Here we go

Alright everyone, here it is. It's a new year and we have set our goals for 2016. But how many of us will actually make it? 

I've set out my 3 month strength program and them my 3 month cutting/Lean Bulking program I will start in march. Last time I did the cutting/Lean Bulking program, i dropped 7% body fat, gained 2 pounds over all, and my dead lift went from 385 x 1 to 430 x 2, bench from 285 to 320. This strength program is something I'm testing out, however. I did something similar to this program for a bout a month after the "I'mpossible" program as I called it (the cutting/Lean Bulking program i was talking about). During the time of the strength block, my dead lift went from 430 x 2 to 515 x 1, and bench went from 320 x 1 to 375 x 1. I took everything i did right, chucked out everything i did wrong, and threw in a few new things into this strength program. I'm excited to see the progress I'll make. I expect my dead lift to be in the 600's, and my bench to be about mid 400's by the end of the strength cycle.

I will be posting the workouts, diet, and supplementation for this program as I go! Wish me luck!

Stay Golden Everyone,

-Josh

3 things to do to becoming more successful at anything/Death to Tomorrow-land

1. Shift to a state of  "I AM"

Think about this.

You say you will do something tomorrow, but truth is tomorrow never exists. Once 24 hours have passed, you still haven't reached tomorrow. Tomorrow is an idea, something we do to keep track of time. Tomorrow never actually comes to be. Tomorrow is like the bone the dog is chasing on the treadmill.

If tomorrow does not exist, than the only time we have is now. Now, the present moment, is all that is guaranteed.

When we say things like, "I can't lose weight" or "I won't ever live in a house like that" or "I shouldn't try because I know I wont make it anyways", most of us can guess that we won't be able to do those things.

But what most people don't know is that when we say things like, "I want to lose weight" or "I wish that girl would like me" or even "I will make the best sandwich ever", our odds of achieving these things are not much better.

Why? Tomorrow. Tomorrow is why.

Still don't get it? Here is an example: if there is a piece of cake in front of me, I can think "I can't lose weight", eat the cake, and be congruent with my thoughts. That much is obvious. But try this on for size: there is a piece of apple pie in front of you. You think to yourself "I will lose weight". You can eat the pie because your idea of "losing weight" is in the future. Your work towards your goal is in tomorrow land.

Rather than thinking "I will" "I can" "I should" "I'll try" or "I want to", shift to a state of  "I Am".

The statement "I AM" brings us to the present moment. With that same piece of cake or pie in front of you, you cannot eat it and say "I am losing weight". I am gives you no excuses. Of course there is a time and place in a nutrition plan to cheat every once in a while; this is just an example.

Shifting to a state of I am is the key in any success. "I am working on myself" "I am making more money" "I am getting closer and closer to my goals", all of these give yourself the opportunity to reach a piece of your goal in the now. Because your goal isn't just about the destination, it is about the journey. Each step you take in the NOW towards your goal is a piece of your goal that you are receiving NOW.

2. Set your goals

"Dad! I Want something!", father replies, "Sure thing son. Anything you want.". Boy repeats, "Dad! I want something!". Father "Of course son. What is it you want?".  Boy screams "DAD! I WANT SOMETHING! I WANT SOMETHING NOW!". Boy cries, the father puts his face in his hand and nods his head.

This is most people when we have a goal. We never get specific. Maybe it's because we aren't quite sure what we want. Or maybe it is because we don't want to think about it, feeling unworthy of such a request.

If your not used to setting goals, set SMART Goals. This will teach you how to ask for what you want. SMART is an acronym for:

Specific: It has to be specific. Don't be like the boy who just says "I Want something!"

Measurable: You must be able to measure your goal so you can track your progress and see how far you are from achieving that goal.

Achievable: Look on the internet. Has anyone ever achieved this goal or dream you have? If so, than you know it is achievable. (If not, it doesn't mean it's impossible, it mean's no one else has tried hard enough.)

Realistic: Now that you know it is achievable, be honest with yourself, is it realistic? Most people set goals too big for themselves, then get frustrated and discouraged when they cannot reach those goals. The key is to start small so you can end big. Start by setting small goals, then work your way up.

I was at a health convention last week and a survivor of an explosion in the military. His entire car was blown up, yet he survived somehow. With severe burns, at the hospital they tried to patch him up. Then, once he could, they told him they were going to start with 10 steps. He laughed and thought it would be easy. He got up, shuffled what maybe could be called steps, about 4 or 5 times, and had to catch himself. Eventually he worked to 10 steps, then 20, than 100, now he walks around like any other person. All because he started out small. If he would have tried to go back to his normal life and all the walking that required, his body wouldn't have been able to take it.

Start small. End Big.

Timely: Set a deadline. If there is no deadline, there will be no pressure to accomplish your goals. You will constantly procrastinate and push the work into "tomorrow-land". Set a realistic time frame to accomplish your goal. But also set a specific date and time

Here is an example of a SMART goal:

(Starting point: 215 pounds and 15% body fat on august 13)

Goal: I will be 205 pounds at 10% body fat on September 30th, 2015.

Once you have set the goal, you can break it down in to monthly, weekly, and even daily goals.

After you have done this, set an action plan on how to do this. Golden Era Training always starts with a SMART goal, and then develops a specific, custom plan for that person and their goal. This includes food plan, workout plan, supplement plan, and mental reprogramming plan.

If your interested, click the button at the top that says "Golden Era Training Website", or contact us via email at goldeneratraining1968@gmail.com

3. DO IT NOW!

So most of you will read this article and think "Wow that sounds good.I should try that", but if you say that, you just put it into tomorrow land!

Set a 10-15 minute timer and:

Set your SMART goals for your life, for 25 years, for 15 years, for 10 years, 5 years, 1 year, 6 months, 3 months, and/or 1 month. You can o all of these if you are an over-achiever or a combination.

Plan how you will shift into a state of I Am. What is going to work for you? Be creative. (Golden Era Training has a bunch of tips to help do this is the "Mental Reprogramming" plan. contact if interested)

I hope this information get put you all closer to your dreams and visions so many of us keep locked up until we die.

Best of luck everyone.

If you have any questions, comments, or snide remarks, leave them below

Stay Golden,

Golden Era Training

Why you should take a chill pill

Take a Chill Pill! Well, not literally, but we really need to learn to relax.

We all know stress is bad for us, but most of us don't know just how bad it is:

Whatever your Physical, Career, or Life goals are, stress can be that ball and chain that keeps you from reaching your goal.

But stress isn't just an emotional thing that happens when you have a bad day or find yourself in a pickle; Stress is anything that impairs your body from performing at it's Highest function.

these are the 3 things that can put Stress on the body:

1. Trauma: any type of physical trauma that damages your body can be a stress-or. This could be a car accidents, a bad fall, or even over training in the gym. The thing with trauma is that your body (Muscles, joints, organs,etc) has not 100% recovered from whatever it is that caused the trauma.

2. Toxins: Toxins can be absorbed via food (or supplements), air, or even skin. This is why you need to make sure you can read all of the ingredients in a food, eat organic, be careful what lotion or make up you where, and avoid areas of high pollution.

This is why it is important to detox frequently to avoid the build up of toxins. Here are some things you can do to detoxify your body:

Drink a lot of water

Eat organic

Dry brush your skin (clears the pores so that they are free to release more toxins)

Eat more citrus fruits like lemons, along with leafy greens.

Drink green tea

3. Thoughts: Thoughts are probably the most powerful stress-or and easiest to change. If you think back in time, when man still had to hunt to survive and lived in caves, life was very different. 

Imagine the brain of a caveman gets a phone call from the stomach. the stomach says "Hey there brain, we got an infection down here and need some help right away." The brain replies, "Sure thing, I'll send some troops your way!".  As soon as the brain gets off the phone, he gets ready to send the troops, but he looks out his windshield and sees a saber tooth tiger running straight towards him. He says "Screw the stomach, I need all the energy I can muster to get away from this creature that's going to eat me!". So he sends all the blood and energy to the limbs and muscles to get the hell out of dodge.

So today, when we get stressed, it is usually not followed by sprinting away for dear life, but rather sitting on the couch or in an office chair.

This takes all the energy away from the immune system and halts growth and repair processes of the body. This is why I would argue that 99% of disease or sickness is due to stress. If you eat good food and detoxify often, exercise and rehab any physical trauma, and remain positive through life, sickness should be a stranger to you.

EHH! All this talk of stress is making me stressed! So here is the solution

1. Training: Fixing injuries and remaining active helps detoxify your body and keep hormones in proper function. Also doing things like Sauna and Dry Brushing your skin can help relieve more toxins.


2. Nutrition: Follow a specific plan. Plan out what you are going to eat. Make baby steps toward the perfect diet instead of trying to jump straight into an Olympic athletes diet.

3. Mental Re-Programming:  Listen to what you tell yourself. Set goals, and decide what is most important to you. Do some research on NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) to learn how to speak and think your way to success.

Hope you enjoyed,

Any questions, comments, or snide remarks? Leave them below!

Stay Golden Everyone,

Golden Era Training

Why Does Grapefruit = Greatfat Burner ?

You may have heard that grape fruit is a great fat burner, but you are not sure exactly why?
 
Could this be a scam by the Grapefruit industry trying to take over the country? Perhaps even the world?

Hold your horses there friend, there are some facts to back up some of the claims for grapefruit juice.

Although you may not be able to lose 10 pounds in 10 days like people claimed in the 1970's, adding a glass of grapefruit juice into your fat loss routine might help reach your goal more effectively. Here is why:

1. "Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant found in many fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits like grapefruit. According to an October 2008 study published in “Phytomedicine,” a dry polyphenolic extract of grapefruit, orange and red orange is shown to have a lipolytic effect, breaking down stored fat. Obese individuals treated with the polyphenolic extract demonstrated a 5.53 percent reduction in body fat after four weeks and a 15.6 percent reduction after 12 weeks of daily supplementation." - SFGate

2. "While grapefruit has been proven to work as a fat burning food, consumers of grapefruit will also experience additional health benefits. According to Dr. Fujioka’s study, individuals who consumed his allotted amounts of grapefruit each day also experienced decreased levels of insulin, which is a hormone that regulates the body’s metabolism, energy, and blood sugar levels. An excess of insulin can actually lead to serious illnesses, such as diabetes; therefore, a steady diet of grapefruit can actually prevent the development of this health disorder." - Citrus.ComSo 

Although a glass of grapefruit juice may not help you lose fat if you decide to eat a whole gallon of ice cream with it, it can be an effective tool to help you reach your goals with an effective fat loss program.
Hope you enjoyed everyone. 

Any questions, comments, or snide remarks can be left below in the comments section.

Stay Golden everyone,

-Golden Era Training

Golden Nugget 02: Creatine

Golden Nugget 02

Creatine:

There has been a lot of speculation and rumors over the years about creatine. I've heard some pretty crazy things said on the topic of creatine, including "Creatine just adds water into your muscle, but doesn't really help you gain muscle, just water" and "Isn't creatine steroids?".

Well here are some facts on the supplement. I hope this Golden Nugget helps clear up any confusion on the topic. If you have any other questions on this, make sure to leave them in the comments section.

What is it?

“Creatine is also found in foods, mostly meat, eggs and fish. Creatine is a molecule in an energy system (creatine phosphate) that can rapidly produce energy (ATP) to support cellular function. Creatine is a molecule that is produced in the body, where it exists additionally in the form of creatine phosphate.” Examine.com

What does it do?

When you use energy in the form of ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate; 3 phosphates), a bond is broken, which creates energy, from that molecule and it becomes ADP (Adenosine Di-phosphate; 2 phosphate’s). Creatine Phosphate donates its phosphate molecule to the ADP, which then becomes ATP again, and is ready for action. This is the quickest and most efficient way to restore energy, restoring ATP in anywhere from 10- 30 seconds. If creatine levels are low, it may impair the functionality of this system. This is what causes strength increases after creatine supplementation, but this action can also aid the brain, bones, muscles and liver.

How much do I take?

There are many different forms of creatine, so dosages vary based on the concentration and type of creatine. The type of creatine I recommend is Micronized Creatine. It is a step up from the standard “Creatine Mono-hydrate” and has been shown to possibly be utilized 20 times more efficiently. Good news is that it is still pretty cheap: A 2 month batch could be as cheap as 10 bucks.

I take about 5-10 grams of Micronized Creatine pre-workout.

When you first use creatine, it is recommended that you go through a “Loading Period” where you take 20-30 grams for the first few days, then cut back to 5-10.

Hope the information helps you guys make some gains! If it does, make sure to like and follow us at all our social media sites:

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(This photo came from Bodybuilding.com)

Golden Nugget 01: Beta Alanine

Golden Nugget 01:

Beta Alanine

What is it?

Beta-alanine is an altered version of the amino acid alanine.

What does it do?

“When beta-alanine is ingested, it turns into the molecule carnosine, which acts as an acid buffer in the body. Carnosine is stored in cells and released in response to drops in pH. Increased stores of carnosine can protect against diet-induced drops in pH (which might occur from ketone production in ketosis, for example), as well as offer protection from exercise-induced lactic acid production.” -Examine.com

How much do I take?

For intense weightlifters, take 2000-5000 mg pre-workout.
For the average Joe just doing cardio or light weightlifting, take 800-1000 mg

Of course Dosage is always dependant on a person's weight and size, LBM, and tolerance. I suggest starting with a low dosage and working your way up.

Hope you guys liked the information! If you did, make sure to like and follow us at all our social media sites:

Instagram: G_E_Training
Twitter: G_E_Training

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‪#‎Fitness‬ ‪#‎Gym‬ ‪#‎Bodybuilding‬ ‪#‎powerlifting‬ ‪#‎Sports‬ ‪#‎Football‬‪#‎GoldenEraTraining‬ ‪#‎Supplements‬ ‪#‎Workout‬ ‪#‎Weightlifting‬