Motivation Archives - Page 11 of 14

Train Like a Boxer: 10 Exercises to Get You in Fighting Shape

I’ve always loved the sport of boxing.

When I was younger, I punched a few holes in the wall (sorry, mom and dad), and pretty soon afterwards my parents bought me a punching bag (which is all I always wanted anyway, guess I should have brought that up sooner).

I had no idea what I was doing then when I tried to punch the damn thing—all I knew was that boxers were always in incredible shape and really badass, and I wanted to be just like them.

Fast forward a few years later, I got my personal training certification and got a job at a gym in New York City solely based on the fact that it had a boxing ring and an awesome, incredibly badass trainer. I started taking lessons right away, and quickly learned all my hooks, jabs, and undercuts. I fell even deeper in love with the sport.

There’s something so satisfying, so primal in a way, of punching something (or someone) as hard as humanly possible.

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How to Get Out of a Workout Rut

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in a bit of a workout rut lately.

My actual workouts are still going great. I’m making steady improvements, and never miss a day (unless it’s my rest day, but that’s intentional of course).

I still end up sweaty, breathless and starving at the end of each workout, and typically lay on the floor in an exhausted heap after the last timer beeps. And I almost always beat my previous times and reps.

But still… I feel like I need a challenge. Something new, something that I don’t immediately do really well, something that’s… hard for me. Something to shake things up.

I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

Being in a rut (or at least, feeling like it), whether it’s with your workouts or something else in your life, sucks. If you’re anything like me, it makes you feel less empowered, less awesome, and definitely less badass.

But unsurprisingly, this isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this rut feeling… and luckily, I’ve figured out ways to get out of it in the past.

How to Kick Ass at Life

Wake up. This is your life. You’ve only got one shot at it.

If you fail, there’s no turning back.

This is it.

So I want you to ask yourself right now: are you living the life you want to live?

Are you kicking ass like you know you should be?

If your answer is no, don’t worry. It’s never too late to start living life optimally.

Because no matter whether you’re 18, 32 or 85, you can start living life the best you can right now.

Here’s how to start immediately:

Fuel your body

You wouldn’t expect a fancy car to run smoothly on cola-infused gasoline, and you shouldn’t expect your body to live up to its potential if you’re feeding it sugary drinks, fast food and junk 24/7.

How to Assess Your Fitness Level

Most of the time, comparing yourself to others isn’t a good thing.

Looking through too many magazines with photoshopped, perfect bodies, measuring your own athletic abilities against those of super-trained, superhuman athletes—these types of comparisons can motivate you to push stronger, harder, faster—or they may cause you to lose all hope and give up all together.

But if you’re anything like me, you need some type of comparison to give you a sense of how fit you really are.

Back when you were in high school or junior high and played on a sports team or two (if you did play high school sports, of course), it was easy to figure out how fit you were. You knew whether you were good by how often you started on the basketball team, how often other players passed to you on the soccer field, how fast your 400 meter sprint was compared to the rest of the track team.

Announcing Fitter Faster Stronger: Get in the Best Shape of Your Life!

Get ready to get excited.

After months of planning, tons of time and effort creating really awesome workouts, countless calls with my mastermind group, weeks of editing, endless hours tweaking the design, and what feels like forever making sure I’ve created something I’m incredibly proud of and excited about…

I’m FINALLY officially releasing Fitter Faster Stronger!

So… what the heck is Fitter Faster Stronger?

Fitter Faster Stronger is a high intensity interval training (HIIT) program focusing on incredibly effective workouts that you can do with minimal equipment in around just 12 minutes a day.

This is the program I would have wanted when I was first starting out trying to get into shape. For less than the cost of one personal training session (or less than half the cost of one month’s gym membership), you can get the accountability, planning and motivation you need to get in the best shape of your life.

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How to Start (and Keep) a Consistent Workout Schedule

When it comes to starting something new—such as creating a workout habit—the hardest part is to stick with it long enough and keep a consistent enough schedule that it becomes a habit for life.

Because while it’s pretty easy to start doing HIIT, or eating healthy, or foam rolling after your workouts, sticking with it in the longterm is a much more difficult feat.

And we all know it’s only too easy to make excuses not to work out. You get busy. You’re too sore. Life happens.

And sooner than later, the excuses start to pile up. You end up skipping a few days, a week, maybe even a few weeks—and before you know it, you’re back at square one. It’s a vicious cycle.

In fact, learning to keep a consistent workout schedule is one of the subjects 12 Minute Athlete readers email me about the most. But it doesn’t have to be that difficult.

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How to Work Out Like an Athlete

I really, truly believe that deep down, everybody is an athlete.

It doesn’t matter if you sucked at sports in high school. Or how uncoordinated you are. Or if you can’t do a pull up (yet).

If you believe it, you are an athlete.

“If you have a body, you are an athlete.” – Bill Bowerman, Nike Founder

But you can’t truly harness your power as an athlete if you don’t act like one when you’re working out. If you really want to be an athlete, you have to train like one.

So here’s how to get started:

Handstand Push Ups: Why They Rock (And How to Start Doing Them)

If you’re like most people I know, then then there’s a high probability that of the hundreds of different exercises we do during 12 Minute Athlete workouts, handstand push ups intimidate you the most.

Maybe they’re so intimidating that you’ve never even tried them, and have a habit of skipping any workouts where they’re included.

In fact, you probably think they’re near impossible — that they’re only for gymnast types with insanely broad shoulders, and strong, compact bodies.

But let me tell you a secret: you can do handstand push ups.

I don’t care how strong you are, how long your arms are (my nickname for years was spaghetti arms, so I can relate), how unbalanced and uncoordinated you are.

Unless you have a shoulder injury or something else actually prohibiting you from standing upside down, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t do handstand push ups.

Because here’s the thing: you don’t have to be superhuman to do handstand push ups. And just like anything else, you can break them down into progressions that will eventually lead you to working the full thing.

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The Secret to an Awesome Workout

Ever wonder why sometimes, you feel strong and awesome and powerful when your workout is over, and other times, your workout just kind of… well, sucks?

Sure, it could be due to external factors—maybe you haven’t been feeling that great lately, or maybe you’re extra stressed/sad/overwhelmed with life. Heck, even little things such as changes in temperature can affect your workout (I certainly experienced that in Mexico).

But while these annoyances are, for the most part, out of your control, there are several things you can do to make sure your workout is as awesome as humanly possible.

It's Time to Stop Talking—And Start Doing

It’s rare to come across someone who doesn’t want to be in really awesome shape.

That wouldn’t love to be able to crank out several pull ups in a row.

Or run a sub 5 minute mile.

Or eat healthy foods, effortlessly.

Or have a rocking body they don’t mind showing off at the beach.

These people are everywhere.

They talk about how nice it would be, how only if they had better genes, or more willpower, or more money for healthier food or a gym membership… then they would be fit. They’d have the body of their dreams, and the athleticism needed to conquer the world.

And that’s it. These people are talkers.