When you are in a bad mood, because of something that you did, something that someone said/did, etc., you are losing twice – once for being in a bad mood, twice for not fulfilling your potential. Don’t be sad, angry, upset, or cranky at yourself or others, but instead focus on fixing your system so that this does not happen in future. If this bad mood comes from someone, don’t be around this person. If you are the cause, change your habits. Think in terms of systems that can be implemented to steer away from these bad mood causing events. This is easier to do than you think. The good news is, this system needs to be created once.
Help calm yourself down by using deep breathing techniques. Think of gentle cool breeze brushing our face while you lay on a warm beach sipping cool drinks from fancy glasses with tiny umbrellas.
Our brain is silly sometimes: it tries to make us lazy. During workouts, we are only exerting about 40%, at most. One quick hack is to half-count your reps. For example: if you are used to doing 10 pull ups, count your pull ups such that two reps equal one. You will be pleasantly surprised to still hit your 10 reps, when you actually have done 20.
Update July 2022: when starting this half count system, at first your brain will know what’s going on. If you are aiming for 20 pull ups and you half count, your brain knows you are attempting 20 and tell you to stop at 15, for example. If you keep pushing and half counting, at some point your brain stops fighting you. It thinks 20 equals 10. I am at a point now where all my workouts are half counted and my brain does not mind – that’s wiered to say. I guess the next step may be to count three for one.
Going from weight lifting at the gym to building a garage gym with only a squat rack, and now compressing the entire gym to just what you see in the picture above, of course with the door open; it’s been quite a journey of self learning. I now realize that working out requires very little. The most important requirement is motivation. “You do what you can with what you got.” All you need is a pull-up bar. The Olympic rings a fun way to mix up your workout to make it fun and challenge yourself.
If I could go back in time and advice my young self, I would tell me to not go to a gym and workout using Olympic rings. Gymnasts use rings and these guys are some the fittest people around.
I would also tell my self to use a logbook. A simple logbook with paper and pen. Add an entry everyday. It can be as detailed or as simple as you like. This too will help keep the motivation levels high.
Olympic rings workouts: your can watch how to Videos add much as you want, but I started with this website. The guy has an interesting story and does a great job. Bodyweightmuscle.com
Another simple rule I have is “no sugar on weekdays.” I can endulge myself on the weekends, or on special occasions – within reasonable sugar limits. But this firm rule has served me well so far.
A recent workout hack has also been quite fruitful in keeping me motivated: half-counting the reps allows pushing through the psychological barriers by tricking the brain. It’s simple to do, and I have a separate post explaining it, Here.
A full range of motion is superior to higher rep count – prioritize building a good form with maximum range of motion as this will compound over time in a positive way. Rest half a second at the max range to really feel the burn and maximize muscle growth.
Pull up bar: I bought a cheap one form local store, paid ~$20. Nothing fancy, but sturdy which I can screw to the door frame. You can patch the screw holes with some putty later.
I also use a foam roller for stretching and ironing out any knots.
And finally, for cardio, I use a regular jump rope. Nothing fancy.
Good luck on your personal fitness. It does not need to be fancy. Just stay motivated!
So that they can look good, feel active, stay healthy, bla bla bla.
Why do they pay lots of money every month towards a gym membership?
Because gyms are committment devices. They work.
How much time is invested in the gym ritual?
More than it needs to be. Mentally prepare yourself, get in your car, drive, change in locker, gym out, and then make your way back home. I think ~60% of the time is spent in non-gym time.
Is there a more effective way to accomplish this?
I believe so. Make a home gym. Now I realize not everyone has spare space to make a home gym. But it is not necessary to go all out. Start small. The basics are: chin-up bar, couple of dumbbells, kettlebell and enough space to do burpees. There is a ton of resources available online to walk you through how to get started. The best, and free, exercise to stay in shape is running.
I have a basic squat rack. I love it because I workout whenever I want. Typically daily. Listen to audiobooks while I workout. I stop wasting the commute and locker time. Have literally no excuses for not going to my home gym. One of the best investments I made.
There are just 5 basic exercises that will cover everything you will ever need to do at the gym:
Deadlift
Squat
Shoulder press
Bench press
Bent over barbell row
A basic squat rack will allow you to do all this.
Cardio? Well running is free and can be done anywhere. So this covers everything you need.
