How Failing at What You Desire Can Lead You to Your Destiny

This idea is not confined to the health and fitness field. It really speaks to all aspects of life, so it is a bit of a departure from my specific teachings on physical fitness. Everyone has different things that they desire to have, and desire to be. But what happens when you fail at achieving these desires? Do you just give up and throw in the towel, settling for mediocre, or an unhappy, unfulfilled life?

I would ask you to try and see things from a different perspective... Let's take the person you desire to be; maybe you desire to be a happier person, or a healthier person. Or maybe you desire to be a more successful person. But what is success? Is it defined by financial wealth and material possessions? Is it defined by having an amazing body? Will obtaining these things equal success in your eyes? I'm sure everyone knows someone (either personally, or a celebrity, or through word of mouth) that has all of the financial freedom, physical beauty, and material possessions they could ever want...and they are miserable.

Too often, people equate monetary gain, physical beauty, and/or celebrity and fame with success. The truth is, none of these things will amount to you feeling successful if you are not truly fulfilled. If you are able to reach a level of true fulfillment, you will know. You will feel it in your soul. You will find true peace and happiness in your heart, regardless of whether or not you have financial riches, an amazing body, or are loved and adored by the masses.

While we have specific desires in what we hope to gain or who we want to be, these desires can actually be far different than who and what, we are destined to be. You may desire to achieve financial freedom, only to one day realize that your true destiny is to live modestly, and spend your life helping others achieve their hopes and dreams, and providing happiness to others. Or you may desire to be someone who is famous and adored all around the world, but if it doesn't happen, and that door slams shut on you, it may in fact be that another door is waiting to burst open...and lead you to your true calling; your destiny. Now don't get me wrong; I am not saying that we cannot control our destiny's to a degree!

The lesson in this is that desire and destiny can be completely different, and your destiny is often times far more important than your desires. If in the end, the person you desire to be and the things you desire to have come to fruition, then maybe you were destined to have everything you desire...and that will be amazing! But if the things you desire in life don't work out the way you hoped they would, don't let it ruin your spirit...for often many times, the failure to have, and meet your desires, will lead you to your true calling...and when you can achieve your true calling in life, you will know it by the fulfillment you feel in your heart and soul!

Lee Dremel
lee.dremel@gmail.com
40fitnessfixes.com
instagram.com/leedremelfitness
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Today's Workout: Chest

Today's workout consisted only of chest. For the better part of my lifting career I used a single body part 5-6 day split i.e. chest, back, legs, shoulders, arms, legs. But for probably the last 6 months I have just been training instinctively (basically deciding based on if anything is bothering me, I just skip it). For the most part, I have been training probably a couple body parts a day in my split lately. Here is today's chest workout:

15 minute treadmill walk (warm up)

Standard Push Ups: 3 sets x 20 reps (warm up)

Incline dumbbell chest press: 4 sets x 15/12/8/10 reps

Incline dumbbell flyes: 2 sets x 15 reps

Free Motion Seated Cable Flyes: 3 sets x approx. 15-20 reps

Machine Seated Dips: 2 sets x 20 reps

Again, right now as I am dealing with various injuries, I am not training for growth/strenght; this means I am using much lighter weight than usual, for higher reps, and simply just to keep my muscles acclimated to training. That way, when I get around to being able to push hard again, I won't feel like I am completely starting from scratch.

p.s., for online/email training program and pricing information, inquire through my website, or direct email!

Train hard, and enjoy the journey! 

Lee Dremel
lee.dremel@gmail.com
40fitnessfixes.com
instagram.com/leedremelfitness
facebook.com/leedremelfitness

Yesterday's Workout: Total Body

I had taken a couple of days off from the gym, so I decided to do a little total body work out yesterday, just to kind of prep for the upcoming workout week. Since I was doing a little bit of everything, I did not overload any one particular muscle group. Here is the routine:

Leg Press- 3 sets x 30/20/20 reps

Seated Machine Dips- 3 sets x 20/20/15 reps

Seated Free Motion Cable Chest Flyes- 3 sets x 20/15/15 reps

Standing Cable Straight Arm Pulldowns (lats)- 3 sets x 20/20/20 reps

Seated Free Motion Cable Unilateral Shoulder Press- 3 sets x 20/15/15 reps

Standing Free Motion Cable Unilateral Cable Curls- 3 sets x 15/15/12 reps

Wide Grip Pull Ups (Bodyweight)- 2 sets x 15/10 reps

Nothing too fancy, the goal was really just to get something in!

Train hard and enjoy the journey!

Lee Dremel
40fitnessfixes.com
instagram.com/leedremelfitness
facebook.com/leedremelfitness

Today's Workout: Chest, Shoulders, and Back, Using GVT Method

Today's workout was done using the German Volume Training technique, as I have frequently done over the last couple of months. German Volume Training consists of doing 10 sets x 10 reps of one movement, and the goal is to aim for a load that is about 60% of your estimated one rep max for that movement. If done correctly, you should be able to use the same weight for all ten sets most of the time. There may be times where you have to decrease the load around say, sets 5 and 6, but you may actually be able to increase the load back to the starting weight in the later sets. This can be attributed to a neurological phenomenon that really does not have a concrete explanation. The other component I adhere to with GVT is specific rest periods that are timed, and I try to keep the rest period (usually 40 seconds) the same through the entire 10 sets.
Some of the benefits of GVT are being able to complete a workout in a shorter amount of time, overload one specific exercise/muscle group with a lot of volume, and only needing one machine/bench and specific weight for the entire workout for that muscle group. A drawback of GVT is that since you are only doing one exercise for a particular muscle group, you will inherently limit that muscle group from being fully stimulated from a variety of angles, hand positions, etc. So, with GVT, you are going to want to pick a compound exercise over an isolation exercise.
Here are a few examples of what I mean by this: If you want to use the GVT method for legs, you will need to pick a compound movement that utilizes the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Exercises such as squats, leg presses, deadlifts, and lunges are a few good examples. On the other hand, if you pick leg extensions, you would only be hitting the quads. If you pick leg curls, you will only be hitting the hamstrings.
Another example would be GVT for shoulders; you are going to want to pick a pressing (compound) movement over a raise (isolation) movement. Whether it is a dumbbell shoulder press, barbell military press, or a machine press, you will better stimulate all three heads (anterior, medial, posterior) of the deltoid (shoulder) than an (isolation) raise movement. If you chose a lateral raise, you would certainly overload the medial (middle) head of the deltoid, but the anterior (front) and posterior (rear) heads would not get as much work. If you choose a front raise, the anterior head would be overloaded, but the medial and posterior heads would get almost no work.
So it is important to remember that exercise selection is crucial when doing German Volume Training.
Here is my workout from this morning:

GVT- Smith Machine low (about 35 degree) incline chest press
1 warm up set x 20 reps
10 sets x 10 reps with 40 second rest periods (weight was increased 10 pounds after 4 sets)
GVT- Hammer Strength shoulder press
10 sets x 10 reps with 40 second rest periods
GVT- Lat Flexor (wide pull downs for back) machine
10 sets x 10 reps with 40 second rest periods 

Train hard and enjoy the journey!

Lee Dremel
40fitnessfixes.com
instagram.com/leedremelfitness
facebook.com/leedremelfitness

Today's Workout: Biceps and Triceps

Truth be told, arms are one of my strengths in terms of ease of growth. I could probably be just fine getting ancillary arm work from chest, back, and shoulder training. However, I still like to throw in arm specific workouts because I enjoy them. That being said, here is today's exact routine:

Single arm cable pushdown superset with single arm overhead cable extension
-set 1 x 20 reps (warm up)
-set 2 x 15 reps (warm up)

Single arm cable curl superset with straight bar cable curls
-set 1 x 20 reps (warm up)
-set 2 x 15 reps (warm up)

Alternating dumbbell standard curls superset with hammer curls
-set 1 x 10 reps each style
-set 2 " "

Triceps single arm cable kickbacks superset with one arm overhead dumbbell extensions
-set 1 x 20 reps (kickback) x 15 reps (overhead extensions)
-set 2 " "

Hammer Strength machine single arm high curl
-set 1 x 15 reps
-set 2 " "

Seated machine dips superset with reverse (standing, facing machine, bent over) dips
-set 1 x 15 reps each style
-set 2 " "

I did not include any of the poundages I used (nor will I ever), because those will be unique to the individual. This workout was a bit unorthodox for me; as I am trying to heal up from various injuries, right now I am simply getting in the gym and lifting with fairly light weight to keep my body acclimated.

Train hard and enjoy the journey!

Lee Dremel
40fitnessfixes.com
instagram.com/leedremelfitness
facebook.com/leedremelfitness

Why Planning Your Workout Ahead of Time Sets You Up For Success

The value is often overlooked, but planning your workout before you head to the gym can greatly increase your success. When you plan out what muscle group(s) you are going to train on a given day, as well as planning out which exact movements you will do, and set/rep scheme, you have a vision. Having this vision is important, because your mind starts to prepare for these exact movements before you even step foot in the gym. Of course there will be times where you will have to modify your pre-planned workout; whether it be specific machines, weights, and/or benches are being used when you need them, or you realize a specific muscle is bothering you once you start to train, etc. But for the most part, you should be able to execute your plan.
Another benefit of pre-planning your workout is intensity; you are more likely to hit the weights with more intensity and focus when you know exactly what your plan of action is. While it is OK to train "instinctively" at times, I only recommend this style of training for seasoned lifters. For most people, when you go into the gym without a plan, you are more likely to spend too much time thinking about what you are going to do, exercise after exercise. You are also more likely to run into the problem of specific pieces of equipment already being used, especially if you train at a busier time of day. Certain routines will allow you to occupy a single bench or machine for several exercises in a row, thus diminishing the chances of something already being occupied.
To take it a step further, don't just plan your workout ahead of time in your head; actually write down your plan. Once you put your plan on paper, it becomes a tangible thing that you can see and envision. Of course it is OK to modify that plan when needed, and you are not locked into it just because you have written it down. Along with being able to visualize your workout, logging your sets, reps, and poundage used will allow you to gauge progress! This has a two fold benefit in that a) you won't have to always try and remember what weight you previously used, and b) when you see yourself getting stronger through the numbers, it can be one of the greatest motivators. If you are getting stronger, you can be assured that your body is changing, because this is how the muscles adapt to the increased load being placed on them. So the next time you plan on working out, plan that workout ahead of time for better success!
Train hard and enjoy the journey!

Lee Dremel 
www.40fitnessfixes.com
www.instagram.com/leedremelfitness
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Find Fitness Motivation In Setting Short Term Goals

Many people aspire to lose a ton of weight, gain muscle, run a marathon, or drastically improve their overall fitness level in many other ways. These are all awesome aspirations, but they can get lost in the shuffle when the goal is a long term one. If you want to run a marathon one day, but you haven't even started running at all yet, then the goal is most likely going to take quite a long time to accomplish. If you want to lose 100 pounds, but you just started working out for the first time, it is going to take you quite a while to reach your goal (in a healthy, sustainable way).
When we set goals for ourselves that may take a year or more to accomplish, we can easily lose our motivation, because the goal is so far away, it seems almost unattainable at times. But these goals are very attainable, and the key to reaching them is to set small, short term goals along the way. If you want to run that marathon one day, commit yourself to getting started now, and set short term goals as you go. These goals may be monthly, or even weekly, but they will help you to keep your eye on the prize. Maybe after just one month, you have reached a goal of being able to run a 5K. After a few more months, you may reach a goal of running a 10K, and so on. If your aspirations include tremendous weight loss, again, set monthly and/or weekly goals for yourself. You are not going to lose 100 pounds in a month, but you can certainly lose 10 pounds in a month! Aim for the 10 pounds and when you hit that goal, reset, and set your next goal, until you reach your ultimate goal.
Short term goal setting allows our minds to continuously see things as attainable, because the goals are within reach; we know that a week is nothing, and a month will be here before we know it. It is this mindset that allows for constant motivation, and is a way of holding ourselves accountable week by week and month by month. But what happens when the ultimate goal is reached? Once you run that marathon, what comes next? Do you give up running altogether? Or do you stay consistent with your training, even if you have not set another huge goal for yourself... if it took you a year or more of training to achieve your marathon goal, I would bet that the latter will hold true; you will stay consistent with your training because it has now become a habit, and almost second nature. The same holds true for the person who is trying to lose 100 pounds. It is going to take a lot of hard work and consistency to reach that weight loss goal, but once it is achieved, the individual is more likely to have success maintaining their new physique because of all of the time and effort it took to get there. Short term goal setting is a crucial component of long term success! It is awesome to set the bar high for yourself, but always continue to set your sights on the small accomplishments you can achieve along the way; because fitness achievements are a marathon, not a sprint!
Train hard, and enjoy the journey! 
Lee Dremel Fitness

Goal setting and motivation are just two of the I touch on in my eBook, "40 Fitness Fixes." You can get this book in PDF format available to view on all devices, at my website:
www.40fitnessfixes.com
You can also connect with me at:
www.instagram.com/leedremelfitness
www.facebook.com/leedremelfitness

Finding Balance With Your Fitness and Nutrition

Far too often, people get over zealous in their commitment to achieving their fitness and nutrition goals, only to ultimately fail at their attempt. What exactly, do I mean by this? Here lies the notion of instant gratification, and wanting immediate results. Someone will set out to achieve their dream physique, and have an unrealistic expectation of the amount of time it takes to achieve it. In the endeavor to achieve their dream physique, a person will try and do a complete 180 overnight, in terms of drastically changing their diet and exercise regime. For most people, this drastic change usually ends up in a failed attempt. Because the changes were made drastically almost overnight, the sustainability of the lifestyle change is usually short lived. In terms of nutrition, the reason for this is when a person tries to change their entire lifestyle overnight, they are usually only able to keep up with the changes for a short period of time before they succumb to feelings of being deprived. Once a person begins to feel deprived of certain foods, those cravings can lead to the inevitable binge, which can then lead to that individual feeling guilty and/or discouraged. This leads to them giving up on their positive changes all together.
The same can be said for the exercise component; When a person goes from exercising very little (or not at all) to trying to exercise several hours a day, almost every day of the week, you can be assured that there is going to be a negative feedback associated with this. Since the body has not been properly acclimated to the physical stresses that are now being placed upon it, the individual can end up feeling extremely sore for long periods of time (a week or even longer), and actually feel like they have less energy than before (even though proper exercise should have a positive change on energy levels). Just as the burnout can quickly set in from doing a 180 in terms of the nutritional changes, the same can be said for the exercise component; if a person feels extremely sore and tired all of the time, their motivation to exercise will be very low, as they begin to only associate it with pain and a lack of energy.
Thankfully, there is a proper way (or a way that gives you a much better chance for long term success, at least) to make a lifestyle change in terms of fitness and nutrition. When it comes to nutrition, you can't go wrong with the "80/20" rule... Eat clean, healthy whole foods 80% of the week, and give yourself 20% wiggle room to indulge in things that may not be the best for you, but will satisfy your cravings. This way, you are less likely to feel deprived or that certain things are "off limits," and ultimately it allows you to stay committed and consistent, sustaining the positive changes for the long term! For example, if you eat fast food, drink soda, eat fried food, and eat sweets several days (if not every day) of the week, don't eliminate everything overnight. Start with eliminating the soda. You may be surprised to notice a positive change just from this, in only a few weeks. Once you feel confident that you have kicked the soda habit, try cutting down your sugar/sweets intake. If you eat sweets every day, start with 3-4 days a week, and progress from there. Then you can reduce the fast food and fried food intake, and so on. This is simply an example of how to go about making the changes, but you can see here that because the changes are gradual, there is a much greater chance of long term success because you are able to ween yourself off of things little by little. Once you have gotten control of the unhealthy eating habits, you can still allow yourself to splurge here and there (if desired), and this is where you find a balance! With regards to exercise, try and think along the same terms; if you are not exercising at all, try starting with one or two light exercise sessions a week. Even just 20-30 minutes can make a big difference. Once you feel comfortable with the exercise, you can slowly begin to add in additional days and/or increase the amount of time you exercise. Doing it this way should allow your body to properly acclimate to the physical stresses and it will not be such a shock to the system. If you are one of the few that can do a complete 180 overnight and achieve long term success, then by all means, more power to you! But for the many, even though instant gratification is a notion that is always present, it is the understanding that the best chance for long term success and sustainability comes from gradual changes and always finding a balance with your efforts!
For more helpful fitness tips, pick up a copy of my eBook "40 Fitness Fixes" at: www.40fitnessfixes.com. You can also connect with me through my other social media platforms listed below.
Train hard, and enjoy the journey!

Lee Dremel
www.instagram.com/LeeDremelFitness
www.Facebook.com/LeeDremelFitness

Information On Additional Places You Can Find Me and My Fitness Tips!

Check out my YouTube channel, Facebook page, and Instagram page for periodic fitness tips!
www.instagram.com/LeeDremelFitness
www.facebook.com/LeeDremelFitness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nReZRU_cALI

You can also purchase my brand new eBook titled "40 Fitness Fixes" at:
www.40fitnessfixes.com

train hard, and enjoy the journey!

Stretching...Important, or Not?

While there are a few opponents of stretching, the vast majority of people (including myself) are huge proponents of stretching, its benefits, and its immense importance. I have a very simple answer as to why stretching is so important; I have had an injury to my lower back (lumbar spine) for about two and half years and when I practice consistent stretching of the lower back and gluteal muscles, I am in less pain. When I do not stretch consistently, I can feel the difference in pain and tightness from the moment I wake up.
Even if you do not have an injury, I firmly believe that regular stretching is vital for flexibility, improved performance in and out of the gym, and can possibly prevent injury from happening. If you naturally lack flexibility, stretching regularly doesn't necessarily mean you will ever have great flexibility, but it can definitely improve it. And if you never stretch, you can bet that your flexibility and mobility WILL decrease over time.
Another topic related to stretching is the appropriate amount of time to hold a stretch. I believe that if you are thoroughly warmed up, i.e., you have done some light cardio or have already worked out, you can hold certain stretches for as long as two minutes in some instances. At the same time, I do believe that if your muscles are cold, i.e. first thing in the morning upon waking up, you should not go right into long stretches, as this can be counter productive and actually lead to muscle pulls. Regardless if you are doing a long stretching session or a quick one, anything less than 15 seconds is most likely doing nothing for you. So no matter what period of the day you are stretching, aim for 20-30 second holds at minimum. Until next time,
train hard...and enjoy the journey!

p.s., pick up my eBook "40 Fitness Fixes" at: www.40fitnessfixes.com !!

Exciting News!!

Hello everyone!
I know it has been quite some time, to say the least...but I am BACK! You can look forward to regular postings from me on a weekly basis, and please feel free to comment on ANY and EVERYthing fitness and/or nutrition related that you have questions about, or have topics that you would like me to write about. When it comes to fitness and nutrition, my biggest passion is educating you guys, and helping you succeed in achieving your goals through continued education!

With that being said, I am super excited to announce that my eBook
"40 Fitness Fixes: A Practical Guide to Avoiding or Correcting Common Fitness Mistakes" is officially online and available for purchase at: www.40fitnessfixes.com. This book has been an idea for a couple of years, and for the last 4 or 5 months I have been actively writing it. Let me tell you briefly about my inspiration for writing this book. First off, I have had a couple of major injuries from bodybuilding in the last 2.5 to 3 years or so, and I am still afflicted my these injuries today. I have spent so much of the time since then being angry at myself (for not following my own expertise), feeling sorry for myself, having regret, etc. But one day I decided that having all of these negative feelings was not going to change my circumstances; so I decided to find a positive spin, or silver lining if you will, from it all... and that was the beginning of my inspiration for this book. I knew that I could provide the necessary education to everyone out there who may just be starting their fitness journey, or have even been working out for a few years but just don't feel like they have the hang of it, to avoid suffering the injuries that I have dealt with. Now I would be remiss if I did not disclose this undeniable fact: that even when performing exercises with perfect form, there is always a risk for injury. Just like in all areas of life, we can control a lot of things, but we cannot control everything. That being said, my injuries were more likely the result of lifting too heavy, not listening to my body when it told me to back down the frequency a bit and take a break, or a combination of the both.
My other inspiration for wanting to write this book was the kind of educational material I was seeing, or should say, wasn't seeing in the marketplace, online, etc. Over my 20+ years of bodybuilding, working out, exercising, however you want to phrase it, I have come across endless books and articles on different workout routines, meal plans, etc., but I never quite found a quality piece of literature that talked about some of the most commonly made fitness mistakes, both in and outside of the gym... so I decided to provide that information myself!
My "40 Fitness Fixes" talks about some of the most common mistakes I see made every single day, including mistakes I have made myself, and how you can fix these mistakes, or avoid making them altogether! So if you want to get the most out of your fitness and maximize your potential success, I highly recommend picking up this book. It is over 100 pages of text, spread out through 8 Chapters, of critical information you need to know in order to be successful in your fitness endeavors. 
The website is: www.40fitnessfixes.com  and the book is currently only $9.99. You can purchase it directly from the website, and you will automatically receive the eBook in downloadable PDF format. You can also connect with me by subscribing to the newsletter that you will see a pop up prompt for, shortly after entering the website. Lastly, you can connect with me through my other social media platforms:
Instagram.com/LeeDremelFitness
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LinkedIN: Lee Dremel
Have an awesome day, and remember... train hard, and enjoy the journey!