Failure Is Just A Word

Good morning everyone! Not only do I think this picture is awesome, I absolutely love the quote! I apologize, it may be a little hard to read, but it says "Don't fear failure...in great attempts it is glorious even to fail." - Bruce Lee.  There may be times when we error on the side of caution because we don't want to fail or look like a failure. But at some point we need to forget about what others may think and just GO FOR IT!! Failure isn't always the worst possible result that can happen. It can be a learning experience or it can show just how hard you want something and you'll be damned if you'll let a little setback stop you. Failure is just a word, and as long as we remember that, there's nothing we can't accomplish when we go hard after it! Have a great day everyone! :)

-Mike

Monday Motivation

Good morning everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. It's Monday, the start of the week, so what a perfect time to have a fresh start! Make today your day, start the week off on a positive note and keep that positivity rolling through the rest of the week! Have a great day everyone! :)

-Mike

Friday Fitness Challenge

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you're all having a great day! It's time for another "Friday Fitness Challenge" and since it's the dreaded Friday the 13th, I'm going to step it up just a little because of the bad vibes that come with Friday the 13th and debunk them with a healthy dose of fitness! So whoever's with me for today's challenge you know the rules for participating, and for any of you that are new to this, just like the post if you want to participate and even drop a little comment about it.

So let's beat the dreaded 13th vibes and have a good start to the weekend with doing the "Friday Fitness Challenge"! Have a great day everyone! :) 

- 10 Jumping jacks
- 10 Mountain climbers
- 10 Pushups
- 10 Squats
Repeat 10 times

-Mike

Benefit of Keeping a Workout Log

How many of you walk into a gym, walk up to a piece of equipment, throw some weight on and start repping away?  Now, how many of you do this and wonder why you're not getting stronger or seeing any progress?  Well, a simple answer/question to this is "Are you keeping a workout log?"

Keeping a workout log is a simple and effective way for you to track your progress week in and week out.  Many people get stuck in their routines and it's because they aren't making adjustments to the weight they're lifting or the number of reps they're doing.  With a workout log, you can see what you did last week and build from there.

Progress is important to people and noting what's working for you and what's not working for you will not only save you time in the gym, but a ton of frustration as well.  Nothing's more frustrating than spending 6 months on a routine that's not just working for you.  Keeping a workout log, you are able to record the lifts you did, the weight, how many reps for that week and then the next week when you get to the gym you are able to look back and know where to start.

I keep a log myself that I bring to the gym every day.  I have my exercises already mapped out and ready to go.  I find this helps keep me on track while in the gym, knowing what exercise is next and what weight and reps I'm starting with.  What I do often is keep notes in my log, such as if the weight was too heavy/light that set for the desired reps I was trying to do, noting that if the squat racks were taking and I had to use the smith-machine for that exercise...basic notes at the time, but will help me next week when I'm back in the gym working that same muscle group.  At 36, I'm stronger now than I've ever been, even stronger than I was in my 20's when I had plenty of free time to just workout.  I'm positive it has everything to do with keeping a workout log, tracking my progress, and adjusting my routine week after week according to my previous week's log.  Back then I was just going through the motions, but now I'm smarter about it and it's showing in results and progress.

Keeping a workout log can have many benefits for you, and yes, it may take a half hour out of your day to set up your log for the next day, but I'm betting that many of you will trade that half hour of planning for many many wasted hours in the gym on something that isn't working for you.  Happy logging everyone, have a great workout, and have an awesome day!  :)

- Mike

Don't Give Up!

Good morning everyone! Some words of wisdom/motivation to start off your week:

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas Edison

Don't give up! The beginning is always the hardest and there's going to be challenges along the way, but stay positive, stick to your plan and don't get discouraged. I believe in all of you! Have a great Monday everyone and let's start off this week in a positive direction. :)

- Mike

Friday Fitness Challenge

Good afternoon everyone! It's Friday and you know what that means? It's time for my "Friday Fitness Challenge". I've talked to some of you who did last weeks challenge and I was happy to hear that you participated in it! The great thing about these challenges are they can be done at home in your spare time. 

If you would like to participate, go to my Facebook page, like this challenge and even comment to let all of us know that you did it or are planning on doing it. Now, here's today's challenge:

- 10 push ups
- 20 sit ups
- 20 squats
- 20 lunges (10 each leg)
- 40 jumping jacks
- 60 second wall sit
Do 3 sets of this

I hope to see and hear from all of you that are going to participate. Have a great day everyone and remember, have fun with today's challenge!

- Mike

Just Be Yourself

Hi everyone! There was a motivational quote that came across my Twitter feed the other day (yes, I'm on Twitter and if you are also, look me up if you'd like @MikeRushFitness) and I'd like to share it with all of you. I've mentioned a few times on this page about being a better you. Not comparing yourself to others, but comparing yourself to you and how far you've come.

Too many people can get caught up in what others are doing or see their results and get frustrated because they aren't there yet. I want all of you to know that you are your own ROCKSTAR! Ok, I'll get off my motivational soapbox and give you the quote I saw.

By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before. - Edwin Elliot

I hope all of you have a great day!

- Mike

Photo: imagesbuddy.com