There Is A Method to the Madness

You Have to Put in the Reps

• Rob Maxwell, M.A.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to there is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell and I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I am the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. Hence the name there is a Method to the Madness. Before I get started today, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412. What's going on everybody? 886-451-2412. What's going on everybody? This is Rob here. It is Memorial Day for me, I think. When is this going to go off? I think this is going to launch tomorrow morning, which is Tuesday.

Speaker 1:

So I went and did the Mickler Mile this morning in St Augustine, near St Augustine, and I think I had done like a mile race one other time maybe. But you know, it's unique. It's a different distance to run at. It's actually pretty cool. Anyway, fun way to start the day. Had to be there pretty early and running a mile is different than a 5k. You got to go a little faster, right, but the cool thing about it is just when you look at your watch you're basically going to finish, you know. So that was pretty neat. There was not very many people there, but there was some. There was definitely elite competition there, which is pretty neat to see. There's this guy. His name is Keith Brantley and he's from our area, my area of Central Florida, and he was in the 1996 Olympics. So that's pretty neat to see. He ran the mile. He's in his 60s now and he's still super fast. He's part of that club that puts the event on.

Speaker 1:

But anyway, I like to start my day with exercise. That was definitely different and that's how I started my day today, because you know what I always think I've got to put in the reps, and that's what I'm going to talk about today. You know, at my gym I have a board of 10 things that I think are fundamental principles that we need to practice and work on, to really stay with our fitness and work on our physical fitness to the best of our abilities, and one of them is quality over quantity. And that's obviously true, or at least it's true in my mind, because why would I put it on my board if it's not true in my mind. So what I'm getting at here, because I said we got to put in the reps. At the same time we have to have a healthy balance of we have to put in the reps.

Speaker 1:

So the reps is, in my opinion, and the way I'm going to explain it, is the quantity in life and of course, quality speaks for itself, right? So quality in the gym is the repetition should be done with appropriate load, the repetition should be done with good form. The quality for cardio respiratory reps would be that you're running at or jogging or biking or walking at the intensity that you should be at, or you're paying attention to your body and not just doing what we call garbage miles. So quality is just one of the critical foundations of a good exercise program to keep yourself going, to make sure you're putting the priorities where they need to be. But, as I said, we have to also dance with that gray area of. We also have to put in the reps and we have to put in the reps in anything that we want to be successful in life. Now Arnold Schwarzenegger has his famous quote that says it's really all about the reps. Has his famous quote that says it's really all about the reps. And he was known to write down his little training program on a chalkboard when he went to his gym when he was a young man and he would write down like every time he completed a set. He would kind of like draw a line on the board, you know. So he was like counting his reps. So there is a point where we have to understand that we have to figure out what the work is that we need to do and we need to do the work.

Speaker 1:

You know, in my newsletter this morning I was talking about this concept and I was talking about how Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever play. I say arguably because there's arguments and I'm not going to sit here and try to solve if that's true or if he's number one, because it really doesn't matter. That's why I use the term arguably. He's, in the argument, one of the greatest players to ever play at his sport and he was known to have a phenomenal work ethic in the gym alone, at practice. So I don't know, I'm sure he had a great practice outside of practice as well, but just with what's been documented and reported is that when he was at practice, when he played for the Chicago Bulls, he would put in between 500 and 1000 shots at practice. I mean, doesn't that kind of make your arms sore just thinking about it, you know? And over 500 of those were free throws. Over 500 free throws.

Speaker 1:

This is a person who, at the time, was a perennial all-star. I don't know if there was a season where he wasn't an all-star. He's a hall of famer. He has won six championships. I mean again, arguably the greatest player to ever play. And, by the way, his free throw percentage for his career is 83.5%. So that's really, really good.

Speaker 1:

So he felt like he still needed to put in the reps. So he felt like he still needed to put in the reps. 500 to 1,000 shots per day. That was his reps. So I'm sure he had dribbling reps. I'm sure he had passing reps. I'm sure he had different reps. I'm just trying to give you an example of what reps mean and what they can mean for you.

Speaker 1:

Kobe Bryant, who came along maybe a little bit later, like a generation later, 10 years later I think they played at the same time but he was of a different generation, the next generation. He wanted to be the next Michael Jordan, and again he's in the argument of one of the greatest to ever play. Well, the reports are that he put in 800 to 1,000 shots per day. Looking at that, seeing how he came a little bit later, you go oh 800. So he had a top Jordan. It's like okay, that's fine. He still understood that he had to put in the reps to try to become the greatest. I mean there are examples over and over and over.

Speaker 1:

When I was doing this, preparing for this, preparing for the email, I was looking at different scenarios that people might be able to relate to. When we look at the NFL, tom Brady although I was never a Patriots fan, but he is arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play and I'm not going to dispute that the man won six or six or seven Super Bowls. I mean that is crazy how much he won. And when he played the teams I like, like the Dolphins, I mean he always pretty much dominated them. And the reporting is that he put in three to six hours per day of game film, three to six hours per day, and he is considered to be the smartest, most prepared quarterback to ever play. I mean we can look at these scenarios and I hear it all the time. I hear oh well, you know, jordan was gifted and Kobe Bryant was gifted and Tom Brady was gifted. It's like you have to be gifted to become a professional athlete. There's no question about it. But I believe what separates them from the other gifted players out there the other physically gifted is their willingness to put in the work, that is, their repetitions.

Speaker 1:

Now I kind of ran out of. I didn't want to use too many examples in the email because then it kind of gets away from being a small brief, pointed email in the mornings and so I didn't get a chance to look up exactly how many throws he made. But I can remember the stories of Dan Marino when he was a young kid, in high school. Now he was an elite quarterback. He's also one of the greatest to ever play the game in the NFL. He didn't quite have Brady's success with Super Bowl wins, but he is considered also one of the greatest to ever play, one of the greatest throwing quarterbacks ever. I'm sure we've all heard that and again, I'm not here to argue sports.

Speaker 1:

He was also known to put in the work. He had what was known to be a phenomenal release, a very quick release. So he threw the ball from his ear. That way he didn't have to wind up and make these really long throws so he can get the ball out quicker, so he didn't end up getting sacked. Well, you're not born with that ability to go. Oh, throw it from your ear. That came allegedly from his father telling him that he should master this. So he would go out into his backyard and throw footballs and baseballs. Because he also played a little bit of professional baseball. A lot of people don't realize he was actually drafted by the Kansas City Royals to play baseball. So he was just a great athlete all the way around. But he would throw balls from his ear to the tree and again, I don't want to give you the exact number because I didn't go look it up, because I had already had enough information, but I don't know, hundreds probably. And he wouldn't come inside until those throws were made.

Speaker 1:

I mean, so what are your reps you have to put in? I mean, I believe greatness happens when we put in the reps. So if we want to be physically fit, what are the reps that we have to do? You know there's different types of guidelines. I've heard some people say you know it doesn't matter what I do, but I'm going to put in 75 minutes of exercise per day. Okay, I mean, that is putting in the reps. Or there are people, bodybuilders, that will go to the gym and say I'm going to do 22 sets of strength training before I go home. Okay, that's putting in the reps.

Speaker 1:

Maybe putting in the reps is making sure that you log your food in your MyFitnessPal or whatever device you're using day in and day out, but you're putting in the reps. Or maybe you are counting those annoying calories Kind of the same thing, but just a different way to say it that you're paying attention to your diet. By putting in the reps, you're saying all right, so to lose this weight, I've got to eat 1,400 calories a day, and I don't believe that things just happen. So, in order to lose this weight, this is the number me and so-and-so came up with, or me and my calculations came up with, and I'm going to follow it and I'm going to do it day in and day out. I'm going to add up my calories, I'm going to check it out, I'm going to see if I hit my numbers and I'm not going to go over it. So you're putting in the reps, going to go over it. So you're putting in the reps.

Speaker 1:

So with me, lately one of my struggles has been quad flexibility. I'm pretty flexible overall, but my quads they're just so tight and it's strange because they didn't used to be. And someone was asking me the other day so are you doing anything different in your training? And it's like no, not really. You know, I mean, I'm putting in the reps there, which is good, and that's probably why they're getting tight. Because, if you don't know, this, like when you strength train, you're actually shortening the muscles, so you can be making those muscles a little more tight if you're not appropriately stretching them out.

Speaker 1:

But then I got to think okay, so, rob, you don't miss a strength training workout when you're supposed to do it, you put in the reps there. Why? Well, you like it, you see the benefits. You see the benefits immediately you get a pump. When you leave the gym it feels good. Okay, rob, you don't miss your cardio, you know, because they get runners high, or, you know, walkers high or cyclists high, you know, whatever. So after cardio I'm in a good mood, you know, it makes me feel invigorated, glad I did it. So I don't miss that.

Speaker 1:

So I put in the reps, day in and day out, I'd say, with the cardio and the strength training. But then I ask all right, so your quad flexibility seems to be holding you back a little bit, at least bothers you. You put in the reps. It's like, eh, you know, I have to be honest and say, you know, maybe the last couple days, yeah, but not even really. I mean, I haven't stretched yet today. It is 146. I plan on stretching later when I go into the gym, but you know, I haven't. Yesterday I think I did a little bit, but you know, I know I strength train and I can't remember if I absolutely put them in. I mean, I know I did a couple of days ago, I took some time and really stretched out good, but see, that's not good. Really stretched out good, but see, that's not good.

Speaker 1:

I mean, if I want my quads to be more flexible, if I want to get back to the point where I can get that heel back into my rear end like it used to be, and now it's God, I don't know three quarters of the way up, I'm like, why are these quads so tight? I can still touch my toes. My hamstrings are fine. Well, whatever I mean, I can sit here and complain or I can say, oh, I'm just getting older, you know, and I just, you know, I'm not as flexible. I mean that's BS, I'm not putting in the reps. I mean, yeah, maybe 10 years ago it was a little easier for me to regain my flexibility in my quads. It would take a little bit of work, but I'd be able to pull that foot back up into the butt. Now I'm getting a full quad stretch. It might've been easier. Now it's harder, but not impossible. I need to put in more reps. So if something isn't happening like it used to, I need to put in more reps. I mean, too many times we quit, we complain and we give up, basically because we say you know what, this isn't working. And then we have to be honest with ourselves and say, well, have we been really putting in the reps day in and day out? Are we consistent with this? Because we could probably look back and go the things that we've been really successful at. We've been consistent with putting in the reps.

Speaker 1:

When I was in college and both my undergraduate and my graduate degrees, I was obsessed with getting really, really good grades. I'm not saying this is healthy or whatever, but it is what it is. It is who I was at the time and I think it came from not doing overly well in high school. A bit of a problem child. I liked to party a little bit and I know you shouldn't say that in high school. But I try to be real on my podcast, my emails, in person, so people understand everybody can get better at everything that they do. But I mean I didn't make good grades because I flat out didn't care. And then I thought, well, maybe I'm just not cut out for this after leaving high high school so took a little bit of time to figure out what I wanted to do.

Speaker 1:

I was insecure about starting college because I just didn't know if I could do it. You know, because I'd never tried. I never put in the reps in high school ever, I mean ever. I look back sometimes I'm like how did I even graduate? Like I didn't even turn things in. I mean I just flat out didn't care. So that's on me, nobody else, that's on me. So I started up and right away I told myself Rob, you're going to put in the reps.

Speaker 1:

Reps was studying an hour for each class per day. So if I was taking three classes which I think I started with or maybe two, I can't remember I was going to study that class for two hours or study period for two hours. If it was three classes, it was three hours per day. I wasn't going to wait the cram, I wanted to know that I did everything in my power to make it happen. And if I was going to fail kind of like I did in high school, even though I didn't technically fail, I didn't make good grades then I was at least going to know okay, it's not cut out for me, but for me to figure this out, I'm going to have to give it my best, because the only way we know if something is working or cut out for us is if we're giving it our best, and if we're not, we don't have anything to blame, but our effort.

Speaker 1:

So I did, and I remember, after my first semester, getting almost all A's. I think I had one B, but you know what? That was one of the rare B's I saw in all of college. I think I had two, you know two B's and the rest were A's. I had almost straight A's all the way through my UCF career and I graduated magna cum laude, top 10% of my class. I was in Phi Kappa Phi, which is the National Honor Society for Psychology, and then I went on to get my master's and I graduated with a 4.0 in my master's.

Speaker 1:

I mean, that's coming from a person who you know should have failed high school. I think, you know, probably under today's standards I would have, because you know, back then they just didn't care. You know we always say as Xers and boomers, oh, kids are softer. It's like dude, it is so much harder for these kids today in school that have to pass these college type exams when they're in high school. I mean, no, no, it's a lot harder for them. You know there's more standards, there's not less, there's more. But you know that's neither here nor there. You know I went through what I went through.

Speaker 1:

But the point is I had to put in the reps because it really mattered to me and I think that's the key when something matters, we have to put in the reps. The other thing I did all through college was I put in the reps with the gym because that mattered too. Now I was already pretty good at quote gym, I could work out, I was already bodybuilding, but I still loved it and I still had this belief system that if I kind of backed off a little bit I would lose it Again. It's probably not overly healthy, but it is what it is and now, being an adult, I can look back and go. Well, that might have been a little too obsessive, but you know, at least I can see that now. But the point is is in the two things at that time in my life that mattered the most, I put in the reps and that was getting an education and that was staying fit. Those were the two things. Those were my priorities and I showed it was my priorities by putting in the reps.

Speaker 1:

So reps doesn't always have to be 10 reps on the chest, press right, reps have to be. You know, maybe it is, I mean, maybe you know. I know people that say they don't feel good mentally unless they do 100 pushups per day. Okay, that's putting in the reps. And I've known people that say, oh man, it's like almost bedtime and they haven't done it and they go do it and that's important to them. And again somebody might say, well, you know, that's a little weird doing a. You know a hundred pushups at 1130 at night. No, it's not. I mean, you know, and who cares what people think is weird anyway? Like the most important thing is, like what is it for you to figure out what you have to do? Like I give a few clients who are willing and ready homework and I'll say, just do this and that's, they do it. I mean, that's putting in the reps. And if we don't put in the reps, how on earth do we expect to hit our goals? Like only we can do it. All right. So here's your assignment. I want you to figure out what reps you have to put in per day. Just figure it out, and then your second assignment is start.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to today's show. I ask you to please follow this show on wherever you get your podcasts and also please hit automatic downloads. It really helps me and it helps the show. Now I want to thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach, the premier garage door company in Volusia County with the best product with the best service. I can vouch for Jeff and Zach Hawk, the owners. They are great people. If you need any help with your garage doors, give them a shout 386-222-3165.

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