Super Hero State of Mind

There is something to be said for the state of mind of a person when they enter the gym. Whether you are working out for the first time, an avid exercise enthusiast, athlete, or someone who is just trying to stay healthy and active, every person has a different attitude towards working out. Being a personal trainer myself, I would have to say I am biased in the sense that it is hard for me to imagine not wanting to work out. However, there have been days where my mind is not completely focused on my workout. As of late, there have been a lot of Superhero movies coming out of Hollywood. After almost every movie, I am amazed at the transformations that the actors had to take in order to take on that role. I have tried to think of the dedication and focus each actor had to have in order to embody the supernatural character they have to portray on the big screen.

Recently I have tried to take on that challenge for the second time completing the Superman workout program by Gym Jones--this time trying to go about it with a better “state of mind.” The first time I attempted this workout I was unfocused, ill prepared, and honestly I half assed most of

the recovery days as well as the high repetition days that I just didn’t want to do. My mind was not in the right place and that reflected in my workouts. I told myself the second time I would do it right, and enter each workout with the goal of not only completion, but instead to test myself to do better than the first time. Just by simply changing the way I mentally approached each workout improved not only my weights, but also the results I saw at the end of the program.

This idea of competing against yourself is something that I want to impress upon each one of the clients I see on a daily basis. For the majority of people coming into the gym and doing whatever is on their program or doing what their trainer tells them is just simply going through the motions. Nothing great ever came out of someone simply going through the motions. For the men/women trying to put on muscle and/or lose fat, have you been lifting the heaviest weight you can for the given amount of sets and reps? Or are you too afraid of reaching failure? Failure is one of the biggest fears in the world behind public speaking, death, and clowns (clowns might just be me) but the gym is one place where failure can be celebrated. It means that you were willing to attempt something to challenge yourself and push yourself where previously you had never imagined possible. If you have made it through your whole life not achieving your fitness or health goals, then you already know what it is like to give up. Now I challenge you to see what happens if you don’t.

By Kyle Schoenmaker

#kyleschoenmaker #mindset #attitude #obesity #exercise #challenge #muscle #strength #weightlifting