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Top 10 Motivational Images For Fitness Motivation

Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:00:49 +0000

Motivation is the energy which powers our most impressive accomplishments and achievements. The challenge, however, is that motivation ebbs and flows. Sometimes you may feel limitless motivation as you strive toward your goals like nothing in the natural world can stop you. Other times, you may feel your motivation waning over time as hurdles and obstacles grow larger and more intimidating.

Every Monday on our BuiltLean Facebook Page (#MondayMotivation), we share motivation images to help you stay focused and push toward your goals. The following are 10 motivational images we have shared with our Facebook community that are organized into three sections. The first section is mastering your mindset. If you have the right mindset, everything seems to fall into place and it’s only a matter of time before you reach your goals. The next section highlights the importance of developing a plan to help focus your energies so they yield the best results. And the last section highlights refining your plan while focusing your energies on what you can control.

We hope you find these images motivational and you will reference them when you experience any challenges, or self-doubt:

Master Your Mindset

Motivational Image #1

Motivational Image #2

Motivational Image #3

Motivational Image #4

Have A Plan

Motivational Image #5

Motivational Image #6

Focus On What You Can Control

Motivational Image #7

Motivational Image #8

Motivational Image #9

Motivational Image #10

Which motivational image is your favorite? Is there a quote we didn’t include that you really like?

Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

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Top 10 Exercise Motivation Quotes For The New Year

Nate Morrow — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:00:54 +0000

The New Year is getting started and many now find themselves with a little extra insulation after eating incessantly through the holiday season. Luckily, it’s a great time for fresh starts and new goals to get healthy; whether you’re a seasoned gym veteran or just beginning your fitness journey, a little extra motivation can be just what you need to kick-start your next trip around the sun.

With that in mind, I’ve put together 10 of my favorite exercise motivation quotes from a wide variety of athletes, authors, and philosophers to help you start 2013 on the right track. It’s time to put away the eggnog and pull out the gym clothes!

Exercise Motivation Quotes: Find Inner Strength

1. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

-Arnold Schwarzenegger

2. “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”

-Hippocrates

3. “It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

-Socrates

4. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

Exercise Motivation Quotes: There Are No Limits

5. “If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus; and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”

-Bruce Lee

6. “Your biggest challenge isn’t someone else. It’s the ache in your legs and the voice inside that yells can’t, but don’t listen. You just push harder and then you hear the voice whisper can and you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the person you really are.”

-Unknown

7. “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.”

-Art Williams

Exercise Motivation Quotes: Never Give Up

8. “Nothing is more certain than the defeat of a man who gives up.”

-George Sheehan

9. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

-Michael Jordan

10. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

-Mark Twain

That last one is my personal favorite. I know it’s sometimes difficult to make changes in our lives, especially with busy work and family schedules, but I truly hope you can find some inspiration here to make your health a priority this New Year. Yes, going to the gym on a cold, winter’s morning is not as easy as sleeping in your nice, warm bed, but you’ll be glad you did.

We spend so much time and energy focused on professional and financial pursuits that we tend to overlook the importance of our own physical well-being, which then causes more health-related problems and stress.

So I’d like to leave you with one last thought from motivational speaker Jim Rohn that summarizes the main idea here pretty well: “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”

Have a happy and healthy new year!

Do you have any favorite quotations to get you motivated for the new year?

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30 Exercise Motivation Tips

Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Even the most fanatic gym-goer has days where it’s harder to pull on those sneakers and get enthusiastic about exercise. Whether the reluctance to workout is due to fatigue, stress, or just not enough time, there are things you can do to push yourself to stick with it for the day and make it to the gym.

We’ve put together a list of 30 ways to motivate yourself to break a slump and build up some excitement about your workout. These methods range from using inspirational quotes, to creating weekly playlists, to picking out your gym clothes the night before. Hopefully, no matter what type of inspiration you find works best when you need to get going, you’ll find some helpful new tips among this list of 30 exercise motivation techniques!

Exercise Motivation | Your 30 Ways To Ensure Your Workout!

1. Bring Your Gym Bag to Work – If you carry your bag along with you, it’s a lot easier to head to the gym on your way to work, or home from work, as opposed to changing at home

2. Workout with a Partner – Having someone else to workout with can help motivate you to exercise and work harder while you exercise

3. Sign up for a Fitness Newsletter – Getting daily, or weekly fitness and nutrition tips can help motivate you to exercise because you will have a constant reminder => BuiltLean Weekly Newsletter

4. Create a SMART Goal – Consider creating one big goal that is smart, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound and that motivates you to exercise. The vision of this goal is very exciting to you.

5. Create a Reason Why Your Goal is Important to You – the deeper and more emotional the reason for why your goal is important to you, the better. Maybe it’s not looking older than your years, getting back into your favorite sport, being able to keep up with your kids, not sticking yourself with needles everyday if you become diabetic, etc.

6. Create Weekly Goals – while a long term goal is helpful, weekly goals like losing 1lb per week tracking with Monday Morning weigh-ins can make reaching your long term goal more manageable.

7. Follow a Workout Plan – If you have no idea what to do when you exercise and you have no idea what affect that exercise is having, you will be a lot less motivated to workout. Having a solid workout plan to follow can be very helpful. We’re a bit biased, but the BuiltLean Program is worthy of consideration.

8. Go to Bed Early & Workout Early – A good night’s rest will allow you to re-energize your body and allow you the physical and mental capacity to power through a morning workout

9. Plan To Attend A Significant Event – something like a class reunion; this gives you a set goal date to show off your improvements over the last several months

10. Surround Yourself with Active Friends – hanging out with like-minded friends will create a physical lifestyle and these friends will be less likely to peer pressure you to skip a workout

11. Attend a Weekly Fitness Class – keeping your workouts social, this way you have people you look forward to seeing and can build a friendship with through fitness class

12. Lay your Gym Clothes Out – the night before, so you can just wake up and put them on first thing in the morning

13. Make a Workout Playlist – put together songs that energize you when you listen to them. Change up the playlist every few weeks so the playlist stays fresh and motivating

14. Don’t Think, Put Your Shoes On, & Start – We all have tough days, but if you put on your shoes and start moving, you can usually get through the mentally/physically tough part of the workout and find your groove

15. Set Mini-Goals – if you’re running and not in the mood to keep going, set a mini-goal like running to the end of the block. Once you get there, re-assess. Sometimes you’ll completely forget you didn’t want to workout in the first place.

16. Tweak your Workout – if you had planned to do a longer run but can’t get motivated about it, do intervals instead, and vice versa. Sometimes all you need is a little change to get excited about your exercise routine again

17. Identify Your Weakness – If you are a yoyo exerciser who jump on and off the exercise wagon, identify the reasons why you stop working out, and directly address them. If you get bored easily, try different types of exercise classes, or activities to keep things fresh.

18. Create a Warm-Up Routine – making a warm-up (pre-workout) routine or ritual can help get your brain into the mindset of working out. It could be a combination of foam rolling, dynamic stretches, jump rope or jumping jacks, and some bodyweight exercises. Athletes often use routines or rituals to get into the zone before a game. Use the same tactic for your own workouts

19. Keep your Goal in Mind – know what you’re trying to achieve, whether that be a certain look (10% body fat), a certain attribute (are you good at keeping your word or not) or something you don’t want to share with others (to make your ex jealous) or all of the above. Use any and all reasons to help keep you moving towards your goal.

20. Know your Motivation Style – you’re either for something (I want to be 20 pounds lighter) or you’re against something (I don’t want to feel like I’m 100 years old). Use the more motivating words for you when you’re thinking about not working out.

21. You often Regret What You Didn’t Do – this means, you’re more likely to regret NOT going to the gym than if you go.

22. Only 20 Minutes – often times it’s easy to justify not going to the gym. Just tell yourself, “I’ll go for only 20 minutes.” Sometimes 20 minutes is all you have and that’s fine, but more often, going for 20 minutes leads to a good 55 minute workout

23. Create a Challenge with a Friend or Yourself – if it’s with yourself, make the challenge less about the end result and more about the habits you want to create. If it’s with a friend, definitely make it something measurable

24. Know your Body – sometimes you feel a bit “beat-up” from work, life, stress, lack of sleep, etc and you might have to go a bit easier in the gym, but that’s no reason why you can’t go and at least do what you’re capable of doing without over-taxing your body even more

25. Find Workout Clothes you Feel Good In – and are looking forward to wearing. Make sure those are clean and ready to go

26. Give Yourself a Small Incentive – whether that be a new outfit or a weekend trip for achieving a goal. Make it still in-line with your overall fitness goal (aka, don’t make your incentive a night out of binging on disgusting food for getting to the gym 4 days of the week)

27. Remember that Everyone Messes up – & will miss workouts: don’t fall into all-or-nothing thinking and recognize that if you do fall off track, make up for it with more discipline elsewhere, such as with your diet

28. Remember Discipline is like a Muscle – the more you can create discipline in one area of your life, the more likely you are to keep the discipline/willpower elsewhere

29. Stay Accountable – this can be a weekly weigh-in, facebook updates, weekly pictures, etc.

30. Make Motivation a Daily Discipline – have a bookmarked list of videos, quotes, articles that you can read or watch when you need that extra push

We hope these tips help you power through those days when it’s tough to make it to the gym. We’d love to hear the ways you motivate yourself to exercise, or which tips work the best for you.

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Willpower: A Powerful Force When Used Effectively

Pat Koch, CSCS, CISSN — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Willpower is a word of contention in the world of dieting. Many assume a dieter’s success to be solely determined by how much willpower he has and go as far as to say that a large contributor to obesity is lack of willpower.

Others believe willpower to be out of one’s control, saying that no one inherently has more or less willpower, but that success comes easier to some people who are more willing to change their habits.

Attributing failure solely based on willpower is antiquated and discredits other important factors governing weight loss such as interactions between hunger hormones, brain chemicals, genetics, and the influence of habits.

However, your mentality does affect your ability to lose weight—it directly correlates to how much you can change your eating habits. Managed correctly, willpower can set the stage for successful weight loss. The key is a shift in mindset: willpower isn’t best used to resist the daily temptation of cravings and hunger. It’s best use is as a powerful force directing improvements of our eating habits.

The Physical Basis of Willpower

A distinct mental and physical process, the physical basis of willpower gives us insight on to how to best use willpower for weight loss. Our prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain scientists accredit to helping people prioritize goals, control emotions, and temporarily override wants and needs and is believed to be responsible for self-control.

Willpower, as a function of brain activity, runs on blood glucose (carbs). Continuous acts of self-control deplete blood glucose, which is a limited energy source. When blood glucose is low, failures in self-control become more likely, rendering willpower less effective.¹ Studies confirm that restoring blood glucose to adequate levels typically improves self-control.

All this presents a catch-22: drinking something like a sugary soda to re-up on your willpower seems, and is, counter productive. Not only is willpower easily depleted in restrictive dieters, but unrealistic diets that require a high degree of willpower also cause significant stress. The constant restraint imposed from resisting certain foods or a certain amount of food raises the stress hormone cortisol.² Chronically elevated cortisol is associated with increases in appetite and weight gain.

These two factors may explain why strict dieting often proves unsuccessful. It would appear that the more you need to rely on willpower in your diet the more likely you will fail. While short term it might succeed, over time, such restraint erodes. Typically, crash dieters fall back into old habits because the measures they have chosen are not sustainable.

Willpower and Decisions

We use willpower for each and every decision we make. An over abundance of decisions through out the day leads to mental fatigue. No matter how rational or logical you are, it becomes easier to act impulsively rather than make a thoughtful choice.

Along this line, having an environment that requires you to make many decisions each time you want to eat, can also work against you because you will eventually act impulsively. If you eat out for lunch and dinner every day and don’t have your meals planned in advance, chances are you won’t make the best choices.

How to Leverage Your Willpower

Finite and exhaustible, dedicate your willpower to making a plan and building momentum with relatively simple changes. You can’t lose significant weight in a week, but you can go shopping for healthy food, cook a weeks worth of meals, and get rid of the junk food in your house in one day. Over time habits become automatic. Once they don’t require decision-making or a high degree of willpower, success will come with less effort and you will be able to take another step that requires a higher degree of willpower.

To will your plan into action, create an environment for success. Use your willpower to concentrate on changing your habits. Do you eat in front of the TV every night? Did you get rid of the junk and stock your kitchen with fruit and veggies? Are you controlling your food by cooking in advance and bringing your lunch to work? Use the following plan to start changing your habits.

Identify six action items you believe will contribute to a healthier you. After you have listed six, rank them from what would be easiest to change all the way down to hardest.

For example:

Do not eat in front of the TV. (3 weeks)
Cut out calorie laden drinks. Opt for water, teas, etc. (3 weeks)
Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day (3 weeks)
No processed snacks (3 weeks)
Limit your alcohol (3 weeks)
Pre-cook a coming weeks meals (3 weeks)

The idea would be to start on action one and stick with it for three weeks devoting your willpower exclusively to that goal. As you move down the list continue your momentum and attack the next goal for three weeks slowly building until you reach the end. Keep in mind that small changes can add up to big results.

Get Started

By focusing on slowly easing into change it becomes much less stressful to adhere to. Over the course of a couple months you can add in several healthier habits.

It’s important to remember that temptation will challenge you. Sometimes your willpower may break, but it isn’t a weakness in character, it is a natural tendency to want to indulge when restrained. If you feel too restrained, chances are you might be relying to much on your willpower. Instead, take another look at your habits and make a plan for success!

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Body Fat Percentage Pictures Of Men & Women

Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:57:20 +0000

Body fat percentage is thankfully gaining more popularity as an effective marker of overall health and fitness instead of the BMI Index.

While I’ve written extensively about body fat percentage in numerous articles including Ideal Body Fat Percentage Chart, 5 Ways to Measure Body Fat Percentage, and Ideal Body Weight Formula among many others, I’m hoping this article will help tie everything together by creating visual representations of what a given amount of body fat looks like for men and women.

I searched thousands of images in order to create this article. Most of the images I purchased from stock photography websites, but others are in the public domain (at least I hope). If one of these pictures is copyrighted, please let me know and I will list proper attributions, or replace it if need be.

Body Fat Percentage Basics

To best understand the descriptions in this article and how the pictures were chosen, here are some basic body fat percentage terms and concepts that are helpful to learn:

Body Fat Percentage – is the amount of body fat (lb, or kg) divided by total body weight listed as a percentage. For example, a 180lb man with 30lb of body fat has a body fat percentage of 16% (30/180).

Body Fat Distribution – We all have different body fat distributions, or how fat is distributed across our body. For example, some women may have very little body fat on their abs, but a lot on their thighs and triceps, while others will have the opposite. Same thing goes with men, but most men carry fat in their stomachs. I tried my best to show pictures that highlighted the stomach region for men and the hips/thighs/stomach region for women.

Body Shape -Similar to body fat distribution is we all have different body shapes, so two different body shapes may have the same body fat percentage even if they don’t look like it. A classic example is a skinny runway model may have the same body fat percentage as a fit, athletic women.

Age – The pictures in this post assume ages of around 25-35 years old. Most body fat measurement devices will reflect higher body fat levels as the age increases. For example, a 20 year old man and a 50 year old man may have the same subcutaneous body fat measurement (fat under the skin), but the 20 year old may be 15% and the 50 year old will be at 20%. As we age, fat around the organs (visceral) and within muscle (intramuscular) tends to increase and most formulas take this into account.

Muscle Striations – As an individual becomes more defined, the actual muscle can be seen more clearly, which looks like thin rods, referred to as striations.

Vascularity – This is the appearance of veins in different areas of the body as body fat decreases.

Body Fat Pictures Of Men

Body Fat Picture Descriptions Of Men

Body Fat Percentage Men 3-4%

Bodybuilders can drop as low as 3-4% body fat when preparing for bodybuilding competitions. This body fat level is characterized by extreme vascularity, so that veins are visible over just about every muscle in the body. There is clear separation between muscles, and striations visible on almost every muscle. The buttocks (I’ll spare you a back picture) even has striations, some vascularity, with little fat. If your buttocks doesn’t have any body fat, you’ve got VERY low body fat! Essential fat for a man is around 2%, which is the basic amount of fat a man needs for the body to function (fat protects internal organs in the chest and abdomen).

Body Fat Percentage Men 6-7%

Approximately 6-7% body fat for a man is a bit less extreme than competition bodybuilders, but it’s still hovering at a level that is not sustainable for most men. Around this level, or slightly less, the face becomes gaunt, and your family starts worrying about you. This 6-7% body fat level, which is achieved by many male fitness models when doing photoshoots, is characterized by muscle definition in all muscles and clear vascularity in most muscles including arms, legs, and even abs. Vascularity over the abs muscle is a sign of very low body fat. Clear separation of muscles as well.

Body Fat Percentage Men 10-12%

This is a sustainable level for most men where you should be able to see your abs, but they will likely not be as defined as a man in the 6-7% body fat range. This body fat range is the classic beach body look that most men want and many women love. While not very defined, there is separation between muscles, some muscle striations potentially in the shoulders, or arms, but striations are not showing on every muscle. Vascularity is typically limited to the arms, with a little possibly on the legs.

Body Fat Percentage Men 15%

The 15% body fat level is usually within the “lean and fit” category in most body fat percentage charts. The outlines of muscle can be seen, but there is no clear separation between them. Vascularity is usually a bit more limited as are muscle striations, which are typically covered by a thin layer of fat. The overall shape is still there, which can create an aesthetic appearance despite less muscle definition.

Body Fat Percentage Men 20%

Separation between muscles starts to blur, almost no vascularity, or striations can be seen, typically there is a small stomach pouch of fat, the look is “soft” but not very round. Most guys I come across in NYC are within the 20-25% body fat range. Other parts of the country, or world, that range may be skewed higher or lower. A 5’11”man who weighs 180lb and has 145lb of lean body mass (the average) will have 20% body fat.

Body Fat Percentage Men 25%

There is little to no separation of muscles, no vascularity, or muscle striations, waist begins to increase quite substantially with a waist to hip ratio as high as 0.9 (waist circumference/hip circumference). So a 5’10” man may have a 36+ inch waist. This man may have a little neck fat, but may not look like he has 25% body fat in normal clothing. Over 25% body fat for a man is considered obese, and over a 40 inch waist is considered abdominal obesity.

Body Fat Percentage Men 30%

There is more fat all around the body at the 30% level including waist, back, thighs, and calves. The waist looks larger relative to the hips, and the stomach will likely be protruding over the waist noticeably. There is no muscle separation.

Body Fat Percentage Men 35%

As men get heavier and heavier gaining more fat, most of the fat is funneled right in the stomach. The 35% level is characterized by more significant protrusion of stomach fat over the waist. This is the beer gut kind of look. Waist circumferences can be 40+ inches for a man with 35% body fat.

Body Fat Percentage Men 40%

Similar to the 35% level, even more fat accumulates in the stomach and waist region, so that waist sizes can approach 45 inches, or more. At this level, basic every day activities like walking up stairs, or bending over to pick something up becomes increasingly difficult. This body fat level is approaching morbidly obese, which is characterized by a BMI over 35. To put it in better perspective, a 5’11” man who weighs 270lb and has 160lb of lean body mass has 40% body fat.

Body Fat Pictures Of Women

Body Fat Picture Descriptions Of Women

Body Fat Percentage Women 10-12%

This is an extremely low body fat level typically attained by female bodybuilders. Essential fat for women is round 8-10% compared to 2% for men. Why the difference? Women have more fat in breast tissue and the area surrounding the uterus. This level of body fat is not considered safe, or healthy for women who will be unable to menstruate. Striations of muscle, separation between muscles, clear vascularity are all noticeable at this level. The women in the photo is likely at the higher end of the range at 12% body fat because she is not too vascular.

Body Fat Percentage Women 15-17%

This is still considered a very low body fat for women, which is similar to the 6-7% body fat for range men. Many bikini and fitness models will reach this body fat level and some may not be able to menstruate. Muscle definition in the abs, legs, arms, and shoulders is apparent, there is some vascularity and some separation between muscles. Hips, buttocks, and thighs generally have a little less shape because of the low body fat.

Body Fat Percentage Women 20-22%

This is body fat percentage is usually in the “fit” category of most body fat charts and is typical of many female athletes. Some definition in the abs is apparent, there is body fat on the arms and legs, but it’s not too pronounced. There is minimal, but some separation between muscles.

Body Fat Percentage Women 25%

This is on the low end of what’s average for most women and is characterized by a shape that is neither too slim, nor overweight. Curves in the hips are usually more apparent along with more fat in the buttocks and thighs. A 5’4” women who weighs 130lb and has 97lb of lean body mass has 25% body fat.

Body Fat Percentage Women 30%

While most men have fat funnel into their stomachs, as the body fat of most women (but certainly not all) increases, this fat tends to accumulate in the hips, buttocks, and thighs. At 30% body fat, the hips, thighs, and buttocks are more pronounced and round. This is considered the high end of average for women in many body fat charts.

Body Fat Percentage Women 35%

The hips become even wider at this level of body fat and the face and neck will appear rounder and more full. Hip circumference can start approaching 40+ inches and waist circumference of 32+ inches. Some belly fat may start protruding over the waist as well.

Body Fat Percentage Women 40%

The hips and thighs grow larger so that hip circumference can reach 42+ inches, waist of 35 inches, and thighs over 25 inches.

Body Fat Percentage Women 45%

The skin may begin to lose its smooth appearance as more and more fat accumulates. Hip Circumference can may reach 45 inches+ and waist circumference 35+ inches. The hips may become noticeably wider than the shoulders.

Body Fat Percentage Women 50%

The will likely look like it has dimples more fat accumulates. Hip Circumference can may reach 45+ inches and waist circumference 40+ inches and thighs above 30+ inches. The hips will likely be noticeably wider than the shoulders. To put it in better perspective, a 5’4” women who weighs 200lb and has 100lb of lean body mass has 50% body fat.

Given how confusing measuring body fat percentage can be, I hope seeing these body fat percentage pictures was helpful!

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Weight Loss Plateau: Tips on How to Break It

Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:51:12 +0000

You are making awesome changes in your body when suddenly your progress grinds to a screeching halt. Those pounds of fat that were once falling off effortlessly are now clinging to your body for dear life.

No matter what you do, nothing is working. Maybe it’s been a week, or two, or even a few months, but your weight is not budging. You are ready to shrug your shoulders, throw your hands in the air and say “I quit”.

Why can’t you lose any more weight? What are some solutions to break through your stubborn weight loss plateau?

This article will delve into the dynamics of a weight loss plateau and offer you solutions to overcome it.

Weight Loss Plateau Vs. Fat Loss Plateau

A weight loss plateau is a period of time during which your body weight remains at the same level. So if your weight doesn’t change for 2 weeks, does that mean your results have stalled?

Absolutely not!

The word “weight loss” does not differentiate between changes in fat, muscle, and water.

The primary purpose of tracking your body weight is (1) for accountability and (2) as a proxy for measuring fat loss. When you get on the scale and the reading goes down 1lb, the hope is that 1lb represents pure fat – not muscle, or water.

If you are weighing yourself every day, or multiple times per day, you probably notice your weight can fluctuate substantially by 3-5lb. Most of this weight fluctuation is due to changes in water retention.

For example, if you eat a lot of sodium, carbohydrates, and drink little water, you will retain a ton of water, which will increase your body weight. If on the other you drink plenty of water, moderate carbs and low sodium and you just finished an intense workout where you sweat buckets, your weight can decrease by several pounds. It may seem counterintuitive, but the more water your drink, the less you retain it.

The unpredictability of water retention is one reason to weigh yourself only once per week with Monday Morning Weigh-Ins, unless you find weigh ins every morning keeps you more accountable. Weighing yourself multiple times per day, or at different times each day is the fastest way to kill your confidence and mess with your head.

A weight loss plateau and more specifically a fat loss plateau should be defined as no change in body weight for 3 weeks. The first week may be because of water retention, along with the second week, but the third week indicates that maybe your body is not changing as you have hoped despite your best efforts.

Weight Loss Plateau Facts To Keep In Mind

Before delving into some solutions to help you break your weight loss plateau, here are some important facts that you should know:

1) Weight Loss Plateaus are VERY common

If you do not experience a weight loss plateau as you approach your ideal body weight, consider yourself very, very lucky. Weight loss plateaus are to be expected as you are losing weight. Our bodies are resistant to change. A large chunk of people who reach their ideal weight have experienced as many as 2-3 plateaus lasting several weeks. Remember that if changing our bodies was easy, then everyone would be walking around with a six-pack.

2) The More Weight You Lose, The More Weight Loss Slows

This comes down to simple mathematics. Take a guy Mike who is at 230lb and loses 1% of his body weight in fat per week (0.5%-1% is a solid pace of fat loss). Mike would then lose roughly 2.3lb of fat per week. Now if he gets down to 200lb, losing 1% of fat is now 2lb, or 15% less than 2.3lb. As Mike’s weight decreases further, less weight would be lost as a percentage of his total bodyweight so weight loss inherently slows down the leaner you become.

3) Losing Weight Becomes Harder The Closer You Get To Your Ideal Weight

Not only does the pace of weight loss slow down, but your body will work harder to hold on to your fat stores the leaner you become. We are left with a sobering fact – the ability to lose more fat decreases and it becomes even harder to do so. The most common plateaus I see for guys is first around 20-22% body fat, then around 12% body fat (for those guys looking to break into single digits).

3 Steps To Break Your Weight Loss Plateau

Now that you understand the difference between weight loss plateaus and fat loss plateaus along with the basic dynamics of weight loss, here are some tips to follow to help break through the toughest plateau.

Weight Loss Plateau Step #1: Re-evaluate Your Calorie Intake

As you lose weight, not only does it become harder to lose, but your metabolism decreases. Now don’t go searching for those “how to boost your metabolism” articles – your metabolism is supposed to decrease as you lose weight.

Going back to our friend Mike, if he continues the same workout regimen at 200lb as he did when he weighed 230lb, his metabolism will be roughly 15% lower at 200lb vs. 230lb. Why you ask? He has less body mass, which means his body does not require as much energy to support a smaller frame.

That’s why every 10-15lb you lose (if you have a lot of weight to lose), you can reevaluate your calorie intake to ensure you are eating less calories than you are burning. For more, check out How Many Calories Should You Eat to Lose Weight?

Weight Loss Plateau Step #2: Control the “Calorie Creep”

My estimate is 90% of all weight loss plateaus are related to “calorie creep”, or more generally, eating more calories than you think you are eating. Combined with a decrease in metabolism from weight loss, plateaus are almost a certainty.

The calorie creep can come from mindless eating, eating out at restaurants that serve huge portions, or simply condiments like dressings, spreads, and sauces. Maybe you don’t realize that small 100 calorie bag of “healthy” chips is really 400 calories because there are 4 servings in each bag. Alcohol also goes on the calorie creep list.

The best place to start is to track your food intake if you are not already doing so. There are many great reasons to keep a food journal, so tracking your nutrition intake (even for a few days) is possibly the smartest and most important step you take to improve your nutrition.

Weight Loss Plateau Step #3: Progress Your Body, Don’t Confuse it

While nutrition is likely the culprit for the stall in your weight, making sure you are progressing the intensity of your workouts can only help improve your results.

There is a lot of hype about “muscle confusion” because of a certain exercise program that has sold over 20 million copies through infomercials. In the extreme case, choosing a different workout every time you hit the gym is not confusing your body as much as you think, but it’s definitely curtailing your results. If you want to maintain the results you have, changing things up is awesome, but not if you want to maximize your results in a muscle building, or fat loss program.

Continuity in your exercise program is more important than switching things up all the time. Without continuity, you will not be able to track improvements and make the workouts harder, which is the goal. In my BuiltLean Program, even though I switch up the workouts every couple of weeks, I keep several of the exercises and the structure of the workouts the same so that you can track changes in your strength and fitness levels.

What happens if you still can’t break your weight loss plateau?

The chances are very likely if you follow the preceding 3 steps, you will be able to break your plateau. Again, 90% of the time it’s a matter of not balancing calorie intake with calorie burn. But for those in the 10% category, here are some issues/solutions to consider:

1) Starvation Mode – The opposite of the calorie creep is not eating enough calories to help sustain your body. While your metabolism will not drop if you skip a meal, or even a few, it will drop with chronic calorie deprivation. If you are a 180lb guy eating less than 1,000 calories per day for let’s say 3 weeks, you can bet your bank account your metabolism will take a nose dive. Some studies have shown metabolism can drop by as much as 40-50%. There are a host of other negative issues with extreme starvation diets (lack of proper nutrients being one of them). If you are chronically in starvation mode, it’s advisable to up your calorie intake.

2) Calorie Cycling – If you are in starvation mode, or have just been dieting for more than a month, or two, your metabolism can and will likely slow down above and beyond the range if you were eating more calories. There is no scientific evidence supporting calorie cycling as a superior way to lose fat, but I must mention it given the large number of respected experts who support it. Furthermore, science is not exactly ahead of the curve. Alternating low calorie with high calorie days MAY prevent this starvation response from occurring (i.e. 3 days low, 1 day high).

3) Hormones – There is a large contingent of nutrition experts who describe a stall in fat loss not as a calorie in/out issue, but as a “defect in fat metabolism”. Think about an overfat woman in a developing country who barely eats any food. How can this be? There are several theories, but they most likely have to do with a hormonal imbalance that affects fat loss metabolism along with calorie burn. Hormonal issues related to weight loss are more common with women than men. What’s the solution? Unfortunately, a simple answer is not possible, other than to seek medical assistance and test your hormone levels such as adrenal, testosterone etc.

As you continue on your journey to reach your ideal weight, keep in mind that changing your body is a marathon, not a sprint (See: body change vs. maintenance). The sooner you can appreciate this, the better off you will be in the short and long term.

I hope this was a helpful overview of the true dynamics of weight loss and how to break a stubborn weight loss plateau.

Have you ever experienced a weight loss plateau? What did you do to break it?

The post Weight Loss Plateau: Tips on How to Break It appeared first on BuiltLean.com.

Ego is Your Enemy: Become Your Own “Weakness Manager”

Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:11:01 +0000

Have you ever noticed in the gym that you gravitate towards what you’re good at?

If you can bench a lot of weight, then you find yourself benching every time you go to the gym and certainly every time you work out your chest. Or maybe you have that one abs exercise that’s tough but you make it look easy.

While focusing on our strengths makes us comfortable and is the path of least resistance, focusing on our weaknesses can lead to the greatest overall change in our physical fitness level.

This article will help you develop a deeper appreciation for the importance of focusing on your weaknesses and will provide a step-by-step system that you can follow to improve them.

Improve Your Weakness Step #1 | Leave Your Ego at Home

The first and most important step before evaluating and addressing your weaknesses is to leave your ego at home.

Oftentimes we’ll decide on a certain exercises based on “what other people will think”. While the concept of gym insecurity is worthy of a separate post, or even series of posts, in a perfect world we would choose exercises that help us achieve our specific goals and also help improve our overall level of physical fitness. It doesn’t matter how much we want to impress other people at the gym by doing our most impressive exercise over and over again.

The most egregious error when it comes to ego is trying to lift too much weight to impress other people. This is a recipe for injury, because exercise form is almost always compromised.

If you truly want to reach your potential, you should leave your ego at home.

Improve Your Weakness Step #2 | Identify Your Weaknesses

Many guys think about fitness in terms of strength, but the reality is that strength is only one of ten components of physical fitness. The first 5 components are health-related that can be improved by training and diet and the last 5 are skill-related:

1. Body Composition
2. Strength
3. Cardiovascular Fitness
4. Flexibility
5. Muscular Endurance
6. Agility
7. Balance
8. Coordination
9. Power
10. Speed

From this list, you can dig deeper into each vertical. For example, regarding “strength”, you can evaluate your strength levels for the various movement patterns such as squat, lunge, push, pull, twist and then you can even go more granular such as vertical push, and horizontal push. You can zero in on the exercises, or movement patterns that are your weakest. Focus on the first 5 components, then move on from there.

Generally speaking, here’s a list of common weaknesses to consider:

Many guys will stick their head in the sand instead of addressing their weakness.

For Guys:

Posture/Flexibility – internally rotated shoulders are among the most common posture problems that are derived from lack of flexibility and a sedentary lifestyle.

Back Exercises – guys tend to do a lot of pushing movements along with arm exercises while neglecting the second largest muscle group in the human body – the back.

Leg Exercises – given our legs are the largest muscle group in our bodies, one would think we would pay a lot more attention to leg exercises, but for a lot of guys the opposite is true.

Muscular Endurance – If you find yourself completing exercises in the 6-10 rep range, try going higher to 15 reps to change it up.

Twisting motion – just because a guy has a six pack, doesn’t mean he has rotational strength. In the gym, we focus most of our time in the sagittal and frontal planes (forward and sideways), not the transverse plane (twisting).

For Girls:

Strength – Strength training in general. Any and all exercises, especially compound exercises.

Now write everything down and create your weakness wall that highlights your weaknesses as opposed to only your strengths.

Improve Your Weakness Step #3 | Cut Back on Strongest Exercises

If you are doing barbell bench press for 5 sets two times per week and that is your strongest exercise, try cutting back to once per week, replacing the exercise with flat dumbbell bench, or work on your muscular endurance with plyometric pushups.

Here’s what you should consider for your strongest exercises:

1) Decrease the frequency
2) Decrease the volume
3) Cut it out altogether for 1-2 months

If you are already strong at something, you don’t need to do it very much to keep it as a strength.

Improve Your Weakness Step #4 | Choose One Weakness to Improve

While you may have several weaknesses after further analysis, start working on 1 weakness, preferably your greatest weakness that you need to address. It can be tempting to try to accomplish more, but simply improving let’s say flexibility requires a lot of attention and can take several months of consistent foam rolling and static stretching. You can make your weakness your primary, or secondary goal for a 2-3 month period.

Be sure that your primary and secondary goals are synergistic and not antagonistic to each other. For example, if you’re primary emphasis of your routine is on fat loss, or strength, you may have the goal of also improving flexibility as your weakness. If the primary goal is increasing strength, it will be tough to also work on muscular endurance as a weakness.

Improve Your Weakness Step #5 | Repeat

You can repeat this process over and over again to help round out your fitness level and improve how you look and feel.

To hammer this point home about why focusing on weaknesses is so important, I have some quotes from Gray Cook who is one of the world’s foremost experts on identifying and managing fitness-related weakness:

Anticipate weakness, limitation and problems before they occur – Gray Cook.

“The best strength coaches I know are actually weakness managers.”

“Anticipate weakness, limitation and problems before they occur”

“How many of us can really say our weaknesses have been effectively managed, our limitations have been removed and our asymmetries have been balanced? Until then, sports specificity and activity-specificity training is not the best platform for improvement.”

“Sometimes I feel like telling people to stop posting maximums unless they’ll also post minimums. Whether things are posted on the Internet or the gym wall, we always seem to post our strengths and somehow neglect to report our weaknesses—to others as well as ourselves.”

So now it’s your time to become your own “weakness manager”, to manage your weakness which will improve your overall fitness and athleticism so you can reach your full potential.

The post Ego is Your Enemy: Become Your Own “Weakness Manager” appeared first on BuiltLean.com.