Tag: lift

Letter To You From Your Older Self

by Christian Boyles, posted in Motivation

Dear Me,

Keep having fun, but also keep working hard! Don’t be so wrapped up in your work that you never relax. On another note, don’t be complacent and never get any work done.

Always find a balance and work hard at being the best version of yourself! You know you can’t be Mr. Joe Cool, and never let anything bug you. You also know you aren’t always going to be a go-getter, and have the world in the palm of your hands. Seek a balance of the two, and better yourself because your own life’s journey is unique to you.

You will make mistakes and fall down; that’s a part of life. Making mistakes is the fun part! If everything were easy and you had no challenges, you’d never change. Adversity and challenges are obstacles, and overcoming obstacles develops character. Develop your character and become the best version of yourself.

The best version of “you” will be a version of you that overcame hardship; a version of you that sought adversity and became a victor. Keep fighting, and you will eventually find yourself. Do it from a standpoint of..

..pursuing your life’s ambition, YOUR PASSION! It may be cliche to say “Follow your heart,” or “Find your passion,” but do that and you will be much happier with your life. 

Also, it may be highly presumptuous to write some “life-advice” letter considering I still have a long adventure ahead of me…

But remember! I’m your older self, and I am writing this letter to you.

Sincerely,

Maxed Out Muscles

p.s.

Lift hard and dream big; set smart goals for yourself and achieve them.

  
..image courtesy of theredish.com

Leave Gotham For Gains

by Christian Boyles, posted in Motivation

Just as Christian Bale left Gotham to undergo serious soul searching and to receive training from Liam Nielson, I have to ditch the hit TV show Gotham to work out more effectively and commit to my own journey.

I think that sometimes we become so wrapped up in fantasy that we don’t live out our lives. It can be fantasy, or some idealistic picture you have in your mind. But the way to make things happen is to ditch the fantasy and make reality happen.

Make reality happen!

I’m not saying you should fight crackheads with your underwear over your pants, but I do think you could ditch the remote and pick up a dumbbell!

  
Image courtesy of joyreactor.cc

Or don’t pick up a dumbbell, but do something. Do something that will ultimately strengthen you and prove resourceful to your own Hero’s Journey.

To those of you who don’t know, The Hero’s Journey is your own call to adventure. It is an outline made of all heroic narratives, like BATMAN!, by Joseph Cambbell. If you’d like to read up on the Hero’s Journey, I found a great webpage on it here. 

Snap, Crackle, and Pop? Not happening.

by Christian Boyles, posted in Lifelong Fitness

This is just a reminder to always pay attention to your body. Not only should you be pushing yourself hard and focusing on your nutrition and consistency but you should also focus on your body’s reaction to your workouts.

If your joints are making noise or hurting during a workout you should go down on weight and work on your form. Maybe even take some time off, worst case scenario.

Honestly, it’s the best route to be cautious because slow and steady gains will be a lot better than fast gains if it means only working out three months before getting hurt and then being out for a long time.

Just a reminder to always use a common sense approach first and to pay attention to your body. Thanks for reading. 

Fast-Paced Life Can Slow Gainz

by Christian Boyles, posted in Lifelong Fitness

Today, I went to the gym with the goal in mind of crushing back and biceps. I got there and I talked to my friend who is insanely strong and going to do some bodybuilding competitions early next year.

It’s natural to feel somewhat weak when you’re working out in front of someone who is a lot further along in their physical development than yourself, but I felt a different kind of ‘nudge’. The kind of nudge that was telling me I have been doing something wrong. Although my gains in the gym have been fine, I still lacked in some areas much more than others. My biceps have been my weakest point. I noticed that my forearms were small. I also realized I have been doing the same weight on most of my workouts for a month.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again before I get too far ahead of myself:  THE NUMBER ONE THING IS CONSISTENCY. It’s keeping at it through thick and thin that is most important. However, once in a while you should examine yourself and make sure that you are having some improvement. I did that and I realized I’ve had none in a month.
So I did some thinking and I truly believe it’s a result of too much stress. I’ve been stressed by work and hanging out with friends and having just turned 21 and there always seems to be something going on. Also, I have to think about college. So you’d think that just having stuff on my mind shouldn’t bother me, but it’s more than that. 

When you’re always on the run, sometimes you forget to focus on your direction; sometimes you need to slow it down. My life has been so fast paced lately that I have eaten less and haven’t worked out as hard as I believe I should have. These kinds of things are fine if your goal is to maintain the muscle mass you have, and if you’re a beginner you’ll get stronger anyways…however, after a while working out you need to focus on your lifestyle and shut out the noise from the outside world. Focus on your goals, what kind of training and diet you need, and place it first. Finally, and possibly most importantly, get plenty of rest as your body needs to heal. 

Going through these plans I know I will continue to grow, and if you do the same it is my belief you will too. Done.