Coughlin Inner Circle

Resistance and Gravity are All You Need

I train a client who is a member of Weight Watchers.  Every week she weighs herself, consults with a staff counselor on her weight loss progress and interacts with other members who are also very supportive.

While I may not completely agree with associations such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, LA Weight Loss and others (no, these aren’t plugs), I definitely think this is a great way to go about losing weight.

Surrounding yourself with other like-minded individuals who share a common goal can only optimize your success and is what anyone should do if they want to lose weight.  You can’t go wrong with a group.

Anyway, she was telling me how everyone in the group is asking her how the personal training is coming along as she is the only one with a personal trainer. 

Not only that, but she is the only one who is incorporating strength training into her weekly routine.  The rest are just doing cardio and following the diet program.

I talked about this a couple weeks ago, and I think it’s good to bring it up again.

For the most part, I think the reason these people in her group are not consistently following a regular strength training program is not because they’re lazy or would rather do cardio…no…the reason is because of their perception of strength training.

I guarantee if I sat down with any of these people…particularly women…they would tell me the following…

Doesn’t strength training make you look big and bulky like a man?

I can never figure out how to work those machines, so I just hop on a treadmill instead.

Isn’t strength training dangerous and doesn’t it require lifting heavy weights?

I’m afraid I might injure myself, so I’d rather not do it.

The list goes on and on.  And I’m here to tell you that strength training, if done correctly, will NOT make you look like a man, does NOT involve boring machines, is NOT dangerous and will NOT injure you.

Strength training doesn’t have to be complicated like many people will lead you to believe.  The fact of the matter is - strength training is ANY type of resistance and gravity placed against your body’s muscles that is progressive in nature.  Period.

And the important point to make is the resistance, whether it is your bodyweight, elastic bands, free weights, machines, cables, or whatever it may be… is challenging to YOUR muscles.  Not someone who has been strength training for years and years.

So, if you can only do one push-up on your knees.  That’s fine.  Eventually, as you progress and push yourself, you’ll be able to do 3, 4 or 10 push-ups... and then, presto…you are successfully performing strength training. 

This simple movement forces your body’s muscles to grow and come back leaner and stronger then before.

This movement is one of many, and can all be performed in a safe, controlled manner and does not have to compromise your safety like you may be led to believe. 

You must not overlook the fact that your body is composed of muscle, fat, water and bone.  That’s it. 

As you get older, you lose muscle and bone density.  You may also start to develop arthritis because of the uneven pressure place against your joints, tendons and ligaments.  This leads to muscle imbalances that in many cases, puts pressure on your spine, causing you to have back pain, and other aches and pains throughout your body.

The ONLY form of exercise that negates this from happening is strength training.

Doing cardio may help you burn calories, which contributes to effective weight loss, but it does not build muscle and does not help muscle imbalances.

Now, if you know this and you are following a regular strength training program, that’s great, if not, you NEED to get on the ball...and if you need help, I’m your guy. 

I’m finalizing a comprehensive, how-to DVD course on fundamental strength training entitled the “The In-Home Personal Trainer.”  The amount of information I will be giving you in this course is staggering and will be like NOTHING ever released in the personal training industry…Guaranteed.

How do I know?

Because most trainers don’t sell products.  But the ones who do, only sell generic, one-size fits all information that is basically nothing but fluff and will not help you.  They don’t take the time and really put themselves in a person’s shoes.  They assume a lot of things.

For the “In-Home Personal Trainer” program, I assume nothing. 

I take you by the hand as if you are my very own personal client.  I give you easy-to-understand instructions.  I don’t hold anything back.  When you watch this program, you’ll see that many, many, many hours, weeks and months have been put into it to ensure you will be successful. 

I look forward to telling you more about this revolutionary product.  Stay tuned for more exciting details!!

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin
   

What am I Going to Do Without You?

Was the question I was asked the other day by a client, as she discovered I will be moving to St. Louis by the end of the year. 

It actually would have been sooner, but after my wife and I got married, we decided to stick around the DC metro area a little while longer until we got more properly transitioned…and since I’ve lived in Maryland basically my whole life – it’s going to be one helluva transition for me – but that’s another story.

Anyway, my client, Cindy, was really disappointed to hear this, as she is starting to make great progress with her weight loss program. 

She’s worried that when we part ways…she’s gonna gain all her weight back.

Well, let me tell you what I told her.

The only way you gain weight is if you’re constantly exceeding your blood sugar levels or you are eating too much at a given time.

Now, if you’re doing next to no physical activity whatsoever, you will gain your weight back.

But let’s say Cindy loses 50 pounds by the time I move and goes it alone with her training…she STILL can make great progress with her weight loss and at the very least - maintain what she has already accomplished.

She could strength train 3x a week just like we are now and do cardio everyday.  The only difference would be her intensity.  Though, this will not deter her from seeing results.

Remember, there are 3 components for effective training.

1. Consistency
2. Variety
3. Intensity

If Cindy is exercising almost everyday, changing up her routines frequently and doing everything as intense as SHE can - she WILL NOT gain her weight back.  She will continue to see progress for a long time to come.

The ONLY deterrent will be if she starts to eat poorly. 

Meaning, she’s not eating frequently, her portion sizes are too big, she’s eating the wrong kinds of foods, she’s not drinking enough water and so on. 

All of these factors will have a much GREATER impact on her body than her exercise ever will.

Now, besides Cindy’s eating and exercise habits, there is of course the component of
m-o-t-i-v-a-t-i-o-n. 

How can she get motivated by herself?

Well, three things.

One, she needs to write down her goals on a piece of paper or index card and stick it every place she can readily see it.  This way it’s engrained in her subconscious.  She will have no choice but to make fitness a priority and constantly be reminded of maintaining a healthy life.

Two, she can hire another one of my awesome trainers – http://www.fitnessandresults.com/cfr_personal_trainers.php

...Or three, she can also get a copy of my upcoming DVD course which will be entitled “The In-Home Personal Trainer.” This puppy will be the next best thing to personal training with me…without me being physically present.  This program will keep her on track and help her continue to see results.

I highly recommend that YOU do the same if you’re in Cindy’s situation.

That’s all for today my friend.  Have a wonderful day and a wonderful week!

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin

What is Your Goal for Today?

If you were to have asked me this question 7 years ago, I would’ve gone completely blank.

Back then, my day-to-day went something like this:

Wake up…go to work for 8 to 9 hours…come home…watch teevee…go to bed. 

I had no clue what my goals were because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. 

I had a dead-end job.  I had relationships that never lasted more than a month. I had no self confidence.  I wasn’t in good shape.  The list goes on and on.  Everything is my life was pretty much blahhhhh. 

I lacked focus, direction and was basically coasting along.

Once I discovered what my true purpose was – helping people achieve their fitness goals - everything changed.

I won’t go into all the details, but let me just say…I finally grasped the concept of goal setting and what it actually means to set a goal and achieve it.

What I’ve learned in the process is simple. 

If you make daily goals for yourself, you will always be improving and growing as a human being.  It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant these daily goals may seem to be.  Progress is progress is progress.  Everything you do makes a difference and moves you one step closer to where you want to be.

Pretty soon days add up to weeks.  Weeks add up to months and so on. 

So during this time, not only do you achieve goals you’ve set for yourself, but you also make new ones along the way. 

Yes, new ones.  You’re life doesn’t just stop after you’ve achieved a goal.  It continues to evolve and is the reason why goal setting could NEVER stop. 

If it did, you'd pretty much be drifting through life like tumbleweed in the desert.  You would be re-acting to your life instead of acting in it.

Look, you were brought into this world to succeed.  Not to fail.  And setting daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals for yourself enables you to do so. 

If you know what you want in life, whether you want to get into better shape, be healthier, be more successful with your profession, or whatever…you should always be making daily goals for yourself. 

Everything in your life will build upon itself and turn into the masterpiece it was meant to be.

That’s all for now my friend.  Have a great week!

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin
www.fitnessandresults.com

Scientific Strength Training

I often jokingly refer to myself as a scientist.  Though, instead of wearing a white lab coat, I wear a Coughlin Fitness & Results T-Shirt. 

Instead carrying beakers and graduated cylinders, I carry elastic bands and free weights. 

Instead of writing down complicated scientific formulas, I document sets, reps and weight resistance.

Now, before you laugh…understand that strength training IS a science and if you don’t think it is - you’re missing the boat. 

Many people often workout at their local gym and go through the same strength routine over and over and over. 

While there is health benefits associated with this for sure, there are absolutely NO benefits whatsoever in seeing changes in appearance or feeling changes in strength levels. 

And if you ask me, that’s what strength training, is all about…transforming your physical appearance and strength by challenging yourself with resistance programs that constantly keep your body from adapting.

The keywords here are “keep your body from adapting.”

I think the most important concept to realize is this - never ASSUME that your body ISN’T going to adapt to a program you put it through. 

Your body is very intelligent.  It is the same body that has evolved through thousands and thousands of years of evolution.  Do you honestly think it’s gonna change if…

1. You’re working your muscles at 40-50% of their maximum capabilities
2. You never document your exercises, sets, reps and resistance.
3. You work out with limiting machines that only isolate one muscle at a time.
4. You repeat the same strength training routine again and again.

Of course not!

Why?

Because your body has adapted to this type of training ages ago.  To put it bluntly, if your goal is to increase muscle, decrease body fat, become stronger…well, you’re wasting your time.

Again, strength training is a science.  Everything and I mean e-v-e-r-y thing you do matters.

When I train clients I always change their routine every 3 workouts.  And within those 3 workouts I always document everything they do and make sure they progress a little or in many cases, a lot more.  I always ask questions to make sure they felt some type of change or difference with each workout.  I never ever assume anything. 

And guess what?

My clients are losing weight, dropping body fat like no tomorrow and they’re stronger than they’ve ever been in years.

Now, if you’re saying.  “Well, that’s great Jim, but I CAN’T afford a personal trainer right now and I don’t know diddly about strength training.”

Well, if this is the case, I’ve got great news! 

I will soon be coming out with a multiple DVD course that will take you by the hand, step-by-step on how to effectively strength train from the comfort and privacy of your own home. 

This will be a comprehensive program folks.  And it will be designed strictly for beginners, so, I promise there will be no confusing training jargon or strength training exercises you won’t be able to do.  Sure, there’ll be some hard ones, but the vast majority will be for the complete novice.

Anyway, I’ll be sure to keep you posted when the program comes out.

Until then, make sure you keep your strength training workouts progressive, and varied and I’m 100% positive you’ll see and feel a difference.

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin

The Right Kinda Protein

If you find that you’re constantly hungry throughout the day or if you’ve
hit a plateau with your weight-loss program, one of the many reasons could
be that you aren’t getting enough protein or you are eating the wrong kind. 

I’m sure you can figure out what the other reasons are, but if not, send
me an email and I’ll do my best to answer it in a future newsletter.

Anyway, there are two types of protein – complete and incomplete.

Complete are primarily derived from animals such as chicken, turkey,
cow, fish or basically anything that flies, crawls and swims. 

Incomplete proteins originate from the plant kingdom such as beans,
lentils, legumes, grains, soy-based foods and so on.

You must understand that if you’re trying to lose weight, the majority
of your proteins MUST come from complete proteins. 

Complete proteins molecular structure is much more complex than that of
incomplete proteins.  They have all the amino acids for proper muscle
recovery and blood stabilization.  Incomplete lack certain amino acids
and aren’t as filling.

So if you’re replacing your complete proteins with incomplete proteins
and/or complex carbs such as fruits and vegetables, you’re going to run
into some problems.

For one, you’re going to develop amino acid deficiencies.  This consequently
puts your body in a catabolic state and limits you from properly building
muscle.  Two, you’re going to be starving and ravenous at some point in the
day which is going to cause you to overeat.

Now obviously, there are much worse scenarios than NOT eating complete
proteins with EVERY meal. 

You could be eating fatty, sugary, processed foods, your portion sizes
could be off or you could be eating next to nothing at all throughout the
day, which again - is all self-explanatory.

However, I recommend that you look at all of your meals in a given day. 

If complete proteins or animal-based foods are missing from some of them,
you may want to incorporate this tip.

I met with a new client for first time the other day and for years she had
found herself to be starving in the afternoon, but after implementing this
advice…she wasn’t hungry at all and felt great the very NEXT DAY!

Getting your complete proteins with every meal is the way to go.  I highly
suggest YOU try it as well.

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin

Why B.S. Yourself?

In the past couple weeks my company has received numerous requests for our personal training services, as we usually do.  Most people want to lose weight, tone up, get stronger and so on. 

While most are very clear on their goals and understand what they must do in order to achieve them, there are others who go the other direction. 

These individuals are totally unrealistic, ignorant or completely BSing themselves on how and when they can expect to attain results with their fitness program. 

I thought I’d share with you a couple examples to show what NOT to do. 

The first is a lady by the name of Veronica.  Veronica wanted to lose a bunch of weight so she could look good when she visited her sister (who is 50 pounds lighter than her) and as my assistant put it, wanted to “go on a vacation with her and search for boys.” 

Sounds like a plan...however there’s a big problem. 

The vacation was scheduled for the end of August and Veronica wanted to lose over 30 pounds in less then a month.  Big red flag, but we went ahead and tried to set her up with a trainer anyway.

Well, to make a long story short, she refused to work with the first trainer offered to her because she was a female.

Thought the second one was unprepared when speaking to her over the phone.

And when she met with the third trainer…thought the workout he put her through was “too easy” and wasn’t hard enough.  Unless these workouts helped her lose 3 pounds at a time...NO workout was going to be good enough for her and there was no pleasing this woman...Period. 

This became even more obvious when she sent me a looong email, saying she wasn’t happy with my trainers and my assistant was “snippy” with her when all she did was wish her the best because we didn’t have trainers left for her (which was true)

The second client was by the name of Annie.  Annie too wanted to lose weight…about 75 pounds or more.  Nothing wrong with that.  That’s a great goal to have, but again…there’s a problem like Veronica.

Annie was a busy med student and thought our 30 minute workout aka the “Power 30” program was a good fit for her. 

Well, unfortunately I don’t think she read the page very carefully. 

While the program IS for people who are busy, it is NOT for individuals who have to lose a significant amount of weight like Annie’s situation or are not used to very intense exercise.

So to summarize, she too sent me an email saying my company was unprofessional because we were trying to sell her our more "expensive 1 hour programs." 

But in reality, she just couldn’t afford us.

Now the reason I’m telling you this is because I feel it is not only important to have goals - but also be realistic on how you will achieve them.

If you’re like Veronica, and you want to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, you’re not being honest with yourself. 

How long did it take you to gain 30 pounds…Did you gain it in 30 days? 

Don’t think so. 

Why put yourself through that kind of agony.  Sure, you may have an important event in your life coming up like Veronica’s, but that has nothing to do with your body.

If you’re trying to lose 30 pounds in that short of a time period, you’re not setting priorities in your life and you’re not planning properly.

It doesn’t matter if you’re 30 pounds overweight or 100 pounds overweight, you’re expectations to lose weight should still be the SAME in either situation.

If you are to follow an intense exercise routine of progressive stength training and consistent cardio conditioning with a healthy nutrition plan, you should realistically expect to lose 1-3 pounds of fat per week.  Anything more than that is NOT healthy and will do your body much more harm than good.

Now if you’re in Annie’s situation, you must also prioritize and adhere to what someone tells you - without being stubborn in the process. 

Our company gets dozens of requests a week for our services.  Sure, we’re a business and Yes, we’re trying to make money. 

But we’re also trying to keep it by offering potential prospects the best possible program for their situation.

So we would be doing Annie or anyone who has to lose 75 or more pounds a DISSERVICE if we were to offer ANYTHING other than our “Total Body Makeover” or “Sculpt & Strengthen” programs…and that’s a fact.

If you can’t afford a personal trainer, that’s understandable. 

But again, you must prioritize. 

Your health should be numero uno on your list.  So if you REALLY want to lose 75 pounds or more, I’m quite certain you can make a couple sacrifices in your life to be able to make it happen and afford one. 

Well, that’s all for now…Stop BSing yourself and start getting real with your goals, otherwise…it just ain’t gonna happen for you.

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin