The Importance of Intent

Intent-

1. Firmly fixed; concentrated.

2. Having the attention applied; engrossed

3. Having the mind and will focused on a specific purpose

Are you going to ‘give it a go’ or are you going to put your blood and guts into it and make it work?

The way you approach things is very influential on your performance. If you never really commit to doing something 100%, instead just ‘trying it out’ then expect your results to be mediocre. No strength coach, life coach or psychologist can help you if you never fully embrace the process.

Achieving something great takes continuous effect and application.

There are varying degrees of achievement, and these will fluctuate in degree along your path to your goal. However all of these are important so don't forget the little wins that helped you on your path to success

To some it might mean an athlete lifting a personal record on the snatch in preparation for the Olympics. For the office secretary it might be something as small as resisting buying that muffin at star bucks every morning, both are important steps of progress to the individual.

There are a thousand analogies I could use-

“How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day”

“The path to success begins with one step”

Etc..

My point is that unless you approach each goal with the right intent you are greatly heightening your chances of failing.

Start by changing your language patterns, you'll be surprised how well these work in re-enforcing your intent. Here are some examples-

Instead of "I'll try to not skip skip breakfast" say "I eat a nourishing breakfast every morning"

Rather than "I must get to bed earlier say "I go to bed at 9pm because it gives me the 8 hours of sleep I need per night for recovery"

The differences here is that you are stating them in the present which makes them more powerful.

If something is important to you then throw everything into it and get it done. The pain of knowing deep down that you never really gave it your all and failed because of this is deeper, more damaging and long lasting that the initial pain of making changes.

Make yourself accountable to yourself for your actions and your results from those actions.

5 ways to start your day better

1: Resist turning on the news

The news is very rarely a source of positivity and especially with the current recession its quite often all doom and gloom.

Replace- Instead listen to some inspirational music or audio book. Look up some motivational quotations online.

2: Ensure to have a high protein breakfast

Your body after fasting for 6-8 hours during sleep is in need of a good boost of protein to support neurological and immune system function. Accompany this with some healthy fats and you will find you will feel sharper and more ready to take on the day. I have to credit Charles Poliquin for this tip.

Lots of processed carbohydrate in the form of breakfast cereals is not a good option at this time of the morning as this tends to produce an insulin spike and promote release of serotonin which you would rather save for later in the day when relaxing after work.

3: Have your tasks for the day established

"If you fail to plan you plan to fail."

Having your tasks organised for the day and knowing what is most priority will make your day far more productive. This will also feel satisfying and rewarding as you work your way through your ‘to do list’. I would recommend to write out tasks and establish your goals the night before so that you can relax in the evening without things playing on your mind when you go to bed.

4: Training early in the morning before work

I’m a big believer that training earlier in the day is superior to evening training for these reasons-

You are fresher and have more energy first thing in the morning (once you have adapted of course!)

This eliminates the risk of missing a workout should you be asked to stay at work late.

Allows you to spend more quality time in the evening with your loved ones

The evening time should be a time when you are winding down and getting ready to sleep, not pumping up and stimulating your nervous system which might interfere with your sleep.

When you start the day off well you are more likely to remain compliant on the other things you need to do, such as eating the right foods.

5: Move more

We as a society are getting less and less active which is a huge contributory factor to the increases of obesity we see in the UK. Get off a stop or two early on the way to work or better yet walk the whole way or use a Boris Bike.

Things I learned at Charles Poliquin’s Hypertrophy seminar held at Ultimate Performance Mayfair.

I just spent the weekend at Ultimate Performance Gym in Mayfair.

On Saturday we had a private seminar only for Ultimate Performance Trainers on the subject of improving results for clients.

I then went back on Sunday for a seminar on Hypertrophy training.

Being the always avid note writer I took detailed minutes of the events.

Here is a tidbit: 5 things I learned from each one –

Saturday

• When getting someone to change their eating habits never use the word DIET, this implies restriction and something short term.
Instead teach them a lifestyle, this is a non threatening approach.

• Don’t overload the client, start them off small. They have to buy into the process step by step when they perceive a benefit from the advice you are giving them.

• The first 40 grams of protein you eat supports detoxification and the immune system. These are a priority to the body before it considers less essential functions such as repairing/growing lean body mass (muscle).

• Male clients like to see figures and numbers, women clients are more interested in abstract concepts and ‘feel’.

• Only having artificial source of light all day lowers dopamine, acetyl choline and suppresses serotonin production.

Sunday

• Bio mechanical factors and restrictions in soft tissue are one of the greatest limiting factors in muscle growth.

• Soft tissue tolerance has decreased in last 20 years due to environmental toxicities according to functional medicine expert and lecturer Bob Rakowski

• Multiple Training sessions per day are superior for muscle hypertrophy

• The more you control cortisol the better you progress with strength development.

• If training for hypertrophy you want to create an acidic environment as possible so its not a good idea to use an alkalinising drink such as primal greens during a hypertrophy workout.

Overall I found the seminar very interesting and I stayed back afterwards to talk to Charles for longer. It was entertaining to hear Charles stories on some of the most dangerous gyms in the world he has visited.

The next Poliquin event I plan on attending will be a 5 day Hypertrophy boot camp which will entail training 3x per day and result in copious amounts of muscle soreness and growth.