Put In The Reps

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Sponsor Shout-Out
• 0:47 The Central Idea: Do The Reps
• 2:06 Quality Matters, But Quantity Enables It
• 4:55 Schwarzenegger’s Chalkboard And Tracking Work
• 6:23 Reps Build Mastery Beyond Fitness
• 8:35 College Study System And Daily Quotas
• 11:17 Programming Workouts: Sets, Form, And Focus
• 12:27 [Ad] Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
• 13:14 (Cont.) Programming Workouts: Sets, Form, And Focus
• 13:49 Navigating Low-Energy Days Without Skipping
• 15:49 Consistency Over All-Out Starts
• 17:06 Diet Reps: Logging, Trends, And Adjustments
• 18:54 It’s Not Black Or White: Quality And Quantity
• 20:38 Closing, Downloads, And Sponsor Thanks

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to There Is a Method to the Medinates. 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 Medinates. Before I get to today's show, I want to thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilding of the Gilding Group at 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. We still have to put in the reps. No question about it. We gotta put in the work, we gotta put in the time, and that's what I'm going to talk about today. So if you read my new book, which hopefully you have, I go over my uh 10 max fit rules or max fit commandments. You know, there are things that uh I've talked about for years, and as I've always said, and one of the commandments is there's uh, you know, many right ways to exercise, just don't do the wrong thing because there are wrong ways to do things. So there's many, many good philosophies out there, there's many, many good workout programs, there's many, many good uh gyms, you know, trainers. So, like there's just a lot of good ways to do things. And uh what I've found through the years is that there are certain guidelines and principles, though, that really remain consistent as far as what I've seen. And uh so anyway, I list 10 of them, and one of them is quality is greater than quantity, or make sure you're always thinking about quality, and that's absolutely true. Now, qualitative things are harder to measure, you know, they're in the form of good, bad versus something very tangible that you can measure and see. So it's a little harder to you know pinpoint when we are focusing on quality. But I think we also know quality versus poor quality. And uh, you know, mostly what I'm talking about when it comes to that is quality training, which means make sure that we're using the greatest load we can use, make sure we're using the greatest form that we can use, make sure if we're doing cardio, that it's the type of cardio that best benefits us, that we're also thinking about form, that we're also thinking about intensity. I mean, there's no question about it, the value of quality. But what I want to talk about to you today is quantity matters too. You can't get to quality if you don't have the quantity. So you have to put in the work, you have to do the reps, and there is something very, very releasing about that, right? There is for me, you know, I'm a um checklist keeper, I'm a calendar keeper, you know, all those types of things. I also have enough experience to know that those things can change and should change some days, but there is a lot of peace of mind in knowing that we have set out what we need to do, and we are striving to do that. So I really, really do believe that there's a big benefit in knowing what reps we need to do and what reps we do do. So, you know, there's one thing I I mean, there's a lot of things I like about Schwarzenegger, Arnold Schwarzenegger, like he, you know, he he's you know from the old muscle beach. So there's a little bit of an old school muscle head in him, you know, and I don't know that he knows the science and exercise and diet very, very well. But he also admits that, which is why he has a staff. But you know, one thing he's always talked about that I agree with 100% is he says, you know, you gotta put in the reps. And for him, when he worked out, it was kind of a little uh cool method that he used. He would put up his workout on a chalkboard. Like I don't even know if he kept track track of it in a journal, I'm not really sure. Probably did, because I think most of those guys did, but I know he wrote the workout out on a chalkboard. You know, we're talking 70s and 80s, so yeah, they still had chalkboards, and he would write out the exercises and then how many reps he was supposed to do. And then as he would do the sets, he would go off and check it off, like he would check it off of his list, and uh, you know, I always thought that that was pretty cool, and when his chalkboard was finished, you know, he was finished, so it was a way for him to keep track and to know that he is doing enough work. I really think there is huge value in that, and knowing like what the reps are that we need to do. I mean, the bottom line is none of us are going to get better at anything unless we put in the work. You know, um, about 10 years ago, maybe it was longer, and people still talk about it. It's been discounted a little bit, but people still talk about it. The 10,000 hour rule, so to say, that to become an expert, you know, you had to put in 10,000 hours, and allegedly somebody calculated that and figured that out to be the right amount of time to be an expert. So, like I said, I think the exact number has been disputed a little bit, but there is no question to be great at what you do or good or improve, you have to put in the reps, right? I mean, the epitome of entitlement is thinking that we are going to get something that we don't work for, right? I mean, that's not going to work. I promise you, in the world of physical fitness, it's pretty darn fair. You are going to get out of it what you put into it. So if you do the repetitions, you're going to get out of it the exact amount that you put into it. Uh, when I was in college, you know, I've I think I've talked about this before. I mean, I know I have, I think I've covered it in the podcast, but I had a rep system that I would do with studying. For me, it was really, really important to make really good grades. Did I take it too far? Yeah, I mean, I looking back on it, I probably did, but I was not a great student in high school. Like, essentially, I could care less at that stage in my life. I mean, I shouldn't say I could care less. I I did what I had to do to get by, but I never really saw myself as a scholar. Didn't have the confidence. But once I really got college, like once I decided I really wanted to go and commit myself, well, then I was like bound and determined, you know, at this stage of my life, if, you know, you gotta be the best. So I was like bound and determined to make the best grades I could make, which for me were A's. And I was really locked in on doing that. And I was going to do whatever it took to get an A in every class. And I almost did. I mean, I graduated with honors with graduated Magna Cumwati in college, and then in my graduate school, I did have a perfect 4.0 GPA. I don't know if I'm bragging. Uh, it may sound that way, but I'm not. I mean, it was really because I put in the work. I mean, I just really put in the work, and that's the whole point of me telling you this story. So I would make sure that I would study for an allotted amount of time per class. Um most of my college career, I was full-time student and working full-time, so it wasn't easy. My senior year, I didn't work. That was the only year I didn't. And so I didn't have a lot of time in the day, but I did make sure that I studied every day for a certain amount of time for every class. And like that was the reps that I would put in. So it was like if I had a history class or whatever, history, I don't know, physiology, psychology, like each class was going to be split up among a certain amount of time that I would spend, no matter what. Like, even if I was never a crammer. And probably one of the reasons why I did really well, I was never a crammer. I always studied early. I got ahead of it. Um, literally the first day of class, I would open up and literally read the syllabus as part of the homework. My own homework I set for myself. Like my teachers didn't have to discipline me at that stage. I was setting my own discipline. So I would literally read the syllabus and at least like thumb through the first chapter or whatever we were supposed to read. And by the time it got even close to exam time, I was really ready because no matter what, I studied a little bit every day, even in the beginning. And that didn't change. Like as the course continued on, I didn't need to spend more time on a particular course because I was caught up. So that was the reps that gave me a peace of mind. So if I knew I did that, then I felt good and I can do whatever else I wanted to. Now at that time, and it continued through, it was also very important for me to work out. So I was going to put in my reps there as well. Like, you know, I was bodybuilding pretty uh seriously at the time. So if I was heading into what we called the dome, which was a dumpy gym at UCF, University of Central Florida at the time. I mean, now they have these beautiful different health and fitness centers all over the campus. I mean, we literally had a place that was called the Dome, and I do not think it had AC. And it literally was a dome-style building out by the basketball court. Like that's what we were, we had to train with. I mean, I shouldn't complain. We had something and um had old universal machines in there, which we're talking they predated Nautilus and then some free weights, but whatever. You know, if I was gonna go in that day and say, do back and biceps, I would have it written out or spelled out somewhere in my brain or on paper of the exercises I was going to do, the sets and the reps. So I had the quantity written down. And I knew in order for me to have a good day, at least psychologically, then I would need to do my reps. Now, qualitative was always a part of it for me, anyway. I always wanted to do the best that I could on my sets and use the most intensity that I could, but ultimately I went into it knowing that I was going to have to do the reps and I would do whatever it took to finish them at the time. As I've gotten older and more experienced and into my career, I would say that form has gotten even better and improved quite a bit. But like it never changed the fact that I had to do the reps then. I have to do the reps now. As we get smarter, as we get more experienced, we figure out like where should those reps go. Because obviously you've picked up on the fact that reps aren't just the reps in the gym, they're everything that we need to do. So we're not going to get better unless we do the work. And I guess the real hard part is not too hard, but the part, the work you have to do is to figure out exactly what reps it is that you need to put in, but then make sure that you do it. So I'm taking piano. I started that a few years ago. Great coach named Natalie. She uh trained, works with me remotely. She's a piano teacher. She actually plays violin and all kinds of instruments, but she teaches piano, and I do that remotely with her. And all my lessons started out that way. And I have to put in the reps. I mean, you know, pretty much every time we meet, in the beginning, we went over the very, very basics, and I'm still very, very basic, but I mean, now it's at a point where, like, we'll do a new song, and she'll have me do my right hand first, right hand only, and we go through it. And if that goes fairly smoothly, then we'll go left hand, and which is typically the chord hand, and go all the way through it. And then if that's good, we go both hands together and go through the song. And you know, she's taught me how to read music, which I think is really cool. But then, you know, the the session's somewhere around 30 minutes, so that's not enough to master the song, of course. And then during the week, I'm supposed to do the reps. I mean, I gotta sit down and at least 10 minutes a day, she says, and and that's great advice because what ends up happening is I end up spending more time, but for 10 minutes at least, I'll sit down and I'll go through this song just like that, doing my reps right hand first. If that's smoothly and I got it, I at least understand what the notes are and the moves, you know, because you got to move your hand up, move your hand down, type of thing. And then I'll do the left, the chord hand, and if that's all good, then I'll put them together. Then as the weeks go, or as the week go, I should say, and I'm doing my reps, it gets to the point where I'll jump right in and play both hands together and I'll play the song through a few times. And, you know, if I'm learning it, if I'm really getting it, then I try to master it more. I try to be able to do it maybe a little bit faster or practice areas. I'll send her a video and she'll say, Well, you kind of like uh it's with me, the mistakes I typically make would be with timing. So she'll say that um, you know, I sped up here or I slowed down here type of thing. And then I'll go back through. But I've been able to learn at least to the point where I can play some songs and some songs that I enjoy because I put in the reps. I mean, I'm not gonna learn how to play the piano by taking a lesson and then staring at the piano the rest of the week, right? I mean, it's a pretty big instrument and sits in the middle of one of the main rooms. I mean, you know, I'm not gonna get better by walking by it, you know. I'm gonna actually have to do the work. And I enjoy the work, you know. So, like with that, it's a great example of everything that we learn to do. We put in the reps. And what I want to ask you is, are you willing to do that? Like, I am a person that really pushes quality, no question about it, you know, especially when it comes to form. I mean, to me, there's not a a reason to get out of good form, there's just not a reason, other than you don't know, so that's ignorance, or you know, you're just so hellbent on doing it the way that you want to do it. But I mean, to me, that's like so silly, and that's not ignorance at that point, that's just ego. But there's no good reason to do exercises with bad form, there's just no good reason for that. So that goes without saying, but you know, there are days that we don't feel like giving it 100% intensity. I mean, I'll go through those days. I mean, I'll I'll think to myself, so you know, pull-ups, pull-ups are one of the greatest exercises there are. Um, I love them in a way. I mean, I love the results of them, I love the challenge of them. But pull-ups are probably the hardest thing I do in my workouts. And um, I think to myself, oh man, you know, I want to be able to knock out three sets of 10 with only a minute in between, you know. And if you've done pull-ups or whatever, you know that like that's hard. I mean, you can do 10. I mean, that's hard to do 10, but you can do 10 and then, you know, rest and go right back at it. It's hard to do it again. So for me, I'll look at days like that and go, oh man, you know, not today. Like maybe, you know, later in the week when I feel more energetic and I work out on this area again, I'll attempt that. But today I don't have the mental energy for that. So I'm still gonna do the reps though. Like, I'm not going to not do it. I just may not do it with as much intensity, right? I may do three sets of five instead of three sets of 10, whatever, something like that. Or probably more likely do pull downs in replace of pull-ups so I can manipulate the weight and still do the reps. So, like that's just one example. But the point is that we should always do the work. I mean, it's not always going to be with maximum intensity. But if you went to the gym and let's say your trainer has you doing, or you have yourself doing seven exercises, I mean, that you know, that's pretty standard if you're doing multiple sets or whatever. So, say seven exercises and you're doing three sets of a muscle group, and uh maybe you're doing 10 to 12 reps. I mean, then do it. Like put in the work with as much focus as you have and as much intensity as you have. But again, the intensity can waver a little bit, and that's okay, but definitely with as much focus as you have as you have and use as good a form as you can. Putting in the work really, really matters. And the same goes for cardio. You may wake up some days and you know you're supposed to go for a 30-minute walk, or you put that in your calendar to put in the reps the next day for your 30-minute walk. So you know that's like ideally the way you wanted to start your morning, start your day. I mean, if you go out and do it, you are gonna feel so much better than if you skipped, and maybe you don't have the same energy you had last time you did it, the day before, or whatever. But if you still do it, You are still getting the benefits. I promise you, and it's it's on my list of max fit commandments, consistency is number one. I mean, there are people out there that we call weekend warriors or people that start out with all the piss and vinegar that they can muster. And, you know, they'll tell me, oh, you know, I used to work out, so really push me. And, you know, I want to come every day, and I got the money, and you know, and on the weekends, you know, I want to do this, I want to do this. And I'm always shaking my head, going, oh boy, you know, this person is gonna flame out, you know, most likely they're not gonna stick to it because there's just too much intensity in the beginning, and you wonder where all that is coming from. And the problem with that is it doesn't work. I mean, yeah, if somebody can sustain it, great, but most of the time that's just not sustainable. But the person who's willing to do enough on a regular basis is gonna be the person that wins the race, so to say. Like it's really the consistency that matters. Getting up day in, day out, doing the reps, whatever they might be, even if you don't feel like it, doing it anyway and put it in the work, you're gonna get the benefits. It's the person that is willing to be consistent day in and day out, not just when the mood strikes them, or not just when the environment is favorable, or not just when their friend shows up, or not just when, you know, that certain instructor is working, but the person that shows up all the time and puts in the work is going to be the one that gets the benefits. And that's really where the consistency and the reps come in. Maybe the reps you need to do is to work on that diet. Like maybe you finally started listening to me and you realize that yes, you're getting more fit, yes, you're getting stronger. But if you want to get that weight where you need it, you're gonna have to put in the work with the diet. I mean, I've always said that all of that is 80%. I mean, the diet is 80% of that. Like you can exercise all you want, but if you're not working on that diet, you're not gonna get that weight where you want it. And the way we put in the reps with that is going to be, say, logging our food in a food app like MyFitnessPal or an equivalent. Like that's putting in the reps day in and day out. It can be tedious, it can, you know, be a pain sometimes, like you you don't know what how to find the food or or the right measurement, or it's just a pain in the butt, but it works. And if you're willing to do it day in and day out, you're going to see the trends that you do, you're going to see where you're inconsistent, you're going to see where you're eating too much, you're going to see when you're consuming too many saturated fats, you're going to see when you're consuming too many processed sugars, and you will make adjustments if you're like everybody else, because we are a lot more similar than not alike. So putting in the reps with diet is simply that. Again, maybe you're not having the greatest day. So you think, well, you know what? I'm going to have a little bit of this more than I usually do. Okay, it's not the end of the world. But keep logging your food, staying with it. Don't just throw it out. Too many people just throw it out. They get inconsistent. They start getting off the wagon a little bit. And then the next thing you know, they say, Oh, the hell with it. I'm just not going to track it. Where they would have been better to just get off the wagon a little bit, still log it, make the best adjustment because we're always going to feel different at another time. We are going to feel better, and we're going to be mad at ourselves if we totally threw it all out just because we had one little mistake. So we put in the reps in our diet as well. So, really, we're we're covering two things here. We have to be cognizant of quality. Absolutely. That's never going to change. Like, same with food. I mean, of course, it's better to have a quality food, such as a whole grain, versus a processed sugar. They're both carbohydrates. One of them has greater quality. It's better to have, say, an organic Greek yogurt, non-fat, which is a high quality protein, versus beef. No doubt about it. That is better to do. But we don't throw everything out just because we don't have perfect quality. We keep chugging on and we keep putting in the reps. So the reps is making the best choices we can and logging our food. The reps is going to the gym and doing the prescribed workout to the best of our abilities. The reps is getting up, putting in the doing the cardio, even on days we don't feel like it. And again, this can apply to any venture that you're talking about. If you're still in school, the reps is going to be say study for an hour a day. If you're trying to like improve your intellectual wellness, you know, like I think we all should. Like I love to read. I don't, you know, necessarily have a set prescription here, but you know, some people will say read 10 pages a day. If you're struggling with getting in reading time, just make sure you get in 10 pages a day. I've heard that before. I mean, that's great advice. That is putting in the reps. All right. So we can't be so like black and white. It's all qualitative or or forget it, or it's all quantitative and hell with how we do it. No, it's gray. It's both. We have to put in the reps and we have to do the best job we can to do it with the best of our ability, but that's where it's going to change. Some days we're going to be 100% spot on. Other days we're going to be a little lazier or just tired, and we're not going to use as much intensity. That's okay. We still need to do it. Do the reps. All right. Thank you everybody for listening to today's show. I really appreciate it. I want to remind you to please hit automatic download. It really helps me and it helps the show. And now I'd like to thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach, the area's premier garage door company. 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