EFL Blog

July is flying by and we are busy preparing for our opening party and the Elemental Fitness Clinic which is only 2 weeks away! Only 15 spots are left and by the looks of it I expect it will fill up in the last week, but unfortunately some who wait until the last minute are going to be out of luck.

Robert Dos Remedios has not only agreed to come and give his time and knowledge for a good cause but now he has sweetened the deal by offering everyone that comes to the clinic a free copy of his Power Training/CST Workout Card software, which feature some pretty damn cool dropdown menus that let you put together a program using exercises and protocols from his Power Training and Cardio Strength Training books.

To add to that the Clinic is now approved for .4 NSCA CEUs and NATA CEUs.

Another reason July goes so quickly is that everyday I’m glued to coverage of the Tour Du France. Though I’ve never even owned a road bike much less competed in road racing this is my favorite sporting event of the year.  Part of what is so captivating is the strategy and mental toughness required, especially when the race goes into the big mountains and it basically comes down to who can endure the most pain and keep going.

Having done a few cyclocross races I can say that will power is a huge aspect of not only competing but also training. Repeatedly grinding up hills and keeping a certain leg busting tempo mile after mile is painful and just plain sucks in ways that doing a set of squats can’t even come close to. In that way I think kettlebell sport’s 10 minute sets from hell comes fairly close to the mental demands of cycling.

That’s not to say I can even remotely understand the levels to which a top cyclist has to mine in order to beat another highly trained competitor. The mental game plays a huge part in the success of us regular folks looking to drop some fat or even look better naked. A common trait among the most successful clients I’ve trained over the years is that they have the will power, or develop the fortitude to show up consistently and put in hard efforts day after day all the while altering their daily lifestyle.

For some this may mean not hanging out with certain friends as much, as that usually means eating unhealthy food and drinking too much, or even getting a partner to change the usual date night activity.

The demands of undertaking a quest to lose double digits of bodyweight should not be underestimated. It can be a long struggle full of thousands of little choices, any of which can stop progress dead in it’s tracks  But the bottom line is people will succeed when they have enough emotional motivation to change their lifestyle and develop the mental toughness to not hang out on the couch with some cookies and instead put themselves through a training session.

Some think they are ready but don’t succeed on the first try once adversity comes, which is fine. I’ve seen many people regress only to come to better understand what it really takes to make lasting changes, then come back and make that consistent effort to get them over the peak.

Stepping into a new environment such as a gym, then being told you basically have to alter your current lifestyle in addition to doing hard workouts is not easy, and I believe more fitness professionals should make the effort to understand just how difficult it can be for many people to make this move.

If more Americans could channel even 1/100^th of the character of the Rwandan cyclists we wouldn’t have obesity rates in the neighborhood of 30% across the country, so I hope some find encouragement in their story.