Featured Fitness Professional

"Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: 10 Mind Set Shifting Tips for Fitness Success"

By Jason Morgan

Imagine if one simple statement could impact your personal fitness future forever. What if I told you that I was going to share that statement with you right here, right now, and change your life forever? Here it is ?Are you ready for it?

Change your mind and change your body? forever!

Though simplistic in its nature, this one statement is probably the most challenging of any endeavor for those seeking to increase their personal fitness no matter what the goal. Below I will share with you 10 tips that I have found over the years to help motivate, empower, and drive my clients towards their personal fitness goals.

1. WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS.

You can't hit a bull's-eye without a target. So, you want to have a better physique? What do you specifically want to improve and exactly how much? In how much time do you want to accomplish it? List your goals! Write them down in specific detail. Instead of saying, "I want bigger arms," say "My arms are 14 inches right now but I want them to be 16 inches by December 31st. I can accomplish this by working harder on both my biceps and triceps and use mostly heavy dumbbells and barbells."

Once you have committed to such a detailed vision, you should automatically see the intensity and desire during your arm workouts dramatically improve. You have targeted certain performance goals for your personal fitness that will take all your effort if you plan on succeeding. Every workout will become much more efficient. Read what you have listed as goals frequently to continually "fuel your fire."

If you are sincerely dedicated to reaching your goal, every day will be an opportunity to get closer to it. Every workout, every set, and even every rep, will be more meaningful. Everything outside the workout will also be seen as opportunities, such as each meal, each supplement, or every hour of sleep. Listing your goals in specific detail will help you become more efficient at doing the things everyday that help dreams become reality.

2. NEVER STOP LEARNING.

The point at which you think you "know it all" is usually the time when all progress stops. Never stop learning and experimenting with new ways to do things. Fitness is constantly evolving. Over the years, many new and more efficient ways to train, eat, and supplement what you eat have been developed. Anyone who doesn't at least entertain new concepts is foolish. Don't be left behind -- never stop learning.

3. VISUALIZE SUCCESS.

The mind is a very powerful tool. Using visualization techniques helps you tap its tremendous potential. Using these methods properly can help you use better form and lift more weight -- which will ultimately lead to muscle gains. Using visualization techniques will get your mind ready to do everything possible to achieve your goals. Visualize having a bigger sweep on your quads before your leg sessions or bigger upper pectorals during your chest workout. See yourself lifting the heavy weight while using perfect form and thus stimulating the muscle building process. Try playing that awesome workout in your mind over and over again.

4. HAVE YOUR WORKOUT ENTIRELY PLANNED BEFORE YOU GET TO THE GYM.

Don't wait until you get to the gym to plan your workout. Try planning it the night before or at least on your way to the gym. Mentally put yourself through every exercise and every set. You will be amazed how prepared you will be to have a great workout. No other person has as much desire to improve your physique as you do -- so take 100 percent responsibility for your progress. Be structured with your workouts -- not instinctive. Instincts can sometimes misguide you. What if your instincts sometimes tell you to be lazy and cut your workouts short? Would you cut them short? Having a structured plan will help you steer clear the "path of least resistance" which will undoubtedly tempt you from time to time.

5. SHUT UP AND TRAIN!

If you are engaged in casual conversation in the gym, then you cannot possibly be fully focused on your training. To maximize your workouts, minimize your talking! Try not to talk between your sets. In that downtime, you can do things such as really try to feel if you actually hit the intended muscle in the right spot or study your training partner's habits to learn from either their positive or negative example. If you can?t resist, then do your talking between exercises ? not sets.

6. BEFORE EVERY SET, ASK YOURSELF, "WHAT EXACTLY AM I TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?"

If you ask yourself that question before you perform every set, you will constantly remind yourself of the need for proper form, strength, and intensity to be successful. Consistently performing each repetition of every exercise in such a manner over an extended time will surely lead to unbelievable gains. Get in the habit of asking yourself this question before every workout, every exercise, and every set. Also consider trying this with many things in your life outside the gym. Ask yourself what you hope to accomplish before every important conversation, special assignments at work, etc.

Each major goal is accomplished usually after many smaller goals are reached. Think through those smaller goals and become 100 percent efficient at them.

7. FOCUS ON THE MUSCLE GROUP NOT THE MOVEMENT.

It does not matter how much weight you have just lifted if you did not work the intended muscle group properly. So many of us fail to see results due to the fact that we worry too much about getting the dumbbell or barbell from "point A" to "point B," instead of training the specific muscle we are targeting during the exercise. How do we know for sure that we have worked the intended muscle properly?

Our bodies will tell us -- but we have to get in tune with it to hear what it is telling us. This can be accomplished simply by closing our eyes and feeling where we feel the most muscle "burn." Is this exactly where we wanted to work, or did we incorporate additional body parts? Learn from your body and get familiar with the way proper exercise is suppose to feel.

If you are not feeling it where you should, don't get discouraged. Just keep trying until you get it right. You may need to lighten the weight a bit, but that's fine. You will probably stimulate growth with less weight due to the increased efficiency.

8. STRIVE TO LIFT MORE WEIGHT.

Lifting big weights equals better muscle tone. Don?t let anyone try to tell you differently! Sometimes the weight you are able to lift is "all in your head." This could be a good thing or a bad thing -- depending on how well you use your mental power.

It is indeed possible for you to make tremendous gains in strength -- especially if you break them down into "bite-size" pieces. Start by challenging yourself to lift just five pounds more. Once you have built the confidence needed, try making it ten pounds and so on. Get some help if needed -- but try to lift heavier.

A reliable training partner who is ready to grab the weight in case you fail provides a simple way to be more comfortable as you challenge yourself to lift more weight.

9. FIND OUT WHAT WILL CONSTITUTE A GREAT FITNESS DAY. LIST ALL THE COMPONENTS -- AND DO THEM CONSISTENTLY.

Nothing builds confidence and enthusiasm for transforming your physique like success. Ultimate success is attained sometimes only after dozens of smaller victories have been secured.

This is especially true in physique transformation. Only after you have become proficient in the areas of training and nutrition can you expect to have a physique of which you can be proud. It is the synergy of doing many things correctly and consistently that will lead to ultimate success.

Invest time writing down ten things that will get you closer to the body you want. Make yourself accountable to do these ten things every day. Once you have mastered the ten items on your list, add ten more -- and get even more specific.

You will soon discover when you properly monitor yourself, you know exactly how hard you are working towards your goals. This type of self-monitoring will put you in the frame of mind to do everything it takes to improve your physique -- and do it every day.

10. CHOOSE A MENTOR.

Finding inspiration in a person can help you get -- and stay -- in the right frame of mind. There are so many different opinions on the best ways to do everything in the areas of training, nutrition, and supplementation, whose advice should you follow?

Choose someone whom you respect, admire, or identify with in a special way. Learn his or her opinion on everything. You will be surprised when you see how their success inspires you to do the same.

BONUS TIP: ENTER A CONTEST.

Competition can sometimes bring out the best in what people can accomplish. In life, it is when you put your butt on the line and leave your safety zone that you achieve outstanding results. Training and eating right takes on a whole new meaning when you have to show off your results a tiny posing suit. Knowing that you have a show to prepare for always seems to bring out more intensity and will ensure that you are doing everything possible to build your physique.

Successfully changing your body will only be attained if you are mentally strong. Use these tips to help you develop your mind and expect a better-developed physique -- it is sure to follow!

About the Author:

Jason Morgan is an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer and owner of Muscleworx Personal Fitness Systems located in Carolina Beach, NC. He is a featured writer for Snows Cut Monthly and various fitness publications and web sites. His website is http://www.muscleworx.com