Fitness tip: Setting goals and staying motivated

For those starting out:
   When you first start working out, staying motivated is definitely going to be difficult. At first it's going to seem like you're not making any progress, or its not working, or people are judging you at the gym, or whatever it may be.

   Results take time and hard work, plain and simple. The best way to reach your long term goal though is to set smaller more reachable goals in between. For example, a goal could be something like "I want to be able to bench press 80lb dumbbells". Now starting out that's going to be something that seems impossible to reach, at least for me it was. Start setting smaller goals, for example at this moment you might be able to bench 40lb dumbells for 10 reps. Set a goal saying, by next week I'm going to try 45lb dumb bells for 5 times. Or something similar to that, depending on whatever your goal may be.

   Results take time, but this is something where you get what you put into it. Work hard and you'll get to where you need to go. Don't give up, whatever your end goal may be. It seems hard right now but set small goals and continuously reach them.

   One thing I do when I want to reach a goal, like lifting a higher weight, doing more reps, or whatever it may be is to write down what I did each workout. For example I will write down how many reps I did of each weight I did per workout. Now the next time I do the same workout I compete with myself and try and beat what I did last week. It's like setting a high score on your own personal leader board. This actually works, one of my thoughts is the me of today should be able to kick past me's ass. If I don't think present me can do that, I should definitely be working harder. Plain and simple.

   If you have any questions or need advice, feel free to leave a comment. I will reply, thanks for reading ladies and gentlemen. I hope this helps at least a little. Don't forget to subscribe to the blog!

-Cody Foster

Links: For more fitness and motivation in the future
My blog: http://codyfosterfitness.blogspot.ca/
My youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/farmer759My instagram: http://instagram.com/codyjamesfoster

Good Shoulder Workout

Warm-up:

Light weight (5-15lbs) Shoulder press for 15-20

Shoulder Press:

4 Sets: 12, 10, 8, 6 Rep range


Lateral Side raises:
4 Sets: 12, 10, 8, 6 Rep range



Bar Bell Shoulder Shrugs:
3 Sets: 12-15 reps

Super Set:
Dumbbell front raises: 10 reps




Burnout: Hindu-pushups to failure

At home cardio/endurance workout!

This is a pretty simple circuit that can be done from home and won't take long to get a good workout from home when you don't have a lot of time and can't make it to the gym.

It's a 3 round circuit that you can do at your own pace, the faster you do it the harder it will get. If you want to get a harder workout you just simply add more rounds.

Video:






-20 mountain climbers

-20 Push-ups

-20 Jumping lunges

-10 burpees

-30 reps Mason Twist

Good Chest Workout

Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell or bar bell):
7 sets usually work my way up until I can't anymore than work back down (pyramid set). (Eg. First set 60lbs dumbells 12 reps, Second set 65lbs 10 reps, third set 70lbs 10 reps, fourth set 75lbs 8 reps, fifth set 80lbs 6 reps, sixth set 70lbs 6 reps, seventh set  60lbs 8 reps.

Superset each with dumbbell flies (usually a lighter weight for 10-12 reps each set)

Flat Bench Press:
4 Sets, Progressively add weight each set. Eg. First set 60lbs, Second set 65lbs, third 70lbs, fourth 75lbs

Decline Bench Press:
3 Sets, same as the flat press

Cable Flies:
First two sets:
-Set the cables on a higher setting, and set it at a weight where you can do roughly twenty reps, then drop and do push-ups till failure. (repeat)

Second two sets:
-Set the cables to  a lower setting (near the bottom) and set it at a weight you can do roughly 20 reps, then push-ups until failure

Leg Day Workout

   This day in my opinion is the most dreaded, leg day. This is the list of workouts I do and how I do them.

Warm-up:
-Squats with either just the bar or nothing for 15-20 reps

Squats for 3-4 sets, work to a heavier set each time.
   Example-First set 1 plate each side for 12 reps, Second set 1 plate and a 25 each side for 10 reps, Third set 1 plate and a 35 each side for 8 reps, Final set 2 plates each side for 6 reps.

Now move on to the leg press: 3-4 sets same progression
   Example- First set 270lbs for 12, Second set 360lbs for 10, Third set 450lbs for 8, and Final set 540lbs for 6.


Leg Extensions: 3 sets
   First set: 12 Reps, Second Set: 10 Reps, Third set: 10 reps, drop weight: 10 reps, Drop weight one more time and push out another 10 if you can.

Leg Curls: 3 Sets (exact same progression as the extensions)

Dieting facts and tips

The healthy eating is for me the most difficult part to stay in check with. I'll start with posting the basic information and build off it from there. I'm going to give the basics on carbs, protein, and fat and why each on is an important part of your diet. Unfortunately this part is going to be pretty dry. I'll be posting some Advanced and beginner workout routines soon.

1. Drink lots of water:
Drinking water and staying hydrated has many benefits. If you’re physically active, you’re going to lose fluids by sweating and through your lungs while breathing. This is going to hurt your athletic performance because the amount of blood in your system is decreasing, meaning you’re muscles are getting less oxygen, which will ultimately make you tired quicker.
Staying hydrated will also keep you more alert, and less tired during your everyday activities.

2. Protein:
Protein is going to play a key role in your diet. It plays a role in repairing muscle, as well as building them. After physical exercise your body is going to need protein to repair the ripped muscles and make them stronger.
The most beneficial sources of protein to build muscle and cut the fat are Turkey breast or chicken breast, fish such as salmon, tuna, or halibut, lean beef, eggs, milk, and yogurt.

3. Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are where you’re going to be getting most of your energy. They have high energy content with a low fat content and should make up most of a person’s diet (45-60%). The carbs that you’re going to want to eat are referred to as “Complex Carbs”. Complex carbs are foods such as beans, oatmeal, whole-grain foods (breads), rice, and fruits. You’re also going to want to cut out “simple carbs” which are derived from white flour (white bread and pasta) because they contain calories that are less useful due to their low nutritional value.

4:Fats:
Now it’s obvious that excessive fat consumption leads to unwanted weight gain. You’re body does need some types of fats though, such as Omega-3’s and Omega-6’s which are known as essential fats or fatty acids. Their found in fish, walnuts, or fish oil capsules. The body also needs monounsaturated fats which can be found in seeds or avocados.

5: Supplements:

The supplements I use are protein, pre-workout sometimes, glutamine sometimes, and Fish oil capsules. Now the reason I take protein is because I don't have enough time to eat food with enough protein all the time or immediately after exercise. So I take a protein shake and it fills me up and gives me the protein I need, and it works. Pre-workout I take specifically on the days where I'm just tired and not feeling the gym, once I have some preworkout I feel like superman and have no problem going to the gym. I personally wouldn't even recommend glutamine, I've tried it and literally haven't seen or felt and difference. It's completely unnecessary and I personally believe it could be a waste of money, that's just my opinion. Now fish oil on the other hand, I think is great. I haven't been recently using it and I notice a difference. It makes me think way clearer and I actually have better memory. I definitely recommend anyone to take it, whether they workout or not. Especially in school.
   As far as brand go for supplements, I find most have the same end results. With protein I use to use the wal-mart brands and they worked, the only problem was that they tasted terrible and didn't mix well at all. I find from personal experience and experience of friends that bodybuilding.com has the best protein for the price usually. They have great brands (I haven't tried them all) but I'm confident everything they have is good stuff. The link if you're interested in buying protein at bodybuilding.com is: http://bodybuilding.7eer.net/c/87703/76781/2023?u=http%3A%2F%2Fca.bodybuilding.com%2Fstore%2Fwhey.html%3F_requestid%3D2874655 That link takes you directly to the whey protein that they have. I've only ever used whey before so I can't speak on the other types. If you have any questions about a brand you're interested in or anything, feel free to leave a comment and I'll reply. If it's a brand I haven't used personally I'll talk to a friend that has.

   A cool tool for figuring out how much you should be eating is the macronutrient calculator on bodybuilding.com. It can be found here: http://bodybuilding.7eer.net/c/87703/76781/2023?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bodybuilding.com%2Ffun%2Fmacronutrients_calculator.htm

Introduction: My progress over the years

    The college stereotype usually involves lots of drinking, partying, eating terribly, living on a budget, and of course “the freshman 15”.
    As a college student maintaining a healthy lifestyle while still getting out seemed like a pretty impossible task. During my first year I persevered and managed to put on 20 pounds of lean muscle. Eating healthy and starting a good workout routine is possible!  I will be posting on the blog various things on how to get in shape in college or stay in shape during college such workout routines, bodyweight workouts, MMA and Boxing workouts cheap meal ideas, time management ideas, and even some low-calorie drink idea's.
    First off I will post some photos of my fitness journey so far.

    In grade 12 (when I was 17) I looked like this:

  
At this time I had been working out, but briefly and didn't follow any particular diet.

In first year of college I looked like this:

By the end of my first year I had managed to put on 20lbs of lean muscle all with healthy eating and a solid workout routine.

Current:

So I have been able to make a lot of progress since I started college.