Pick Your Goal

So, if you've read from my first post, you know that I have a goal to get to 7-8% body fat by March 1st, while adding around 10-15 lbs. of muscle. This is all well and good, but most people need motivation outside of a number. Imagination and a bit of creativity can go a long way to helping someone achieve a fitness goal. I'm talking about activity specific training.

For instance, if you're training to be a linebacker, you're going to throw much of your focus onto brute strength, your power presses. A lineback

er does not need to waste his time doing long distance cardio, he'll just burn through the muscle he's been building. He WILL, though, be doing short bouts of conditioning exercises to prepare him for intense play after intense play.

A pro golfer would have a more rounded routine, although he is going to focus on flexibility, eye hand coordination, etc.

The average joe, on the other hand, has nothing to train for except to look good. So, to give myself some motivation, I have cast myself in a film.

Ah yes, Assassin's Creed. The above-average stealth assassination game from '07. I was never much a fan of the game until the other night when I sat down with it for more than 10 minutes, and realized its swordplay and pick-pocketing could be fairly addicting. And it got me thinking: If people like Ryan Reynolds can go from this:

To this:

because of a lame vampire movie, then I need something myself.

The main character in the game is an assassin named Altair. He has a buzz cut, which is about where our similarities end, but that won't stop me from tailoring my workout around what he does. Here's a sample. (skip the video ahead by a minute to see what I'm talking about)

A little sprinting, a lot of climbing, quite a bit of agility. He also fights, although it is rarely bare-knuckle. Because of this, my workouts are focused mainly on body weight stuff you, too, can do at home. Body weight exercises engage a greater amount of muscles, which, on the whole, force you to work harder and burn more fat. I've been doing lots of pull up/chin ups, squats, dips, and push ups, with the short term goal of doing a muscle up.

What's a muscle-up, you ask?

Short story, pick a long term/short term goal, and have a little fun with it. Mine is stupid, but it narrows my focus in the gym.

Eat well!