Author: jleenaarts

*The title of this post was taken from The Flaming Lips song of the same name*

How does failure feel to you?

If you’ve eaten something that didn’t coincide with your diet plan, do you feel like a failure?

Does it affect your self-worth?

If you go to work out where you’re told to do twelve reps and you can only do six, are you left defeated?

Does it make you feel weak?

Do you ever find yourself in this perpetual cycle of being sub-par at the things you think you should be good at or should come easy to you?

I look back on my life and I’ve failed miserably at a lot of things.

Jobs, relationships, social ineptitude which led to a decade long bout of drug addiction, the list goes on.

Even at RevFit there have been failures galore: attempting to open a second location (in 2011), massive marketing failures that ate up a lot of expense at no monetary gain, and if I’m being brutally honest with myself, I fail every time I can’t help a client lose weight or reach their respective goals.

So, why haven’t I just succumbed to my own insecurities and misfires and just closed my doors?

Because I am terribly stubborn.

I believe success is around every corner.

I believe consistency and calculated perseverance will prevail.

I believe if I continue to educate myself and surround myself with people brighter than me that I will learn what I need to improve not only my life but the lives of those around me.

I’ve also come to embrace failure.

Failure has taught me great lessons.

It has taught me more compassion and less selfishness.

It has taught me that the things I value in life can be taken away from me in an instant.

And it has taught me to look at success through a slightly difference lens.

If I succeed, there is a greater mountain climb. I will equip myself with what I need to climb OR I will slip down the mountain and figure out another path up.

Failure has taught me I can’t do these things alone.

I prefer family, friends, and mentors to shine a light.

And I challenge you to accept failure too.

Allow it to inspire you.

Re-frame it so you can learn what not to repeat in your life.

Realize that many things you might consider failures are simply streetlights illuminating your path.

You can go “this” way or you can go “that” way.

But failure will not define you.

You were destined for greater things.

 

 

Georgie Fear is back after her phenomenal episode (#51) back in January of this year. This time we talk about tactics to get past the plateaus in weight loss, those areas I define as the “lulls” and Georgie discusses the importance of eating based on values. Her husband and CEO of One By One Nutrition, Roland Fisher also joins towards the end of the show to spread the news on their brand new, free DIY coaching course. Details can be found at http://www.onebyonenutrition/diy-coaching. To learn more about Georgie and Roland, check out the main site at http://www.onebyonenutrition.com and make sure you hop on Amazon (or your local bookseller) to purchase Georgie’s excellent Lean Habits book. To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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*The title of this post was taken from the Avenged Sevenfold song of the same name*

Last week, as Alex was preparing to hit a new max on the traplift (315×5), he was getting some extra motivation from John G. who is currently the strongest man in RevFit with his squat (300×5 lbs) and traplift (440×3 lbs) maxes. Someone (maybe me) mentioned that John could serve as his inspiration.

Alex, respectfully, said that John is great and all but Richard is the inspiration.

And if you have followed me for any length of time, you will know why this is.

Richard (“King Richard”) is our legendary 77-year young wonder.

Rather than rehash the details of Richard’s time here, I would reference you back to an article I wrote some time ago about how we met and what he has accomplished. You can read those things here.

What I would like to cover is a portion of how Richard’s training has evolved.

If you read the previous article, you’ll note that we worked on Richard’s traplift for quite some time. I used a lifting protocol called 5/3/1 (courtesy of Jim Wendler) to get Richard to a new max each month. His high after several months of dedicated training was 240 lbs for 3 reps.

We were preparing to get him to 250 lbs and he hit a wall. He just didn’t feel like he could push to a new high.

So, I decided to pull away from the maxes and just get Richard to lift lighter weights for more reps and get more volume in.

We backed him down all the way to 155 lbs and worked for 2 sets of 10. The next week, 160 lbs for 2 sets of 10. Followed by consecutive weeks of 165, 170, 175 at the same pace.

Then I switched his schemes up again and had him back down 155 lbs for 5 sets of 5, the following week for 160 for 5 sets of 5. Each week we followed this pattern until he was at 195 for 5 sets of 5.

At any given week, if Richard said he wasn’t feeling great. We would ditch the traplift altogether and wait until the following week.

Then we dropped his weight down again and went 150 for 3 sets of 10, followed by 155, 160, etc.

All of these changes were happening throughout the span of over a year and a half. I would continue to tinker with his set and rep schemes and kept him below 200lbs for many, many months.

Then I started pushing him up again. We’d scale up with sub-maximal weights in sets of 3 reps. Then Richard was easing past the 200lb mark again with ease.

And last week, he hit a new PR of 265×3.

Did I mention, he’s 77?

So, what does this all mean?

Maybe a lot.

Richard, for one, is extremely patient. He’s never chasing a goal when he’s in the gym. He puts his time in, we work on a lot of different things but each week (unless he doesn’t feel up to it) the traplift makes it’s appearance.

It’s not just about getting stronger. Over the last nearly two years that I’ve worked with him, Richard is seeing increases in most everything he does: an extra rep here, some extra pounds there, it adds up.

Most importantly, he knows to listen to his body and tell me if things aren’t up to snuff. It helps me to decide when to push and when to pull back.

It’s the same with Alex, John, and anyone else who’s aiming to see their numbers go up on some of these more physically taxing exercises.

Let me not leave out some incredibly strong ladies we have who are inspiring in their own right, like Megan W. with a max squat  at 180×3, Aly S. with a max traplift at 225×3 and Deb A. with a max bench at 120×2 (among many others.)

Not too shabby for a fitness facility that doesn’t specialize in competitive powerlifting.

Honestly, no matter what goal you’re chasing: higher maxes on lifts, lower body weight on the scale, etc. these things take time and patience. Success is rarely linear.

And just like with Richard, sometimes you have to step back for a while and get more comfortable in certain areas to reach new heights. It’s not glamorous, it’s not flashy.

But it works.

Hail to the “King.”

Kevin Larrabee, the host of The FitCast and proud owner of the soon to be open Allied Strength, joins me to talk about his new venture. We discuss some of what he’s learned as host of his immensely popular show as well as working with Eric Cressey and Mike Boyle at their respective facilities throughout his career. To learn more about Kevin, check out http://www.fitcast.network and his new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/alliedstrength To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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*The title of this post was taken from the Radiohead song of the same name*

Moderation seems to be the buzzword in the diet and exercise world.

“You can eat anything in moderation.”

“Moderate exercise can improve heart health.”

“Drink alcohol in moderation.”

And there is great truth to those statements.

What you don’t see is diet books called “The Moderate Amount Diet” or the new exercise program called “Moderately Fit.”

And why?

They would NEVER sell.

It’s a strange world we live in where one of the best tips you can receive from any doctor, dietitian, trainer etc. involves the word moderation but it never gets accepted.

So, we buy the books that promise extreme results in minimal times and we eat the foods that claim fat-burning/melting results with minimal effort and we end up with minimal results due to minimal effort and usually a fantastic rebound after we’ve gotten that mess out of our systems.

And it’s not just the books we buy, the exercise programs we enroll in or the supplements we mistakenly believe in: it’s in the other areas of our lives too.

We work too hard, we sleep too little, we binge on television, we only use the drive-thrus, we do 1-click purchasing, etc.

Everything at the height of convenience and pushing red on our lifestyle meters.

As I write these words, I have to remind myself: Jason, don’t be a hypocrite.

There’s a beauty to convenience. It fills a need (perceived or otherwise.)

And maybe there’s hope for people who find that running red on their meter maybe isn’t the best path for every avenue of life.

If you feel like you’re running at an 11 on a scale of 10, try pulling it back a bit.

Push at a 6 or a 7 for a while.

That might mean that you have to settle for one pound of fat loss a week instead of three pounds.

It might mean that you should do HIIT (high intensity interval training) once a week instead of four. You can walk on the off days or just get in some strength training.

Your caloric deficit could be 300 calories shy of maintenance instead of 800.

You could actually leave work after an eight hour day instead of outlasting your colleagues and staying for twelve hours (sacrificing a healthier meal, a good workout and possibly a decent night’s sleep.)

If you find that you’re constantly tired, not seeing the results you need with your health or maybe you’ve just been a pain in the ass to be around, ease off the gas for awhile.

It’s okay to breathe. Be mindful and see where you can scale back the intensity.

And in a culture where the badge of honor is how extreme you can get, maybe a little moderation is the piece you overlooked.

No matter how un-sexy it actually is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two of my most popular guests return in one episode to discuss an evidence-based take on what you might be seeing in the media regarding your food. Neuroscientist Stephan Guyenet, author of The Hungry Brain and internationally known researcher James Krieger join me to give their perspectives on a lot of what people like author Gary Taubes seem to be claiming is our reaction to certain foods in our diet. To learn more about my guests, visit http://www.stephanguyenet.com and http://www.weightology.net To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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*The title of this post was taken from the Danko Jones song of the same name*

When trying to solve every aspect of a weight loss journey, talking about food and exercise can become somewhat mind numbing.

Ask any five people who have succeeded at losing weight and keeping it off, you’re likely to hear five vastly different opinions.

One thing that doesn’t get hotly disputed is the importance of sleep.

As obesity rates are climbing in the nation, so are incidents of sleep apnea with correlations tying into type II diabetes. And while one could be obese without type II diabetes or respiratory obstructions during sleep, the deck continues to stack against those who have not solved the riddle of weight loss for themselves.

However, sleep isn’t just critical for those trying to lose weight. It’s a big deal for everyone.

Poor sleep patterns can affect your hormones, your ability to have a good workout, your adherence to a good diet and your overall energy levels.

Couple that with the fact that many people try to outmaneuver their poor sleep by compounding coffee with sugar and sweet treats creating a cycle of caffeine and a sugar buzz to keep them alert throughout the day.

Then you wind down for bed, physically or mentally exhausted, but with a body so cramped by the dietary indiscretions of the day that you rinse and repeat: poor sleep, poor eating, too much caffeine, etc.

If you find yourself struggling to get food in a good place or your exercise to a point where you can measure your progress consistently, you may have to start looking at your sleep habits.

Thinking back to my podcasts with my buddies Ian Dunican (Episode #35) and Dr. Spencer Nadolsky (Episode #13), good sleep isn’t a trivial factor in your health, it’s an essential one.

Some added tips:

-Use your bedroom for sleeping and intimacy (not office work and television.)

-Stop looking at portable electronics at least 30 minutes before going to sleep.

-Get your bedroom as dark and quiet as possible.

-Minimize alcohol consumption in the evening (which can help you fall asleep but will generally have you up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.)

-Aim for 6-8 hours of solid, restful sleep.

And if you’re one of those who thinks “sleep is the enemy” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”, you may be further behind the ball than you want to be.

 

 

 

This week, Brenda Murdock joins me again to give a dietitian’s perspective on the recent trend of food documentaries. We discuss what you should and shouldn’t believe when you watch them and offer a new lens to view them through. Brenda’s previous episode is currently one of my top 5 most downloaded episodes ever and you’ll find out more of why that’s the case when you hear this one. To learn more about Brenda, check out http://www.brendamurdock.com To learn more about your host, please visit http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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*The title of this post was taken from the Depeche Mode song of the same name*

When my wife, Marissa, was 14 years old she had a stroke.

Not much was known at the time about the cause except that her blood had a tendency to clot.

When we found out that she was pregnant, back in December of 2016, she was very quickly transferred from a regular OB to one who specialized in high risk pregnancies.

Last week, we went to the hospital so she could be induced for labor. Due to the nature of her situation, her doctor felt that any time beyond 39 weeks would raise her risk during labor exponentially.

One of her challenges was that she had not dilated as much as the doctor would have wanted so measures were taken to get her to 10cm as efficiently as possible.

Unfortunately, her body was fighting her every step of the way. On the evening of Wednesday, August 2, she was given an epidural and turned on to her left side to try and get some sleep.

Within an hour, her heart rate skyrocketed and her blood pressure plummeted.

Marissa signaled the nurses and before we knew it, there were 6 nurses/OB’s in the room with us trying to get Marissa’s levels regulated.

My biggest fear during this labor procedure was that Marissa’s stroke history would come back to haunt us and I watched quietly while the medical professionals worked to get her heart rate and blood pressure back to normal.

It took nearly an hour for her body to start responding positively. Then we spent another 2-3 hours for the monitors to stop going off every time her heart rate tried to spike.

When the morning came around, her OB told her she had been through enough trauma for one evening and since she was not showing significant signs of being dilated to his liking, he was scheduling a C-section.

And within the next two hours, she had gone from less than 5cm dilated to 8cm.

The doctor was thrilled and said, “Let’s get you ready for a natural birth.”

At 11:30am, procedures started for our baby boy to be delivered.

And at 12:03pm, on Thursday, August 3, Sebastian James Carlin Leenaarts was with us. Healthy and happy, just like his mother.

I was fortunate to be at Marissa’s right side to watch it all happen.

While all celebration is rightfully focused on our son, the spotlight should also be on his mother who fought through 36 hours of more ups-and-downs that any rollercoaster I’d want to be on.

To my wife, was there any doubt that you would do anything for our son? Never.

And to our son (that he might some day read this), your mother would have given her life to make sure you saw the light of day. Thankfully, she didn’t have to.

Thank you to everyone: family, friend, or client for your prayers, messages of love, and help so far along the way.

Sebastian will never hurt for love or affection.

 

Sohee Lee makes her first appearance on the show and we chat about her awesome new book “Eat, Lift, Thrive.” Sohee has a great psychological approach to the way she writes about fitness and nutrition and the success of her new release shows why. We talk about some of these concepts in the show and we also tackle an unfortunate reality in the fitness industry regarding content plagiarism. You can buy “Eat, Lift Thrive” now on Amazon and find out more about Sohee at http://www.soheefit.com To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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