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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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