Fun and Fitness: Training to get those killer McConaughey looks
After writing last weeks article regarding New Years resolutions, I decided to ask a bunch of friends at lunch what they were planning to change for 2007. It's always a fun topic to mull over since everyone's got different traits they want to improve on. One girl said she wasn't going to be such a hard-ass with guys. Good for her, 2007 will no doubt be a sick year for her. The guy at the table said he was going to quit smoking weed. No way will he be having as much fun as “newly improved easy does it” girl, but I'm sure he'll come close by upping his alcohol consumption to a healthy dose. The second girl at the table said she wasn't going to cry as much while being less of a push over. I wish her best of luck in her pursuit of being hard. Sure enough, later on in the day, a very close friend of mine approached me about his New Years resolution — getting in shape!
Some of you may recognize Killer Keith from last year's “Dysfunctional Sports” Interrobang column. He's off to an exotic location for a wedding at the end of May and has decided he wants to look like Matthew McConaughey. He's never worked out in his life and has no idea as to what the hell he should be doing. This is where I come in. Now there's plenty of ways I can go about this. The best way of course is the best way for Keith in particular.
We all vary in personality and respond to things in different ways. Some of us are ultra-sensitive, while others are tuff as nails. No matter what type of person you're dealing with and trying to help, there's one thing we all respond well to; positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement becomes even more essential in the learning phase. When you're trying to pick-up something new, the last thing you want to be told is how much you suck at it. Everyone loves to win, but nobody likes losing. Losing does have its upsides but it can become quite discouraging when it happens regularly.
So if you're trying to help someone, why bury the person deeper in the ground when he or she is trying so hard to work on up. Two of the best people I've ever trained with were my good friends Rudy and Mike. I was new to the whole gym thing, but these guys made me feel like a star while feeding me constructive criticism. They consistently told me how well I was doing with their instructions, while readjusting my weaknesses in a positive manner. Not only did this boost my self-esteem but it encouraged me to keep progressing in my newfound hobby.
I can't stress how important it is to delicately reinforce a “newbie's” weaknesses. Make people aware of what they are doing well. Then gear them towards the right direction of fixing their weaknesses without making them feel completely shitty about themselves. You'll leave them with that gut feeling that tells them “I've got some things to work on but I'm doing pretty damn well so far”.
Keep in mind not to get this all twisted. We're not talking about pampering here. There's always a proper time for tuff love as well. If you know that the person you're trying to help “still has some stuff in the basement” than be the one to push him or her into that basement to find it. You can bet the boss' daughter that I'll be pushing Keith real hard whenever he's hauling ass.
That brings us to the killer question. Will Keith turn into Orlando Bloom by the end of May or will he quit after two weeks? The answer is entirely up to him. All I can do is provide him with the proper tools to reach his desired result.
Some of you may recognize Killer Keith from last year's “Dysfunctional Sports” Interrobang column. He's off to an exotic location for a wedding at the end of May and has decided he wants to look like Matthew McConaughey. He's never worked out in his life and has no idea as to what the hell he should be doing. This is where I come in. Now there's plenty of ways I can go about this. The best way of course is the best way for Keith in particular.
We all vary in personality and respond to things in different ways. Some of us are ultra-sensitive, while others are tuff as nails. No matter what type of person you're dealing with and trying to help, there's one thing we all respond well to; positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement becomes even more essential in the learning phase. When you're trying to pick-up something new, the last thing you want to be told is how much you suck at it. Everyone loves to win, but nobody likes losing. Losing does have its upsides but it can become quite discouraging when it happens regularly.
So if you're trying to help someone, why bury the person deeper in the ground when he or she is trying so hard to work on up. Two of the best people I've ever trained with were my good friends Rudy and Mike. I was new to the whole gym thing, but these guys made me feel like a star while feeding me constructive criticism. They consistently told me how well I was doing with their instructions, while readjusting my weaknesses in a positive manner. Not only did this boost my self-esteem but it encouraged me to keep progressing in my newfound hobby.
I can't stress how important it is to delicately reinforce a “newbie's” weaknesses. Make people aware of what they are doing well. Then gear them towards the right direction of fixing their weaknesses without making them feel completely shitty about themselves. You'll leave them with that gut feeling that tells them “I've got some things to work on but I'm doing pretty damn well so far”.
Keep in mind not to get this all twisted. We're not talking about pampering here. There's always a proper time for tuff love as well. If you know that the person you're trying to help “still has some stuff in the basement” than be the one to push him or her into that basement to find it. You can bet the boss' daughter that I'll be pushing Keith real hard whenever he's hauling ass.
That brings us to the killer question. Will Keith turn into Orlando Bloom by the end of May or will he quit after two weeks? The answer is entirely up to him. All I can do is provide him with the proper tools to reach his desired result.
