I went in a circle and wasted too much time!

"I'm not upset that you lied to me.  I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

I'll never forget the day my wife's "Nana" called me fat.  She told the truth.  Something that few people have the courage to do and most people rather not.  I was finally getting my life back on track from the disaster I was having fun swimming through, I met the most amazing woman and she changed my life.  But the day Nana called me a fat piece of shit was truly the turning point in my life.  (She really didn't say I was a piece of shit but I can see the look on her face!)

I knew she was right and never lied about the truth to myself.  Instead, I got down to business.  I started on the most incredible journey and the knowledge I now carry with me today speaks volumes of the hard work and time I dedicated to get to this point in my life.  Now, I am not some fitness model or lean weak Abercrombie poster boy.  That is because "Stronger people are harder to kill, and more useful in general" - Mark Rippetoe.  

It took a long time and countless hours studying and performing, but I went in a circle and wasted too much time.  I was lied to.  I was caught hook, line and sinker. I was taken for a fool.  I wasted a lot of money.  I wasted valuable time on pointless hoopla, but then I came back to that fork in the road and I realized what mattered the most.  

In the beginning I knew I needed to lose weight so I did what everyone knows and I got moving and ate less.  I spent hours and hours on the treadmill.  I starved myself and neglected myself of proper nutrition.  I lost weight and looked better, but I was tired, weak, malnourished, and burned out.  I started lifting weights again after countless years of not giving a fuck and I felt some what better.  I still was tired, weak, and damn near starved but then I fell into the world of injuries.  This is not a happy place.  Getting hurt while tired, weak, and eating crumbs of a chicken breast is not fun and is a horrible experience.  

I read and I read, I googled, I searched, I signed up to fitness forums and read some more.  I found new ways of doing things.  I went on bulks (Eating more food to build muscle), did it wrong, got fat again, went on a cut (Losing weight)  and got hurt again.  Why?  Why was I not making the progress I felt I was busting my ass for?

I was doing it wrong.  I took the corporate fitness world's advice and jumped on the "treadmill is great" bandwagon and listened to the media's crap about what to eat what not to eat.  I started off doing Bodybuilding split routines and exercises I had no business doing, which led to injuries, and went on low calorie diets.  The whole time I neglected one simple rule:  Stick to the basics.  This journey could have been so much easier and a lot less stressful if I would have just done what has been proven to work since the days of Reg Park and even before him.  Google is your friend if you don't know Reg Park.

With that said, being fit and healthy is a lot easier than people make it out to be.  Media and Corporate Fitness make billions of dollars a year feeding to the lies of how hard it is to lose weight and how "there just isn't enough time"  This is not a miracle or a sprint.  It did not take you days to get out of shape or unhealthy.  It takes time to do it right.  Nothing worth doing is easy, it should be slow and steady. There is no need to rush things.  If you do, you will repeat the cycle and waste your time.  Do it right the first time and you will be so much happier.

Now I can go on and on about what "The Basics" are but I am intrigued  by these lying politicians.  Here are the top ten things any person new to working out should go through:

1. Hire a trainer.  This will be the most valuable purchase of your life.  You spend money making your house really nice or on a flashy car, why not your body?  Your body is your most important asset.  Treat it better and you will feel better.  

2. Prime your body for the intense workouts of the future.  Do not just jumped straight into a hardcore strength training routine without focusing on the areas of your body that need corrective exercise or special attention.  

3. This goes with number 2.  Avoid Zumba, p90x, Jazzercise, and CrossFit classes until you have established a baseline of strength and flexibility.  This is why number 1 is the most important and valuable tool you can have.  You will learn the basics.  After you have learned the basics and established your balance- go play with whatever floats your boat. 

4. Do not starve yourself.  Low calorie diets are useless and do more harm then good.  If you have a pear shaped body and go low calorie and jump on a treadmill you will have a smaller pear shaped body.  Don't burn precious muscle mass as a sacrifice to lose an extra pound.

5. Scales lie.  Do not become a slave to the scale.  Once a week and that is pushing it.  Measure yourself instead. 

6. Strength training.  This should be number one but people have such a hard time accepting the truth, that I needed to cut the other bullshit out of the way first.  If your workout program doesn't involve weights you are wasting your time.  Anybody could lift weights, everyone should lift weights.  It doesn't matter if you're nine months pregnant or 83 years old, you're body will love it. (of course if you're pregnant or 83, you should have doctors consent and a trainer)  Strength training does wonders for your body.  It helps you burn fat, forces the body to create massive amounts of good hormones, forces food to be used correctly, and fights the aging process.  And the list goes on and on....

7. Write down EVERYTHING!  Do not ask what to write- just write it.

8. Avoid scams and quick fixes. Nah go ahead, waste your money. Your choice.

9. Spend time on your goals.  Research about what you want to achieve.  Cut out the crap that lies to you or tries to sell you something and read blogs like mine.  Read articles from people trying to help you instead of people acting like a salesperson.  (This doesn't include books.  There are so many good useful books out there.  Find the ones that matter.) Know that your success will not happen overnight or in a month or two.

10. Avoid commercial or Corporate chain gyms.  24 Hour Flabness, Goldie's, PowerSheds, RetroDisco's, or gyms with "Fitness and Wellness", "Health and Wellness", "Fitness Center" in their names.  You need to pay to be a member and pay extra to get personal attention.  They are filled with cardio machines saying "Jump on me for 60 minutes.  It's easy!  You'll never make progress but you'll keep paying us!", and it will be easier for you to become intimidated and lead you to do it wrong. Find gyms that are dedicated to making all of their members a success and not in it to steal your money.  Find gyms that offer exclusive group training classes only.  These places are the best for you and your goals.  

Bonus Tip 11. Train like an athlete.

So now if you didn't start your journey the right way, drop everything and start over.  Seriously.  Start at step 1, learn the basics, develop a baseline to work up from and make a long term plan.  When you, if you, hire a trainer.. after they teach you the basics, if they don't lead you to train in a program like growthstimulustraining.com, Jim Wendlers 5/3/1 jimwendler.com, Westside Barbell programs, or other programs focused around the big three exercises (squat, bench, and deadlift) fire them and demand you get your money back.  Go be awesome.  

Dedicated. Demanding. Determined.

The Lies Stop Now....

NO MORE LIES.

Enough is Enough. 

The Lies Stop Now!!

For far too long now the American public has been lied to. Everyday more and more lies are spewed to us through television, newspapers, radio, whatever.. it comes out. We listen. Light bulbs go off. We share info to the next person like we just heard the world's most shocking news. But is it the truth? Ask your mother or your neighbor and most likely what you hear is "Yup" "Can you believe that?" "I never knew that!" "And for xx years I've been doing it the opposite."

These lies we listen to range from everything in life from political issues to oil changes. The money spent protecting these lies is astronomical and it's right in front of our eyes. Big time corporations get away with lying, one, because they throw a huge portion of their profits at it, and two the information out there is in such abundance it dwarfs societies opinions. The information comes out so quickly and continuously piles up so much that our voices are shut out and our minds are brainwashed.

I can go on about all of the different ways we are lied to in our life but that is not my purpose or my passion and to spend time on something that doesn't fit into your life's purpose is pointless. Sure I can talk for hours about how we are "dumbed" down everyday or how we are bred to believe that you need to go to college to make it in this world, and if you don't you'll never be a success, but that is not the point of this blog post.  I have one mission.

Time after time, year after year, workout after workout the struggle with weight is battled. Two months of doing some fitness program and diet and finally good enough to call it quits until Resolution time. Pack the gym after the holidays and throw some money at some big time gimmick. Plan part of the day to get to the gym and jump on the treadmill for one hour to get that good sweat in. Awesome, the sweat is draining, must be doing it right! Going to lose some weight now boy!!!!! Somebody try to stop this momentum!!! Two weeks later nowhere to found in the gym, tired as a dog from over training and under nutrition. But Eggs are bad, why eat them? Fat is horrible. Heart attacks happen because somebody eats fat. Maybe the leg press machine is my best bet and maybe the Zumba class is where it's at? Scale time- yuck. Oh the weight is not going down. Drop some more food out of the diet and eat just salad! YAY! Now it's going to happen! Finally get that dream body!

Now just stop right there and look at what is going on. Can you see what is going on? Whoever is saying that stuff and doing those things is following the yellow brick road of lies to

complete failure. That is because the industry creates so much confusion on what works, what doesn't, this is the best or no that is the best.  Corporate Fitness thrives off of this.  It is such a shame that the fitness industry has gone from the basics that are proven to work to a flurry of worthless horse shit.  Let's break down each and every statement and see where the lies come from. Throwing money at a big gimmick relates to some fad diet that has packaged food shipped via UPS or some supplement out there promising dramatic results. We are conditioned to believe what we read, hear, or see. The most popular television commercials promising dramatic results are from supplement companies marketing the holy grail fat burning pill filled with shit that will kill you. What does the average person know regarding fat burning pills? Most likely people think they work because of the before and after pictures. Sure some before and after pictures are real but what they do not tell you is that person in the picture has just spent 12 or more grueling weeks, probably with a trainer, on a very specific diet with a very intense training program. Take a pill and wish for fat loss while your hunger becomes so suppressed that when you finish or quit taking the pills, your body's natural instincts of fight or flight go bouncing off the walls and it holds onto everything because you neglected it.  Let’s say I had a pill and I told you if you took this pill you’d lose all your fat. Would you believe me? Based off of my opinion and recommendation you most likely would not take it without knowing what it was. Now let’s say I own a highly recognized supplement company making over a hundred million a year and I spent about five million marketing this pill, got some news channels to do stories on it, and was even invited onto a talk show in the morning. Would you believe me then? Most likely, yes and that is because they have the money to fill your mind with bullshit lies and empty promises.

Sweat must mean you're losing weight right? Getting that t-shirt drenched is the best thing to do in order to lose weight right? NO. While sweating does mean you are getting a workout it doesn't necessarily mean you are doing the right thing. People again have been conditioned to believe that long steady state cardio is a must do in order to lose weight. Yes you'll lose weight, but if you don't add in strength training you'll be burning your muscle and when you decide it's time to "go back to normal" you body will not be able to use those calories efficiently and your body will store them as fat, causing the year after year cycle of diet after diet to continue. This is EXACTLY what the Corporate Fitness world wants and this is EXACTLY why people continue to do it. Millions and Billions of dollars are made every year off of the lies that are thrown at you. Zumba, Jazzercise, Cardio Kickboxing, and Spin Classes are all created because someone is smart enough to BANK on the idea that people believe their lies. They make extreme changes in people by putting them on low calorie diets and intense Zumba training and market the results causing a flurry of money to pour in. Nobody has "the time" to research the truth and the Corporate Fitness world knows this. They know people will buy into the lies, throw money at their problems in hopes of success, fail, repeat the cycle, throw more money at, have success once in awhile, recommend the successful runs to friends and family, and the circle of lies keeps getting richer and richer and people still get fat. WHY? Why do people have to do P90x more than once? Why does this cycle repeat itself? Are you bulking up, building muscle, and planning to cut weight on purpose like a professional bodybuilder? I didn't think so. You have fell victim to the lies. So, what's the truth?

STOP MAKING SOMETHING SO EASY BECOME SO HARD 

AND

STICK TO THE BASICS!

The truth is if you do not make health and fitness an important part of your daily life you will forever repeat this vicious cycle. Stick to the basics that have been taught for years and years.  Stick to movements the body was made to do.  Below I list the 10 most important aspects of the truth that Corporate Fitness hopes the majority of people never know and most will never understand:

1. Corporate Gyms market to get you in and sign up in hopes YOU DO NOT COME.

2. Working out for an hour on a treadmill is not working out at all. It's just... I don't know.. playing around?

3. The barbell should become your best friend. See Henry Rollins quote about "iron"

4. Food products like Special K or Low Fat PopCorn Healthy Edition are full of shit. Boxed food claiming to be healthy and sold by processing food kings like Kraft and Kelloog's suck the life out of you and reap the benefits of your money. Cut that stuff out NOW. Just because it's 100% Whole Grain or Gluten Free does not mean you can eat it freely. There is better food out there.

5. If something claims "6 pounds of fat loss in 6 days" it's a lie unless it tells you specifically why and how: Lose six pounds in a week!!!! Buy XXXX today and lose 6 pounds by the end of the week!! Sure that might work and actually I personally could guarantee it. Here’s how, drop all the carbs you eat from your diet. You might lose ten. Good luck with that. This works but it’s not the answer and it’s a quick leading misconception that people PROFIT off of. Yes you will lose six pounds or 10, maybe even 12, but most of it consists of water and even worse lean mass. This type of quick fix does not work! It’s a lie and that is because it is not the loss of fat, which is what you are after.


6. Powerlifters and Bodybuilders know what works. Ask them.


7. Low calorie diets will make you fat and if you UNDER EAT you will not make any progress. And to make matters worse, if you under eat and jump on a treadmill for a couple hours a week, you may get fatter. Do not avoid carbohydrates.


8. Most machines in the gym are useless, will ruin your form, and eventually hurt you. There are only a few things I would ever touch in the gym: The Barbell, The Dumbbell, A Bench, The Squat Rack, The Dip/Chin Up Station, and some other minor utilities that most people do not need until they reach a certain level. (NOW If you are a complete NEWBIE to fitness and strength training it is EXTREMELY important to spend a week or two getting used to movements. Some things that help this are bands, TRX, and medicine balls.) Bosu Balls, Treadmills, Smith Machines, Leg Sleds, Ab Machines, and Bicep Machines are a waste of valuable gym space. Do not use them. Maybe the owner of the gym will sell them.


9. Most women are afraid to lift weights because they think they will get huge ugly muscles and start to feel like they look like a man. This is probably one of the biggest lies in the fitness industry. Most likely this started because of some punk kids getting annoyed by some woman was lifting more weight then them. They probably pointed to a female bodybuilder and said "You want to look like that?" with a disgusted look on their face. Truth is she didn't get like that WITHOUT A TON of steroids.


10. Fad diets, Mainstream diets, and diet guidelines are filled to the top with lies. Eat four times a day is bullshit. "Cut your calories to lose weight" is crap. (Although not a lie, it is true, but why? Why not up your OUTPUT?) "You're body can only use a certain amount of protein per hour so you shouldn't eat more than 30 grams per sitting...." SHUT UP! Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Atkins, whatever the hell is out there is out there for money. Stick to the basics in my previous blog and make it a priority to make it a lifestyle change. Do not waste money on weight watchers or their food in the grocery store. Are you seriously going to eat processed cookies claiming to be good for you when you want the body of your dreams? You want to follow a no bullshit, actual proven scientifically studied diet guideline? Go to leangains.com. You are what you eat is the truest statement ever. Follow it. If someone tells you to eat 1200 calories, tell them to stop lying to your face.


BONUS TIP 11. Ab machines, Butt machines, and Shocker Waves Bobbly things on infomercials claiming to tone or burn fat in a specific area are gimmicks that are fueled by the lies from Corporate Fitness. You can not SPOT REDUCE fat.  See That shoe? HA HA



Any given commercial break during any television program you can see about four to five lies regarding many different aspects of life. Ignore them for sake of our future generations. Shut them down at the root and hit the damn mute button. Do not take what you read, see, or hear as the truth without any type of research.  Do not fall into the trap of quick fix gimmicks.  They don't work.  Hard work, dedication, and a commitment to succeed is the recipe for success. Save your money and do not buy worthless supplements that promise the holy grail of fat loss.  Use that money for good quality food and plan everything you do.  Spend time on researching and planning and the time it'll take to reach a specific goal of yours, will be a lot sooner and the time will be used more productively.  Get out there, work hard, and tune out the bullshit hoopla thrown in your face everyday.  You can do it.  Try.

Being successful with your diet.

Here we go!  It's that time of year again.  Everyone is starting the latest and greatest diet in one way or another, but do they know what they're doing?


Most likely the answer to that is "somewhat".  Most people know in order to lose weight you have to eat less food.  Where it goes wrong is what they are eating less of, eating too little, and not planning.  Being successful with your diet is going to take some planning, and that is what I will help you with.


So, I am going to start with a grocery list for you. A lot of people will take a look at the list and say "How can you afford to get healthy like that?"  Well, how can you afford take out a few days a week?  It is true that healthier food is more expensive than processed food but is your life worth it?  I thought so.  Plus, it's cheaper than going out to eat.


First things first with the grocery list- the only reason you go into the aisles is to get Tunafish, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Olive Oil, Pam Cooking Spray, and a few more things.  No more boxes in your pantry or jars in your Lazy Susan. The majority of the items you buy will need to be eaten within a week, and that doesn't include Fall out Shelter Soup- so don't buy it. Do you understand the big picture here?  The only place you need to walk in the grocery store is... the perimeter.


As soon as you walk into the store you see the produce section- everything there is awesome.  Buy whatever you want.
Some examples of diet stables are:
Apples
Bananas
Strawberries
Oranges
Romaine Lettuce
Blueberries
Raspberries
Avocado
Fresh Spices
Broccoli
Spinach
Grapefruit


Regardless of how many meals you want to eat per day you should have a serving of vegetables or fruit with each meal.  It doesn't matter what it is.


Now after you stroll through the produce section you do not wander into the bakery.  Skip that place and go to the seafood section. Seafood is high in protein and should be the centerpiece of a meal.
Tuna
Shrimp
Flounder
Catfish
Tilapia
Scallops


After you get whatever seafood you fancy you will come upon the meat section.  In my opinion this is the most important section and should have red carpets leading to it.  Now some people swear by organic meat and if you do that is awesome.  Find a local farm and buy the same as I list below.


Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast- Buy in BULK and save money.  You won't waste it.
Lean Beef 93/7- Going to 90/10 or even 85/15 isn't a horrible thing.  Fat is important for production of hormones and saturated fat will not kill you.  
Buffalo
Venison
Pork- Steak or Tenderloin
Ostrich
Turkey


Again do not be afraid of the fat in fresh food.  Fats are important!! I'm going to keep saying this until your media brainwashed minds finally understand how healthy and important fat is.


Now in between these sections while you traveled into the marketing abyss you should have bought some:
Brown Rice
Oatmeal
Olive Oil
Spices
Peanuts, Almonds, Legumes, and Beans
All Natural Peanut Butter
Paper products/Toiletries
Coffee/Tea
Whole Wheat Bread


Once you make your way quickly in and out of those aisles you come to the dairy section.
Milk
Greek Yogurt
Eggs- A centerpiece of a meal.  Fats..remember, they are important and the protein in an egg is unbeatable.
Cheese
Cottage Cheese


That's it.  Get your Club Card and get out of the store.  You think this list is boring?  Try throwing a bunch of fresh spices together onto a big juicy piece of Pork Tenderloin and tell me it's boring. This list isn't the end all be all of food lists.  You can definitely add in other food if you want. You can certainly buy pasta and wheat products or white rice if you're trying to add muscle.  But if you are serious about losing weight and changing the way your body looks, stick to the basics.  Stick to the food you know is healthy.  90 percent.  Stick with the foods I listed and/or similar foods I missed 90 percent of the time (a week) and you will make awesome progress.  So, if you eat 5 times a day, 35 times a week, there are only 3 and a half meals a week where you can afford to eat something else. It comes down to how bad you want success. 


It doesn't end there. You have to now take the foods from the above list and create your meal plan.  Grab your training journal you created when you started working out and look through it.  Figure out when you eat, what times are the best, and how many meals you have.  Make this as easy as possible for you.  You will not die if you miss a meal, you will not crash half way through the day if you do not eat breakfast, and your body will not hate you if you decide to only eat one meal per day (It will actually love you).  Almost everything you have ever heard about meals per day, meal timing, metabolism boosting, best diets, and breakfast is the best is full of lies, sales tactics and straight up bullshit.  The food you put in your body is the most important piece of the puzzle. A protein source is ALWAYS your centerpiece.  Always eat your protein source first, veggies second, fruit third, and then your Carb source. This way if you start getting full, you're getting full on the best sources first.


Here is an example (4 times per day)


Meal 1
Protein Source
Veggie
Fruit
Carb


Repeat however often you feel needed.  Some people may eat 2 times a day and eat a lot more per sitting.  I recommend getting about 2 grams per pound of body weight of protein per day.  Most science and fad diets you read about say 1 gram, but that is for normal everyday people to function at proper levels.  You'll be embarking on an intense strength training routine (right?) and working out at least 4 days a week.  Your body needs protein and it needs a lot of it.  Do you want to be a strong member of society with the energy to workout and kick ass?  Do you want to wake up in less pain you normally do after an intense workout?  Eat more protein.  


So now you're ready. Get your food, make your plan, and workout hard.  Find out how many calories your body needs per day and how much it'll take for you to lose weight and stick with it consistently. www.Freedieting.com has a ton of useful calculators that can give you some estimations.  Do not be a victim of the scale. 
 <-----The scale lies, see?  Check out www.fitday.com as a place to track the foods you eat.  You can put in your weight, your goal weight, and their system will tally the food you eat so you can understand how many calories are in a serving and what the protein, fat, and carb content is.  WEIGH your food.  Go to Wal Mart and buy a scale and weigh your food for at least a week to get an understanding of portion size.  Use measuring cups also and READ THE LABELS.  Get everything lined up and put your plan into action and I guarantee you will kick ass in the mirror.

Making New Year's Resolutions work..

2012 is now in full swing and the gyms around towns and cities are packed with people who are working towards their New Year's Resolution.  Ask any person who puts their total heart and dedication into the gym throughout the entire year what they think about come the first week of the year in the gym, and the answer you'll most likely get is "In 4 weeks it'll be back to normal."

"4 weeks?  Why 4 weeks?

The reason most gyms go back to "normal" within four weeks is because a lot of people do not stick to their resolution of losing weight or building muscle, or whatever goal they had set for themselves.  Now you ask why?  The reason most people fail in a gym or with a fitness related resolution is because they do not have a plan.  Waking up on New Year's Day and getting stoked about the resolution you thought about the week before and going into it on a whim will make you fall flat on your face.

You need a plan.

Having a plan to use while striving to reach your goals will help you every step of the way.  Getting from point A to point B is not a straight line when it comes to fitness.  Fitness in a way is easy to understand but also very easy to become brainwashed in.  There is a ton of information on the internet, on television, and in magazines that will catch your eye.  This makes it very easy to become overwhelmed with information and may take you off course.  It takes a plan to weed out the useless information and to implement the most valuable information.

Before I go any further with this article I just want to say if you do not plan on dedicating the entire year to reaching your goal then do not continue reading.  That is what it takes. You cannot expect to wake up four weeks into the new year and be in the best shape of your life.  Start by changing your focus of using some quick fix to drop a pants size before Valentine's Day and focus on changing your entire life.  I'm not saying go quit your job or break up with your boyfriend.  I am saying it will help you so much if you change the mindset of "wanting the best and wanting it yesterday" to the mindset of "I'm in this for the long haul".  It did not take four weeks to get you out of the best shape in your life.  It sure as hell is going to take a lot longer.

Even if you do not want some Bodybuilder or Fitness model body, even if you just want to lose ten pounds, making this resolution a complete commitment will change your life.  You will live a happier and healthier life and you will be motivated to tackle your day.  Imagine yourself now, barely able to lift 50 pounds off the ground.  Now imagine yourself in twenty weeks.  After totally committing yourself to becoming the best you can be, to becoming a healthier person with an exciting life lifting 145 pounds off the ground.  How stoked and how inspired are you going to feel?  Ladies, how awesome will you feel when you look around and notice you are just as strong as some men in the gym?  That is kick ass.  What's even more impressive is the physique you'll be walking around with after those 20 weeks.

So now, how you do make an effective plan?

Starting off on the right foot will take some time to plan things out.  First thing you should do is grab a piece of paper and a pen and write your Resolution out. Really think about what you want to accomplish.  Look at it in complete silence for five minutes.  Now ask yourself why you want that to be your resolution. Be completely honest with yourself.  There is nobody judging you or grading you.  This is for you and you only.  Why cheat yourself already in the New Year? Write it out on the piece of paper.  Again, look at it for five minutes in complete silence.

You should now have a very good understanding of what you want to achieve and why.  If you don't, do it again.  Looking at your resolution and the reason you want to work for it may be eye opening if you did as I said.  You may even be feeling emotional about whatever you wrote down.  That is good!  Use it as motivation and use it to walk all over any of the fear that lingers beneath you.

If you are reading this and are not even in the slightest bit interested in working out, ask yourself, "What good would implementing a workout routine into my life bring?"

Now is the time you need to use to decide what you are going to do to accomplish your goals.  Are you going to join a gym, go to a zumba class, sign up for a boot camp, or work out at home?  Are you going to do it by yourself or hire a professional to help you?  What type of workouts are you going to do?  What am I going to eat?  How much should I eat?  These questions may be harder for some then others but the internet is filled with information.  Go to a library and read strength training books in peace and quiet and take notes.  Ask the guy squatting inside the Squat Rack for some advice.  Just do it while he is resting.  If he isn't an asshole, he'll lend you some advice.

In my opinion for an absolute beginner to working out the three things you need to understand about working out are:

1. Strength training with barbells and weights is the most effective form of exercise.
2. Weighing your food until you can judge by sight is important.
3. Stretching everyday will make you feel and perform better.

 If you want to get on a good program without the cost, use Google to find answers.  Follow the most known names in the fitness industry on facebook and twitter and read everything they write.

Buy a notebook.  This is now your training journal.  It is your best friend.  It is the most useful app you now have in your life.  Name it.

Having a training journal is a very resourceful tool to have on your journey of goal smashing.  In the training journal you need to record everything about your day.

Here is an example of a very good training journal:

January 3rd 2012


New Year's Resolution:  Reaching elite numbers in Powerlifting's big three.


6am I woke up and had coffee.  I used 2 tbsp of creamer.
Packed my lunch.


8am I had another cup of coffee with 2 tbsp of creamer.
I had a protein shake consisting of 260 calories and 52 grams of Protein
I had a banana- 100 calories
1 had a plain bagel- 150 calories


12 noon 
I had my lunch- 1 scoop of protein powder 130 calories 26 grams of protein
8 oz chicken 200 calories 48grams of protein
1 bagel 150 calories
1 banana 100 calories


2pm I had a snack
2 scoops of protein power 260 calories 52 grams of protein
1 cup of oatmeal 300 calories


4pm I trained


I got to the gym and stretched for 20 minutes.
I foam rolled my calves, my hamstrings, my quads, my IT bands and hips.  Finished foam rolling my back.
Used some hip flexor stretches to loosen up.


Started Squatting:


5 reps 95lbs
5 reps 115lbs
3 reps 135 lbs
5 reps 170lbs
5 reps 200lbs
5 reps 225lbs
5 reps 275lbs


Felt awesome!


Dumbbell bench press


I did 3 sets of 10 reps with 80 pound dumbbells.


ETC ETC ETC


By now you should understand what I mean about a training journal. You write in everything you eat and everything you do in the gym.  Doing this will help you keep track of what you are doing and if it is working.  In the long run you can review this if something is wrong and you are not making progress.  PROGRESS is important every single workout.  By writing your resolution under the date of the entry EVERY TIME you make an entry helps you stay on course with your goals and you see it before your eyes EVERY DAY.  Eventually you will not need to track the calories and macro-nutrients because it will be second nature to you.

At this point you have your goal, the reason you want to reach the goal, what you are going to do about it, and your training journal.  You are ready to make it work.  It takes time and there is no rush.  There is no failure in trying but sometimes you need to ask yourself if you're trying hard enough.  Go out there and become awesome in everything you do.  Be happy you are alive and you can perform in the gym.  There are no problems in your life that a barbell can't fix.  When you go to the gym, you go to workout.  No chatting, no reading papers or facebook posting. No long treadmill sessions. Don't be the one who joins on the 1st and quits by the end of the month.  You are better than that, take it one day at a time and don't stress the small stuff. It's just you and the wall blocking your goal.  Knock it down.

- Happy New Year and Best Wishes