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The Key to Lasting Motivation

October 12, 2012 by

Let’s talk about motivation…

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.
– Zig Ziglar

What gets you going in the morning? What keeps you going during the day?

Do you wake up  every morning pumped up because you can live out your dreams, work on amazing projects and do all the things you wanted to do or are you accustomed to the   “same sh*t , different day” routine?

What do you do when you are tired and do not feel like going to the gym?

Do you dig deep within yourself in search of more strength and energy or do you simply “give up”, crash on the sofa and  watch a couple episodes of How I Met Your Mother while chowing down on some pizza?

Some people know how to stay motivated and some are left relying on their luck, which person will you choose to become?

I  said “choose”  because I believe that we can choose who we want to become, what daily experience we want to have and what emotions we want to feel.

So the question is what do you do to keep yourself motivated?

If you are looking for external sources of motivation (like your coach or friends) you are approaching it from the wrong side. You have to learn how to “manufacture” motivation from within yourself whenever you need it.

The key to lasting motivation and being able to get back on track is when you are just not feeling it is in understanding one thing – your “Why” (meaning why do you want to achieve your goals).

Strangely enough, I was doing this without even realizing it until I recognized these similar traits from the winners of the Adonis Index and Venus Index contests.

Even though understanding your “why” is common sense (it’s not exactly some dark secret only a few chosen ones know about) most people still have no idea how to take advantage of this and often times feel helpless struggling to manage their daily activities.

We’ve had several contestants tell us that discovering your why is the best way to stay motivated for the  long term.

Here’s something that I’ve noticed – Emotions come in waves, so you won’t always operate at a level of  100% determination to meet your goals and you will slip, everybody does, no one will ever have a perfect 12 week transformation. We are driven by emotions which is the force that shapes our habits.

However, even when you don’t feel like working out, you can still have an emotional state where you feel driven to do something that will help you grow; in this case going to the gym. You control all your emotions (good and bad, so nobody can make you angry, only you can), the only thing is creating the positive emotions will require more effort on your part (shocking I know).

Understanding your why will help you channel the right emotions to make the right decisions to get you closer to your ideal AI, because one of the keys to building an ideal body is workout consistency. I’m sure you’ve seen it yourself, people get gym memberships, but they lack any motivation to keep up their gym attendance so they drop out and never get in shape.

Time to Figure Out Your Why

The truth is that working out and even having an ideal body is not actually the outcome we want.

Take money for example, we don’t want the money, we want the lifestyle, we want to feel the emotions and have the experience that are associated with being wealthy, the same applies for building more muscle and having an ideal body.

A good looking body gives us feelings of confidence, accomplishment and happiness. It also means better job or social opportunities and positive feedback from others. It simply allows us to feel happier about ourselves, just listen to our podcasts and interviews if you don’t believe this to be true.

Your desire to build an ideal body has to be stronger than your desire to sit on the sofa and do nothing, which is very tempting because it’s comfortable and requires no effort.

Most men are in denial of their emotions, I know I was, but if you are in denial, you have already begun to lose control.

If you want to have control of your actions, you need to be in control of your emotions and know how to find that motivation within you every single day.

The best thing to do for yourself is to pause whatever activity your doing, close your eyes and take the next five minutes to just focus on figuring out:

-Why you want to build an ideal body?

-Why do you go to the gym?

-Why is the outcome important for you and how will it change your life?

Not that it’s written down, take a couple minutes out of your morning routine to imagine yourself achieving your goals. If you can see the benefits of achieving your goals, it will be easier to motivate yourself to go to the gym and stick to your diet.

Some contestants reported that they wanted to be more confident taking their shirt off, some guys wanted to be more healthy for their kids and/or grandkids,  and some wanted to become actors and models, what’s your why?

FYI, I’m not a psychologist, nor an expert on emotions or the human brain, but I know that understanding your why helped me and our Adonis/Venus contestants get some pretty amazing results, so hopefully sharing this with you will lead to some new winners and some amazing transformations in our future contests.

Talk to you soon,

Vaclav Gregor

 

PS: How do you keep yourself motivated every day and what is your routine for getting back up when you are feeling down? Let me know in the community here.

Filed Under: Greg's Lessons Tagged With: ,

Lessons from Richard: Accountability and Consistency using AI Workouts

October 8, 2012 by

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 8th Adonis Index Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Richard Tesorio who placed 8th in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Check out his transformation pictures:

Richard’s 12 week midterm results.

Here’s Richard’s story…

Richard graduated high school at 115 pounds soaking wet.  Naturally skinny, he was constantly trying to bulk up.

He always wanted that big, ripped defined body.

So one day he started working out  with a friend who had him been involved in some badass tactical operations. However, as awesome as that may sound,  he couldn’t even walk home after his first workout.

Something needed to change…

Richard decided to get a new trainer, however this guy was Somalian and just freakishly strong. Even though he got some results, there was no end goal to his training.  It was at this  time Richard hit an all-time low; he simply stopped going to the gym.

Finally, with a renewed vigor  he resumed his workouts, still chasing his dreams of attaining the ever so elusive ripped physique.

He knew of the Adonis Index System as early as 2008, but busy with life, he never applied himself to the workouts.

Before fully committing to AI, Richard tried running, cardio and insanity workouts…he was stuck in a cycle of hopping from program to program, not getting any results.

To make matters worse, although he recovered from a thyroid issue, he made no changes to his diet which ballooned his weight from 115 to 140 pounds; his weight gain finally leveled off at 159 pounds.

Now burdened with the unwanted bulk from his weight gain, Richard tried a few diets, but hadn’t yet learned the concept of calories in and out.

He also had no understanding of body shape, he would lose weight, only to become a smaller version of himself and not the better looking version, as he hoped for.

He was very unsatisfied with his physique, however, since he was still getting the Adonis Index emails and had the program, he finally decided to commit and try this Adonis thing.

Patience Will Help you Win the Game…Rushing Will Only Backfire your Progress

Richard’s initial approach to the Adonis Index workouts was very smart.

Before he started worrying about big gains he just wanted to get into the habit of going to the gym. In the evening there’s simply too many people, so he figured that mornings will be less crowded and more equipment will be free for him to use.

At first he was like everyone else comparing himself to other people, but you know you shouldn’t do that, and like Richard said, looking back most of these people don’t even know what the hell they are doing.

Once he figured out that he needed to focus on himself, he started learning the moves and focusing on the lift with lighter weights. He basically gave himself a permission to lift light at first. By learning the proper techniques he progressed quickly without getting injured in the process.

Richard starts his mornings with water and black coffee and performs his Adonis Index workout; he then fasts until 5:30PM.

This routine is in accordance with most people’s schedules so he is able to remain social at events that normally occur in the evenings.

A typical diet normally involves some sort of restriction, but most people try to restrict too much, because they strive for quick results. Sadly, this is a proven method for failure. The goal should be to make that restriction feel as minimal as possible.

You can have sweets and cupcakes, it doesn’t matter as long as you restrict calories and have some balance in your diet. However, be prepared for some resistance. Because it looks crazy if you are eating “junk food” in public, it doesn’t make any sense to them that you could be eating like this and be following a supposed fat-loss diet. In the grand scheme of things. that donut is insignificant; no one knows you fasted for 16 hours and will finish with a medium-sized dinner. They’ve had their two meals already and plan on having another two, so if they ate a donut they know it might be too much fattening food for them.

In conclusion, although Richard’s Journey was filled with many peaks and valley’s, his lessons learned in consistency and accountability led him thru a successful 12 week Transformation.

Tips from Richard:

  • Set boundaries and live within them
  • Find a text buddy for encouragement (FYI you can use the forum for that)
  • Find an app to hold you accountable with going to the (Richard shares a name of that app in the interview)
  • Learn about the concepts of the Reverse Taper Diet
    • You need to get used to the idea that the progress will get slower, don’t get attached to the speed that happens at the beginning, we all want it quicker, but that’s why people rebound when they try to make quick progress.
    • Ask yourself this: “Do you want quick results or permanent transformation?”
    • It has to take long time in order for you to learn how to keep your new body – Accept the slower result
    • You wanna keep looking good so make it a lifestyle, make it sustainable
  • Everyone proved the Adonis index workouts work, so just follow them
  • Keep going even if nothing seems to be working, you will get there eventually and once you are on a right path it’s just a matter of time
  • Don’t let anything (or anyone) discourage you
  • Find your best time to work out, work out when you have the most energy or when it best fits your schedule
  • Photos and measurements are really important, but don’t worry about the scale
  • Listen to the podcasts, find people you can relate to and learn from them
  • Filter and ignore other advice (this should be #1 tip of any coach), it will help you keep on track, if you let any advice come to you, you will never get any results

Links from the interview:

Read Richard’s experience with Adonis Index in his own words:

I first heard about the Adonis Index back in 2008 through Brad Howard who was doing some dating advice for men with a guy named Scot McKay. So in November 2008, I signed up for the Adonis program, got beta access to the forums and workouts. But, I put it away because I was busy with life at the time.

Fast forward to January 2012 & I was at a point where I wanted to get my life in order. I had tried other workouts…Continue reading here

Listen to the interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Filed Under: Contest, Podcasts, Stories, Transformation Tagged With: , , , , ,

Golden Eye for the Adonis Guy

October 5, 2012 by

“Golden Eye for the Adonis Guy” By: Allen Elliott

Golden Eye for the Adonis Guy

As an ambassador of the Adonis Lifestyle, I strive to take the utmost care when writing blog posts.  My goal is that the content I bring to you will be encouraging, informational, and last but not least entertaining.

In keeping with that tradition I present to you: Golden Eye for the Adonis Guy–an ongoing series featuring several topics not limited to but including my experiences, observations and “lessons learned” from fitness competitions and my association with the modeling industry.  This Golden insight that I will share with you comes from the results of applying the Adonis Effect and the pursuit of obtaining my ideal AI ratio.

However, I will forewarn you that my perspective is biased.  Rightfully so, as I’ve been on both sides of the “fitness” fence.  However, let me assure you the grass is greener on the “Adonis Lifestyle” side.

It’s often said, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.”  While skinning cats is of no interest to me, I understand or perceive the meaning; which brings us to today’s discussion of perception.

Faces or Vases?
“Perception is Reality.” -Lee Atwater

Is Perception Reality?

The famous quote, “perception is reality” by Lee Atwater compels us to ask a few questions. First of all, what is perception? Perception is defined as the awareness of the elements in an environment through physical sensation.  The sensation being our five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, & smell.

Secondly, what is reality? Reality is defined as a real event, entity, or state of affairs.  After gaining understanding of these two definitions we can begin to draw a few conclusions.  What we perceive often times leads us to pass judgment on ourselves or others.

In the context of body types, someone could be labeled: short, tall, skinny, fat, or muscular.  While nothing is particularly wrong with any of these, it still does not negate the fact that all of these body types will make an impression on others.  Sad yet true, a person’s body type is subject to discrimination. For example, a model is held to a higher standard, as they are valued for their aesthetic appearance or the illusion there of.  Rather fitness or fashion, the model’s goal or objective is present themselves’ in the most compelling way to market & promote their client’s product or service.  While this may seem like a very crude definition of a model, keep in mind millions of dollars are spent in marketing.  Therefore, only the best models will be chosen to represent a company; which makes the modeling industry all the more competitive.

I’m sure by now you’re wondering how and why these concepts apply to you?

To answer your question, these concepts apply to you because  a model has a very significant influence on your perception of the world and the expectations you have of it.  From your favorite cologne  to your choice of body wash, we have been conditioned to expect certain features and attributes from the model who represents their respective product or service.  I make this point only to emphasize that in the Information Age,  we are constantly bombarded with several forms of media all lobbying to influence our perception.  To bring this into perspective consider the quote, “image is everything.” While this is true in some instances, what is certain is that your image will leave an impression upon others.  With that being said, how you are perceived by others is indeed a reality in their mind.

Augment Your Reality (AI=AR)

Now that we’ve come to realize the importance of perception and that at no fault of our own, we are often times judged by our appearance, we have a decision to make. Before revealing what that decision is, a certain phrase or saying comes to mind.  The saying, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” means don’t fault the successful participant in a flawed system try instead to learn that aspect which displeases you.  In this scenario, you are the player and the game is the society you live in. With that being said, if you change the player, you will change the game. In other words, by augmenting yourself  you can change the way society responds to you; which in turn places the odds in your favor.

There is a specific area of research called Anthropology that involves the in-depth examination of how people interact with one another. This research has shown us that all human beings have the ability to pick out a beautiful and attractive person. Physical attractiveness has a significant effect on people’s perception of  you.  Changing your body into the ideal human form (AI Golden Ratio),  has a direct influence on your ability to impress others; therefore, augmenting your reality (AR).  It is a physical law of attraction that is simply undeniable.

In conclusion,  under the new series: Golden Eye for the Adonis Guy  I’ve shared from my perspective, if perception is indeed reality and how to augment your reality by changing yourself.  It’s fascinating to know that the shape of your body can and will affect your sex life,  success in business, friendships and all other forms of social opportunity.

The ball is in your court now… What type of player will you become?

Your Brother in Iron,

Allen Elliott

Filed Under: body image, Golden Eye Tagged With: ,

The Truth about Silo Science and the Misinterpretation of Research

October 3, 2012 by

Here’s the first part of this month’s UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2.

Today’s topic: Silo Science.

What is Silo Science?

Silo science is focusing on one specific area of research without seeing how it affects other areas. In the case of diet and fitness it’s looking too closely at one spot without seeing the bigger picture and how all systems of the body are related. – John Barban

The real science is different from what you hear from media.

Silo science is like doing a research, but with your blinders on.

Why?

Because silo scientists are focusing only at one specific area and ignoring the rest. But as we know, your body functions as a whole system, so looking into what’s going on in one area and ignoring anything else is not very useful for us in real life.

However, this type of research is exactly what’s misused online. It’s gotten to a point where people are now confused about science and the human body.

The truth of the matter is you have to look at the bigger picture, you can’t take only what you like and ignore the rest.  Which is exactly what most the fitness marketers and journalists are doing.

No supplement does just one thing, there’s always more to the story.

Case in point, Ever took a pill and experienced side effects?

Every time you introduce something into your body there is always an equal and opposite reaction.

Most people understand this with drugs, but almost no one considers this possibility with supplements.

Not only do people who use silo science try to make a point about how the body works, they often leverage only the abstract or headlines of some papers to conform the research for their benefit.

You should especially be aware of the perfect answers about hormones you see online nowadays, because most people never bother looking at the whole picture, only the results you desire.

Today we are going to look at the reality of the research and it’s misinterpreted online and in fitness media.

In today’s UNCENSORED training, you will also discover:

  • How the mechanics of a study works and what we look at in the research
  • How the study gets funded and why it matters to you who funds it
  • Why everything you see online should be taken with a grain of salt
  • How many people actually participate in the study (less than you think) and how this affects the results of that study
  • How robust the studies actually are (not as much as the media would have you believe)
  • Anything that has a dose response will or can have side effects
  • The reality of people doing the whole gotcha with science argument and scare mongering you into buying new products that you don’t need
  • How to find out if people quoting studies really understand what they are saying or if they just read the abstract at pubmed

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not an Adonis Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

Filed Under: Podcasts, Uncensored Podcasts S02 Tagged With: , ,

Our Youngest Adonis

October 1, 2012 by

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 8th Adonis Index Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Tommy Lacaprucia who placed 2nd in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Check out his transformation pictures:

Tommy is our youngest contestant.

Tommy isn’t even 17 years old yet, so he is by far our youngest contestant.

For only a 12 week transformation, his progress is outstanding.

Tommy admitted that growing up he was always on the chubby side and he  deeply desired to get in shape. As a result, he turned to a popular TV fitness program.  However, with this program he was constantly overtraining and under eating. His motivation was spot on, but the process he followed didn’t yield the results he wanted.   After all, his goal was  to be in shape yesterday…

No fault of his own, as this is what we all want. But during a transformation patience is key.

Sadly, Tommy  ended up losing muscle mass, and became what we call “skinny fat”.  To make matters worse, he even began to receive comments from his family concerned about his health and appearance.

Before doing this crazy TV finess program he at least looked good with his shirt on, but  mentally, this program really screwed him up.

Thankfully, the tide turned in Tommy’s  favor in January of this year when he discovered the Adonis Index system. He agrees that this was a game changer for him.

He used our regular workouts with a few booster specializations, accompanied with the Reverse Taper Diet and Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat.

Standing at a height of  5’10” he went from 163 pounds to 144 pounds, gained muscle and lost significant amount of fat.  His new look landed him a more aesthetic body shape with visible abs, just scroll up for pictures.

Keep in mind, this is only after 12 weeks, just imagine what Tommy can look like after 12 months or 12 years. It’s amazing what can happen when you find a program that works and stick to it.

 

Experience Cannot Be Bought

Do you remember your very first workout?

You probably felt endless amounts of pain the next few days after your workout. That’s because your body wasn’t used to the physical stress; you were probably sore for a week just from one workout.

But as you probably also remember this changed pretty quickly and in no time you could handle 3 workouts like that in a single week.

But there is one more thing we haven’t mentioned yet. Once you get over this “muscle learning curve” you can handle as many  workouts as the older, more experienced guys.

Why is that?

This is partly because when you are new to weight training, you can’t use the workout in it’s full potential like somebody with let’s say with 20 years of experience.

Younger and less experienced guys just can’t generate the same amount of intensity with training.

Tommy’s solution was to was add SEVERAL boosters to the main workout module.

If you recall the interviews with Vivek and Adam, you’ll recall that they both trained twice a day!

Sure you might get sore, but if it’s not an injury, why not suck it up, train more often and get double the gains?

This is something you might wanna consider and experiment with.

As long as you have the energy and time, there is no reason for you not to add more training volume and sessions to your regimen.

Links from the interview:

Read Tommy’s experience with Adonis Index in his own words:

I’ve been following AI since January 1, 2012 and I absolutely love everything about it!

Currently I am following the RTD and fasting twice a week. While doing so, I still eat large meals and I am always feeling satisfied, even while being in a caloric deficit. With this approach I’ve gained a tremendous amount of muscle and strength, while simultaneously losing BF.

This has not only transformed my physique, but it transformed my life in many ways also! Being in high school, it’s…Continue reading here 

Listen to the interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Filed Under: Contest, Podcasts, Stories, Transformation Tagged With: , , , , ,
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