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

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

How to Life Plan, Goal Set, and Keep Yourself Moving Forward: Consistent Progression

When you are traveling to a new place, you get directions, use a GPS, or have someone guide you. Why is that so many people try and travel through their life without the same techniques? How can you possibly expect to end up where you want to be without a road map?

I'm a big proponent for life planning, goal setting, and writing stuff down. I think the majority of people have an idea of where they want to "end up," but why would you try and get there without a plan? Now, if your plan/goal/dream is to live an unstructured life then by all means, do it! But, if you have set goals or moments you want to hit in your life, I think it is absolutely necessary to have some kind of program to follow.

If this is your first time writing out a life plan, it can be pretty daunting. It's a lot of self reflection, and I think a good place to start is by writing down your, "Essential List." Write, "What is important to me?" and then narrow it down to less than 10 items. These are the most important things in your life, and everything you do, from work to play, should fit within them.

Obviously, things change and come up. Being flexible is important to a successful life. By having these items written down and acknowledging them, you are able to make quick and decisive decisions when something big happens. As long as you make sure whatever you choose fits within your, "Essential List" you know you'll still be on the right path towards your dreams and goals.

There are different ways to create a life plan, a helpful tip is to split your life into at least these 4 categories: physical, mental, financial, and spiritual. You can put in whatever categories you would like, and some will be more important to you than others.

Make sure you're actually recording this either electronically or on paper. Personally, I like to write mine on paper, something about taking the time to actually write things out makes me think a little slower, and really decide on what I want to say.

When writing out goals, I like the follow the S.M.A.R.T goal setting technique.  I also like to make weekly, months, yearly, and of course life goals. Your goals should scare you a bit. There's no sense in making easily attainable goals. Challenge is good.

I always start with my physical goals, I think that has become a habit for me since my first goals I ever recorded were from my bodybuilding days. This isn't just weight loss or gain goals, it could also be about drinking more water, or less processed food or sugar, or getting ready for an event or race; whatever you want! Once I settle on my physical goals, I move to financial ones. Plan out how much you want to have saved, what debts paid off, and any big purchases you have in mind for the coming years. Next is the mental goals and plans. This could include goals for how many or what kind of books you want to read, daily or weekly meditation, or dedicating time in the day to self betterment practices such as life planning. Lastly, there are spiritual goals to plan out. These could be whatever personal beliefs you would like to practice, but record how you will go about that and how often.

Continue to reflect on your goals daily, or at least weekly. Make goals for goals if that helps you stay on track, and make sure all of your goals fit within your, "Essential List." By doing this, you keep yourself in check to make sure you're moving forward. Being at a standstill in life is just as bad as moving backwards. It doesn't matter how quickly you are moving, just as long as you continue to grow. By having a life plan, but staying flexible, you are set up to achieve more, worry less, and have a great life!

-Nick 

Upper Body 8/15 and why occasional breaks from lifting are helpful to avoid burnout

Last week I was on vacation with my family. I decided to take the whole week of from training and just focus on hanging out with my family and relaxing. I rode a few miles a day on a bike and hiked, but besides that I didn't do any lifting or exercising. In the past, when I would have take a week of I would stress about how I need to get back into a gym. When I would finally get back, the stress from worrying about how I was going to perform would ruin my workout. This time I got back into the gym with eagerness, but was stress-free and had a fantastic workout.

Your body needs to time recharge and relax. By taking a few days off, you come back fresh and ready to absolutely kill it in the gym. I had begun to lose some motivation for my own training before my trip, when I got back I was ready to start lifting again and pushing towards my personal goals. Burnout is a very real thing in sports, lifting, and life. Sometimes you need to take a step back, appreciate what you've done, reassess what you're doing, and then get after it. Signs of burnout can include: lack of motivation, loss of strength, tiredness, anxiety, etc. If you are starting to feel that way about your training, then relax, take a deep breath, a few days off, and get after it again. You've got to keep your mind happy as well as your body, and the deeper you push yourself through a burnout phase, the deeper you have to climb out.

So keep your body happy, your mind happy, and your training happy: take a break, it's okay!

-Nick

Workout Log 6/4/16 and 6/8/26

Here is this past Saturday's workout and today's workout! They were very similar so I wanted to post them together. Saturday I trained with one of my good friends who is getting ready for a powerlifting meet, so I stuck with his sets/reps which were pretty low compared to what I'm used to, but I liked it! I think I will start training more strength based, with a mix of accessory and GPP to keep me athletic.

Saturday 6/4/16
I jumped around a bit in weight on my deadlifts, just because I was having fun more than being a stickler about the format of his lift.

Deadlifts: 3x2 @ 405#, 1x1@ 425, 2x6 @ 315#

Back Squats: 5x8 @ 225#
Front Squats: 2x3 @ 225#

Partner Circuit:
Partner 1: Forward Sled drag for 80m
Partner 2: Kettlebell Swings with 63# till partner 1 returns.

GPP: 4 rounds
Partner 1: 4 tire flips
Partner 2: Sledgehammer 2 each side when tire hits the ground, then partner 1 flips it again

Wednesday 6/8/16

Back Squats: 2 warm up sets then 5x3 @ 315#

Deadlifts: 4x8 @ 225#

GPP/Accessory Circuit: 3 rounds
Backward/forward sled drag 20m each
Kettlebell swings  x15 @63#
Kettlebell Rack Carry x20m each side @ 63#

That's it! Thanks for reading!

-Nick

4 Tips to Have an Effective Weight Loss Journey

 

Everyone wants to achieve their weight loss goals, but many people do not set themselves up for success! You have to go into losing weight with a game plan and with the full belief that you will get there. There is no magical way to lose weight, but there are a few things that can make it easier and more enjoyable. Here are 4 tips to making your weight loss journey as effective as it can be!

 
1) Be held accountable

Get a personal trainer, a workout partner, attend fitness classes with knowledgeable trainers, or create an accountability challenge with your friends. When you are held accountable for your training and eating, you have this feeling that you can not let the others down. This will help you keep pushing even when you want to stop. It is also a fun way to do something with your friends to better yourselves. Having a trainer, either in a group setting or one-on-one, to push you past what you thought was possible, will help build your confidence in the gym and realize you're stronger than you think.

2) Don't think diet, think lifestyle

Unfortunately, it's a fact that 75-85% of weight loss comes from proper eating. There are so many "fad-diets" out there today, it can be overwhelming. I urge you to not think about starting a "diet" but to learn about what are good foods and bad foods, and just eat proper portions. When people think about the word "diet" bad things come to mind, like restriction, hunger, and suffering. I don't want my clients to have to suffer through their days. If you make eating good, clean, and real food a part of your lifestyle, you'll forget you're actually losing weight. Diets tend to have a timeline on them and that's how the cycle of, lose weight then gain it back starts. Once you start to eat proper food, it will become a way of life; not just something you  suffer through till that goal weight.

3)  Set goals

Goal setting is a skill that is used in much more than just weight loss. It helps you take steps towards your big goals in life, whatever they may be. By consistently achieving smaller goals you will be continuously boosting your confidence and belief that you CAN do it! Creating S.M.A.R.T goals is the best way to ensure you're making goals that are not too outlandish, but at the same time, are not too small. One goal at a time will get you where you need to go.

4) Find a place to workout 

A simple home gym setup

The gym is not for everyone. Many people are not comfortable working out at a big box gym full of people who have different goals. Look around your local area, many new private strength and conditioning facilities are popping up that offer group classes with certified trainers. These classes usually have awesome energy and people are extremely welcoming. If being in medium sized groups is not for you, then try and find a personal trainer that will cater programs just for your goals and needs. Many trainers will also offer reduced rates for semi-private training, so you could get together with a friend or two, and have your own fitness class, customized just for you! Lastly, if none of this seems like you would enjoy it, save the money on the gym membership you won't use, and buy some basic equipment and train at home. Or you can start super basic, and just walk and do simple body-weight exercises. Doing something, is always better than doing nothing.

I hope these tips will help you get closer to your weight loss goal. Find someone to train with, at a place you feel comfortable, using S.M.A.R.T goals, follow a proper nutrition plan, and you will have no problems reaching success!

In True Strength,

Nick

Are you doing what you're meant to be doing?

I could just leave you with the title and have you think about it for a while, but I think I'll go into some detail. One of the biggest worries people have is finding a job. When they're young and fresh out of school or college its all about finding that, "dream job." As time goes on, that dream begins to fade to something more like a job, then something that pays the bills, and finally going to a place they hate. According to a study done in 2013 by The Gallup, 70% of Americans hate their job. That is an incredibly high number! That means 70% of Americans hate 1/3 of their life. Life is too short for that much discomfort and hate.

Recently, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my future. I have this feeling inside of me that I'm meant to do something great. To influence people, and help them have a more fulfilled life! Now some might say, "your young, everyone has those feelings." If so, then why doesn't anyone do it! People end up giving up on their dreams, in order to just get by. What kind of life is that?! One of my favorite books is, The Alchemist (I highly recommend reading it). It's a short read about a shepherd boy that realizes his, "personal legend." He goes on a long quest and does much more than a normal person. Obviously it's fiction, but the message is incredible. The only job anyone absolutely has, is to realize their, "personal legend." That is, to realize their calling in life. Many people come close, but then they give up, either for financial reasons, or because it's too hard; they have a fear of failure.

Finding and doing what you love might not be the easiest thing, but it will surely save you years of hatred and a monotonous life. Obviously, a lot of this is easier said than done, but I just want to put the idea out there that there is more to life than what you're doing! Life is not about work, it's about the people around you and the experiences you have. No one is going to talk about "that time at work" on their deathbed. They are going to talk about that trip they had, with the people they met, and the stories that were told. Having a career that I love with the ability to experience life is my dream; what's yours? You just have to find your, "personal legend" and all will be clear.

In true strength,

Nick

Stressed? Here are 4 ways to help keep you calm and productive!

The older we get, the more responsibilities. Mortgages, kids, work, health, nutrition, deadlines; the list could go on forever. All these things pile up and cause that little gremlin, stress, to appear. Now, most people have heard how stress can effect their health. It can lead to muscle tightness, headaches, and poor sleep at night. All of these side effects end up leading to more problems, and the cycle continues! Some people can get caught up in this stress mess for years at a time, never finding a way out. The purpose of today's post is about how to deal with stress. Some of these might sound simple and obvious, but hopefully they will give you a reminder to do them, and keep that gremlin away.

1. Walk

Just go walk. Don't think about anything in particular, whatever pops in your head, pops in your head. If you notice you start thinking about your stresses, then try and concentrate on the sounds all around you. Take a moment to listen to the birds, the planes, the cars, anything besides what bothers you. Don't think of this as exercise, think of it as moving meditation.  Now I know you're thinking you don't have time to waste on something silly like walking. Well look, if you keep sitting in your office freaking about everything you need to get done, you are going to be less productive. Take that 10-20 minutes and walk around. Clear your head. When you come back to your work, you will feel better than before and probably figure out a way to solve whatever you're trying to solve. Give yourself a chance to breath.

      2. Lift

Go pick something up. It doesn't matter if you don't have a whole  home gym or gym membership; just lift something. Exercise releases endorphins, which trigger positive feelings in the body. Exercise and lifting does a lot more than that though, it helps show you what you're capable of.  It creates personal goals for yourself, so that when you achieve them, you feel accomplished and successful. It will show you that you can overcome things, and get through whatever it is that life throws at you. I can't even imagine who or where I would be if I had never begun lifting. Through lifting, I have grown way more than just physically. I have learned so much about myself, and what I can do. It has honestly helped me in almost every aspect of my life; including stress management. When you realize your fullest potential, the things that stressed you out, just become easier to manage. You'll wonder why they bothered you  in the first place.

     3.  Set Goals

I've mentioned goal setting in one of my videos before, but I think it is extremely important. Without goals, you have no direction. You don't have to be crazy like me and set goals for every part of the day, but at least set daily goals. Figure out what the most important thing is that you need to get done that day, and set all your efforts on that. Accomplish your goal, and move on. The feeling of achieving a goal is incredible and will give you the energy to move on to the next one and then the next one. I would also advise setting weekly, monthly, and maybe even 6 month goals. Setting goals helps break big tasks down to little ones, and makes everything seem more manageable.

    4. Meditate

I have just recently started to meditate daily, and I absolutely love it. Allowing yourself to just sit, and concentrate on absolutely nothing, but your breathing, for 20-30 minutes is incredible. It helps to clear your head of stresses, anger, and hate. There are many ways to meditate, so find the one you like the best. Personally, I perform Vipassana meditation. Everything you need to know is in a book called, Mindfulness: In Plain English. The book is free online, and only 100 pages. If you are not sure if you would enjoy meditation, I would advise trying a short guided session. There are a lot of free ones on YouTube! So far, meditation has helped me to relax and focus on the important things in my life. It has also helped me realize when I'm stressing over things that are not as important as they seem or just not that big of a deal in the big picture!

This list could go on for a very long time, the trick is to find what works for you and stick with it. I use a combination of all four of these to keep my head on straight. Stress can destroy you, but it is just a part of modern society. We have so many things going on at once, but by employing one or two of these methods, you could stay calmer, happier, and become a more productive and stronger person!

Do not let the stresses in your life define who you are.

In true strength,

Nick