Fitness Smoke and Mirrors

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NYC personal trainer

So we all know it’s the new year and everyone is into working out. This is great, I love training and I wish more people would appreciate it too. BUT this where things start to get hairy, every year people come up with these crazy goals and time frames to fulfill them. I talked about developing a plan to help you succeed in your fitness goal in the last post, so let’s go over expectations and time frame.

Media vs. Reality

The media and informercial trainers like to push notions such as gain 20lbs of lean muscle mass in 5 weeks and get that super shredded six pack with vascular veins…

or

lose 20lbs in 3 weeks with this super diet training protocol that still allows you to eat whatever you want.

While on paper this may all seem like crap, those infomercials, savvy sales pitches, and before and after pics really do a great job on selling and hooking people on. But in the end  when the hype dies down, we all know it’s still crap, if you don’t, think about this:

It takes a body builder thats NATURAL (some “juiced”) and is already around 10-15% body fat roughly 16-18 weeks to get ready for a show. Yet for some reason it’s accepted that an out of shape person that hasn’t hit the gym in months, will suddenly completely change his/her lifestyle and become crazy shredded in 6 weeks?

Shelby Starnes (Nutritionist and bodybuilder) said it perfectly here: 

“Realize up front that the task at hand will not come easily, nor will it come quickly. The sooner you realize that, and the sooner you get to work, the faster you’ll get to your goal…Remember that bodybuilding is a marathon, not a sprint. The best guys are the ones that figure out how to stay consistent for the long haul. Ronnie Coleman had been an IFBB pro for six years before he won his first pro show.”

Realizing that most things are not a quick fix and CONSISTENCY is the name of the game. This is where most people fail, because they don’t see INSTANT results, they quit. If people would QUIT looking for the quick fix and just stick with a basic straight forward game plan they’ll be a LOT further along.

Shows like “The Biggest Loser” is also at fault. Many people see the instant results but fail to see the aftermath: READ THIS

The show failed to change the contestants  lifestyle and habits and the infomercial personal trainers just ran them through the mill (I don’t even want to discuss their methods and how unsafe it is). Of course when the contestant go back home, they’ll gain it right back, sad to say.

The Before and After

I don’t really need to discuss too much about how “some” before and after pics are fake. Just watch this video and you’ll see how some of them are “accomplished”, it’ll also show what certain food choices and a bloat can do to your body.

Wrap Up

To summarize this all, if you’re looking to change your body composition or to get in better shape you should:

  • Develop weekly habits (make sure to read THIS before you start).
  • Manage expectations.
  • Realize this will take WORK.
  • Stay CONSISTENT!

Hope this is helpful,

Team Fusion

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Chris MatsuiAbout the Author

Chris Matsui is a highly sought after Performance Training Coach in NYC who has worked with high-level athletes and general fitness clients of all ages and at every fitness level. He has a unique background that consists of personal training in the private setting and sports performance training at the professional and collegiate level. Connect with Chris on Google+

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