What to do what to do?

LundiMardi

Hello there,

Just looking for some advice so here's the ''low down'';

Was in a job with a gym, good good.. In the last few months of job hours were weird and gym became less frequent.

Now in new job with good hours but no gym.

I am in need of getting in extremely good physical condition, but i'm struggling to find what would be the best route.

A) Join a gym, con - i don't earn as much in new job so this will be a stretch.

Outiside excersise, e.g. get a bicycle. Con - I may find it easy to just not use it, where as a gym is something to plan for and go to, mentally it's just easier to go to gym then ride a bike if ya know what i mean.

So if i pick A, then i join a gym, now i have to pick a gym, i have two choices, Citywest Gym, or West Park on the greenhills road.

Citywest if expensive at 60 euro a month, but it is a good gym. Westpark seems good but i have no idea how much it is, anyone know?

If i pick B, then i get a bike, but what if i fork out for a decent bike and then don't use it, how do i make myself get up every morning and cycle for 90mins?

What to do what to do?

Again, this is to get very physically fit, which i am not at the moment.

Boru.

Hi LundiMardi,

First off it’s great you actually want to be fit, most people don't even care about themselves enough to that so you’re already way ahead.

What type of fitness do you want though? There are many different methods and techniques for a variety of different fitness levels, with them are different motivational techniques.

Let’s go with cycling for now. This will improve muscle tone in the lower body and build up cardio vascular fitness, so you'll have a healthy heart and lungs.

A method I recommend to a client who likes to cycle but finds it hard to drag himself to do it is the necessity method. Not a favorite but it works. In order for him to work on time he now has to cycle 30 minutes to a specific bus stop. That way he doesn't overexert himself before work, achieves a specific goal at the start of the day (which psychologically sets up for a good day) and gets into work on time. He then takes that same bus back in the evening and then has to cycle back 30 minutes t get home.

In this manner he gets a good cardio workout split over the day thus keeping his metabolism higher and giving him a bit of extra energy to do other things.

Now this isn't a very strenuous program, but he's got terrible fitness levels so this is a great workout for him and he's delighted. By making it a necessity and something he had to do to reach a specific goal, he was able to introduce it into his life and stick with it. Now he enjoys it so much he gets up a little earlier and takes a longer route. While he's at it he gets to relax and spend time de-stressing before and after work and considers it indispensable quality time!

All that said, that might not work for you.

Now if you wanted to train for cardio vascular and muscular endurance I'd recommend bodyweight exercises. 15 minutes worth of squats and pushups gets you fit fast and gives you strength and endurance.

If you wanted to be physically strong low rep heavy weight is the way to go.
And of you want the look, well 12-15 reps with a reasonable weight would be a good introduction.

Now there are ways to do all of that together and it doesn't take very long...but that’s another story.

There are also different mental techniques. For instance one of the ones I use most with my clients is based on the early teachings of Dr. Maxwell Maltz (one of the guys ripped by Tony Robbins, Dr. Phil etc).

Basically take ten minutes and imagine exactly what you want to look and feel like. Then think about this with intense vivid emotion. Imagine all the feeling of triumph and happiness, imagine the feeling of you body as it responds to you commands, etc etc I'm sure you get the idea. Imagine having achieved that success and then work backwards. See how every repetition or every pedal on the bike is brought you closer to that success. Appreciate it and feel grateful for it. Then when you go to workout recall those images and feelings and pretty soon you will find you are dying to go to the gym or cycle or workout in any manner because you will have conditioned yourself to feel incredibly good when doing these things! Much better than the punishment attitude I know others try.

I know, this all sounds a bit fluffy, but it works. Ask people like Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, or any athlete or individual who has achieved success for that matter and they will tell you they use some variation of this technique.

I know I've wandered off the subject a bit but I hope it’s helpful anyway.