You Have to Put in the Reps

Transcript

Introduction and Memorial Day Mile

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to there is a Method to the Madness . My name is Rob Maxwell and I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer . I am the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994 . The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and , most importantly , why things work . Hence the name there is a Method to the Madness . Before I get started today , let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group Realty Pros . They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales . Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth ? 386-451-2412 . What's going on everybody ? 886-451-2412 . What's going on everybody ? This is Rob here . It is Memorial Day for me , I think . When is this going to go off ? I think this is going to launch tomorrow morning , which is Tuesday .

Speaker 1 1:03

So I went and did the Mickler Mile this morning in St Augustine , near St Augustine , and I think I had done like a mile race one other time maybe . But you know , it's unique . It's a different distance to run at . It's actually pretty cool . Anyway , fun way to start the day . Had to be there pretty early and running a mile is different than a 5k . You got to go a little faster , right , but the cool thing about it is just when you look at your watch you're basically going to finish , you know . So that was pretty neat . There was not very many people there , but there was some . There was definitely elite competition there , which is pretty neat to see . There's this guy . His name is Keith Brantley and he's from our area , my area of Central Florida , and he was in the 1996 Olympics . So that's pretty neat to see . He ran the mile . He's in his 60s now and he's still super fast . He's part of that club that puts the event on .

Speaker 1 2:08

But anyway , I like to start my day with exercise . That was definitely different and that's how I started my day today , because you know what I always think I've got to put in the reps , and that's what I'm going to talk about today

Quality vs Quantity in Fitness

Speaker 1 2:26

. You know , at my gym I have a board of 10 things that I think are fundamental principles that we need to practice and work on , to really stay with our fitness and work on our physical fitness to the best of our abilities , and one of them is quality over quantity . And that's obviously true , or at least it's true in my mind , because why would I put it on my board if it's not true in my mind . So what I'm getting at here , because I said we got to put in the reps . At the same time we have to have a healthy balance of we have to put in the reps .

Speaker 1 3:13

So the reps is , in my opinion , and the way I'm going to explain it , is the quantity in life and of course , quality speaks for itself , right ? So quality in the gym is the repetition should be done with appropriate load , the repetition should be done with good form . The quality for cardio respiratory reps would be that you're running at or jogging or biking or walking at the intensity that you should be at , or you're paying attention to your body and not just doing what we call garbage miles . So quality is just one of the critical foundations of a good exercise program to keep yourself going , to make sure you're putting the priorities where they need to be . But , as I said , we have to also dance with that gray area of . We also have to put in the reps and we have to put in the reps in anything that we want to be successful in life . Now Arnold Schwarzenegger has his famous quote that says it's really all about the reps . Has his famous quote that says it's really all about the reps . And he was known to write down his little training program on a chalkboard when he went to his gym when he was a young man and he would write down like every time he completed a set . He would kind of like draw a line on the board , you know . So he was like counting his reps . So there is a point where we have to understand that we have to figure out what the work is that we need to do

Elite Athletes and Their Daily Reps

Speaker 1 4:56

and we need to do the work .

Speaker 1 4:59

You know , in my newsletter this morning I was talking about this concept and I was talking about how Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever play . I say arguably because there's arguments and I'm not going to sit here and try to solve if that's true or if he's number one , because it really doesn't matter . That's why I use the term arguably . He's , in the argument , one of the greatest players to ever play at his sport and he was known to have a phenomenal work ethic in the gym alone , at practice . So I don't know , I'm sure he had a great practice outside of practice as well , but just with what's been documented and reported is that when he was at practice , when he played for the Chicago Bulls , he would put in between 500 and 1000 shots at practice . I mean , doesn't that kind of make your arms sore just thinking about it , you know ? And over 500 of those were free throws . Over 500 free throws .

Speaker 1 6:04

This is a person who , at the time , was a perennial all-star . I don't know if there was a season where he wasn't an all-star . He's a hall of famer . He has won six championships . I mean again , arguably the greatest player to ever play . And , by the way , his free throw percentage for his career is 83.5% . So that's really , really good .

Speaker 1 6:29

So he felt like he still needed to put in the reps . So he felt like he still needed to put in the reps . 500 to 1,000 shots per day . That was his reps . So I'm sure he had dribbling reps . I'm sure he had passing reps . I'm sure he had different reps . I'm just trying to give you an example of what reps mean and what they can mean for you .

Speaker 1 6:51

Kobe Bryant , who came along maybe a little bit later , like a generation later , 10 years later I think they played at the same time but he was of a different generation , the next generation . He wanted to be the next Michael Jordan , and again he's in the argument of one of the greatest to ever play . Well , the reports are that he put in 800 to 1,000 shots per day . Looking at that , seeing how he came a little bit later , you go oh 800 . So he had a top Jordan . It's like okay , that's fine . He still understood that he had to put in the reps to try to become the greatest . I mean there are examples over and over and over .

Speaker 1 7:34

When I was doing this , preparing for this , preparing for the email , I was looking at different scenarios that people might be able to relate to . When we look at the NFL , tom Brady although I was never a Patriots fan , but he is arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play and I'm not going to dispute that the man won six or six or seven Super Bowls . I mean that is crazy how much he won . And when he played the teams I like , like the Dolphins , I mean he always pretty much dominated them . And the reporting is that he put in three to six hours per day of game film , three to six hours per day , and he is considered to be the smartest , most prepared quarterback to ever play . I mean we can look at these scenarios and I hear it all the time . I hear oh well , you know , jordan was gifted and Kobe Bryant was gifted and Tom Brady was gifted . It's like you have to be gifted to become a professional athlete . There's no question about it . But I believe what separates them from the other gifted players out there the other physically gifted is their willingness to put in the work , that is , their repetitions .

Speaker 1 8:52

Now I kind of ran out of . I didn't want to use too many examples in the email because then it kind of gets away from being a small brief , pointed email in the mornings and so I didn't get a chance to look up exactly how many throws he made . But I can remember the stories of Dan Marino when he was a young kid , in high school . Now he was an elite quarterback . He's also one of the greatest to ever play the game in the NFL . He didn't quite have Brady's success with Super Bowl wins , but he is considered also one of the greatest to ever play , one of the greatest throwing quarterbacks ever . I'm sure we've all heard that and again , I'm not here to argue sports .

Speaker 1 9:35

He was also known to put in the work . He had what was known to be a phenomenal release , a very quick release . So he threw the ball from his ear . That way he didn't have to wind up and make these really long throws so he can get the ball out quicker , so he didn't end up getting sacked . Well , you're not born with that ability to go . Oh , throw it from your ear . That came allegedly from his father telling him that he should master this . So he would go out into his backyard and throw footballs and baseballs . Because he also played a little bit of professional baseball . A lot of people don't realize he was actually drafted by the Kansas City Royals to play baseball . So he was just a great athlete all the way around . But he would throw balls from his ear to the tree and again , I don't want to give you the exact number because I didn't go look it up , because I had already had enough information , but I don't know , hundreds probably . And he wouldn't come inside until those throws were

Finding Your Personal Fitness Reps

Speaker 1 10:36

made .

Speaker 1 10:37

I mean , so what are your reps you have to put in ? I mean , I believe greatness happens when we put in the reps . So if we want to be physically fit , what are the reps that we have to do ? You know there's different types of guidelines . I've heard some people say you know it doesn't matter what I do , but I'm going to put in 75 minutes of exercise per day . Okay , I mean , that is putting in the reps . Or there are people , bodybuilders , that will go to the gym and say I'm going to do 22 sets of strength training before I go home . Okay , that's putting in the reps .

Speaker 1 11:18

Maybe putting in the reps is making sure that you log your food in your MyFitnessPal or whatever device you're using day in and day out , but you're putting in the reps . Or maybe you are counting those annoying calories Kind of the same thing , but just a different way to say it that you're paying attention to your diet . By putting in the reps , you're saying all right , so to lose this weight , I've got to eat 1,400 calories a day , and I don't believe that things just happen . So , in order to lose this weight , this is the number me and so-and-so came up with , or me and my calculations came up with , and I'm going to follow it and I'm going to do it day in and day out . I'm going to add up my calories , I'm going to check it out , I'm going to see if I hit my numbers and I'm not going to go over it . So you're putting in the reps , going to go over it . So you're putting in the reps .

Speaker 1 12:20

So with me , lately one of my struggles has been quad flexibility . I'm pretty flexible overall , but my quads they're just so tight and it's strange because they didn't used to be . And someone was asking me the other day so are you doing anything different in your training ? And it's like no , not really . You know , I mean , I'm putting in the reps there , which is good , and that's probably why they're getting tight . Because , if you don't know , this , like when you strength train , you're actually shortening the muscles , so you can be making those muscles a little more tight if you're not appropriately stretching them out .

Speaker 1 12:55

But then I got to think okay , so , rob , you don't miss a strength training workout when you're supposed to do it , you put in the reps there . Why ? Well , you like it , you see the benefits . You see the benefits immediately you get a pump . When you leave the gym it feels good . Okay , rob , you don't miss your cardio , you know , because they get runners high , or , you know , walkers high or cyclists high , you know , whatever . So after cardio I'm in a good mood , you know , it makes me feel invigorated , glad I did it . So I don't miss that .

Speaker 1 13:27

So I put in the reps , day in and day out , I'd say , with the cardio and the strength training . But then I ask all right , so your quad flexibility seems to be holding you back a little bit , at least bothers you . You put in the reps . It's like , eh , you know , I have to be honest and say , you know , maybe the last couple days , yeah , but not even really . I mean , I haven't stretched yet today . It is 146 . I plan on stretching later when I go into the gym , but you know , I haven't . Yesterday I think I did a little bit , but you know , I know I strength train and I can't remember if I absolutely put them in . I mean , I know I did a couple of days ago , I took some time and really stretched out good , but see , that's not good . Really stretched out good , but see , that's not good .

Speaker 1 14:17

I mean , if I want my quads to be more flexible , if I want to get back to the point where I can get that heel back into my rear end like it used to be , and now it's God , I don't know three quarters of the way up , I'm like , why are these quads so tight ? I can still touch my toes . My hamstrings are fine . Well , whatever I mean , I can sit here and complain or I can say , oh , I'm just getting older , you know , and I just , you know , I'm not as flexible . I mean that's BS , I'm not putting in the reps . I mean , yeah , maybe 10 years ago it was a little easier for me to regain my flexibility in my quads . It would take a little bit of work , but I'd be able to pull that foot back up into the butt . Now I'm getting a full quad stretch . It might've been easier . Now it's harder , but not impossible . I need to put in more reps . So if something isn't happening like it used to , I need to put in more reps . I mean , too many times we quit , we complain and we give up , basically because we say you know what , this isn't working . And then we have to be honest with ourselves and say , well , have we been really putting in the reps day in and day out ? Are we consistent with this ? Because

Personal Journey: From High School to College

Speaker 1 15:32

we could probably look back and go the things that we've been really successful at . We've been consistent with putting in the reps .

Speaker 1 15:41

When I was in college and both my undergraduate and my graduate degrees , I was obsessed with getting really , really good grades . I'm not saying this is healthy or whatever , but it is what it is . It is who I was at the time and I think it came from not doing overly well in high school . A bit of a problem child . I liked to party a little bit and I know you shouldn't say that in high school . But I try to be real on my podcast , my emails , in person , so people understand everybody can get better at everything that they do . But I mean I didn't make good grades because I flat out didn't care . And then I thought , well , maybe I'm just not cut out for this after leaving high high school so took a little bit of time to figure out what I wanted to do .

Speaker 1 16:36

I was insecure about starting college because I just didn't know if I could do it . You know , because I'd never tried . I never put in the reps in high school ever , I mean ever . I look back sometimes I'm like how did I even graduate ? Like I didn't even turn things in . I mean I just flat out didn't care . So that's on me , nobody else , that's on me . So I started up and right away I told myself Rob , you're going to put in the reps .

Speaker 1 17:16

Reps was studying an hour for each class per day . So if I was taking three classes which I think I started with or maybe two , I can't remember I was going to study that class for two hours or study period for two hours . If it was three classes , it was three hours per day . I wasn't going to wait the cram , I wanted to know that I did everything in my power to make it happen . And if I was going to fail kind of like I did in high school , even though I didn't technically fail , I didn't make good grades then I was at least going to know okay , it's not cut out for me , but for me to figure this out , I'm going to have to give it my best , because the only way we know if something is working or cut out for us is if we're giving it our best , and if we're not , we don't have anything to blame , but our effort .

Speaker 1 17:54

So I did , and I remember , after my first semester , getting almost all A's . I think I had one B , but you know what ? That was one of the rare B's I saw in all of college . I think I had two , you know two B's and the rest were A's . I had almost straight A's all the way through my UCF career and I graduated magna cum laude , top 10% of my class . I was in Phi Kappa Phi , which is the National Honor Society for Psychology , and then I went on to get my master's and I graduated with a 4.0 in my master's .

Speaker 1 18:29

I mean , that's coming from a person who you know should have failed high school . I think , you know , probably under today's standards I would have , because you know , back then they just didn't care . You know we always say as Xers and boomers , oh , kids are softer . It's like dude , it is so much harder for these kids today in school that have to pass these college type exams when they're in high school . I mean , no , no , it's a lot harder for them . You know there's more standards , there's not less , there's more . But you know that's neither here nor there . You know I went through what I went through .

Speaker 1 19:04

But the point is I had to put in the reps because it really mattered to me and I think that's the key when something matters , we have to put in the reps . The other thing I did all through college was I put in the reps with the gym because that mattered too . Now I was already pretty good at quote gym , I could work out , I was already bodybuilding , but I still loved it and I still had this belief system that if I kind of backed off a little bit I would lose it Again . It's probably not overly healthy , but it is what it is and now , being an adult , I can look back and go . Well , that might have been a little too obsessive , but you know , at least I can see that now . But the point is is in the two things at that time in my life that mattered the most , I put in the reps and that was getting an education and that was staying fit . Those were the two things . Those were my priorities and I showed it was my priorities by putting in the reps .

Assignment and Show Closing

Speaker 1 20:00

So reps doesn't always have to be 10 reps on the chest , press right , reps have to be . You know , maybe it is , I mean , maybe you know . I know people that say they don't feel good mentally unless they do 100 pushups per day . Okay , that's putting in the reps . And I've known people that say , oh man , it's like almost bedtime and they haven't done it and they go do it and that's important to them . And again somebody might say , well , you know , that's a little weird doing a . You know a hundred pushups at 1130 at night . No , it's not . I mean , you know , and who cares what people think is weird anyway ? Like the most important thing is , like what is it for you to figure out what you have to do ? Like I give a few clients who are willing and ready homework and I'll say , just do this and that's , they do it . I mean , that's putting in the reps . And if we don't put in the reps , how on earth do we expect to hit our goals ? Like only we can do it . All right . So here's your assignment . I want you to figure out what reps you have to put in per day . Just figure it out , and then your second assignment is start .

Speaker 1 20:57

Thank you for listening to today's show . I ask you to please follow this show on wherever you get your podcasts and also please hit automatic downloads . It really helps me and it helps the show . Now I want to thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach , the premier garage door company in Volusia County with the best product with the best service . I can vouch for Jeff and Zach Hawk , the owners . They are great people . If you need any help with your garage doors , give them a shout 386-222-3165 .