., they end up in a situation where it's more comfortable for them to hide than to go look awkward working out in front of other, more fit people. I don't EVER cater to the mentality of "everyone is special, everyone deserves to win" - but I do know this: our bodies are ALL unique. My body is mine, your body is yours. All the flaws, all the imperfections, all the wrinkles, all the hair, all freckles, all the lines.....they are unique to that body.That is powerful, and people need to spend an extra few minutes here and there understanding and respecting the body.Take an extra few minutes looking at yourself sometime. Stand in the mirror, naked. Look at the details. Move your arms, watch

Have you ever wondered what bodyfat really is?Ever wonder how its truly measured, what your bodyfat percentage really is and what that tells you about your health?In this episode, we dive into bodyfat. We discuss the pro's and con's of bodyfat, what TYPE of bodyfat makes us look fat (not lean/cut/shredded), what happens in our bodies to create fat AND how it gets burned, and also how to melt away fat in order to get the lean look that most of us are after.We also talk in detail about what is considered "normal" for bodyfat percentages for both men AND women, and what it means if you are above or below these typical BF ranges. Ever wanted to look lean and cut? We also talk about what type of bodyfat percentages you will likely need to achieve in order to get more lean to create muscle definition.There's a lot more content inside the episode, all about bodyfat! This applies to all the serious fitness enthusiasts AND the new guys that are just getting started. This content is very valuable - have a listen, and s

Do you ever lose focus, drive and motivation?Its a trick question, because EVERYONE loses focus at some point or another. Even the most ambitious, hungry and passionate people become unfocused at some point or another.Its those that can continue to push when they aren't fully engaged, and also find a way to become fully engaged again, that end up winning.The best part: we all have this inside of us. We all can make sure that we operate at a high level even when we don't feel like it. We all can make sure that we can return to the state of mind needed to feel driven, motivated and focused when we become derailed.One major piece of what it takes to do this is putting the right people around you, day in and day out. Energy, vibes, whatever...it's real. You put like-minded people around you that are focused on being fit, eating well, and not living a sedentary life will cause you to change your tune to the point where you are operating with a lot of the same characteristics. There's more to it than putting the ri

What's your relationship with food look like?If you're looking to make a major transformation, chances are, your relationship isn't great.On the flip side, however, if you have already gone through a transformation, there's a high likelihood that you could also have a bad relationship with food.What the hell is a bad relationship with food? It's when suffer from major internal conflict over the act of eating. For some people, this is an issue with eating too much of something, and for others, it is an issue of not eating enough.As discussed in the podcast, here's a list that does a decent job of breaking down 5 of the most common types/reasons behind bad relationships with food:People with an obsession around undereatingPeople with an obsession around overeatingPeople with an extreme focus on ingredients and makeup (snobs, foodies)People that are obsessed with specific food ingredients and makeup (carb, fat, protein)People who have allergies (gluten/celiac, etc)There are many different layers and sublayers to

What is the difference between a habit and discipline?When it comes to fitness, these two words are used together so often, and usually in a way that is incorrect. Habits are not disciplines, and having discipline is not the same as having a habit. The textbook definitions for these are:HABIT: a regular tendency that is difficult to give upDISCIPLINE: training to achieve controlled behavior, often using punishment to correct disobedienceHabits are tendencies, and can be either good or bad. They are always set off by a trigger. An example of this is: you eat lunch, and that is a trigger for you to seek out something sweet to have after lunch (a cookie, a piece of candy, etc). It's not that you're still hungry, or really NEED something sweet. It's a bad habit that you got yourself into. The good news, you can get yourself out of it. Fixing habits is all about looking at triggers, and changing the habit at the source. Sometimes this also means introducing new triggers and habits, which ultimately can end up repl

Have you ever wanted to grow your muscles more?Maybe you are looking for bigger muscle size, strength, vascularity, or all of the above? The reason you aren't growing may have nothing to do with your nutrition or work ethic. The reason may be because your training isn't conducive to these goals. The reason might be that you just aren't pushing yourself with a commonly misunderstood technique called Progressive Overload.Not enough people understand the concept of Progressive Overload when it comes to training.So what does it mean? Progressively (continuously) overloading your muscles is really the only way to ensure muscular growth and strength increases. This means incorporating some strategies such as: constantly increasing weight, reps, number of days of training, and slowing down your rep speed. The reason these work is because your body continually has to grow and develop more strength/size in order to keep up with the continuously increased load.Oh, and there are more ways to dial in progressive overload

Have you ever wondered if its possible to create a success routine?A "routine" implies a series of steps in a consistent pattern, over a period of time that ultimately leads to a result.Most people think it's not possible to have a routine that ties directly to being successful in something. Most people believe that success is not as simple as following a path, or course, or certain map and arrive at the end with some form of success.These people are wrong.In this episode, Gordon dives into how fitness, strength, health, energy, speed, etc, can all be achieved through a simple routine. This routine is not a highly complex series of steps, and does not require resources above and beyond what we all have access to.The routine is simple, easy and so straight forward that you won't even believe it. This type of routine does require effort though, and consistency. This is why most people fail at achieving this. In fact, this is why most people fail at achieving any fitness or health goal. They lack the ability to

Do you train your legs enough?Of all of the conversations I've had with people about fitness, muscle building and strength development, the thing that always surprises me is the lack of leg training.It seems that people undervalue the importance of leg development, especially men. The reasons for this are many, some of which include:1) Aesthetic reasons2) A lack of understanding of how leg development can contribute to total body fitness3) The exercises aren't fun4) There's no visible "pump" compared to upper body training5) Squats are "dangerous"I've heard more reasons than just these, but I would say these are the most common responses. What baffles me the most is the lack of understanding that training legs will be the major difference maker in someone being in good shape, and someone being in great shape. Or better yet, training legs will take someone that looks good and make them look great. How is this possible? It's actually quite simple: legs make up half of your body, and your core is used extensivel

Do you consider yourself patient with your fitness goals?Most people have a VERY difficult time staying patient and focused while they churn and burn towards their fitness goals. It's no secret that building strength, losing fat, gaining speed, increasing muscle mass, increasing flexibility, etc, ALL take time. It's also no secret that during the TIME it takes to build these things, you have to continuously monitor your actions, habits, mindset, and daily decision making. Due to this, it's no wonder that most people can't stay motivated long enough to actually their goals. But in this episode, I talk about how to build patience. More importantly, we get into how to build patience in a way that it becomes habit and also becomes a feeling that is totally natural. When something becomes natural and habitual, it becomes effortless. Patience is one of those things that can be built as a habit. In this episode I also talk about what it takes to stick to a plan, or trust in a process. Ultimately, fitness goals can d

Ever wonder what macronutrients are? What makes them different from micronutrients?What the hell is a macronutrient anyway?This can be a very confusing, or very simple concept depending on who's explaining it and which method they use.In this episode, we take a look at the BASICS of macronutrients, and how to get started calculating them for yourself or for someone else (if you're a trainer, nutritionist, etc):1- What on the nutrition facts label of food make up the macronutrients?2- What does each one do?3- How many calories are there in macronutrients?4- How to calculate an appropriate number of macros for my body and activity type5- The importance of maintaining a macronutrient profileIn addition, we get into the human aspect of eating right as it relates to macronutrients. In other words, macros are an amazing way to know what exactly what you are putting in your body, but it may not be 100% sustainable to live and die by the macro number, for sanity's sake. What exactly does happen to your body when you

Do you know what it really means to commit to a process?We all seem to know the general concept of committing to a process and providing unconditional trust in a system, but most of us don't know how to actually do that. If you're one of those people, you definitely aren't alone. It's also not entirely your fault - it's a flaw in the human brain. When we don't see results quickly (in anything, not just fitness), we make an assumption that the system is broken OR we aren't following the system correctly. The big challenge here is understanding that systems and processes exist for a reason, and likely the only thing holding you back from succeeding in something that you've wanted for a long time is that you have been unwilling to trust a process for long enough to see the results. In fitness, the process is usually a combination of nutrition and physical exercise/training, periodically, for many weeks or months, in order to see a big picture goal. What's more, is that these things have to be followed CONSISTENT

Are you struggling to find time to work out in a gym, or at a location outside of your home?Do you ever hear about people working out at home and getting in really good shape but you don't understand how they could possibly do that with all of the distractions and lack of equipment?The truth of the matter is: ANYONE can get into very good shape by working out at home. Chances are, you can build a better body than you ever imagined simply by working out at home.Three things that need stated about this subject right away are:1) Can you achieve a bodybuilder's physique at home? Technically yes, but not without a lot of "home gym" equipment. 2) Can you achieve a professional athlete's physique at home? Again, technically yes, but not without a lot of "home gym" equipment.3) Can you lose a lot of weight, tone up, build muscle and become very lean at home? Yes, yes, yes and yes. In this episode, we get into the concept of working out at home. What really works, what doesn't, including why most people fail. What is