Women's Weight Training: Week 2

Hello Ladies! 

Welcome Back to Women's Weight Training: Week 2

Personal Empowerment & Self-Awareness.

I really wanted to tailor this program around you because, well, it's all about you and your needs related to health, quality of life, and fitness. In order to make this more personal I needed to know what some of your strengths and weaknesses are. 

In this past week's activity I asked that you take a few seconds throughout the class to observe the thoughts, feelings, or beliefs you had about yourself or others as you worked out. Then... I asked you to tell me what you learned about yourself this past week as it related to the thoughts you had during the class...

This task served the purpose of discovering essential knowledge about yourself that will help you break out of ruts causing you to make the same mistakes over again (Do you remember last week talking about barriers that cause you to skip the gym?). This is also called SELF-AWARENESS. I assume that as much as you want to learn weight training that you also want to learn what it takes to be exceptional in all areas of life...work, family, social, spiritual, and exercise. Let's take a few moments to assess what you were thinking. 

Here's what you learned about yourself this past week:

• "The instructor concentrated more on form and accuracy vs. how many [repetitions] you could do. There were some exercises I thought I could not do and did. Yay!" 
• "Breathing helps me keep my mind focused and push through [lifting weights]."
• "Concentrating on breathing helps get me through a set. I can push myself harder/further with internal motivational thoughts."
• "Some days it feels great to work alone in the office and not be responsible for others. [Every once in a while] To do the tasks I like best rather than delegate those and stick with the mundane!" 
• "I hate waiting between sets."
• "A rough night impacts your ability to focus on your workout."
• "I am stronger than I think (but I tell myself I am not)." 

And This Matters, Why?

So how does what you said relate back to helping break out of the old routine that is causing you to lack the results you want: physically, mentally, and emotionally?  In this activity, many of you became aware of your own potential to be better than what you previously thought you could be.

 "I am stronger than I think (but I tell myself I am not)." 

Another example of this was...

 "There were some exercises I thought I could not do and did. Yay!" 

I automatically noticed some things that stand out to me as being potential threats to personal improvement. I want to acknowledge the fact that you did take the time to do this activity because this will benefit your own personal growth. There is no room for negativity in personal improvement. There is, however, room for mistakes. 

It's Okay To Make Mistakes.

As humans, we tend to focus on the negative because that is our nature. Negative thoughts will leave us in ruts, not the actual mistake or failure itself. Our thoughts affect how we feel and how we feel affects how we behave. To put it another way, when we think we can't do something and we're asked to do it, we feel scared. We lose confidence and we don't do it, unless I make you of course! But what happens when I'm not there to push you out of your comfort zone? 

What If I fail? 

Failure is crucial for personal development because it teaches us humility. When we make a choice there are always going to be consequences (both good or bad) that come with it. How you assess the situation (what happens after you make a choice) will determine whether you improve or do not improve. For example, one of you wrote, 

"A rough night affects your ability to focus on your workout."

How you assess the situation (was what happened good, bad, just okay?) will determine whether you adjust your behavior the next time you prepare to make a decision. But, if you perceive failure as a bad thing then you've already begun the cycle of negative thinking. 

Be Your Own Coach.

You will not always be able to try something before you know you can do it, so positive thinking is important because you need to be your own encouragement. If a coach told you to go out and try something, but you're probably going to suck at it would that make you feel good? Or if your boss told you that you were terrible at writing up reports, but you were the only one to do the job so you need to do it, are you going to feel good? You are your own boss. It is a scary world out there, and you might not always know what's on the other side, but think "Fake it till you make it". Your positive thoughts will pay off!

Finding Purpose.

I suggest having a purpose every day or a goal to set out for. This will make it a little easier to persevere through difficult times or sets that are challenging.

If you are joining women's weight training on a regular basis this semester, ask yourself why you're joining. If you're joining to learn a few new exercises here or there then this is probably not the place for you. If you're joining to learn how to take responsibility for exercising on your own and increase your self-confidence then you're here for the right reasons. 

Self-control Is A Process.

That's not to say learning how to take responsibility is easy, but in the process you will gain self-control if you put the effort in to assessing your own thoughts and feelings.  

Do you remember crying your eyes out when your mom dropped you off at preschool and you didn't want her to leave? You had to learn to be independent one way or another. She didn't like leaving you there, but she had other things to do. My vision is that you can take control of your own body, mind and emotions. 

It's difficult for me to watch you struggle, but I can see the improvements already. This class is forcing you to ask questions that you wouldn't have if you were copying everything I was doing in group fitness. 

How To Improve.

We know now that negative thinking is the culprit to a lot of the psychological and physical ruts we get in. 

There are a few positive examples above I'd like to mention that I felt were on-point for gaining control of your body, which will lead to body control, and skill control. This method, ultimately, will affect your thinking, feelings, and the way you behave across all situations, but it must be practiced throughout the day every day. 

1. Breathe. "Breathing helps me keep my mind focused and push through [lifting weights]."
2. Positive affirmations. "I can push myself harder/further with internal motivational thoughts."
3. Take responsibility for yourself. Control the things you can control. Let go of what you cannot. "Some days it feels great to work alone in the office and not be responsible for others. [Every once in a while] To do the tasks I like best rather than delegate those and stick with the mundane!" 

By becoming self-aware of what you're thinking and feeling you then can take responsibility for the way you behave the next time. Our behavior is a choice, which begins be the way we think. Perception is the greatest freedom.

Last week we covered resistance training the back muscles. 

Here's what we did:

Warm-up: 5-10 mins cardiovascular work on elliptical or treadmill followed by 4-5 dynamic stretches

1). Assisted Pull-ups- Narrow grip

activates biceps and back

aka easier/safer than wide-grip pull-up

2). Inverted row on Smith Machine  (reverse push-up) also an advanced exercise      *Consider these part of the same "Group"

3). Cable Lat Pull-down  (on one-knee)       *Consider this part of the same "Group"

4). [Overhand] Barbell Rows

5). Underhand/Reverse Grip Barbell Rows

activates biceps

6). Dumbbell Row

Both arms *saves time

Alternating        *Consider these part of the same "Group" 7). Modified Plank Row         *Total body exercise works core & upper back