Start your week off RIGHT, train the LEGS on Monday!

I love squats, but they're also the most taxing movement I typically do. Leg training is usually the roughest for the majority of my clients, but it is so important to have a strong lower body.

The best way to get the tough stuff over with is to start your week with it. I learned this from an awesome strength coach named Zach Even-Esh. He has always started his week off with heavy squats and lower body training since he started lifting as a teen. So many people want to do the easy stuff because it's Monday. Sorry, but Monday is just another day. Start the week off strong, get it over with, and train your legs off!

You can see in my lift today it was almost all lower body. I started off with squats, working up to 275, and I paired that with some glute medius work (the side of your butt). I then went on to heavy and high step ups. I used an 18-inch box with a 45lb kettlebell. The key on step-ups is to not hop off the bottom foot. The last movement was barbell walking lunges. I still had time at the end so I threw in some core work, which was difficult because it was fried from all the lifting!

Overall this was an awesome workout, and I'm pumped to have my heavy squats out of the way. There's no better wake-up call than a barbell full of metal on your back!

Get after it, and have an awesome week!

-Nick

Why you need to keep it SIMPLE!

Life is already complicated enough; let's not make workouts just as crazy. A few sets of big, compound movement can give you a great workouts without taking all day. A compound movement is an exercise that uses multiple joints and muscles. Think, squats, deadlifts, bench, push press.

There are so many people writing overly complicated workouts for people that do not need them. If you are an athlete with specific goals and competition dates, then yes you're workout needs to be more laid out and planned in advanced with specific percantages. If you're just looking to get stronger, leaner, and more confident in the gym, then just having a few circuits with multiple exercises that cover all the parts you are trying to train will do the trick!

You can see in my workout today, I focused on upper body. I did two circuits, one pushing (circuit 1) and one pulling (circuit 2). 5-6 rounds each circuit, and I threw in some core and explosive work to break up the rests between sets. I do tend to make my own workouts a bit more complicated, but today I just felt like training and not thinking, and sometimes those turn out to be the best workouts!

Thanks for reading, and remember

 Keep it Simple

-Nick

Bodybuilding Style Workout and Changing up Your Training to Avoid Burnout

I'm not going to lie, today I definitely did not feel like working out. I woke up tired, and thought, "maybe I could just skip today's session." The whole time through my first class I was debating on whether or not I should lift, finally I realized I had to.

My motivation was low, so my discipline stepped in. 

When you start experiencing signs of burnout, it's important to act quickly to avoid getting stuck in it. Burnout can lead to many physiological and psychological issues such as, depression, extreme-soreness, sleeplessness, and many other. Changing up your training, taking a day off, and re-evaluating your goals can be good ways to avoid and counter the early signs of overtraining and burnout.

I think I'm starting to experience a bit of burnout, so today I decided to do a, "throw-back" lift. I trained how I used to train when I competed in bodybuilding, and it was great! It kept me interested, and made me start to enjoy my workout again.

It's been a while since I did a bodybuilding, high volume type workout and I forgot how much fun they are. This style of training means pushing the body part you're training to failure on nearly every set, trying to pump as much blood into the muscle as possible. Less circuits, and more sets of one exercise at a time. Lately, I have been training for my upcoming Spartan Race in December, so it has been more strength and full body training. This was a good way to mix up my training and keep me interested.

Overtraining and burnout can be a serious issue in all aspects of your life. Keep an eye out for it in your work, personal life, and workouts. Many people use lifting as a release and the last thing you would want to do is ruin your way of expelling stress or frustration. If you're getting bored with your training, it might be time to mix it up. Change the style, try lifting with a friend, or find whatever way will keep you interested, so you can keep getting stronger!

Thanks for reading!

-Nick

So you want to start, but don't know where to begin.

We have all been there. You get this fantastic idea you're going to change your eating habits and exercise more, you get super excited and motivated, and then you realize you don't know where to begin.

THIS IS OKAY AND NORMAL. 

Most people don't know where to begin when it comes to exercise. There are so many different diets and exercise programs, not even the best professional could name them all. High intensity, low intensity, lifting, cardio, metabolic conditioning, low carb, high carb, low fat, no fat, the list of ways people have tried to lose weight and get stronger could go on forever! Thankfully, there is a method that will always get you past this confusion: do something.

Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Start with the simplest form of diet and exercise, walking and cut out fast food and processed food. If you are coming from a completely sedentary lifestyle, trying to jump into a big diet and exercise program all at once can lead to confusion and frustration. Start with the basics and work your way up. Investing the time in your health is the best and most sound investment you can make.

Once you have begun with the basics, you can move on up to bodyweight exercises such as: squats, push ups, plank variations, and reverse rows. Demonstrations of these exercises can easily be found online. These can all be done at home, with no equipment. At this point, you may be thinking about joining a gym, make sure you have it set in your mind, YOU WILL USE THE GYM. There is no point in wasting your time and money on a membership that you won't use. Try getting an outside person to hold you accountable. A knowledgable strength coach or personal training that truly cares about you reaching your goals is a great way to advance safely and faster than you would on your own. They can hold you accountable to get in the gym, and make sure you are consistently progressing towards your goals.

You will always come up with reasons why now is a bad time to start a new health program. Time and money will be the two biggest that pop in your head, but remember your body is the only thing you truly own forever. It is the safest investment you can make, the more work and commitment you put in the more positive results you will see. Life should not be a struggle of up and down with your health and weight. It should be about finding a balance of healthy eating, movement, and exercise. If you are just beginning, remember, start with the absolute basics, find a knowledgeable coach, and just begin.

You owe it to yourself to be the strongest person you can be.

Thanks for reading,

Nick Guzek

Brick by Brick Fitness
facebook.com/bbybfitness

Lower Body 9/28 and why it's okay if not every workout is amazing

Today was my first lift back since our Spartan Race. I loved the it and am already signing up for my next one!

I started the workout with power cleans. It's been a long time since I did cleans, and they were a little rusty. From there I moved into squats and 3 rounds of accessory work. I ended the workout with sled drags, overhead carries, and tire flips.

Squats felt really heavy today, and I only went up to 225. Not every lift has to be a super heavy. Some days you have it and others you don't. The important part is that you stay consistent and are continually progressing.

Letting the weight beat you is a simple way to fail. Realize that outside stresses in your life effect how well your workout can go. The best thing to do is get in there, turn the music up, and get after the best you can.

Do not get discouraged, progress is progress.

Thanks for reading!

-Nick

Why you need glute activation exercises and how to do GREAT monster walks!

I was not planning on lifting this morning, but both my morning clients canceled on me so I had an opportunity and I jumped on it. I don't typically like lifting in the morning, but when I have a big opening in my schedule and know that I would have normally been working during that time anyway, I like to take advantage of it. Getting your workout out of the way and knowing the hardest part of your day is over just makes you feel a sense of accomplishment and an, "I can do it" kind of attitude. 

I did lower body today, starting out with some moderately heavy back squats and step-ups. I have recently started doing more and more step-ups and I'm starting to love them! Starting your week out with squats is a great way to get the hardest lift out of the way for awhile. If you can do heavy squats on a Monday, you can do anything! After that, I did a few circuits of accessory work, one of which included a favorite of mine: Monster Walks. 

Monster walks are an awesome glute activation and strengthening exercise. Many, if not most, people go throughout their daily life without their glutes being fully activated. Sitting all day, not exercising, and not even moving causes your glutes to, "turn off." This can lead to problems such as back pain, hip tightness, and over-compensation by your hamstrings. This is why I have my clients start off with mini band work to get their glutes firing before we get into and heavy lifting. 

Here's how I do Monster Walks

• Put a mini band on around your ankles
• Squat down to a half squat (just above parallel)
• Keeping your core engaged take big, outward, diagonal steps
• Keep your knees out, focus on engaging the side of your butt
• Make sure you keep your toes pointing forward, they are going to want to point out
• All the movement should come from your legs and hip, do not let your upper body turn to compensate
• Walk, staying in the squatted position, for about 10-15 yards forward, then backwards back
• Maintain good posture with your upper body, do not let your back round

Congrats, you did Monster Walks! 

You can buy mini bands for less then $10-15 for a pack of 4-5 of various resistances; I would strongly urge everyone to get some for home!

Thanks for reading and get those gluts activated!

-Nick 

Workout log 8/29/16 and why learning how to accept failure fosters mental toughness and growth.

Today's workout was full body. It felt awesome to squat heavy and then finish up with some unconventional GPP training using a sledgehammer, tire, and sandbag.

I've put together a co-Brick by Brick Fitness/ Peak S&C Spartan race team, and we are about 4 weeks out! I'm very excited to be doing my first Spartan race. The whole purpose of a race like this, no matter what brand it is, is to test your mental toughness and ability to get through whatever is thrown at you. I love the idea of being pushed to my limits, physically and mentally, and this is such a great way to test it out.

I think it is important in life to do stuff that challenges you. If you walk through life with everything given to you, or always taking the easy path, you will never realize your fullest potential. I've been lucky that all of my clients love being pushed (even if they didn't think so at first!) Being uncomfortable and purposely putting yourself in situations that make you not feel, "warm and cozy" are how you grow and develop an iron mindset. Once you start to get a stronger mental game, everything else seems easier. You no longer fear what you don't know, and you believe that you can do whatever your mind wants!

I think the biggest challenge when trying to gain mental toughness is getting over the fear of failure. Failure is a part of life and it's one of the best ways of growing. If you just accomplish everything you set out to do, you're not setting big enough goals. Overcoming failures, picking yourself up, and still moving forward is how you get stronger.

Think of a time when you failed at something, if you're still bitter about it, try taking some lessons from it. How could you have been better? Did you train enough for it? Did you set yourself up to be successful? Use failures to better yourself, not to destroy you. Once you learn that it's okay to fail as long as you're continuing to grow, learn, and better yourself, you will have a mind that nothing can stop.

Get after it.

-Nick