DAN LOSES 18LBS IN 4 MONTHS, EARNS FMU FEB GAME-CHANGER OF THE MONTH

You have to see how Dan lost 18lbs in 4 months. But first, I have to tell you a story....

It was a Saturday morning 8am workout. I worked out with the group. We finished a few minutes late. Eye of the Tiger still played on the gym speakers. Everyone left the gym as I sat on the floor stretching. Someone was still running on the turf though. As I looked over, Dan said, "mind if I finish?" It was then that I knew, he had it. 

The IT factor is what it takes to achieve any goal in life. It comes from within. Something external may be the catalyst, but ultimately YOU have to want it. You get yourself through the gym doors, through the workout, and through the extra minutes to finish your sprints like Dan did. 

Fast forward to yesterday. A little girl walks into my gym with her friend Sarah. They run around laughing together, climbing on things, hanging, playing tag. A few months ago she was shy and reserved when she showed up. But it didn't take long for her confidence to shine.  She beat her hang time by :30 seconds and went on to earn her white wristband. That girl is Dan's daughter, and again I say, he did IT again. The most important reason why we do this, he's being an example for his children. 

Dan has lost 18lbs in the short 4 months that he's been with us. Of course that accomplishment is fantastic. But again, it's the manifestation of his renewed thought processes and actions. You decide to do something differently, you then do something differently, and wahla! Results happen. It's not easy though. If it were, everyone would be doing it. 

HOW DAN GOT STARTED WITH US
Marc Quayle, one of FMU's toughest, sold Dan on the program. He said, "Can you give just Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday each week? And can you give it 6 months? If you do, FMU will change your life." Dan said he was wrong. "It took one month." 

Dan's favorite move is the sled sprint because of how hard it is. "It sucks the energy out of me." The first month he came, naturally he couldn't do that many. Now, he's definitely top 5 among males. 

He also likes to mix in Rocky Cardio now on Mondays into his routine. "Getting in better shape has given me more confidence. I also feel good that I'm setting an example for my kids." 

Like any champ athlete, he's not done. "Short term, I'm getting on top of that warped wall. Longer term, I'd like to do a half-Ironman." 

Dan is the Director of Government Relations for University Hospitals. He's also a city council member for Avon Lake and serves on the board of Smiles For Sophie Forever. He and his wife Andrea, who will be starting FMU soon by the way, have two daughters Mia (8, my FMU kid) and Kayla (11). 

Like anyone else, he's super busy. He sometimes goes to work early, he sometimes works late, and he sometimes travels. He could make excuses, but he doesn't. 

Oh yea, usually I would tell you the secrets to how he lost those 18lbs. But I think you get it now after reading about past game-changers. The secret is: HE JUST DID IT.

It's hard to get to the top. It's even harder to stay there. I think Dan will do it.

It's your turn now.

Congrats Dan! It's all you!

It's not about me,
Coach Theo 

THE 4 P'S TO UNLEASH THE CHAMP WITHIN

I had the privilege to speak to St. Raphael's school yesterday. A huge portion of their 750 students have either been in my programs or in some way been connected to Fit Me Up, so it was an honor to finally be inside their walls. The kids did an amazing job looking like they were paying attention during my 30 minute talk! Hopefully they remember a few of these points, the biggest one being, "God loves you and believes in you, now get out there and be the game-changer that you are."

*the main points were hit in both groups, some of the sub points were altered b/c I ad-libbed some stories in the older group.

I. PRACTICE.

• Definition: the art of fine-tuning, polishing up, and getting better at whatever it is you do.
• Things don't always come easy. Most of us have to work at it. Those that are extremely talented and don't have to right now, will eventually fade if they don't put in the time and effort.  And your hard work will eventually beat their talent.
• You do it because you want to HONOR THE GIFTS, TALENTS, AND ABILITIES that God gave you. 
• Not because of WINNING all the time.  That's not the main goal. The desire to get better is.
• Success is not an end point. You will never reach a point in life where you say I did it, I'm successful, I'm done. Because the truth is, it's a journey, it never stops.

II. PERSEVERE.

• Definition: the ability and will to keep going no matter what. 
• Try. You never know what will happen.
• I fall a lot, I'm just getting better at getting back up, quick. 
• The warped wall in a perfect example of life. Sometimes you stand at the bottom looking up without even giving it a shot. Sometimes you run up a little bit and tap as high as you feel comfortable. Sometimes you don't think and you just go for it and reach with both hands not worrying about the outcome, and they you reach the top and look down as a totally different person.
• God doesn't rate you on your performance. Don't beat yourself up so much that you defeat yourself before you even start.

III. PUT OTHERS FIRST.

• It's not about us. Philippians 2:3-5. 
• Do nothing out of selfish ambition....look to the interest of others.....
• Why do we practice and persevere to be the best? So we can help others get there too.
• Bullying: don't think that if it's not drastic and didn't make the media that it's not bullying. Anytime someone else feels less of a person or like they don't belong because of something you said or did, it's wrong, not cool, can't happen. 
• To the bully: you don't have the right to ever think you're better than someone. 
• To the person getting picked on: we can't always stop bullies even when we stand up to them. You can only control your heart by not letting them get to you. Remember it's not you, they have the issues.
• Small acts of kindness: ask how someone is doing, help them with their homework, involve them in the game in gym class. It always comes down to the little things. Just be ready and open and willing to look for them.

IV. PRAY.

Can you start your morning by....

• Thanking God for another day.
• Asking Him to give you the strength to practice hard at everything you do, persevere through all the obstacles that come your way, and raise up others to make their day better. 

And always remember that you are on this earth for a reason. God miraculously created you. He knows every hair on your body, every muscle and bone that holds you together. Never doubt for a second that you're not a mistake. But He can't do everything for you. It's up to you to make the decision. Leave here ready to be the game-changer that you are today. Your friends need you. Your classmates and teammates need you. The stranger that you never even met needs you. The world needs you. And so does God.

#TWOCLAPS, clap clap.  #TWOCLAPS, clap clap.  #TWOCLAPS, clap clap.

HOW TO GET FROM ZERO PULL-UPS TO ONE, MY 4 TRICKS

"The true measure of one's strength is not the ability to prevent themselves from getting knocked down, but rather the ability to pull themselves back up, fast."

My wife Amber maxed out at 17 Pullups one time. And I'm pretty strict with her, they were all the way down and all the way up. She used to only be able to do 2 when she first started. 

You're now saying, "but I can't even do one Theo, where the heck do I start?"

First, if you're carrying extra weight, let's get that off. Practically speaking, depending on how much extra it is, a pull-up may not be as possible as it could be if extra pounds are weighing you down. 

Once that's out of the way, we need to get your body used to holding itself up. I'm a big fan of assisted pullups for training. Using things like super bands or the assisted machine you see at the gym will allow you to get in the high rep range with good form. But I don't think there's any better way to get yourself to bodyweight pull-ups until you really expose yourself to holding your bodyweight off the ground without any assistance. 

Here are 4 TRICKS that will help you get from ZERO PULL-UPS TO ONE:

1. HANG TIME: CAN YOU HOLD YOUR OWN BODYWEIGHT?
This always looks easier than it is. Can you grab that bar, let yourself hang with your feet off the ground, and stay there for about :30 seconds. That's pretty good. From there try to get to :60 seconds. I practiced dead hangs for a while and saw a big boost in my pull-up ability. Why? Because it gives you some massive grip and forearm strength.

2. NEGATIVES: CAN YOU LOWER YOURSELF SLOWLY FROM THE BAR?
I don't care how you get up. Use a stool or chair or jump your chin above the bar. Then lower yourself slowly for about :3-:5 seconds. Do this for about 5-8 reps.  

3. ISOMETRIC HOLD: CAN YOU HOLD YOURSELF AT THE TOP?
Again, it doesn't matter how you get up there. Get your chin above the bar, pull your shoulder blades slightly back to set them into place, brace your core, and squeeze for as long as you can.

4. WEIGHTED NEGATIVES: A VERY BIG TRICK OF THE TRADE, CAN YOU LOWER YOURSELF SLOWLY WHILE WEIGHTED?
This would probably require you to use a high chair or bench, something that will already put you in the top position of the pull-up. Using a weighted vest or belt or holding a dumbbell between your legs like I do (let's say 10-15lbs), lower yourself slowly again from the bar for about :3-:5 seconds. Here's what happens---your body gets used to holding a heavier load on the eccentric portion of the pull-up and it makes your regular bodyweight seem much lighter to hold and lift up.

SO NOW WHAT:
You're now probably saying but how do I put all of this together? Don't go overboard. You can't do every one of these tricks every workout. I would take #1 and #2 and do two sets of each throughout the week. I would then take #3 and #4 and mix those in once or twice a week as a bonus.

Then from here you can go to your horizontal pull-ups and assisted pull-ups. Yes, there are many different styles of pull-up grips that you can mix in to give you variation, but I'm a very simple dude when I train. Stick to the basics, keep yourself safe, and just get yourself used to holding yourself and lowering yourself from that bar. 

WORKOUT EXAMPLE:
Day 1: 
1 set of hang time
1 set of negative pull-ups
2 sets of assisted pull-ups

Day 2:
1 set of hang time
1 set of negative pull-ups
2 sets of horizontal pull-ups

Day 3:
2 set of iso holds
1 set of weighted negative pull-ups
1 set of assisted pull-ups

Pretty soon you'll be surprised as heck when all of a sudden you pull yourself right above that bar from a dead hang position.  You actually probably won't even believe it.

But I will.

It's not about me,
Coach Theo

ONE SURE-FIRE WAY TO INCREASE YOUR PULL-UPS

Robin increased her pull-ups by 5 reps in just 6 weeks. I don't think it's outlandish to say that you can too.

If you know me, you know my favorite exercise is the pull-up.  It's such an empowering move. What else is cooler than being able to pull yourself up completely off the ground?  And what else in fitness is more metaphorical to life?

The pull-up is not an easy move by any means. We all know some guys who can bench and deadlift hundreds of pounds  but yet fail to perform even a few clean and strict pull-ups, if any. But recently I was motivated by an article that was posted about from a guy who believed that most women would never be able to do even one pull-up, no matter how hard they tried. I'm not sure I agree with that.


So I have a few ladies from class who I'm helping right now. One of them is Robin. She set a goal to get to get from 5 pull-ups to 7 in eight weeks. I said, "why not get to 10, and even sooner?"

Here's how we did it.....

ONE SURE-FIRE WAY TO INCREASE YOUR PULL-UPS: THE DROP SET
I told Robin that she needed to do 2-3 sets of pull-ups 2-3 times a week, which we already do in class. I gave her one thing to add: every workout, come in, get warmed up, and do one drop set of pull-ups. This means do your max, then drop and wait about :20 seconds, then jump back up and do as many pull-ups as you can again. Then drop and rest again. Repeat until you hit your goal reps, and then some. (to get technical, a drop set usually refers to weights, where you do as many reps as you can on bench press for example, then take some weight off, and go for max reps again. But, I can't think of a better way to label this for pull-ups because it literally spells out exactly what you're doing---dropping and resting. So stay away jargon-nazis.)

For example:
Robin's first max set was 5.
She dropped and rested :20.
Then did 2-3 more pull-ups.
Then dropped again and rested.
Then did 1-3 more.
Until she at least hit her goal of 10.

She literally saw progress in just one week. Before we knew it she was at 7, then 8, then 10 in just a few weeks.

I would say, we didn't do anything fancy. It's just about being INTENTIONAL and SPECIFIC. If you want to do more pull-ups then you actually have to do pull-ups. The drop set faked Robin's body out to thinking she could do 10 pull-ups. Her nervous system became acclimated and in no time she was actually doing them.

One note I will make here is that sometimes you need to REST LONGER. You want to make sure you can get back on the bar for clean reps. So if at the beginning you need to take :30 seconds, that's fine. Your endurance will improve over time and you'll be able to decrease that break.  Also, "max" refers to as many as you can do CLEAN. Don't force that last rep if you know you're not going to make it. Just drop and rest and get ready for the next set.

I think everyone should do pull-ups, even if you require assistance with super bands or other apparatus. It's one of the biggest moves in fitness and hits an entire slew of muscles including your big back muscles, biceps and shoulders, and your abs.

Plus, just think about the bragging rights Robin earned her son, "well my mom can do more pull-ups than yours can!"

So don't doubt yourself. Jump on the bar and start practicing pull-ups today. It may just be an absolute game-changer for you and everyone in your life.

It's not about us,
Coach Theo

P.S. What do you do if you can't even do one pull-up yet? That's coming up in my next article on HOW TO GO FROM ZERO TO ONE PULL-UP. Stay tuned.

WHY THIS INTENTIONAL LAZINESS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE, STEP 3

RESHAPE YOUR MIND TO GET IN THE BEST SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE

MAIN POINT: TAKE TIME TO RETREAT, YOUR LIFE AND WIFE WILL THANK YOU FOR IT

At the end of my favorite Christmas movie, It's A Wonderful Life, the main character George Bailey runs back to his home, family, and life with an entire new zest for living. He sprints so fast, it's almost like he can't get there fast enough.

That's how I feel after I retreat.

This weekend I spent the night with my wife in one of my favorite places, Amish country. There are so many reasons why I love going there but the explanation will take an entire blog in itself. Sitting by the toasty fire in our room I get the five minutes of stillness that I yearn for, that we all yearn for, even if we don't' recognize it yet, and I reflect on how important, crucial, paramount it is to get these moments to be alone and just be, with God.

You guys know me, I absolutely love my life and my job. I never feel like I work a minute doing what I do. But even still, it's important to get away from the routine to reflect, rejuvenate and recharge. It's a huge success tip from Jesus. Check out Matthew 6:6 (The MSG): "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and as honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace."

When you ISOLATE, you REVELATE.

I think I made up that word, but revelation happens during isolation. Things are revealed to you, that you may have never expected or even realized you needed, until they come.

You don't have to get to a hotel to enjoy this process, but it helps me immensely.  If I stay at home or at the gym I'll get distracted with other things to do.  So for the way my brain works, I need the separation entirely.  The thoughts get shut down. I just am.  The floodgates of creativity burst open.

And I can objectively process these three questions:

1. AM I DOING WHAT I'M TRULY SUPPOSED TO BE DOING WITH MY LIFE?
So I love my life and my vocation, but checkpoint time---let's make sure it's really where I'm supposed to be. Does it sit right? Does it sound right? Does it feel right? Are you doing it just to do it or because you love it? Deep down inside to your core, are you sticking true to who you are and who you're supposed to be?

2. AM I WILLING TO LEAVE IF CALLED TO?
Ok, so I love everything I do and truly feel like I'm fulfilling my calling, but if called elsewhere, am I ready to drop everything and follow?  This doesn't mean that I don't love what I do and do it wholeheartedly, but it doesn't define me, or own me, or control me. If I have to leave it I can because I'm not dependent on it or trying to use it to fill a void of some sort. Most importantly, this state reminds me that I'm here because of God and I TRUST him so much that if He calls elsewhere, I'll leap without hesitation. #WhenCalledFollow

3. WHAT CAN I DO TO BECOME A BETTER MAN NO MATTER WHAT?

• No matter where I am, how do I keep progressing?
• Should I work on another fitness certification?
• What video can I get my hands on to enhance my skill as a coach?
• What can I read?
• What Christian brothers have I met with lately to push me to be a better husband and father?
• Anyone I need to reach out to?
• What little things do I need to add to the gym?
• Am I allocating my time right, balancing my home and work life?
• What needs eliminated?
• What needs added?

Hey, these are just some ways that I use my retreat time. It may be entirely different for you. And I want to be honest here, sometimes it can be completely overwhelming depending on where you're at in life. If you're in a good place, it can be exciting. If you're in a bad place, it can seem like major overload. I've been in both situations before. 

No matter what though, use the newfound consciousness to fuel the fire inside you.  Don't dwell on it or leave it behind you.  Take notes. Take action. And start making things happen immediately.

Eating my farm fresh eggs and homemade Amish bread at breakfast, I stare out the window into the open fields. A farmhouse sits on the hill.  The unreal tasting buffet restaurant just down the driveway.  A little meat and cheese market to the left, a bakery right in front. From what I know about this community, they all came together as a family to build all of this with hard labor and callus hands. Sometimes we think they don't have much, but they have plenty.

There's just one thing missing.....

A gym.

It's not about me,
Coach Theo