Just so people aren’t under the impression that I was slacking, I had some technical difficulties with WordPress yesterday, and as a result, wasn’t able to get a blog out. Luckily, Morpheus (Webguy Chris) was able to fix the issue, and we’re back on point today.
To that end, I just wanted to give everyone a brief head’s up that tonight marks the last day you can order Functional Strength Coach 3.0- A Joint by Joint Approach to Training with all the added bonuses- Interval Training for Athletes and Clients, and Evolution of a Strength Coach: 25 Mistakes in 25 Years, to name a few. Additionally, there’s now a payment plan available for those who may have been reluctant to order initially due to the price. Either way, act now or you’ll miss out on all the sweet extras.
As much as I hate to admit it, I’m a morning person. To clarify, I’m not one of those people who jumps out of bed, immediately opens the curtains, and starts humming It’s a Wonderful World. Rather, lets just say that by saying I’m a “morning person,” what I’m really saying is that I can function without having to molest a cup of coffee. Which is more than what most people reading this can say.
As such, since I generally don’t have to be at CP till 10-11 AM, I like to get up early (6:30-7) so that I can catch up on work: e-mails, writing programs, blogs/articles, looking up pictures of Alicia Keys. You know, the important stuff.
Additionally, I’ll also try to get some reading done at this time. Whether it’s a book or my never-ending list of articles and newsletters saved in my laptop, I find that that time of day is when I’m more fresh and focused to learn.
Likewise, I’ve recently gotten on the webinar bandwagon, and have been watching quite a few as I eat my breakfast in the morning. In fact, not more than four hours ago, I finished watching Alwyn Cosgrove’s An Overview of Fitness Programming. And, not surprisingly, there were quite a few points he hit on that resonated with me. Specifically the whole concept surrounding the Pareto Principle.
For those who aren’t familiar, the Pareto Principle was inspired by the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who back in the early 1900’s, demonstrated that 80% of the wealth in Italy was owned by only 20% of the population. Interestingly, since it’s early inception, the rule has been studied and applied to every facet and aspect of life; showcasing, almost resoundingly so, that certain activities tend to give more return on investment than others. Put another way- 80% of the effects, comes from 20% of the causes. As an example:
- 20% of the crops a farmer plants typically results in 80% of his overall yield.
- 20% of a business’ clients typically result in 80% of the profit (and complaints for that matter).
- 20% of the time I actually listen to what my girlfriend has to say. As a result, I sleep on the couch 80% of the time.
You see, the principle can be applied to anything! As you may expect, the fitness industry is no different. We all know that guy who spends 45 minutes doing every variation of arm curls imaginable, and wonders why he can’t gain any weight.
Similarly, walk into any gym in the country, and you’ll witness people spending endless hours on the treadmill *sigh* in an effort to shed some body fat; only to follow that with 100 sit-ups…….on a BOSU ball.
Needless to say, while it’s certainly admirable that the people in the above examples are doing something, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge (albeit briefly) that for the amount of time and effort that many trainees put into attaining their goals, they’re getting very little in return. Again, 80% of your results are going to come from 20% of the work. Read: a lot of people waste their time. On Monday, I’ll expound on a few real-life examples that will hopefully shed some more light on this topic.
Till then, have a safe and fun Halloween. I
