Guest Post by Jamie Vanderheyden: “It’s All About Performance”

Today’s article comes from my good buddy, Jamie Vanderheyden. This is a great article, and I have to say that I definitely agree with him.  Enjoy…

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On the V-tip.

At a strength and conditioning clinic, I had the rare opportunity to sit down and talk with Charles Staley.  Charles is perhaps one of the most respected voices of reason, and his knowledge seems so logical and profound.  He has the ability to see the answers, and sift through all the information overload/confusion many of us experience (Internet forums, bodybuilding magazines, locker room babble, and TERRIBLE advice from random YouTube and Google searches).

After speaking with him, I began to inside out my thinking, and almost go against the grain in some cases.  His philosophies were very unique.  Then, I had an AH HA moment.

Performance.  It’s ALL about Performance. Who cares if I’m not a competing athlete anymore.

Let’s be honest, most women go to the gym because they want to lose X pounds, or fit into size X.  I understand the goal, but it is ultimately a pass/fail system.  It burns people out, and it makes women ecstatic in success, or it makes them irate in failure.  So they lunge, squat, take step classes, diet, and then hop on the scale.  All their efforts come back to that one… dreaded… moment.  No offense, but that system sucks for long term commitments and a healthy lifestyle.  That is very short term thinking and halts people again and again.  It may have merits, but I have a new way of thinking for the long haul.

Let’s ask our female Olympic athletes why their bodies are so incredibly fit.  Lean mid sections, tight glutes, and their firm and lean shoulders are often reflecting in the sun.  Their answer will simply revolve around the fact that their PERFORMANCE in their event is the ULTIMATE goal, not their jean size.

Their rocking bodies are a side effect of wanting to increase and better their PERFORMANCES.  So their goal is not to look good, that just happens as a side result of perusing goals in PERFORMANCE.  In addition, drinking dollar drafts and eating takeout food 3 days a week would hurt their PERFORMANCE as well.  They are not thinking about getting fat, they are thinking about getting slower, or less efficient in their event.

Yes, but none of us are competitive athletes, and certainly not an Olympic one, Jamie.

Correct, but does that mean that you cannot set PERFORMANCE GOALS, or set them with your trainer.

Imagine if you said,

“I can’t wait to get to the gym today because I want to do 8 push-ups this time instead of the 5 I did last workout.”

“I just know I can hold my plank for 15 more seconds, and I’m not wimping out this time.”

“I am not going to let that battling rope control me, I will slam that thing relentlessly.”

“I am going to lunge down and back with a 25 pound plate this time.”

That is having a “Performance Mindset”, and it certainly more motivating than getting on an elliptical, and seeing the total calories burned was equal to the coke and pop tart you ate for breakfast.

Then you say,

“I have to go to the stinking gym and ride the elliptical for 30 minutes so I can lose 2 pounds.”

If you are on the V-Tip, start thinking about pursuing and crushing some performance goals that are appropriate for you.

Trust me, shoot for achieving performance goals in the gym, eat so that the performance is possible, enjoy your workouts, and then strut your stuff!

Best of Luck,

Jamie Vanderheyden

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Boom!  You nailed it, Jamie!  Nice job.  Are you all setting performance goals for yourself?  If not, as you can see from Jamie’s article, it’s time to start!