AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MAGAZINE

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ISSUE 86 - 1/05/2006

1. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some. We are less dissatisfied when we lack many things than when we seem to lack one thing."
- Eric Hoffer

The Buddha once said that all life is suffering. No matter what you attain or achieve you are always going to want more. Some will say that this is fine and that the solution is to always want more. Just keep going after goals and you will be fine. No doubt it is always good to have goals and to work on self improvement. However, when you place a great deal of expectation on goals you are sure to be dissatisfied. It is similar to waiting in great anticipation for a movie to come out. When you do finally see the movie you will be let down as you built it up too much.

One of the ironies in life is that you often get things when you no longer care about acquiring them. The other day I was picking up a few things at a store and passed by their toy section. I caught glimpse of a few toys that I used to have when I was a kid and had to check them out. I saw a variety of toys that I wanted as a kid but for whatever reason never got. Now several years later, I can buy every toy that I ever wanted as a kid. Of course, there is only one problem which of course is that I no longer want the toys (at least that is what I am saying here ;-).

One result of achieving meaningful goals is becoming ecstatic for a certain time frame. For example, you finally reach a fitness goal that you have been working on for several years. You are on cloud nine for a few weeks and then something happens. You start to get a little depressed and cannot figure out why. Then you realize that the anticipation of achieving the goal and the process was more exhilarating than actually achieving the goal. Where do you go now that you have achieved the goal? Moreover, you were hoping that the achievement of the goal would obliterate your inner insecurities, but they are still there. You still have a need to get validation from others and always look for ways to be the focus of every conversation with others. You cannot wait to talk about your achievements in order to hear how great you are from others. That part of you that you were hoping would be gone after achieving some goals is still there. You are just better at covering it up.

Getting back to Eric Hoffer's quote above, I have had the good fortune of traveling the world and have been to several countries where the poverty is immense such as: India, Kenya, and Uganda. Having had the opportunity to talk to people that live in rural Kenya and the opportunity to talk to wealthy people who live in Santa Monica, CA, I find it incredible to state that the people in rural Kenya seem to enjoy life more. Since they do not have televisions, magazine subscriptions, or move theatres, they do not really have a sense of how other people live around the world. I guess you could say that they do not know what they are missing. However, that is probably only part of it. Not being bombarded with desire messages all day long has an apparent effect as well. I have even seen kids that have major disfigurements that have big smiles on their face and play with other kids without a care in the world. On the other side of the world in Santa Monica, CA, you have people that think their life is over because they have a few wrinkles. You see people that complain all day long about things that are so trivial that you want to slap them across the face. A friend of mine told me about a lady that was crying because her maid did not show up on time and she had to have breakfast in messy kitchen. I wish I could say that such people are the extreme, but that is not the case. Now I am not saying that we should live as minimalists and that making lots of money will not make you happy. I have been through periods of having money and not having money and no doubt I enjoy the periods of having money much more. I just do not think that we should have illusions about the acquisition of goals.

Having goals and achieving them is an important part of life. The process allows you to grow as a person and enjoy life more fully. However, being overly attached to goals and placing unrealistic expectations on goals is a sure-fire way to be disappointed. This possible disappointment is not to be taken likely. Many people that appear to be successful are depressed. We hear about people that seemed to have it all commit suicide all of the time or suffer from serious substance abuse addictions. Achieving your goals will not solve all of your problems. If you are in insecure person without money, if and when you make a lot of money, you will probably be an insecure person with a lot of money. While the outward appearance of you has changed, the essence of who you are has remained the same. Once you achieve one goal, another problem will arise that you want to fix. Such is the nature of life. The enjoyment of life cannot be just about jumping from one goal to the next. What happens in between each goal is also important. Imagine being so attached to a series of movies that you place your life on hold in between each movie. All that you can think about is the next movie that is coming out. No matter how good the movie is, you will be disappointed as you have placed far to much expectation on the movies. Your goals are no different. Make a list of goals and go after them with zeal and vigor. Just do not have the illusion that the achievement of your goals leads to Nirvana. Also do not place happiness and enjoyment of life on hold until you achieve your goal.

Live Life Aggressively!

Mike Mahler

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2. HELP THE KATRINA VICTIMS

My friend and top body worker Dianna Linden recently sent me a list of non-profit organizations for helping out the Katrina Victims. Here is the list:

• Operation USA http://www.opusa.org
• Mercy Corps http://www.mercycorps.org
• Oxfam America http://www.oxfamamerica.org
• America's Second Harvest http://www.secondharvest.org

I encourage you to take a look at the above organizations and make a donation to the one that sits well with you. Also if you want to help out animals, make a donation to http://www.bestfriends.org.

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3. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH TRAINING ARTICLE

Ten Tips For Achieving Your Fitness Goals In 2006

1. Avoid negative people. Hanging around negative people is a sure-fire way to ensure that you do not make any positive changes in your life. These gloom doom people will shoot down any goals you have. Moreover, they will act to impede your goals as seeing you succeed will only make them feel worse about themselves. Get these "dream stealers" out of your way. Someone once told that you are the average of all of the people that you hang out with. Make sure that average is high by demanding high quality associations.
2. Be accountable. In order to achieve your goals, you have to hold yourself accountable. Otherwise, you will end up like 99.9% of everyone else that makes new years resolutions. You will hit it hard for three weeks, and then let reality kick in while you enjoy a cold beer and four hours of moronic television. Hiring a coach or a trainer is one way to be accountable but that is not enough. They cannot do the work for you. You have to do the work and no one is going to care about your goals more than you and if they do, then you are never going to achieve your goals. Just give up now. Hold yourself accountable by picking a deadline for achieving your goal and keep a training journal to track your progress.
3. Sacrifice. You cannot have everything all of the time. If you want to get stronger and more muscular, then you need to set aside a good amount of time for restoration and recovery. This may mean that you have to get rid of the television in order to get eight hours of quality sleep per night. If you want to lose fat, you need to give up junk food to make it happen.
4. Stay the course. Waiting until things are ideal ensures that you will never achieve your goals. There will never be a perfect time. Very few of us will ever have an opportunity in which we do not have to focus on anything but our training goals. Have a training plan to execute, but also take the time to have contingency plans. For example, if you have a training program that calls for four training sessions per week. Have a back up plan that calls for only two sessions per week when you have less time to train or need more time for recovery.
5. The more you know about yourself the better. Your physiology has a great deal to do with your training goals. Have your doctor do some blood work and find out what your levels are for: Testosterone (free and total), DHT, Estradiol, DHEA, IGF-1, Cortisol, and your Thyroid. This information is invaluable for program design. Take the time to work with a holistic doctor that can provide some meaningful feedback.
6. Pick a nutrition plan that works for you. There are plenty of nutrition plans that work. However, just because it works for someone else does not mean that it will work for you (detailed blood work will help with this). Get over the concept of a diet. Pick a nutrition plan that you can follow for the rest of your life rather than something that you have to struggle with for month or two. On of the most knowledgeable guys around on sports nutrition, is John Berardi. Check out his website at JohnBerardi.com.
7. Restoration is key. Just as important as what you do in your training sessions, is what you do in between each session. If you do not recover from your workouts, then progress will come to a screeching halt. One of the most beneficial things that you can do to recover from workouts, is to get a sports massage at least two time a month. Also, take a 20-30 minute nap after every workout and have a post workout protein shake within an hour after training. Make sure that you are getting eight hours of quality sleep per night as well. For more things that you can do to enhance recovery, check out Dr. Wong's website.
8. Cycle your training. You cannot train at full intensity all of the time. Change your program every four weeks to avoid plateaus.
9. Enjoy the process. If you hate the program that you are on then you are not going to stick with it for very long. There are tons of different ways to get in shape. Do what is necessary to keep things fresh and enjoyable.
10. Be self motivated. If you need someone to come along and motivate you then do not bother getting started. If your goals are meaningful enough then you will be self motivated.

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4. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH BONUS TIP

This week's bonus tip comes from top kettlebell trainer Lisa Shaffer, RKC. Also make sure to check out the seminar that Lisa is doing with Dylan later this month.

Short on time? Here is a kettlebell drill that will work every major muscle in your body and "step" up your cardio at the same time. I call it a Step Up Press. Here's how it goes.

Start with a sturdy bench or box about 12" high. Clean a kettlebell to the racked position on your left side. Stand a few inches in front of the bench. Place your right foot on the bench. Stand up on the bench and press the kettlebell up overhead at the same time. Be sure to lock out your elbow at the top. Return the kettlebell to the racked position while still standing on the bench. Step back down to the ground with your right foot first. This is a contra lateral drill, so always step up with the opposite leg that is holding the kettlebell. Be sure to work both sides of your body equally.

You could also clean the kettlebell before each rep for an added cardio boost. Do sets of 5-10 reps per side and superset the Step Up Press with sets of swings for 20 reps; you will have yourself blasted in record time.

Lisa Shaffer, RKC is a Dallas/Ft. Worth based kettlebell instructor and author of the "Get in the Best Shape of Your Life" Kettlebell Manual. Visit her website.

The Shaffer/Thomas workshop is January 28th in Coppell, TX.

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5. GET THE AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH DVD COMBO PACK TODAY

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7. NEW AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

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8. THE AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH SOLUTION FOR THE ROAD WARRIOR

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9. KETTLEBELL TRAINING INFORMATION PAGE (NEW)

http://www.mikemahler.com/kettlebell_info.html

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10. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

http://www.mikemahler.com/newsletter

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11. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH ARTICLES

http://www.mikemahler.com/articles.html

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12. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH TRAINING JOURNAL

http://www.mikemahler.com/journal.html

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13. RECOMMENDED READING LIST

http://www.mikemahler.com/reading.html

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Until next time.

Live Life Aggressively!

Feel free to email me with your comments and feedback at mahler25@yahoo.com

Mike Mahler

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