Phil Yudson Fitness and Performance

Comparison is the thief of joy.

And I hope your successes have given you some joy after all of your hard work.

There is always someone stronger. Faster. Leaner. Bigger. Younger, even. If we look beyond ourselves we can always find a reason to diminish our accomplishments. So we must remember to compete within ourselves. You can want more for yourself. The drive to be a better version of yourself is a good thing. As long as you understand that the better version of you is still you.

Sometimes what you see isn't even real. Photos and videos are edited. Feats can be misrepresented. Or we can find a way to put a negative spin on almost anything if our brain chemistry tells us to. In those moments, we need to stay focused on our own journey.

Each step forward should be celebrated. Each milestone evidence of our ability. Each obstacle a challenge to be conquered. They are our own.

We're only human. We see the world around us and it's hard to not be affected. But ideally we become inspired, not discouraged. Seeing the successes of another should help motivate us by seeing the possibilities.

The potential we, too, can accomplish.

I love what I do. It is immensely rewarding to help people achieve their goals. And the road map to that is written out in the science.

Studies continue to explore the various mechanisms at play in exercise. Strength training modalities and physiology can be examined to show what results occur with consistent application. These are predictable occurrences. So we know what works.

Studies continue to explore and demonstrate sound, repeatable outcomes. But occasionally, even after years, studies will reveal a consideration unrecognized in years of exercise science.

Being able to examine and scrutinize these results is a necessity. Many tried and true methods have been around for years. But when a new piece of evidence comes along, it should be considered. And it is invaluable to be able to see when that is not the case.

Regardless, all this science shows the answers. Each client and their goals are a science experiment-- an equation. If we manipulate variables, we can create a desired outcome.

It's all about staying on top of what works. These are the tools at our disposal. And it's always a bonus when we discover a new one!

Exercise and activity are not the same thing.

I hear clients tell me they didn't exercise, but they were busy. "If it's not exercise, why am I so tired?"

It's true that exertion can cause fatigue, but that doesn't equate to stimulating a desirable adaptation. Even intensive manual labor on a daily basis is not likely consistent enough to create such a stimulation.

You shouldn't feel badly if life impedes a workout one day. It's not the end of the world. You can get back into your routine shortly. However, if you are not in a routine, your fatigue is not evidence that you don't need exercise. If anything, it's the opposite. The more fit you are, the better equipped you should be to endure strenuous activity.

Anecdotal evidence or stories of individuals who seem to defy this concept cannot disprove that if being busy kept you in shape, most of us would never have entered a gym in our lives.

It's ok to be busy. Activity can wear you out. But exercise is uniquely performed with the intention of improving your fitness. They're just not the same.

Supplements are a great tool to complement your routine. Studies have shown the effective usage of things like creatine to help you towards your goal.

But no supplement is going to do the work for you. They are intended to supplement a habit that already exists. If you haven't already built that habit, that's ok. It can take time to establish consistent habits. Over time you will likely need to adapt your program to suit your circumstances. But the program is more significant.

The actual work and discipline you utilize will determine the outcome. Any kind of support you utilize will only augment that effort. And in many instances, the addition of a supplement will only be a benefit if your program pivots to utilize the additional components that are now a part of the equation.

Otherwise you're no better off than when you started.

Supplements are tools. Like any other element of your program. But you are only going to be as effective as your implementation and selection of your tools. Choose wisely. And then get to work.

An injury needs time to heal. But it needs more than that.

Your body needs care to facilitate recovery. Additionally, trauma to an area of your body can have cascading effects. Inactivity, compensation and avoidance can stress your body in other ways and lead to more issues.

So what do you do? Speak to experts, first of all. Particularly physical therapists committed to your return to exercise. With very few exceptions, regardless of how much work is necessary, there is a path back to sport. Even if the level of competition is reduced.

Second, you do what you can. A doctor's diagnosis of the specificity of the injury often matters significantly less than what you can do despite that injury. Continuing activity in a safely modified avenue will allow you to continue to maintain some progress and prevent complete regression as you heal. Your physical therapist will help you figure out your limitations. But your body will tell you as well.

But finally, you do need time. Both time to rest and time to fix dysfunction. We often think about our youth as a time when we would sprain an ankle and be healthy again in a week. It's an odd standard to hold. We are not growing the same way as adults and our bodies don't rebound like that. Expecting as much is unrealistic and unreasonable. Try to be patient.

You'll be ok. But you're gonna need to work at it!

Community is a valuable concept. When we feel like we belong, it keeps us motivated. It keeps us accountable. It makes things fun.

That element of inclusion also keeps us coming back for human interaction. And it keeps costs down, allowing us to sustain habit. There are many group fitness brands that utilize community to generate business. And that's a part of it all. But marketing also means convincing you that those classes can do everything, and they can't.

Let me be clear: sustained fitness habits are good for you. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. But the very nature of a group's broad structure means it is lesser than an individualized program.

Many trendy classes also emphasize constant movement to leave each participant sweaty and tired. Logically, this means we got a good workout. Right? Not necessarily. Not if our goal is to build strength and muscle mass. The very nature of that sustained output demands lighter loads that can be utilized through more volume. That means less motor unit recruitment. And that also means more fatigue.

If our goal is to get cardiovascular benefits, then group classes are a great way to supplement our training. But simply put, nothing replaces lifting heavy weights. And if you're lifting heavy, you need rest time.

Something is better than nothing. But you can do better than that. You deserve a higher bar.

Motivation is about when you can push yourself to do something hard. Discipline is about being able to do something hard even when you don't want to.

But sometimes what is hard is not doing the thing. Whether you are recovering from an injury, prepping for competition, or not seeing results as fast as you'd like, you need rest.

Ideally, you have two rest days in a week. Without rest time, our body's passive processes cannot act. We must buffer fatigue mechanisms and return to optimum performance.

The idea of "no days off" sounds impressive. Work ethic is necessary. There's the discipline we spoke of. But in actuality, without days off, we are creating diminishing returns on all of that hard work.

The psychology of fitness is complicated. It can be hard to separate our self worth from our fitness. Our habit can feel like we have earned value. Let me make this clear: your value is intrinsic to you. Not your habits. Don't punish yourself. Take the rest day.

Discipline doesn't mean beating yourself into the ground, it means being patient.

Discipline and motivation are not the same thing. Discipline is more important. When you have both, you have something special. But right now, relax.

I see most of my clients for hour long sessions. This gives me time to incorporate our big four compound lifts, core work, appropriate rest time and flexibility of time.

But I had a client ask me what they could do with a half hour. For this client, they are already seeing me for two hours a week with an emphasis on strength and mobility. My usual answer regarding extra time not accounting for cardiovascular exercise is to supplement what we are already doing.

By adding in auxiliary lifts and emphasizing secondary muscle groups and mobility, there is a net positive to our goals without compromising our progress with added fatigue.

If they were only seeing me one hour a week, I would tell them to do what we are doing, but to set two minute timers between sets to maximize time. Research indicates that beyond those two minute recovery breaks, there isn't a measurable difference in output and the Rating of Percieved Exertion is negligibly more taxing than when resting longer.

So when time is limited, there are options to continue to work towards our goals. There is an added need for discipline and structure. But everyone is different, and we always need to consider context and priorities.

We don't always have the benefit of time, but there are ways to make it all work!

We all understand that exercise keeps us healthy. We understand training makes us more prepared for our sport. It allows us to perform better and makes us more resistant to injuries. Sometimes our sport is life. And injuries can strike in life just like on the field.

As we age, that resilience becomes even more essential.

As people age, fitness becomes more work. Little things we used to take for granted become necessary upkeep. They add to the list. Fitness doesn't just become harder, it becomes a longer list. It leaves many feeling overwhelmed or intimidated.

We have all seen elderly family or friends take a fall. They sustain an injury and they are never the same again. Their injury makes it even harder to put in the work to regain their independence and resilience. It begins a downward spiral.

Without putting in the effort to establish that ability, the descent is even more dramatic and even more daunting when it is new. An established habit is familiar, even if it takes work. The likelihood of returning to activity is higher. Not just because the work isn't novel, but because the baseline of ability is higher. The durability is higher, likely preventing such an injury from being quite as catastrophic.

But beyond just trying to prevent the decline many feel is inevitable, there is an improvement in quality of life.

More energy. Better cognition. Stress relief. Less of a need to rely upon so many medications. The ability to participate in activities. Being more involved in the lives of loved ones. I could go on.

But the good news is, there is time. Start.

Do the thing. Build the habit. Rise to the challenges. You can refine it as you go. Establish your health. That investment will pay you back and save you in the long run.

And it'll keep you on your feet.

Take a deep breath.

How we regulate breathing during an exercise is a necessary consideration. Strain too much and you risk a hernia in the abdominal wall. Breathe too hard and you risk hyperventilation. Too irregularly and you may find yourself feeling nauseous. Too little and you may get lightheaded.

Lifting weights is an anaerobic exercise. It means that we are operating in energy pathways that produce energy more rapidly, but not efficiently utilizing oxygen. Nonetheless, we are obviously using oxygen for so many other elements like brain function. So we need to keep air coming. Anaerobic pathways also produce carbon dioxide, so we have to expel it.

But the truth is that as long as you have rested properly before your set, you probably have enough oxygenated blood to get you through that set.

Lifting weights is also utilizing the various levers your body provides. These levers transfer energy. When your core is braced, and you have thoracic integrity, it is a more efficient machine. Letting the air out is like having a leak in the bladder of a ball. It doesn't go well.

By bracing the core through the sticking point of your lift, and exhaling calmly after, you can likely keep everything running smoothly. It takes some practice. And it takes confidence. But when things start to get heavy, technique will get you through safely, and effectively.

And when you finish a stimulating set, you'll be breathing harder. That's also normal, as energy demands have spiked and your body is trying to switch to efficient aerobic energy production.

But there's nothing to worry about. It's normal. You'll recover. And then it's on to the next one.

Just breathe!