By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, April 8, 2015
I have several friends who are competitive body builders, fitness and figure professionals. It’s quite remarkable to watch them prepare for an upcoming competition show. The intensity, dedication and extreme diet they go through is almost indescribable.
My friend Frances Field, NPC Figure Champion, happened to be training and preparing in the gym recently. I typically strike up a conversation with Frances and her husband, but that day was not the day. She would have eaten me up.
Frances was frantically performing speed drills on different cardio machines, then sprinted through the gym, followed by push-ups and jumping jacks, then sprinted back to the cardio machines, only to repeat the process over and over.
I promise, everyone, got out of her way, for she had the “eye of the tiger.”
Her intensity, made me think about my own workouts. I sometimes find myself just going through the motions, watching the clock, not putting in much effort and practically wasting my time.
After observing Frances, I decided to kick up my intensity a few notches. I was lifting weights, so I added heavier weights with less rest in between sets. Within a few minutes, sweat was pouring out, my heart rate was up, the endorphins were kicking in, and I was feeling like Superman. Well, maybe more like Superman’s father. I am getting a little older, but you get my point.
Next time you’re starting any type of exercise, try using competitive intensity, and psych yourself up with a purpose of accomplishing goals.
One famous philosophy of the great Jhoon Rhee, father of American Tae Kwon Do — “It’s not how much time you put into it, but how much you put into the time.”
Think about it.