Don't dismiss the ol' Pareto Principle or you might end up selling yourself short.
I've got a question for you...
Who's the most important person in the world TO YOU?
So, who is it? Who matters most?
I know, many of you are quite smart and know the answer to that question should be “ME”, or "I AM!".
I mean, I get it, I'm a husband, so sometimes we're quick to say "my wife is!". I'm also a parent and trust me I'd do anything for my kids and yes, they are the most important people in the world to me.
But what if you put everyone else first and didn’t take care of you, your health, and were taken away from them because of your health? Then it becomes impossible for you to be there for them at all.
No, this ISN'T a guilt chapter, or a "you better start working out so you don't croak early!" chapter. In fact it's nothing like it at all.
I want to explain to you a strategy, a technique, a way of thinking that will DRASTICALLY increase your results - and not just your fitness results but also your LIFE results.
It applies to work.
It applies to your relationships.
It applies to your parenting.
It applies to your finances.
It applies to your health.
Heck, it even applies to your down time and your play time.
I'll be the first to say a lot of what I'm about to talk about is highly over-said, and I think that's one of the reasons we tune it out, but trust me, over-said does not mean it’s being APPLIED.
Many things people say over and over again yet have never ONCE applied it.
And let me tell you right out of the gate, if you aren't DOING IT, you don't KNOW IT and it's power.
Let's jump right into some good old cliché's
"Go the extra mile, it's less crowded"
"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little 'extra'"
"Apply the Pareto Principle"
"Follow the 80/20 rule"
"Go all the way, it's never crowded at the top"
What does all this non-sense mean?
Before we get to that, let me bring up two points, actual conversation topics I've had both within the past 5 days with clients.
Many of you have vacations planned in the coming months to some hot destination where surely you'll be stripping off those sweaters, long sleeve shirts and pants and opting for bikini's and shorts... Will you be proud or nervous? Are you looking forward to the beach, or secretly dreading it? Will you be confident in your skin, or hiding behind a wall of insecurities?
Many of you have children. I know my kids LOVE going swimming. Do you take your kids to the pool or beach, proud to be a mom/dad yet still able to sport a great body - or do you hesitate to take THEM swimming because YOU don't want to wear a bathing suit? Do you jump and splash around, or do you hang out hidden under water leaving just your head out waiting for it to all be over so you can get dressed again? Or worse, do you wait on the sidelines wrapped in a towel?
When it comes to your body, your health, achieving the body of your dreams, there’s one thing that stands tried and true: Intensity.
Listen, it's my goal, my drive, my mission to see every one of you fit, healthy, athletic, and at YOUR DREAM BODY, your DREAM GOAL.
I don't just want you be okay, I want you to be and feel awesome.
I want you to be more than just "okay".
I don't want you to just be "feeling alright"
I don't want you to just be average. Average sucks.
I don't want you to just be getting by.
I don't want you to just be a bit better.
I want you to wake up feeling amazing.
I want you to KNOW, right down to your bones, that you are meant to be alive and are going to rock every moment of your life.
I want you to wake up feeling powerful, confident and unstoppable.
I want you to wake up feeling alive and energetic.
I want you to wake up with VITALITY.
When you walk into a room, people are going to know you own it.
You OWN your body, it doesn't own you.
People will know you are confident. Your confidence will shine through. People will know you are living life on YOUR terms. People will know you aren't just a pawn, you are in control of your life.
Have you ever woken up in the morning and thought "Boom baby, I'm back! What'd I miss??? Man I feel great, let's go conquer the world today and make things happen!"
Harvey Mackay said “I can’t sleep fast enough” and that should become your moto.
And don't give me this crap about "I just like sleep too much". That's garbage. Anyone who tells me they like sleeping more than living has one heck of a boring and un-eventful life.
Sure, there are days when I need more sleep than other days, but we've all gone to sleep knowing we have something AWESOME happening the next day and found ourselves wide awake the next morning and ready to rock the world no matter how little sleep we got that night.
When life is exciting, fulfilling, thrilling, engaging, and exactly the way YOU WANT IT TO BE, waking up is the EASIEST part.
Okay, back to our bodies.
The first step to having the most incredible life EVER is building a body that can handle it. Nothing sucks more than the brain saying "let's go get em' tiger" and the body replies back "heck no, let's sit a while".
When the kids say let's go swimming, your first though should never be fear about people seeing your body.
When your spouse says let's head to Mexico and relax on the beach your first though should never be about how nervous you'll be in a bikini.
In fact, "turning the light's off" shouldn't be the "go to" first move in the bedroom...
You deserve to be proud.
You deserve to be confident.
You deserve to feel sexy.
You deserve to feel fit, healthy, athletic, or whatever words you use to describe YOUR idea of your dream body.
So how do we get there?
How do we do it?
The difference is in the little "EXTRA".
Let's go back to the 80/20rule. For those who don't know what it means, it means that 80% of your RESULTS come from 20% of your EFFORT.
And this applies to ALL AREAS OF LIFE. I've played around with this law for several years now and it has NEVER let me down.
Here are 10 simple examples where, with that little EXTRA, that 20%, you could substantially increase your results.
Standard Squats: We do these all the time, incorporating them in all types of drills. Now if you watch those people with the butt you are after, you'll notice that they go about... drum roll now... 20% LOWER than nearly everyone else. Assuming, of course, and this applies to EVERYTHING, that you can SAFELY do this excercise. I’ve been coaching fitness my entire life, and if 50 people are squatting, it’s a safe bet that only a handful are truly going low enough. And guess what? 80% of that butt shaping you're after is found in that bottom 20% of the squat.
Push Ups: That bottom two inches no one ever seems to do, that's where the money is people.
Crunches: Most people are crunching for nothing, they are wasting their time! You need to give your abs MAXIMUM contraction and SQUEEZE at the top to get 80% of the results.
Cardio: When we're doing ALL OUT cardio rounds, if you aren't going all out, you are leaving 80% of your results on the table. Sure, everyone may feel like they are going nuts, but there are usually only a few that are passing that 20% window and are going ALL OUT, and those people are the ones getting the most out of it.
Weights: Anytime we do anything that involves weight as a resistance, you'll notice that only a handful are always pushing their limits, they are grabbing heavier and heavier every time and thus getting better and better each time. While many of us have been using the SAME 12lb medicine ball for, well, 12 years! Don't kid yourself, it'll always be "hard", but if you are using the same weight day after day, you're results have long subsided.
Stretching: This one needs to be taken slowly, but same rules apply. You need to push when you stretch. I see so many just "go through the motions" when it's time to stretch and they wonder why they aren't improving. For example, at our Kickboxing studio, if you're complaining to me that you can't kick to the head, yet goof around when it's time to stretch, that's exactly why.
One Legged Squats: Again, safety first... BUT assuming you CAN do this one safely, you need to go as low as possible to get 80% of your results. Stop as soon as the going gets tough and you'll never get the behind you're after.
Running: Personally, I do running drills all the time. Want to know why? Because I HATE running. That's right. I HATE it. I'd rather hit a heavy bag or even jump rope. BUT I love it because I hate it, and when I push hard during any running drills, I get a REALLY good workout. But remember, if you’re doing a running workout you must run like your life depends on it, because it does!
Jump Rope: It takes hustle while skipping to get what you need out of it. 80% effort while skipping won’t get you anywhere. Give it that extra bit, that extra 20% harder, and you’re going to see the difference.
Lunges: This is the same as squats... If you're knees are healthy and it's safe for YOU to do, you should be lunging nice and deep.
Okay, I know I sounded like I was "giving you a hard time" here, but that wasn't the goal, it wasn't the intent.
I want the most for you.
I want you to be proud of your body.
Unfortunately, I WILL NOT lie to you and tell you it'll be easy, or that you can stroll your way through the workouts and it'll be all good.
If you want results, you will need to go after them with a vengeance.
You need to tell yourself you’re worth it and go after your goals with a deep burning desire.
Goals are not for the weak, they are reserved for the strong. And we're not just talking about muscles here!
The fact that you bought this book and are still reading tell me that you have the right mentality ro CRUSH YOUR GOALS and achieve anything you set your mind too.
You’ve got this.
To your success,
Al