Jeffrey Davis

The more I learn, the more serious I grow about strength training…and the higher I set my goals.

Heck, this week I even twittered about putting power cleans back into my routine after swearing them off forever years ago after a string of injuries related to them…which of course were all due to pitiful form, as most strength training injuries are.

I’m really a visual person, so I’ve been searching for a body builder with similar body composition as myself to set my sites on.

I NEVER expected that person to be a Bulgarian Olympic power lifter!

The man pictured here is none other than Ivan Stoitsov. We are both:

• similar in height
• have rolling posture (shoulders set further front on the body, strong arch in lower back, and hips tilted forward)
• have a more square torso (instead of a natural “V”)
• have wide hips
• and what appears to be very similar muscle structure (albeit his are MUCH bigger than mine, ha)

It is a physical impossibility to achieve the results that a professional body builder has. They are INCREDIBLY juiced up on steroids and are near death from dehydration at the time their pictures are taken.

BUT, an Olympic power lifter like Ivan is a little more attainable. Sure he probably trains 8-9 times a week at an intensity level that I can’t even fathom, but his stature is much more my goal.

Do I want to be completely as big as him, nah, especially those massive quads he has, but somewhere in the direction of where he is will be my new goal.

Thanks for the inspiration Ivan.

Technorati Tags: Ivan Stoitsov, Jeffrey Davis, strength training, power lifting

“Watch ’til the end…then get off your ass and quit making excuses”, he said as he looked in the mirror…

Technorati Tags: nike, excuses, sports, commercials, Jeffrey Davis

Yep, that’s right, I have the magic answer to weight loss. Would you like to know it? First, permit me to voice what it is not.

I was up early enough this morning to catch nothing on TV but infomercials. One such infomercial was about, you guessed it, weight loss. Some guy from some tv show some two decades ago was talking about his magic answer that led to his loss of some 200lbs.

Blah blah blah.

He went on to say that weight gain and/or inability to lose weight is…wait for it…not your fault. “It’s due to an urge and craving that some people have for food”, he said. No crap, that’s called HUNGER, and everyone has it. He then went on to say that it has nothing to do with will power. Again, “it’s not your fault”.

I have a problem with this line of thinking. Sure, there are physical issues that plague some people’s bodies, but all can be overcome. Some (and I dare say “many”) issues are hormonal, some are not. Regardless, everyone can win with my magic answer to weight loss!

So, are you ready to know the secret? It’s a very simple formula that I’d like to pass along to you now. Ready? Here it is. Got a pen and paper?

Formula: Sweat+a Balanced Diet=Weight Loss

There it is, at no charge to you. What do you think?

Now I realize that I’ve been rather tongue-in-cheek here this morning, and I mean not to belittle those of us who struggle with legitimate physical ailments that make weight loss more difficult than for others. I’d like to stress again that regardless of your issue, YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT!

But please, please, PLEASE don’t resort to unhealthy means of doing so. There is no miracle pill. There is no miracle diet. It requires hard work, sweat, and balanced eating. If you’d like help getting started, Body for Life, by Bill Phillips, is a great plan to begin with. I also recommend purchasing the companion cookbook, Eating for Life, as well.

“But I thought you said there are no miracle diets?!”, you might say. You’re right, I did. I don’t normally use the term diet because of what most people associate with the term. (When I do use the word diet, as in the above “formula”, I refer to our overall style of eating, not a specific fad diet.) Body for Life will teach you a balanced lifestyle, including how you eat and how you exercise — but not a “diet”.

Reminder:
It’s true that what works for one person may not work for another. There are infinite options of workouts, cardiovascular exercise routines, weight training regimens, etc. If you’re having trouble getting started, please talk with your doctor and/or a personal trainer. If you don’t have a trainer or don’t belong to a gym, I am a trainer at Graves’ Fitness Center on Adam’s Lane in Mt. Juliet (across the street from Providence Place).

This post is NOT, repeat NOT to drum up business. It’s basically a reaction against the infomercial I saw this morning that happens to reflect the general populous’ unfortunate and unhealthy perspective. However, if I can help, I would love to.

Now get out and enjoy this beautiful St. Patty’s Day.

Technorati Tags: fitness, diets, workouts, Body for Life, Eating for Life, Bill Phillips, Jeffrey Davis, Graves’ Fitness Center

This morning as I rested between sets on the iso-lateral decline hammer press, I found myself falling into the tunes jamming in my ears, meditating on the weighty words of the particular song. I glanced up and out the window to see the trees outside swaying violently in the wind. Suddenly, and without warning, the music and the trees seemed to congeal into a hybrid of harmony that caused a peace of love and purpose to suddenly well up within me.

It was both a strange and a lovely moment.

Technorati Tags: Graves’ Fitness Center, Hammer Strength, love, iPod, trees, peace, Jeffrey Davis

This may come as no surprise to all those who’ve been telling me I should do this for the past six months, but I’m now a personal trainer. I’ll be working out of Grave’s Fitness Center on Adams lane in Mt. Juliet, right across the street from Providence Place. If you’ve never heard of it, come check it out and ask Guy Graves, the owner, if you can get a guided tour and a few days trial run, he’ll say yes.

After much deliberation, Shaunna and I decided that this was the best option for me to make some extra money, especially with the holidays approaching, while we get our business with Arbonne off the ground. We’re currently District Managers with Arbonne, but as with starting any business, you don’t necessarily see a great deal of revenue on the front end. Anyway, physical fitness is something I care a great deal about and having some past experience in training, this felt like the most logical decision. I’m very excited!

So for everyone out there who would like a personal trainer to help you achieve your fitness, strength training, and/or weight loss goals, shoot me an email and we’ll talk specifics. There’s never a better time than now to get a jump on all that holiday grub that we’ll all be consuming starting here in the next month and a half or so.

Tags: Jeffrey Davis, personal training, personal trainer, fitness, weight loss, Guy Graves, Graves Fitness Center, Mt. Juliet, Hermitage