Athletic Fitness - Why Athletes Are Fitter Than the Average Gym Rat

Athletes are the most well conditioned and fittest people around because they have to be. After all, it is there job to have their bodies perform at the highest level. The average gym rat usually aspires to have the build and functional capability of the athlete, yet very seldom achieves that goal.

Now, of course it is the full-time job of the athlete to be the best performing well-oiled machine to entertain a high paying fan base every week. However, the average gym rat that spends a boat load of money on gym memberships, supplements, and training gear never even comes close to resembling the athlete that develops the body of a Greek god. Now you can blame it on genetics, money, and time and all of these characteristics are important, but I've trained normal taxpaying citizens to look like Greek gods with no gym membership, supplements, or a ton of training gear. The difference boils down to two factors, discipline and training method.

You see most gym rats go to the gym and do a few arm curls with their neat little ipod strapped to their bicep. A few reps on the bench, some lat pulls, and if they really get active they may do some squats. You see the difference in the athlete and the gym rat is definitely the training method, but having the hard discipline to engage in it most everyday and with high intensity. The athletes don't have to spend two and half hours in the gym. As a matter of fact when I worked at UGA the maximum length of time in the weight-room never exceeded an hour. Now having said this they did put their time in for conditioning and practice. Most people don't want to train like athletes because that is how you should train if you are playing "football," or if you want to be a "wrestler." This is a lazy excuse and is where I say don't complain when your goals of achieving that level are not met.

Remember, if you want to learn how to fight you learn from a well-trained fighter, if you want to shoot you learn from a marksman, and if you want to be in the greatest shape of your life well I don't consider myself a bad resource.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Proper Workout Environment - The Fancy Vs The Dungeon

So here is something that I probably don't address enough when talking about an effective training environment. Choosing a proper environment or atmosphere to train in can be as important as the workout that you are going to engage in. There is a lot of truth in those old Rocky movies when Rocky prepared for the big comeback fight. He would get beat when he got soft and trained in the nice fancy public eye with a lot of distractions, and he won big when he got down and dirty in the old broken down barn in Russia!

The Fancy: I want to address the culture of many clubs across America. You walk into a lot of clubs and they have everything from finely polished machines to jacuzzis and nice neat aerobic classes. Smoothie bars are ready to wait on you hand and foot like a tiki bar on some ocean front getaway vacation spot. Many of the trainers are "not trained" enough to know what truly works to get a person into shape. The ultimate observation is that of 100% of the members only about 35% actually use their membership. Of the 35% only about 2% have an effective strength and conditioning program in place. The rest are overweight, unmotivated, and would rather be part of a social club than getting good hard results!

The Dungeon: Now my definition of the dungeon can be something that is actually dark, dingy, and is only a place you would rather get out of as quickly as you get in. However, it is also a mindset of your training environment. You can easily turn your home, front yard, or garage into a dungeon. You see the more uncomfortable the environment the better the training effect. There is no time for nice fancy machines, a jacuzzi, or social club. All you need is a little square footage some dumbells, kettlebells, and maybe some loud music. You see this is the environment of my most fit athletes and clients. There is no show and all results!

Make your training atmosphere a dungeon. Stop wasting time, money, and worrying about getting a good parking spot. What you spend on a couple of sets of dumbells and kettlebells will far outweigh what you waste on a social club!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!