People who exercise on a daily basis, especially those of us that have been doing it for many years, often get in a PT “rut”. Over time, we’ve found the workout routine that works best for our goals and lifestyle and then we stubbornly stick to it. The fact is, one of the best ways to get in the habit of regular exercise is to make it something you can just do, with any worry or extra mental effort. So doing mostly the same thing all the time does make it a no brainer. However, even the best routine will burn you out if you don’t change it up once in a while. One of the best ways to maintain a long term, injury free PT effort is to frequently change things. Add something different. Like if you’re a big weight lifter, try a session of no weight calisthenics.

If you run all the time, jump on a bike or climb some stairs. I think swimming is one of the best all around body workouts and it gives your joints a break and its a completely different type of workout than anything you can do in a gym. Try some different sports like yoga, martial arts or boxing. I’ve done all those over the years and they can all help give you a great workout; mentally and physically. The point is; to develop and maintain a high level of physical conditioning (and keep your attitude fresh) you need to regularly add some variety to your routine. In my book Corps Strength I outline the right way to incorporate different types of “cross-training” into your overall fitness plan. Doesn’t mean you have to do something different everyday, just mix it up a little. It will go a long way to help you stay in condition, while keeping you motivated and injury free. Try it.
Good Luck and be Safe
MGunz

You may not realize it, but an important area of physical conditioning (and long term health) is something rarely spoke of; that being the warm-up and cool-down. In the Marine Corps, any organized PT session almost always takes the time to preform a thorough warm up. When I first enlisted back in 1981 it was the “Daily 7”, 28 years later when I retired in 2009 it had grown to the “Daily 16”. These both take about 10 minutes, and at the end your warmed up, loose and unless you were hung over, ready to roll into some hardcore PT. To end the session we conducted a cool down and stretch. While that is the case for formal PT, I doubt that most people take as much time for a proper warm-up and cool-down when exercising on their own, and they should. The warm up increases blood flow to the muscles, thus increasing metabolism. Warmed muscles have an increased speed of contraction and both oxygen usage and nerve transmission are improved. A good warm-up also allows your heart rate to gradually rise to a workable rate.

The benefits of a cool down are also numerous; reduction of Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness: “DOMS” (In other words genius you’ll be less sore tomorrow, if you do a good stretch out after you PT). A cool down helps reduce the level of adrenaline in your system (less chance you’ll get dizzy), and it gradually returns your heart rate to a resting level. But probably the best benefit to a good warm up and cool down is that it helps prevent injury. Warmed up muscles are much less likely to “Pull or Tear” and a good stretch after PT (while you’re still sweating) will help increase your range of motion, which is a proven method to help avoid injury. The point is that before you engage in any serious PT, (or sports) you need to warm up and cool-down properly. In my book Corps Strength I outline an effective warm-up and cool down. They are simple to learn and only take about 5 or so minutes to perform. in any case take the time to do both, it will pay off in the long run.

Good Luck
MGunz
corpsstrength.com

Two of the most common questions I get concerning PT is “How do you do still PT this hard at your age?”, and “Can I do your program at my age?” What I always answer is; “Age ain’t a number”. Some people are worn out and broken at 30 while others are still going strong in their 60’s and 70’s. I have seen more examples of this than I can count. Obviously some people have injuries and health problems that will limit what they can do. However, almost anyone can do something and I have seen many older (and some disabled people) do some amazing physical stuff, and that’s amazing for any age. While they’re all different people, what they all have in common is a “no excuses” attitude. They just get their butts up and go do what they can. I’m convinced that a good exercise program, tailored to your needs and lifestyle, consistently followed will not only add years to your life, but life to your years. Add to that some common sense eating and you’ll be able to do just about anything. This is not just my opinion but a fact, I see people doing it everyday. In my book “Corps Strength” I outline how you can design and follow a common sense, effective and time efficient PT program. One that will work for you, not the other way around. So the point of all this? Stop worrying about how old you are, how tired, or sore you are and just get your ass moving. Forget the excuses and you’ll be surprised at what even a little effort will bring you. I guarantee it.

Be safe and Good luck,
MGunz

In his latest installment, MGySgt Paul Roarke USMC, (Ret) discusses the proper mental attitude to help set the stage for success.

I get emails all the time from people asking me if my PT system (www.corpsstrength.com) will help them get in shape and lose weight? The simple answer is yes, and that isn’t just a sales pitch, but a fact that’s been proven by hundreds of people over many years. However before you tie on your sneakers, or do one pushup you have get one thing right or I guarantee you won’t reach your goals; your thinking. Now this might seem like a simple thing, I mean who doesn’t want to get in shape, lose weight, be healthy and look good? Everybody right? Well the sad fact is that when it comes to fitness, there is a big gap between what people want and what they end up with. I am convinced that this problem is caused by one thing above all others, the wrong thought process. It’s the reason that I devote an entire chapter in my book to planning. In my experience the success or failure of any fitness routine is 90% thinking, not sets and reps. You need to know how to set realistic goals, remove excuses and set up a workout routine that will support you, your goals and YOUR life, not the other way around. This isn’t rocket science but it does take some thought and common sense and I don’t believe in short term fixes, but long term solutions. That in itself is hard for many people to understand. As we say in the military “Tactics win Battles, but Logistics wins wars”.

Get your Logistics squared away and your Tactics will have a much better chance to be successful. I guarantee it, worked for me for over 30 years.