When it comes to staying motivated with fitness there is nothing that works better for me than setting personal goals. I like using short-term, attainable goals. Sometimes I’ll just refer to them as carrots because I like to dangle them in front of me to keep moving forward. One trick I’ll do is mark certain event (i.e. vacation, tournament, contest, hike) dates on the calendar so that I can work backwards from that date in an effort to maximize my enjoyment and/or performance. A little preparation goes a long way towards success, whether that means winning or having fun or both, as well as preventing injury and reducing recovery time.
I’ll be turning 40 next month and I’ve found that using short-term goals enables me to shift the focus of my fitness regimen in accordance with shifts I experience in my life. In general, I stay relatively fit and healthy and I do so by consistently being active and working out regularly. Depending on what kind of event is circled on the calendar, I’ll make tweaks in my training to accommodate for what I’m going to be doing so that I’ll have the right body and the right mindset when the time comes.
For example, I have two things on the calendar coming up that I want to be prepared for. My wife and I are going to Maui next week for 8 days/nights and we intend to stand up paddle board as much as possible. We learned how to “SUP” during our last trip to Kauai and now we have the bug to do it at every opportunity. SUP requires a lot of core strength so I’ve incorporated several plank, squat and upper body exercises to strengthen the muscles I’ll need to SUP as well as protecting the muscles that will be stressed, such as the low back.
In addition to Maui and being SUP-ing fools next week, I’ll be competing in a beach volleyball ProAm event at Huntington Beach pier on March 5th. The event is for charity and I’m playing with my good friend David Fischer for the second year in a row. Last year I believe we lost in the quarterfinals and we hope to do better this year. This is an event that I’m intent on having fun at…and winning would be nice also, so I’m getting my legs, core and lungs in shape. In addition to strength training, I’ll be doing more cardio work so that my stamina will be solid.
Since I’m on the road and away from home (and my home gym) so much I’ve learned dozens upon dozens of great exercises to do on the TRX Suspension Trainer. Having an arsenal of TRX exercises at my disposal has empowered me to maintain my fitness and when needed able to make adjustments. For example, the “Tone Up with Ten” workout I’ve posted in the past is my core whole-body workout template. I know that workout up, down and back again…so it’s easy to add to or modify on the fly.
In this video below I briefly discuss setting goals and then I explain and demonstrate a few TRX exercises. See how I use my TRX and try out these exercises for yourself. Come back here to my blog or website www.VirtualWorkoutPartner.com for more tips on mastering the TRX and being fit for life.
