Question: GO BIG OR GO HOME?

This cannot be real, right?

 

Question: Go Big or Go Home?

Answer: NO!

Go as big as you can, safely and with proper form, then come back tomorrow and do it again. 

Whether at Globogym or your crazy brother-in-law’s garage, “go big or go home” is a mantra I have heard over and over in gyms. It’s written in bold letters on the chalk board and yelled by trainers and training buddies alike. Today I hope to shed some light and transform your thoughts on this archaic training ideology.

It is human nature to believe that more is better. More weight = stronger; run farther = more endurance. This simply isn’t the answer. Actually, more often than not, these exact principles lead to us further from goals. This “go big or go home” philosophy can often lead to injury, and injury is the kryptonite to our success in the gym.

Now, don’t let this talk of injury keep you from pushing yourself in every facet of every workout, every day. That is not my intention. I only desire safety while pushing your body to whatever limit it has that day. None of us can afford to get hurt. Our jobs, kids, and hobbies won’t allow it. So when someone tells me that they cannot workout or cannot perform certain tasks because they can’t get hurt, I always laugh (Of course, I laugh at all of your excuses).  I know you can’t get hurt, and you won’t if you perform the exercise correctly.

The bio mechanics of each movement is ultimately what challenges our bodies with different exercises. In other words, the actual movement of your body is, and always will be, the most important part of what you are doing! 

Leave the performance-based mindset behind (i.e. how many sets did I do, or how much weight did I perform), and start thinking along the lines of “was my form correct on every rep” or “was I able to maintain my intensity without losing my technique.”  My #1 Rule of Fitness has always been “It just has to be hard.”  If the things you are doing are not challenging your body, you will never change your body. “Without Change there is no Challenge, without Challenge there is no Change”.

So, the next time someone tells you to Go Big or Go Home, politely say “No thanks, I’ll do it correctly as I can and with as much intensity as I can.” Remember, no one workout is ever worth of week of bed rest.

Do you suffer from the “go big or go home” mentality?  What’s the craziest workout mantra you’ve been talked into?  Does your crazy brother-in-law have a gym in his garage? (No offense, David.)

 

 

BE SAFE,

WORK HARD,

REPEAT!

 

God Bless,

Shane

A Recap of Our First Two Weeks - As Told by Facebook Pictures

Our first two weeks at CORE SPI have flown by! We feel so honored and blessed to have such an amazing opportunity and such great people surrounding us. Here is a little recap of our time at CORE SPI so far, as told in Facebook pictures:

First, there was prep work to be done. Lots and lots of prep work.


We brought in three different sizes of heavy duty tractor tires. Flipping them is okay, but hitting them with a sledge hammer is awesome stress relief!

 



Next, we cleaned up the South office space and made it into our "SPI KIDS" area. We are the only gym in Edmond that offers FREE childcare! There's a larger space for our big kids and then this smaller room for our little ones ;)

 

Finally, we added some much-needed equipment, including lighter dumbells and kettlebells, mats, bosu and swiss balls and a couple landmines.

 

 

Once all of our equipment was in place, it was time to do some work! Here are a few of the things we do at our Edmond Bootcamp classes, SPI FIT (NOT Crossfit) classes and Personal Training sessions.

Although we are still in transition and still have a lot to learn, CORE SPI is already starting to feel like home!

 

We Have Feet to Scale and Climb: Why the Daily Grind is so Important

"We have not wings, we cannot soar; but, we have feet to scale and climb, by slow degrees, by more and more, the cloudy summits of our time." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



Muscle is the key to long term fitness.

I understand that everyone would like to have what they consider the perfect body, and that they want it right now. However, this is not a realistic way to look at fitness or your long term health. It takes TIME to build muscle.  The most important thing a person can do is to build exercise into your every day schedule. Make movement a priority! Being consistent with whatever level of fitness you can handle will yield more positive results than going to extremes for short periods of time ever will. This consistency will activate muscles and keep them activated; raising your metabolism and helping your postural efficiency. 

There is no "one" answer to everyone's fitness needs, so find out what works for you and DO IT. Set aside all of your reasons and excuses and make YOUR HEALTH, YOUR ONE BODY, YOUR ONE LIFE a priority!

Remember the rules of CORE SPI:
BE SAFE,
WORK HARD,
REPEAT

God Bless,
Shane

 

 

Welcome to our new blog! 

 

We hope to educate and inspire you on your journey to "Function Better, Feel Better, Look Better!"