I remember the moment I realized I was no longer a professional athlete. It was in 2002, a year after I had retired from the International Federation of Body-Building (IFBB). I was languishing on the treadmill in my neighborhood gym after a long day training people session after session, when a huge and ripped guy walked in and began warming up with 220 lbs before starting his legs training session and disgustingly bulging his gigantic body. I smiled weakly in his direction and thought; I used to look like that not too long ago. And of course when he passed me, I ran faster like there was no tomorrow.
Obviously, my 60-minute training sessions weren't having the same chiseling effects as the 4-hour training sessions I endured when I was in a competitive level. That's when I realized I'd have to change my stay-in-shape strategy. Here are a few of my pro-to-real-world fitness secrets.
Pro tip #1: Visualize the body you want.
Many professional athletes practice visualization, which means picturing themselves going through the motions to achieve a certain goal — complete with sounds, colors, tastes and smells — and have seen it pay off big time. During my 7 year professional career, I spent 10 minutes a day visualizing and looking at my body the way I wanted it to look and feel, the result that I mentally conceived in the visualizations were experienced in my training sessions, making them tremendously intensive and effective. Now, whenever I work out, I close my eyes and visualize my arm and leg muscles flexing, my heart pumping strong and my body looking ripped.
Pro tip #2: Set realistic goals.
You aren't likely to hear some rookie say he plans to win the Olympia championship (the highest bodybuilding competition) when they finished in last place the year before and he has yet to get off the bench. In other words, most professional athletes set realistic goals. So face it: You're not going to lose 30 pounds by your 10-year class reunion next weekend. (A more realistic goal is approximately two pounds per week.) Focus on taking one baby step at a time, keeping your ultimate goal in mind. It will be all the more rewarding when you finally get there!
Pro tip #3: Find a workout that works for you.
My challenge after retirement was to maintain the weight and body fat composition I had achieved as an elite athlete. No easy task when you're working a full-time job, right? Because keeping in shape also means aerobic activities, my body was used to fast, quick, blood-flow — something like pedaling on the stationery bike or walking/running on a treadmill couldn't match. But then I created a full body workout that uses strictly dumbbells, body bars and medicine balls, I call it the Total Body Work, I even made a DVD out of it. It was perfect for me because, in only 40 minutes, I get a cardio-toning workout equal to working out 2 hours with machines at a crowded gym. When time is an issue (and when isn't it?), you need to focus on finding workouts that give you the biggest bang for the buck.
Pro tip #4: Check your fuel gauge.
While you'd never put sugar in your gas tank, many of us put junk into our bodies on a regular basis and then wonder why we don't have the energy to get through the day. While training for the World Championships, I made myself eat healthfully because it was very obvious that my physical and my mental shape depended upon it. After I retired, however, I developed a weakness for junk food, despite the fact that it made me feel sluggish. Then my yogi master reminded me that I'd only been addressing half of my fitness dilemma. Besides focusing on exercise, I also needed to eat more wisely. Now I give in to my junk food cravings only one day a week, and my body feels and looks much better.
Pro tip #5: Make appointments with your body.
It's easy to put your body first when it's the source of your income. Still, as soon as I finished my training session, I started filling my calendar with clients’ one on one session. No wonder that at the end of most work days, I was either too zonked or too preoccupied to go to the gym. So on Sunday nights, I began checking my calendar to determine my business and social obligations for the week, then penned in when I planned to work out each day, literally making appointments with my body to exercise. And just like I faithfully stuck to the rest of my schedule, I never once canceled a workout. I made an appointment with myself.
Pro tip #6: Always be ready to work out.
As a professional athlete, competing and working out are always in the forefront of your mind. The rest of us have 28 million other things to think about, which means that we need to make exercising as convenient as possible. I joined a gym close to home, and being able to drive, run or bike there has proven effective in keeping me on a consistent schedule, regardless of the weather. For added motivation, I always keep a clean set of workout clothes in my car so I can head to the gym or the local park on a whim. (After all, if you don't go home first, you won't find excuses to stay home.) I also keep a stash of fitness gadgets in my closet, including a medicine ball, workout bands and a stability ball. These let me exercise my entire body and, because they're so different from what I usually do at the gym, I generally look forward to using them again. Plus, most of these items travel well, which allows me to workout when I'm on the road.
Pro tip #7: Great bodies think alike.
While being a pro athlete I had an entire organization looking after me— not to mention a paycheck — to motivate me to stay fit. In the real world, we have to find other sources of motivation: friends, family, even a local sports team. When you've entered into a pact with someone else, you're more likely to remain committed. Once you've found a workout partner, consider signing an agreement that outlines your fitness goals. Seeing your fitness dream written down on paper may give you the boost you need to achieve it.
Pro tip #8: Celebrate your successes.
When I was a pro, working out regularly and being in top shape was a given. These days, I feel an incredible sense of achievement whenever I complete an ordinary 40-minute workout. Sure it’s nothing compared to the super-intensive workout sessions I use to go through when I was competing but now I am happy that I am able to keep training for fitness and for health. You can give yourself little rewards here and there — as long as it's not junk food. Instead, splurge on a bouquet of flowers or a smoothie, or celebrate your successes with something bigger, such as a pedicure, a facial, a night out with friends or even a trip!
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