The Curse of Information

Being well informed or standing from a position of knowledge is a circumstance to which one can do two things, offer wisdom which has a malleable relevance, or helm a single piece of advice with a resounding significance to themselves. Their truth to ‘triumph’ any such contest a falsehood, to failure. For what may have been the catalyst of an even faster time or the lunging step at the finish of a seasoned athlete, could one’s solution essentially be another’s problem? This is how I perceive the potentiality of being over-informed.

I’m not saying that there aren’t great lessons to be learned from witnessing the actions of those in positions unbeknownst to us, nor am I denying that there is true wisdom to be acknowledged from the ponderous plot of life, providing context to a later surmounting purpose. But how can we contrive a path, only we ourselves endeavour, when we are so easily seduced down another? Our reluctance to fashion the same ill-temperament as those ushering us into the betterment of their own selfishness has only concreted a judgement which confines us to the mirage of their imagination.

In simple terms, our paths are even more so unique than the crisp fingerprints paved into our skin, a clarity calloused by a wrinkling and scarring of experience. While we are the first to breathe OUR first breath, one has had their own before you and another will after, so why then, autonomous in our internal capacity to breathe, are we so quick to fashion our lives on the breath of others. If your every inhale had to be matched with someone else, how long would it take until you were out of sync? If they were stressed, how much faster would your own breathing need to be to keep up and how would that impede on your own decisions.

We all undergo our own internal processes in order to grow, the external being the physical actions alluding to our experiences. It is all too easy to bask and praise in the external greatness of those that are seemingly better off than us, while the key that they present to you may only succeed to unlock one door in your own hallway of truths. The possibilities to which may be forever unbeknownst if you let other people hide what is truly your own. Stick to what serves you and entertain only that which further impressions the shape of your path, be entertained but don’t entertain the cynicism of those that don’t know the way either.

Should I be Eating More?

Lifestyle, Special

If you happen to tell someone they’re eating too much, chances are, they probably are. It’s only until they can identify the amounts; portion size, calorie and macro content can they then comprehend how much they are ‘Over-fuelling’ their bodies. For the ‘Hard Gainer’ –someone with a high Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)– these same amounts are just as important, if not even more so than someone who is purely overindulging.

In order to ascertain why you are not gaining weight, first you must ask yourself ‘On a typical day, how often am I hungry?’ This is the first give away, the typical time between each ‘meal’, not a snack or a protein hit, one comprised of all three macronutrients; protein, carbs, fats. When you are hungry, your energy mostly comes from that which you have eaten previously, and so, if you’re looking to gain weight, each meal to succeed exercise MUST provide enough energy going through to the next. Feeling hungry is essentially using energy from time previous as well as NOW, if you make it so, what you currently have in your stomach is the determining factor of whether you can both recover and perform later on. Fuelling purely for performance aside, we’re not all swimming the channel, cycling the Tour de France or need 10,000 calories a day, but how often do you drive with your petrol light on? this is essentially being hungry. There’s only so far you will be able to get on less fuel, and when it comes to filling up do you only put in half a tank or the full thing? The answer will determine both how much stress you may inflict on your vehicle rationing gears, if you can comfortably make it to your destination and at what cost.

If petrol stations were not open for 24 hours and we had to ensure a full tank throughout the day who would benefit the most; the morning or evening filler? neither, and while one can simply park a car until its next use, the body continues to metabolise during sleep regardless of whether it has been filled up or not. My point being one with the intention of addressing the malpropre justification of impending excess, built up from the days of rationing nutrients to surmount an even bigger challenge of appetite, only then surmounted by an even greater height of satiety which later stands to sister the peak of nourishment that your body REQUIRES daily. If the goal is to gain, there has to be no other route than the one which sustains beyond what which could allude to be the peak, sustaining a contingency plan for another treacherous slump. The mood gauge swayed by the gravity plummeting momentum if you make it so or the catalyst to scale the next scramble.

The Effort:Reward

Lifestyle, Special

As we become evermore consumerist alongside our undesirable work patterns, we now find any such means of gratification to justify our effort. ‘I’m working really hard I should not be suffering on this bus just to get to work?‘*, ‘I’ve ate healthy all day surely I’m due a break?* and finally ‘I’ve worked every day for ‘x’ straight weeks now and I’ve not had time to enjoy myself‘*

*solution

* buy a nice car

*go for a nice meal

*book a holiday

These are all instant fixes that we can apply to ourselves for hard work, most of which will provide us with enough satisfaction to then carry on striving for even better or at least be able to justify our hard work when it gets tough.

When it comes to our bodies or one could say any other entity to which we give our time besides work, are we rewarded for the effort? and more importantly do we reward ourselves more than we need to? If we replaced ‘reward’ with ‘motivate’ in this context it would imply that we are in turn requiring another ‘motive’ to continue as opposed to being rewarded with ‘praise’ Are we so weak in our pursuits of better living that we need someone or something at every hurdle screaming ‘good job’ whilst everyone else running the race is already at the finish watching you revel in that first set of hurdles. I have this image of training a dog, conditioning them to associate their effort with treats and then simultaneously trying to achieve the exact same goal with nothing. Are we just jumping through the hoops of our own egos or do we actually want to see ourselves succeed?

My point is one of accepting that there will be hard times that can only be pacified by an instilling drive to continue and not to regress, but more importantly acknowledging whether you are actually reaping the rewards from your efforts. If the answer is no, do not reward yourself, find the reason why you haven’t seen any progress and stick at the things that bring it. Just killing yourself without having a plan of what you want to achieve or suddenly deciding that you deserve a reward already is just blind and redundant energy wasted. By giving in and rewarding yourself for just trying you are essentially celebrating your loss, a bi-product of having ‘reward’ at every vulnerable turn. Celebrating your progress tastes so much sweeter than the taste of over-indulgence.

The ratio of effort:reward is the same as energy:results, use your energy tactfully and the results which you deserve, not that which you think you are entitled, and this will be graced to you tenfold. If there was a medal for jumping the first hurdle our necks would be too heavy to surmount the last.

Persistence & Plateaus

Lifestyle, Special

Persist- To go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning.

Being persistent is a trait that can go both ways, we can either persist at defying the resistance we receive or continue to buckle under the same pressures that keep us confined to this forbidding continuum of resistance. A norm which is one forthcoming on the now millennial immediacy of all things rewarded, not earned. With every meal we do not have to cook, pin we need no longer enter and journeys we can take as passengers rather than drivers, is this convenience in time serving us well or do we now only sought after the most convenient appropriations and pursuits?

As a race we are becoming evermore persistently lazy; effort being our biggest opposition, our bodies reflecting our importunity to the easier option, and health, inevitably, the warning. We do not attribute the physical and psychological impediments of working in fields non-conducive to our happiness, nor do we anticipate how much our mind and body has to operate synergistically alongside our Neolithic traditions. It is only until we burnout that we then have to justify the NEED for a break. So when we are working on ourselves, why then is it so easy to justify a BREAK, to lose focus, to be distracted? It seems that no matter how much down time we award ourselves, it is never enough, and so the time to which we focus on working, whether that be for someone else, drags and our own time, dwindles.

The entirely resolute and stubborn approaches to downtime occupying those that simply cannot commit or see the simplest of tasks through without giving up is impressively persistent, proof that we can be persistent, even if it is persistently quitting. So why do we quit? What distracts us? Is it the fear of failing and being judged? Or if there even is a reward, does it reflect the time spent doing it? You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

Technology has granted us with a facility of instant gratification, a cyclical navigation of short cuts and queue jumps to the ultimate destination of contentment. Does getting there faster only gives us more time to revel in the superficial glory of feel good chemicals? A depressing overcast brightened up by a passing sunshine of serotonin showers. Chasing this light from the now shadowy pits of only known similar feats, even more time to think of your next ‘best?’ The suckling appetite for faster turnover, more contentment and even bigger success. The next best unhappiness or all time boredom? The next best date or the next best break-up? The need for constant entertainment and stimulus, entitlement and appreciation, self worth and in turn self pity. Plateaus.

Plateau

: a region of little or no change in a graphic representation

: a relatively stable level, period, or condition

So although people consider a plateau to be a negative thing, plateauing literally means being stationary, but when you’re someone who’s always looking to improve, being stationary may as well be going backwards.

How do I pass through a plateau?

There are more potential outcomes in a game of chess than there are atoms in the universe. When two people reach a stalemate, it is a reflection of how two potentially winning outcomes impede on the other, ‘I cannot win, therefore they cannot either’

Are you playing your own game or is someone playing for you? Are you making the same moves and bringing on the same outcome? Are you playing with the intention of moving forward or are you reluctant to risk leaving what you have behind? Whatever potentially winning outcome you are seeking to follow right now, improve it until it no longer brings any benefit to you and then start again with each calculated move at a time.

Conflicts of Interest

Lifestyle, Special

“Jack of all trades, master of none” We are all familiar with this idiom, an individual to which has a broad aptitude for various abilities , though an intrigue with all may come to restrict them from mastering the craft of only one. This is not confined to sport; languages, instruments, and every other skill-set that equips us with a platform for expression and creativity, have all the means of further mastering our own craft by the knowledge we expose ourselves to. It is this exposure which determines how we piece together our own understanding, though it is commonplace for two different people to achieve the same goals whilst veering on a different path…

We live in a densely populated area with a contrastingly vast spectrum of people, each bearing different skill-sets to the point of them seeming obscure and tumultuous alongside our own. It is easy to distance ourselves with those on a different path knowing its gravity, yet it is crucial to understand the direction that they are going in order to to navigate your own. While this void of obscurity is made more manageable by our interactions, things in common and perceived duty of politeness, is it this social middle ground which is controlling our creativity and curbing our crafts?

If you want to learn how to play guitar you wouldn’t ask someone who plays a violin, so why are we all too open to the accept the ideals of people with no constructive bearing or aptitude for the skill-set of your aspirations. This is prevalent at every level of corporate influence whereby the propulsion of targets and goals –you MUST hit x or y by **/**/**– are ushered beyond that of a single constituent, every number must contribute in conjunction with those on the same path in order to succeed. But what if you do not share the aspirations of those numbers? each feat being a thousands grains of sand into the hour/day/year-glass of someone else, your own time to which still bleeds whilst you console and reward yourself with vacuous comforts…

My current conflicts of interest are all dependable on being able to practise each at a sufficient capacity; energy, productivity and creativity being the ingredients to which form this elixir of DOING –at least something about it — but with any potion comes its time sensitivities, side effects and cynicism. If there was a magic pill for creativity and we could all go about our business with the greatest intentions and unequivocal focus, would we pursue our aspirations or would we still be conflicted by the dichotomy of immediate comfort and distant dreams. By using all energy in one area would in doubt compromise the other. My advice would be to start by putting an hour aside to each thing that you aspire to do without the influence of anything else but your own rationale, then see whether it serves you any such purpose. If that purpose is enjoyment, keep doing it, if that enjoyment is not short lived, make it a routine. If it brings you greater satisfaction make it a hobby. If an hour turns into two, a hobby turns into a passion, and a passion turns into an aspiration, be aware that everything you do and everyone that you give your time to will in turn have bearing on it, whether or not it is conducive to its success, tick tock.

Earning yourself a break or just taking one?

Lifestyle, Special

-4KG down The Damage

…If anything, as I’ve always felt obliged to go to the gym, I began to question why I’d conditioned myself to be autonomously motivated in this regard… most of the rewards to which are those under the surface of superficial reasons why people obsess over their bodies… Even more importantly could it eventually be undone? Well the answer I came to learn would be NO… I would not be able to undo my constant hunger to improve and expose myself to experiences that would take me out of my comfort zone at the expense of time, time that could be spent climbing any such ladder of my choosing. It has been useful to step out of the consuming bubble of comfort that we all surround ourselves with when we are unsure of the very extent of our potential. This no-brainer progression for me would be expanding my social media to bring in more traffic and in turn clients, though it would be misleading of me to post training videos that I would not be doing myself, knowing that it would only create a void between myself and those wishing to better themselves. I do not regret refusing to be a passenger to expectation nor do I want to protest the extent of my will to the point of arrogance, but I do plan on being even better this time round.

After seeing how little my body has changed despite literally throwing it in the deep end, I have only consolidated just how hard I have worked for it and equally how long it would take to undo. This is a sound enough justification of being confident in your decisions beforehand, to which the outcome will only pave a more definite path of understanding. I don’t have any sympathy for those that aren’t prepared to take a leap of faith for themselves and be confident in their justification of decisions; both potentially destructive or surprisingly constructive.
For me every trivial but necessary decision that is conducive to self improvement is a mere accessory to the grandeur of success. Life is too short to stress about the outcome of your decisions when they seem to detract from your contentment, to the point of it sucking away all of your energy, we often need to take a step back and understand that a break is sometimes necessary.
Before I left for Belize I’d never looked better and the way it made me feel was something I would love to make happen for anyone that truly wishes it for themselves. Wanting more for yourself and pursuing a better situation despite how saturated such means of doing so may seem, there will always be people that question your decisions either way. Judging what is actually good for you and your own questioning is equally as important as theirs. I think my initial point was identifying the fact that it’s ok to be sceptic about doing something different, whether it is with yourself, your situation, body, mistakes to which should not instil a revelling such a revelling in self pity.
Ultimately I do believe that we are entitled a break from the expectations of our decisions; the control of limitations, the excess of imagining a better life for yourself and then actually taking steps to make it work. For anyone looking at doing exactly that I challenge you to at least see what is the worst thing that can happen.
This is my first challenge…
Take a picture of yourself today no matter what you look like now or your experience with fitness, look at it and ask yourself whether you could be better.
If the answer is yes, prove everyone wrong and do something about it…
We are all waiting to see what you can do

Jake

Consistency>Intensity

Lifestyle

From what we understand of motivation; proving reason to our actions, this becomes redundant when actions are not met with change. By this change, I am referring to positive change –results– indications of our efforts, reassurance that what we are doing is worthwhile. This is synonymous to the once referred ‘Sweat:Benefit’ and lends to the fact that even a determined attitude may not always serve us well in contrast to the expense of our effort. In simple terms, without the ability to quantify the exchange rate of the currency ‘sweat’ how would we know whether much of our energy is soon to be carelessly invested? Can we often to be so set on pursuing or achieving something in the short term that it detracts us from the ever looming end goal. Often those with a big enough reason to break bad habits and try their hand at regular exercise will likely commit themselves to difficult choices under the guise that change is likely to come with such habits suppressed and that alone. If the timeframe of said goals and aspirations for personal development is short, the sustainability of holding onto a certain weight, losing a certain amount every week or seeing improvements in strength will bear the same duration. If it has taken 10 years for the body to become morbidly obese or lose 10 stone of fat, each contrasting result in time will ultimately seek to undo itself. This satisfies a system which adheres to a constant internal environment, adapted over the course of a lifetime to keep us functioning at optimal capacity for the lifestyle we lead.

The truth is no one thing will have sufficient bearing on overall health just as no one car can extinguish fuel emissions by swapping out a single engine. The combination of better decisions alongside a strategy that is conducive to change may collectively move the larger wheels as opposed to the smaller, cog. To see a change which will then reinforce the efforts of everything else in favour, consistency should remain a constant. Intensity or higher output, a factor most indicative to that of top athletes and the like, is something that can hinder consistency through ‘aimless’ effort. If an Olympic athlete only ever tested their podium-worthy throw and nothing else in between, the more humble throwing teammates would soon become their successors. It is the progression and reinforcement of a thousand lighter throws that come to build the eventual weightier record, lessons learned in the process and added to create the finished product. So what does this mean for the other majority of us that do not plan on setting records or committing to a life of sport? If anything can be said for the sustainability of success, it is the clamorous journey that paves the path with each gritty footstep or a multitude of jumps. The latter represent risks that one can take in order to surpass competition but are also instances of trying something new in order to break the mould of stubborn conformity. The inclination to front a thousand complex ideas as opposed to one easy one? Taking the long way round instead of the shortcut purely because of difficulty? Would this be something many consider to have any practical application? I am not suggesting that we run a marathon without any prior training because it is hard, but test the boundaries of our threshold with things we may not have a natural aptitude for, inspiring new processes and igniting dormant aspects of our predetermined makeup. That’s enough evolution for one day.

So do the consistent throws come to surpass the brute force of intensity on the bounds of averages? The two coincide to litter points along a neat fringe of records, to be broken at the expense of someone delivering a better combination of these two factors, a point that each warrant a solid groundwork but also depend heavily on each-other collectively as a unit;

10/12/8/10

8/8/8/8/8/

Here the end goal of 40 is met in less time, is the reward upon reaching the goal to be as short lived as the journey or will it be more sustainable to apply consistent effort at the same intensity? This is something one can look at or apply to an approach which tackles each opportunity of progression with maximum effort. I am not advising to operate at a much lower intensity in order to see change but identify how the bulk of your energy may be utilised in some areas that could do with an adjustment period. Simply put we cannot physically operate at 100% all of the time without eventually having to ‘crash’ –sleep– imagine the state of change, whether that be weight loss, gain or changes to body composition, residing in a dormant state, in need of rest and yet equally awaiting a purpose to wake.

Should I Do Cardio?

Lifestyle

This comes at a time to which the topic at hand is becoming much more significant to my routine. In previous posts I have discussed an number of different ‘Should I…”s in the hope of shedding light on things I have tried, their benefits and whether they can have practical application to your lifestyle. Although cardio is something that always finds itself on the back-burner of the to-do list, it is definitely something that simply cannot be overlooked as far as improving general physical fitness capacity and body composition. While it is possible to be reasonably lean without having to buckle over your feet with boredom for an hour everyday, there’s certainly more to cardio than just the monotony we deem it so.

Take a typical high intensity resistance session; physically demanding, prolonged rep ranges and little rest, do we find ourselves exerted in later stages from said components or are we simply not fit enough? Would having a better CV capacity enable us to work beyond the barrier of breathlessness? Recovery and resilience between sets, especially at the upper limits of ones threshold may certainly be a useful feat to muster, notwithstanding everything else that comes with output at 100% or close to it. How much would that extra time award us in hindsight? more time under tension, more, reps, less can’t, more do.

HIIT- The buzzword of all buzzwords, the ‘H’ being ‘High’ and the first ‘I, Intensity’ Not, ‘Slow>maybe a bit harder>back to slow when I get tired>repeat’. This should be at the very top 90-100% of your threshold followed by an intermittent recovery period, the shorter this period, the more difficult and the more conditioned you will become to output at a higher rate with less rest. Despite Joe Wickes and other celebrity trainers milking HIIT, it is challenging and does break up the monotony of continuous cardio training. However, people seem to quantify HIIT work in sweat –I am sweating a lot therefore it must be doing something– rather than applying variations of different intensities in a systematic fashion, monitoring its effect on A. CV fitness and B. Body composition because ultimately, B is the end game for most people.

Another issue with ONLY doing HIIT is that everything else will now feel less responsive and/or not as difficult, and not all exercises are effective when performed in this fashion. General conditioning work and anything that gets you heart racing enough can bode well with everything else that comes with staying fit, but without being able to quantify where you’re at, you will struggle to gauge where you can realistically improve.

Take a 500m row, this should take most active people less than 2 minutes to complete, in and amongst a warmup row or HIIT training, such a test will gauge where you’re currently at. Performing this to time after a cycle of continuous or interval training will further indicate how quickly you are recovering –the closer the base time, recovery must be improving– This can also be done at 1 and 2,500 metres if you tend to do more continuous cardio, which surprisingly burns into fat stores at a much more greater capacity than HIIT.

So how many hours a week should I do cardio?

Depending on your fitness goals, having an active job may suffice for general fitness albeit the lifestyle and food choices one may surfeit to conflict. I would recommend doing some form of physical activity each day and something that challenges you on three specific days i.e

Monday- 30 mins/ 1 hour continuous bike

Wednesday- 2,500m row for time

Friday- Stepper or Elliptical intervals 10-15 minutes at 50%- 90%

40/20- 40 work/20 rest

or
30/30- 30”/30”

or
20/10- 20”/20”

Rather than me protest the importance of cardio, fully aware of people’s distaste with monotony and/or hard work, getting the amount right will work wonders for your overall body composition, whether that be in conjunction with heavy weight training, yoga or all competitive sports.

Now that I have completed my further studies for level 4 PT I do plan to post at least every week on various topics which may be of use to active individuals and fitness enthusiasts. I will be featuring 30 day challenges and transformation packages to purchase on my new website so keep your eyes peeled and follow @jakedarcyfitness on IG if you haven’t already.

Jake 👊

Transformations, Criticism & Expectations

Lifestyle

I had planned to keep this next post completely relevant to the topic at hand, considering that fact that most people proceed into the scrolling abyss of Facebook when what they happen to read doesn’t make them cry with laughter or scream with outrage in the first paragraph. Nevertheless, and acknowledging the atrocities that unfolded earlier this week, it is inevitable for one to look at their current reality retrospectively, swiftly realising the sheer abundance of what they have, knowing what others have lost. Despite all the monstrosities, hate and scandal that has erupted on many of the social platforms, I have never been so grateful to experience such an overwhelming sensation of pride and unity with the people of this town. Forget how well-worded and eloquent raw emotion can be transcribed, the flux of inspiring words and heartfelt posts that have graced my newsfeed has left me in tremendous awe. Without further acknowledging those that continue to disease the lungs of a peaceful world with ignorance, It is certainly refreshing to see how once modest opinions and expressions have relented despite criticism.

It is this criticism that will bear to be the crux of ‘Transformations and Expectations’

First of all, we must quantify the purpose of the physical transformation.

In relation to my field of ‘expertise’ physical results are EVERYTHING. They suggest that one, or a multitude of things in the body have improved, so much so, that they can be seen. Without tangible reason to believe what we are doing is 1. Effective and 2. Worthwhile, what could warrant the enormity of effort that goes into making goals a reality? I would have loved to own a collection of old photos indicative of habitually letting loose and looking my worst purely to illustrate a contrast, but unfortunately I have always insisted on chasing my best. Equally, I would love to have an expensive camera, a film crew behind me condensing the superlatives of my body down to a single perfect image for IG, but unfortunately this is far from the case. While I cannot say that I am not partial to a party, I don’t think I could justify convincing one of my clients that they can fast-track a route closer to ‘success’ whilst insisting on a life without discipline, impending denial. Everyone operates at different speeds, the tracks of some longer than others, some finding themselves delayed on the way to their destination and others failing to ever leave the station. To base your own wealth of successes on that of others would be like *insert the Einstein quote about a fish judging its ability to climb a tree* Therefore don’t be thrown off by illusive examples of those that can afford to get ‘out of shape’ and intermittently lose it just to prove a point and get paid to do so.

In terms of how the latter ‘Expectations’ can take precedence in ones reality of fierce judgement and criticism, it is essential that these do not exist unless you make it so. If you happen to be a girl and post a seemingly ‘shameless’ progress picture in a bikini made from fishing wire, expect and anticipate that you will more than likely be judged and criticised than praised. Equally, if you choose to act, dress or convey yourself in a manner that is not conducive to societal expectations of ‘black, 16, y’o, male’ or ‘white, 50 y’o, female’, expect an onslaught of criticism and embrace the fact that you do not need to conform to be contented.

I will now conclude with what may later come to be regarded as the somewhat mental ‘metamorphosis’

It’s all well and good having a great body, plenty of money in the bank, a nice car and the tools to carve out a stable life, but the novelty of all physical entities will eventually ensue just as briefly as the road to them, long. I’m confident on the fact that I no longer sit on the fence with regards to the great juxtaposition of mental and physical wealth, albeit I refuse to protest myself as an example of how to attain the happy medium. I believe that securing such a presence in a better reality is one with a firm acknowledgement of change and accepting it without contest. If a hectic work schedule consumes enough of your time to make exercise seem like a distant fantasy, insist on making it a priority when the opportunity presents itself instead of adding it to another weeks of ‘maybe next weeks’

–This is not just related to exercise– The mental capacity required to see something through without seeing tangible results, having to justify hours that could be spent earning more money or maintaining relationships with people, is one that cannot be quantified or matched by physical entities. Do so with the intention to progress on both ends of the spectrum rather than treading water in the ironic depths of shallowness.

Jake

👊

Do I Need a Personal Trainer?

Lifestyle

Nobody likes being told what to do. If you look around the office, in lessons at school or notice people picking each-others form apart in the gym, it goes to show that orders, critique and advice are things that may often be disregarded due to delivery. Orders can often be opposed by reluctance, critique can come both constructively or destructively, advice can be untimely and often, unwanted. These three components have the potential to misinform just as much as motivate, which is why a lot of people misunderstand the role of the personal trainer in the midst of all the egotistical narcissism and one-size-fits-all approach to clients. There are not many people out there that can take criticism comfortably, especially when initially confident in their own ability and experience, in things that may or may not have worked for them in the past. Nobody wants to be told that they don’t know something or what they are doing is completely wrong, but it is their response to such occasions, that will determine whether they will progress or remain somewhat stagnant. Do I need a Personal Trainer? Well, ask yourself these questions…

What are my current goals?

Do these goals require assistance?

Are these goals time-sensitive?

Do I have a clue what I am doing or the direction I need to be going?

Am I doing this exercise correctly?

Am I benefitting proportionately to the amount of effort I am putting in?

It could be a matter of attaining the knowledge from someone else, applying it to your current approach to training and nutrition in order to experiment what works best for YOU. This knowledge can absolutely be attained from the many online outlets and information available on social media, but it can often be difficult to successfully recreate or apply said training advice on your own without the critical eye of someone else. Critical in the sense of aiming to perfect and make the most out of each relevant practice or exercise and not to a fault. Training partners and friends in the gym with a particularly good knowledge or awareness of ‘what’s what’ can be useful in providing assistance with form and work ethic, but not everyone may have this facility. 9/10 there will almost undoubtedly be one person in your group of friends that wants to know or may think that they know the BEST things for you to eat or how to train, but be aware of the possible misinformation. Said advice and application from friends may likely reinforce potentially damaging habits and traits that may have much more of a detrimental effect to your body than it would to theirs.

Ultimately, and this stems from the last question above ‘Am I benefitting proportionately to the amount of effort I am putting in?’ this ratio of benefit:effort if you like, is one that may often be skewed by the sweat scale, in that ‘If I am sweating, it must be doing something right?’ In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t always the most accurate and credible indicator. Could the high effort exerted in one area for something like cardio possibly be channeled into something else to satisfy a particular goal, reaping many more benefits than just fat loss or as I said, obsessing with the calories burned on a treadmill or the buckets of sweat on the floor.

This is most definitely a game of trial and error, thus improvement, failing to recognise the error makes the trial part almost redundant. It has taken me over seven years of trail and error to make considerable progress, see results and recognise what was particularly beneficial and worthy of doing on a regular basis. This wouldn’t have been possible without identifying problem areas, resulting from applying the very theory of sweat as currency, only to be able to buy a few months of results in a year of hard graft.

As much as I should probably try and convince everyone that they NEED a personal trainer in order to progress and see results, be aware that this is not always the case. More often than not, people do have a good base of knowledge, the passion and the work ethic for self improvement but are lacking the confidence to put it all into practice effectively. Do not feel obliged to have to shell out the cost of a gym membership every week just to be put through a good workout, all of the above should come to serve as much more of a priority. The desire to build up your 1RM on compound movements, consistently reinforce solid technique on lower body exercises for independent training or having a limited time to get beach ready are all short term opportunities that do not require long term financial obligation. Ask yourself all of the above, make a conscious effort to absorb as much knowledge and information from other outlets as possible, but if the answer to the title is going to be YES, do not hesitate to contact the relevant man/woman for the job.

Jake 👊

JAKEDARCYFITNESS