Exercise

4:45 am?!

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“4:45 am?!”

You have no idea how often I get this message from people. “What do you mean you set your alarm for 4:45am to go to the gym?”

“Well, I have class from 8-4, depending, and only an hour for lunch, and after class I have meetings or I need to study and by the time I sit down it’s late at night and if I exercise I’ll be wide awake all day.”

I don’t write this to parrot the “DON’T HAVE TIME? MAKE TIME!” sentament because I think it’s lacking reality. I make this post to give some tips that I use to make sure that my ass is up and out the door at a decent time to get what I need done. So here are my tips.

1. Make a really annoying alarm, and put it really far away

My alarm is the car honking and it’s super annoying. What’s worse than that is my dogs know that alarm = Mom’s awake = FOOD. So before I’ve even processed that my alarm is going off I have a 20 pound beagle and a 35 pound dingo on my face pouncing at me and whining. There’s no way to sleep through that.

For those of you who don’t have pets, put your alarm far away. Close enough to hear, far enough to where you have to get up and turn it off. You’re already up, might as well go.

2. Minimize downtime

I sleep in my gym clothes, pack my gym bag, fill up my water bottle, mix my BCAAs and pre work out, all the day before. When I wake up literally the only thing I need to do is pee, feed my dogs, grab my bag and leave. After awhile this process becomes second nature and I don’t realize that I am a) awake or b) about to go to the gym until I’m IN the car and on my way to the gym. It’s autopilot, it takes something serious for me to disrupt that.

3. Caffeine and other drugs

On week days when I’m up at 4:45am it’s tough. I’m a classic “morning person” but I do need time to wake up, it’s not instant. I can usually help this out with caffeine. Some people take caffeine pills, sip a diet coke…I take a pre-workout. I used to take Jack3d before they changed the formula, and I’m not a fan of the new one. C4 makes me tingle and I, idiotically, ordered a giant tub of No X-Plode before realizing I bought a nasty flavor and I need like 2 scoops of it.

But caffeine isn’t the only way to wake up. Sun salutations, running to the gym, stretching, etc. are all great ways to wake your body up and make it ready to roll.

4. Time management

If you have class during the week, maybe spend weekends working out. The same is for work, on days you’re “free” you can schedule your workouts then. I tend to prioritize my workouts on weekends, then split the other 2 days I exercise based on my test schedule. I never workout the morning of a test (So I can sleep in or get last minute studying in). Don’t wake up at 3am every week day when you can sleep in until 9am on Saturday and go to the gym any time that day. Make the gym schedule one you can stick to.

Make sure you give yourself the RIGHT amount of time for a morning workout. For me, an hour is perfect. It takes me 10 minutes to get to my gym if I hit every red light, an hour to work out and stretch, 10 minute drive back home, 30 minutes to get ready for class, then I need to leave by 7:30 am if I want to make it in time (7:20am if the freshmen have 8am classes). I’ve done this enough to make sure I give myself enough time to work out, but not so much that I’m sitting around WAITING to leave. I could have been sleeping. Which brings me to my last and most important point…

5. Get some sleep

This is the most important one! I’ve seen people wake up early, go to the gym, feel great, crash around noon, take a nap after class, then can’t fall asleep until 11pm, repeat. If you’re not getting enough sleep the night before you’re going to set yourself up for disaster. The next day you’ll spend all day saying things like, “This am gym thing sucks, I’m exhausted now – NOT WORTH IT.”

I am in bed by 9:30pm pretty much every night, with few exceptions. I know, this makes me seem lame, but while my classmates are heading off to the gym after class and lamenting over having time to balance everything, I’ve already gone to the gym and can spend the afternoon studying.

Early mornings are NOT for everyone.

Make sure you’re not sacrificing sleep, study time, etc. just so you can wake up early for a workout. Some people cannot do early morning workouts – that’s fine! You’ll just have to find something else that works for you, like late nights, lunch time runs, etc. Accept this fact and plan your life around that, not the other way around.

January 26, 2013 Exercise, Goals, , , , , , , Read more >

Gym Etiquette 101

After a particularly infuriating run in at the gym I realized that gym etiquette may be lost on some people. Maybe some people didn’t know that they were breaking rules? Maybe they were new and had no idea what they were doing? Maybe they’re just assholes who don’t care? Whatever the cause is, I polled some fellow fitness people to find their biggest gym pet peeves and compiled a list to help new people avoid these mistakes, or maybe to reinforce some common decency.

What I found was that most gym pet peeves could fit into a few categories. Let me break them down for you.

1. Be Mindful of Time Constraints

  • If the gym is busy, please respect the “20/30 Minute Rule” a lot of gyms place on their cardio equipment.
  • Likewise, if the gym is busy, please do not use any piece of equipment for an extended period of time. For example, if you’re sitting on a bench to rest between sets – don’t. Someone could be using that bench. If you’re in the only squat rack, please only use it for squatting, or other exercises that genuinely NEED the rack. “Resting” for 5 minutes while texting interferes with someones workout.
  • If you’re working out with a friend please do not spend 5 seconds on a machine, then lean on the machine to chat the rest of the time.
  • Do not hoover around a machine and not use it. It follows the points above – if you’re leaning on something and chatting with a friend, take your conversation elsewhere.
  • Arrive to classes on time!

Basically, pretend that you’re on a time crunch whenever you work out. That’s not to say you need to rush your sets and have poor form, but just pretend you only have an hour to do your full work out that day. Respect that other people have a limited time to workout, and if you’re doing the things above you may be hindering their workout.

2. Clean Up After Yourself

This is also rudimentary, but it apparently needs to be said!

  • After using a machine, wipe it down! If you’re afraid of creating MRSA bring your own towel and wipe it down.
  • When you are done with a barbell, put all the weights back. Do not leave your barbell with weights on it somewhere.
  • Replace barbells where they belong
  • When putting away plates, make sure they follow the weight order on the machines. 45’s usually go on the bottom levels while lighter weights are higher up. Make sure they’re in appropriate order.
  • Same with dumbbells – place them back in order of weight! A lot of gyms label where they belong, and counting is a basic skill.
  • If you are unsure where someone goes, ask someone else, preferably a trainer.

3. Respect Personal Space

  • During an exercise class it is common courtesy to give the people around you plenty of space to do the necessary maneuvers. If the class is full you may need to squeeze together, but that’s only later.
  • When someone is doing an exercise give them wide berth. Things such as squats, cleans, flyes, etc. can take up space outside of the bench/rack and it’s dangerous if you get clipped.
  • No one likes to be crowded. If you cannot extend your arms fully and twirl around and not touch someone, you’re too close.
  • Do not talk to people in the middle of a set. When the person is clearly resting with no weights in their hands/on their back/they’re not moving/etc. then it is okay to approach them. Usually a wave will get their attention.
  • Do not give advice. Unless you are a personal trainer do not give anyone advice (and even then, still don’t). You do not know that person’s goals, what they’re training for, etc. You are not qualified to help anyone.
  • Do. Not. Stare. Gym people are not blind, they can see it.
  • Do not stare. It bears repeating. This includes those creepers who stand outside of fitnesses classes and watch. No.
  • Headphones are generally a clear sign someone does not want to talk to you. Save conversations for after their workout, or just not at all.
  • Trainers – do not try to sell people your services during their workout.

4. Territory

  • If you are using something, be clear about it. If you leave to use the restroom/get a drink of water/etc. put something on that machine.
  • If you see a towel on a piece of equipment, wait to see if anyone claims it. Ask people around the machine (not while they’re lifting!) if they’re using it.
  • If someone walks away from a machine and you’re not sure if they’re done, a little wave and pointing at the piece of equipment is generally all you need to do.
  • Follow all signs posted in the gym. This includes the correct way to run around the track, not walking in the running lane, etc.
  • Do not use more than 2 machines/weights at once unless the gym isn’t very crowded. If you have the only 10 and 15 pound weights in the gym and you’re using them for 2 out of the 7 exercises on your circuit you’re going to piss people off.
  • Allow people to work in.
  • Do not do exercises in “inappropriate” spots. For example, bicep curls are NOT for the squat rack. You do not NEED to use the rack for it, you’re taking up a piece of equipment. Crunches should not be done in the middle of the weight area. The only bench in the gym should not be used for crunches.

5. Be Friendly and Courteous 

  • If you’re ever unsure, put yourself in someone else’s shoes. “If I saw someone doing what I was doing now, would I be upset?”
  • Men: Respect that most women do not want to talk to you at the gym. They’re not wearing what they’re wearing for attention. Do not stare.
  • If someone is clearly not interested in having a conversation with you, politely leave them alone.
  • Do not glare or stare at people who grunt or yell. If it’s really interrupting your workout, just let them know.

January 14, 2013 Exercise Read more >

Dear New Years Resolutionists,

Hello! Welcome to the weight loss community, or the fitness community, or Fitocracy, Tumblr, Weight Watchers, Curves, the gym or wherever you’ve decided to land yourself for the new year. You have goals, you haves hopes and wishes and dreams and things you’d like to accomplish. You’re ready for a great year, or month or week or day.

First of all, congrats. The first step is the hardest. The first aimless workout in the gym can be the worst. What am I doing? Why did I sign up for bootcamp? Did I really just wake up at 5am to go to the GYM? You’ve done it! You’ve started the long, hard road to an active life. It can be really tough at first but you’ll soon find that the fitness community is a big, wide sea of people that can be your support system.

But not all of us are like that.

You may have encountered resistance. Sneers. “Oh, look, another Resolutionist, gone in a month, taking up my weights or my favorite treadmill.” Hey, it’s tough. We have a routine and we’ve been doing this for a few more days or months or years than you. We can get stuck in our ways and our head slowly begins to ascend up our ass. My advice? Ignore those people. They’re not the type of people you want in your support system, right? Who needs a negative Nancy?

But don’t freak out – there are others. Those of us who smile instead of frown when we see a new face, or who high five after your first mile run or first full depth squat. We’re there. Look for us.

There are some ways to make this transition easier. Maybe you hired a personal trainer you meet with – awesome! Maybe you’re starting with just the group fitness classes – great! Maybe you decided to just walk into the gym and do anything…that can be tough. Don’t worry, there are SO many resources out there. We can help you. We WANT to help you.

So, New Years Resolutionists, we wish you the best of luck. We WANT you to succeed. We WANT you to quit smoking or drop a dress size or run your first marathon or deadlift your body weight. We WANT you to join our community and become another likeminded healthy person. Because, as a community, we are loving and supportive.

Good luck!

January 2, 2013 Body Positive, Exercise, Goals, , , , Read more >

Is it really 80% diet and 20% exercise? Or is it 70/30?

We hear it all the time – 20% exercise, 80% diet. Or, wait…is it 30% exercise and 70% diet? Aren’t abs made in the kitchen, but you won’t get definition without some heavy liftin’?

It’s not that these sayings are untrue so much as they’re misleading. No worries, I’m here to clear this up for you.

There is no mathematical way to break down whether exercise or diet is more important for your goals. If you want to run a marathon, changing your diet isn’t going to help you with endurance. Exercise, specifically running, will. This goes the same for any goal – gaining muscle isn’t achieved by just increasing protein consumption, it’s gained by exercise. Sure, the two go hand in hand, but is it really as simple as an 80/20 or 70/30 ratio?

So what are these numbers trying to tell us? If you’re falling short on your goals – fitness or weight loss – you need to look at your diet. If you don’t appropriately fuel your body you’re not going to get anything out of it. Additionally, if you’re trying to lose weight, falling into the “exercise your pizza away” trap will lead to a vicious cycle. Exercise should never be a compensatory tool for any meal you just ate.

The truth of the matter is that diet is very important, and much easier to tailor than exercise for weight loss. If you want to lose weight, you must create a caloric deficit (you can read about this here). Creating a calorific deficit by switching out high calorie foods with low nutrient density for low calorie foods with high nutrient density (see: trading pizza for chicken breast) is much easier and takes all of 1 minute. If you wanted to burn those calories off, you’re committing yourself to miles of running or hours at the gym. It’s easier to rein in your diet and make small changes here and there than to spend surplus time at the gym to “make up” for a bad diet.

Additionally, people tend to underestimate what they eat and overestimate what they burn. The science behind burning calories is not exact. The science behind the caloric content of your food an estimate. Watching your portions is easier, and more effective, then plugging away on the treadmill for 4 hours every morning.

Diet is important because your body requires fuel to function. It also takes less time to swap out high calorie for low calorie than exercising “off” excess calories.

Exercise is important because without challenging your body, you’ll never see results. Lifting weights, running, swimming, etc. is how you increase muscle mass, strength, endurance or cardiovascular healthy. Diet alone cannot do that.

It’s not x% vs. x% – it’s a good balance between fueling your body and making it work hard.

August 15, 2012 Exercise, Fat Loss, Myths Read more >

Approaching Women At the Gym

Contrary to some belief, I think it’s totally possible to talk to women at the gym (with or without the intention of picking them up) and not be seen as terrifying.

Terrifying? Why would anyone find me terrifying?

Let me put you in our shoes: from day one we are taught certain behaviors to decrease our likelihood of assault. Plain and simple. Imagine spending your entire life bombarded with “How not to get raped” or “How not to get assaulted” etc. We live in constant fear that certain group of people (namely men) are going to take advantage of us at any given point and time, so we better be hypervigilant and not wear certain things, go certain places, etc. We’re also taught not to be “too mean” to guys when we let them down, because they may actually retaliate with violence. Additionally, if you’re in the gym, chances are you’re fitter than our average non-gym-going suitors. That puts us at higher risk of injury should you decide to act on any impulses we’ve been taught you have (despite the fact they’re ingrained via rape culture and social construct).

BUT I DIGRESS.

It’s totally possible to come up to a woman (or any person who identifies as a woman) and speak to them without making them feel awkward, uncomfortable, frightened, etc. Here are some tips from a female who gets approached often and has made friends and enemies based on those interactions. I want to stress that this does not work for everyone, especially since people are so diverse. However, I think I hit the main reasons women HATE being approached so you can avoid them.

  1. We are not Sweetie, Honey, Sugar, or any other perversion of this pet name. You start a conversation like this you sound like a condescending asshole. Please make sure the first thing you ask us is our name, and then use it.
  2. Make eye contact. Do not creepily sweep my body with your eyes, blatantly stare at my ass while I squat or deadlift, try to look up my shorts while I bench, nor down my shirt while I do bent over barbell rows.
  3. Do not ask to spot us. Unless we are doing 1RM (and it’s fucking obvious that we’re doing 1RM) do not ask to spot us. Most of the time spotting us involves putting your junk in our face or your junk into our ass (I mean, someone once asked to spot my squat while I was warming up about 100 pounds LESS than my 1RM. No no no no no) You’re right, I will eventually need someone to spot my bench. When that day comes I will look for a familiar, friendly face…not some creeper always asking to push his man parts into my personal space.
  4. Respect our personal space. If you want to talk to us after a set, do not stand awkwardly close to us while we’re finishing up. It’s distracting. Imagine if some bro stood inches from you while you were doing preacher curls and just stared.
  5. If you’re going to compliment us, be sincere and not superficial. I’ve made a great friend at my old gym because of this. One day I was benching and he came up to me and said, “Hey, I saw you squatting yesterday, you had fantastic form.” This is a sincere, non-threatening compliment. You’re appreciating my strength and/or skill, not some physical attribute. After you’ve known me for awhile it may (or may not!) be appropriate to say something like, “Wow, you’ve really sculpted your calf muscles nicely!” But to approach a woman with, “Girl, your quads are fine” is the best way to get a dirty look.
  6. If you want to talk to us, make sure we’re not busy. Resting between sets, before/after a workout (sometimes neither of these), etc. are all appropriate times. Pretend we’re some random guy you asked to spot you, when would YOU want to talk to them?
  7. Don’t be a fucking know-it-all. There’s an “off-duty trainer” at my old gym that would interrupt me to correct the most mundane, stupid things ever that weren’t relevant or just downright wrong. If your first conversation with a girl is you telling her that her arm needs to be at a 90 degree angle, not a 89 degree angle, she’s going to fucking hate you. Go away. Unless we look clueless, lost, about to injure ourselves, etc. do not put your two cents in. Even then, don’t do it. Ask a personal trainer or staff member to do it – that’s their job.
  8. Don’t be condescending. This ties into #1 and #7, but sometimes you guys do it and don’t even know it. “Sweetie, you’re doing it all wrong” or “You know, if you do this and this you’ll be more explosive” or “you can lift more than that!” You don’t know our training program, goals, if it’s a deload week, if we’re injured, etc. Don’t be condescending and act like you’re teaching us something to drastically alter our routine. What I’ve learned from other lady lifters is that we’re usually uber paranoid starting out. We don’t want to be the idiot at the gym who doesn’t know wtf is going on, so we google and youtube and Tumblr until we have a clear understanding of what we’re doing. This is in direct contrast to a lot of men in the weight room. Obviously this doesn’t apply to all/most men/women at the gym, but still. Don’t be a douche.
  9. Don’t waste our time trying to have a 45 minute conversation. Once you’ve started a conversation, keep it short. 5 minutes max, maybe. I like to do circuits, and if my heart rate drops for 5 minutes it’s 5 minutes wasted. A quick hello, introduction, etc. is sufficient. After you’ve made first contact start to incorporate waving, nods, smiling, etc. when entering/leaving the gym and you see the other person. If they return them, are the first to smile/nod/etc., or openly seek conversation then you’re golden. Most women who feel threatened (or just aren’t into it) will smile, nod and act friendly but will reply with one word answers and not seek you out again. Does this annoy you? See the disclaimer above.

These are pretty straight forward, but how can this be implemented? Let me share some great conversations I’ve had with people at the gym that have lead to friendships or just gymships.

“Flag Nor Fail shirt? You’re a DLB fan too?”

“Hey, I saw you squat yesterday, I just wanted to say you have amazing form.”

“What’s your name? My name is ______. I see you here all the time and damn, you go hard/your squat is insane/etc.”

“I saw you were doing this exercise I’d never seen before. What’s it called? What muscles does it build?”

“How are you today?/Some anecdote about the weather/How about them Cowboys?”

Likewise, there are some inappropriate or just downright wrong things to say. Like…

“Hey honey, do you need a spotter?”

“You lift heavy for a girl”

“If you do that in the Smith Machine it’s safer”

“You have really pretty biceps/hair/face/you’re really pretty for a lifter”

In conclusion, the best way to approach someone at the gym is to be courteous of their time, space and routine. Do not interrupt sets, do not give out free advice, and do not act like you’re a judge at the Hooters International Swimsuit Show. First and foremost people are at the gym to exercise, and not everyone finds the gym an appropriate place to socialize and/or make friends. Do not get mad or offended if women don’t respond to your advances at the gym – they may feel uncomfortable or are just plain not interested in meeting someone (at the gym or otherwise).

I hope this addresses some fears women have with being approached by men at the gym and helps to correct them at the right level – where men can see it.

August 4, 2012 Exercise, , , Read more >