Located in Sterling, VA (703) 421-1200

Total Results Blog

The Most Common Mistakes That People Make When Training On Their Own

We have had many long-term success stories here at Total Results. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least three current clients who have been with us for over 20 years. I believe that is a testament to the dedication and determination of these clients to incorporate our exercise philosophy into their lifestyle for such a long period of time. We would love to have all of our clients stay with us for that long, but we understand that life happens and sometimes priorities and situations can change. There can be many reasons why clients leave us: they move, their financial situation takes a turn, or they simply get bored and want to try something else. I have had several clients over the years decide that they would like to take what they have learned at Total Results and attempt to apply it in a different exercise setting (either in a traditional gym environment or at home). Sometimes these clients return to us and sometimes they do not. Through talking with the clients who have left and then later returned, I have compiled a list of the most common mistakes that people make when working out on their own. Some of these might surprise you, while others may not.

They do not exercise with a high enough level of intensity. I discuss the concept of intensity during an initial consultation with a prospective client. Intensity can be defined as muscular inroad/time. Since the body is fairly resistant to change, you must provide a strong stimulus to induce positive physical improvements. Working out intensely is uncomfortable, and most people simply will not put forth the requisite effort without someone to teach them, monitor them, or hold them accountable. Left to their own devices, most people are satisfied with "just good enough." Don't be okay with just being okay! Pushing (or pulling) to muscular failure and then performing a thorough inroad is the best way to ensure you have given the optimal level of effort.

Trainees use too fast a movement speed during exercises. If you have ever walked into a gym, you have likely seen what amounts to throwing and catching of the weights. Even standard Nautilus protocol ( two seconds lifting and four seconds lowering) would be a vast improvement over typical gym behavior. Most people will move much faster than they should, even if they have been a Total Results client in the past. It is very difficult to self-monitor speed of movement, pace, and turnaround technique on your own, especially if you are trying to have a meaningful workout in a place fraught with numerous distractions.

Not moving quickly enough between exercises. Most people will sit around for several minutes between exercises, look in the mirror, chat, play on their phone, or stall in a multitude of ways. Even those with good intentions can be thwarted by having to wait several minutes for a machine to become available. This will diminish not only your systemic inroad, but also impede a quality metabolic and cardiovascular experience.

All that is available is poorly engineered equipment. I have talked about this at length in the past, but most equipment found in commercial and home gyms is utter garbage. It is poorly designed and inherently dangerous, especially if it contains independent movement arms. Strength training equipment should be designed to conform to the exercise protocol, and most commercial equipment has poorly engineered cams (or none at all), which translate into a less than ideal stimulus. Barbells and dumbbells are difficult to control and use safely. MedX and Super Slow Systems equipment (which we have at Total Results) help you to achieve a safe and effective stimulus.

Most people overtrain. This ties in nicely with my first point about intensity of effort. Since most people are simply not willing to put in the degree of effort on their own that is necessary to maximize results, they try to compensate with a greater volume of activity. They would much rather perform a greater number of exercises more frequently to feel good about themselves and avoid the temporary discomfort that is associated with intelligent exercise. The false reasoning is, "If some is good, more is better." I would also suggest that a mistake people make is to try and incorporate too much additional activity into their lifestyles. We must understand that our bodies' recovery ability is much more fragile than people realize, and if you try to do too much you can, at best, short-circuit your progress, and at worst, encounter injury and illness. Don't fall into the bodybuilder or exercise enthusiast mentality. Nothing beats high-intensity strength training in a clinically-controlled environment on specially engineered equipment.

Not listening to your body. I just finished discussing overtraining, and overtraining is a likely recipe for an overuse or acute injury. The human body is a wonderfully intuitive and logical organism, and nothing happens without a reason. If you feel sharp and/or sudden pain, there is a good chance you are experiencing an injury. However, it is important to differentiate that from the dull ache that is representative of normal exertional discomfort. If a sharp pain continues for a few days, a layoff from training is likely in order, so do not try to be a hero. At Total Results we make modifications when necessary to work around joint problems or injuries.

Not accurately tracking progress or machine settings. For people who train without an instructor, I have found that progression is mostly guesswork or done "by feel." What is the point of putting in meaningful effort if you have no idea what you have accomplished? Early in my career, I worked for a man who kept no charts on his clients and made things up as he went along. He claimed that it was all in his head, but that was a joke. Knowledge of results is the only way that one can progress and improve, as it provides reinforcement. On top of that, if you don't write down your machine settings you could set yourself up for injury and waste valuable time.

Total Results takes the guesswork out of exercise. I believe that exercise instruction is as much an art as it is a science, and in order to make your exercise experience meaningful you need to be a learner, focus on giving your best effort, and allow your instructor to handle everything else. Don't fall into the traps that have derailed the casual exercise enthusiast. Get it right the first time with Total Results.

Posted March 21, 2024 by Matthew Romans

Be Present

Life is full of distractions. We are constantly bombarded with emails that need to be read, flooded with social media posts and advertisements, and have family and professional responsibilities that must be met. With all of these different stimuli floating about, it is enough to make your head spin. This makes time management and defining your values incredibly important, especially if you have exercise goals that you want to achieve. Most people want to achieve great things, but are they truly willing to do what is necessary to accomplish these goals? Striving for and attaining excellence means that we must sacrifice some comfort. Sure, a warm bed on a cold February morning feels comfortable, but is that extra half hour of sleep worth canceling your workout? Sometimes you need to step outside of yourself and see the big picture. Time is the commodity that seems to always be in short supply, and in order to maximize not just our workouts but all the wonderful things that life brings us, we need to be present.

What does that mean? I can't remember the famous quote verbatim, but it is often said that a large part of success in life is about just showing up. I believe that to be true, but I also think it goes beyond that. If you simply show up and don't give great effort, or if you show up but your mind is elsewhere, are you really striving for excellence? Sometimes people are physically present, but they simply go through the motions. If that is the case, you are really cheating yourself. I am amazed at how many people float through life without a sense of urgency. Complacency is the enemy of excellence! Nobody ever said a Total Results workout was either easy or comfortable, because it is not. Sure, there are other places that you might want to be other than a chilly exercise studio, and you might even have some fun activities planned for after your workout. Part of being an adult means delaying gratification. You have control over the choices that you make, and what matters is right now. Nothing can be done to change the past and while the future is important, if you do not take care of business right now the future will hold far less significance. All that will eventually happen is directly affected by what you do at this moment.

What are some strategies you can implement in order to be present in mind, body and spirit?

  • Arrive a few minutes early for your workout. It is very difficult to be present and focused on the task at hand if you are running late. Leave early for your workout. Think about what you are about to undertake, and try to shut the rest of the world out for the next half hour. Visualize success. This can be done in your car or even in our lobby.

  • Silence your phone. A ringing phone is the perfect instrument to break your concentration and lose positive momentum during a workout. It is also a distraction for your instructor. Please silence your phone before entering the workout area. The only audible sounds should be the breathing of the client and the cues of the instructor.

  • Focus on the main exercise objective. Contrary to what most exercise enthusiasts believe, exercise is not about lifting as much weight as possible for as many repetitions as you can complete. It is about inroad - fatiguing the musculature deeply enough to bring about a stimulus. Proper form is the key to every exercise.

  • Embrace discomfort. Yes, high-intensity exercise is challenging and does involve both localized and systemic discomfort. Remember, positive change is never comfortable! The fear of the discomfort is far worse than what it really is. As uncomfortable as workouts are, they are also brief and infrequent. Do not lose sight of the significance that the discomfort is a sign that you are achieving something meaningful.

Shut out the rest of the world for 15-20 minutes once or twice per week so that you can focus on yourself and what is important to you. Do not worry about the next exercise, the next workout, or even the previous workout. All that matters is right now - this exercise, this repetition, this positive or negative excursion. Break time down to its smallest element; every second counts and you don't want to waste a moment. Develop this mindset and it will pay dividends not only in your workout, but in other aspects of your life. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit." Those are words to live by.

Posted March 07, 2024 by Matthew Romans

"Forever Strong" - A Book Review

Dr. Gabrielle Lyons is a board-certified family physician who earned her undergraduate degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Illinois. She completed a research and clinical fellowship in geriatrics and nutritional sciences from Washington University in St. Louis. Her first book, "Forever Strong", was published in 2023. It is a significant departure from the typical health advice and information that you will hear from the mainstream medical establishment. The main thrust of her approach is something that she calls Muscle-Centric Medicine, which stresses treating the skeletal muscle as an organ. She believes that, "Your ability to survive and thrive - no matter your age - is directly related to muscle tissue health."

In the very first chapter, Dr. Lyons sets the table for the rest of the book by discussing the need to shift from a fat-focused paradigm to one centered around building muscle. She notes all of the conditions that poor muscle health can influence, from cancer to sarcopenia and even Alzheimer's. The author highlights the importance of skeletal muscle and its role in your immune system, saying, "Training also boosts your immune function via peptides - small molecules composed of amino acids - released during muscle contraction. Key peptides can send signals in the body that help fight off germs and reduce inflammation." Later in the same chapter, she discusses myokines, which are hormone-like proteins released by the skeletal muscles that circulate in the bloodstream and help regulate other body functions, particularly glucose metabolism. One myokine in particular, BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), boosts the formation of new brain neurons, which can facilitate learning and memory.

When discussing disease, Dr. Lyon correctly points out the limitations of traditional Western medicine, saying that it, "...Skews its emphasis toward what's making us sick while overlooking prevention. This tendency leads many doctors to focus on fat and glucose while disregarding the skeletal muscle that could correct the imbalance." The author is right; when is the last time your family physician ever talked about lifestyle changes, weight training, or nutrition? I would add the over-reliance on pharmacology to the doctor's assessment. She goes on in chapter four to discuss nutritional science and is quite critical of the government's recommended guidelines. Dr. Lyons says, "To repeat, it's critical to recognize that the goal of government-funded nutritional guidelines was never (her emphasis) to help individuals achieve exceptional health. Instead, setting forth minimum (her emphasis) intake values was intended to prevent deficiencies." Ignore the RDA; it won't help you to live your best life and be disease-free. The author believes that most people do not consume enough protein, which makes it hard for them to maximize muscle growth even if they regularly strength train. Eating one gram of protein per pound of body weight is the starting point that she recommends.

There is a lot of good information in this book, and it speaks to the overall attitude that each one of us controls our own destiny. Dr. Lyons details five fundamental attributes that all of us have inside of us, which are courage, perseverance, self-discipline, adaptability, and resilience. We will all face adversity at some point in life, and developing these qualities will help us to succeed when the going gets tough. Building muscle is your best ally in the larger plan of fighting off chronic disease, and the author does a commendable job in emphasizing the importance of weight training. The good doctor lists all of the essential amino acids, the ones that our bodies cannot make and must be obtained through our diet. I won't go through all of them, but she mentions that leucine is the most important amino acid for muscle health. There is a terrific understanding of nutrition (as one would expect from someone who earned a degree in nutritional sciences, but not generally common in the medical field), and I was pleased to see that she dismissed the myth of the connection between dietary fat and body fat. Again, her anti-establishment approach was wonderful to see.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the exercise advice given in this book. Much of what is prescribed here constitutes overtraining in my opinion, and there are references to steady-state activities that are high-force in nature and can lead to overuse injuries. The author has a poor understanding of several concepts that are quite relevant to proper exercise, namely the dose-response relationship of exercise, which explains that just like in pharmacology, you want the minimum dose necessary to stimulate optimum benefit. She seems to be unaware that you cannot segregate the aerobic metabolic pathway from the anaerobic pathway, and that while you may use more of one pathway than another in a given activity, both are always in play. Dr. Lyons recommends exercises that involve the use of dumbbells as well as unilateral and alternating movements, which leads me to believe she doesn't appreciate the dangers they pose to the pelvis and spine. There is no mention of speed of movement, so I can only infer that she doesn't fully acknowledge the dangers of excessive force on joints and connective tissue. Finally, when Dr. Lyons talks about "cardio training" she makes reference to VO2 Max, which most regular readers of this blog know doesn't actually measure anything, and has been called "the Monopoly money of exercise" by Dr. Doug McGuff. The scientific stuff in this book is great; the exercise advice, not so much.

In spite of my criticisms, I enjoyed this book. As I mentioned before, very few medical doctors really go to these lengths to espouse the importance of skeletal muscle and the benefits of regular strength training. In my own experience, I can now include Dr. Lyons with Dr. McGuff, Dr, Carol Currier, and Dr. Michael Hasz as physicians who "really get it ". There is a positive message in the book and an underlying theme of self-empowerment that can serve as a convincing inspiration to spring into action. I encourage you to read the book and decide for yourself.

Posted February 22, 2024 by Matthew Romans

It is About Making You Better

Self-improvement is a continuous process. Mastery takes a lifetime. Those are just a couple of the maxims that I often come across when I read self-help, philosophy, and leadership books. It is a noble endeavor to want to improve yourself and not be content with who you are at this very moment. Constructive criticism can be difficult for some people to accept, because sometimes the truth hurts. It is not what we want to hear, but it is what we need to hear if we want to build on who we are because no matter how self-aware we think we are, we all have blind spots. If you are not progressing as a Total Results client as you hoped you would, we should examine why that is the case. Accountability is important but it is not about taking you to task. Everything that we do at our facility is about making you better.

The nature of exercise instruction is to be critical, to point out and correct mistakes so that we can maximize your performance. As an instructor, it is important to me to balance being critical with providing positive reinforcement and encouragement. I am up front and honest with potential clients when discussing expectations during an initial consultation. I explain the importance of proper form, exercise intensity, and mastery of speed of movement and turnarounds, but I also am very careful to mention that this program is not a cure-all, and that their degree of success is largely predicated on what they do when they are not here. Naturally we don't want to scare anyone off, but I don't want there to be any illusions about what our philosophy entails. Sometimes people decide that this isn't the program for them, and that's okay. I would rather learn that right off the bat rather than a couple months down the road.

Correcting form discrepancies is the most important aspect of being an exercise instructor. Proper form is not just something that we give lip service to; it is the very essence of our exercise philosophy. These discrepancies are not conscious decisions by the client to do the wrong thing, but rather instinctive acts to try to make things just a little bit easier. These form discrepancies must be corrected immediately and repeatedly until they no longer occur, but please remember that these criticisms should never be taken personally. Many other instructors in our industry are not as strict about form as I am, but it is not because I enjoy being critical. It takes courage to want to teach and correct behavior, especially when you know it might not be well-received. I have a responsibility to uphold the high standards that we have had at Total Results for over 20 years, and I would do the client and myself a disservice if I let certain things slide. If I let one thing go, it can very easily become a slippery slope, and it is important to be consistent across the board. Praise and positive reinforcement are also important, because that helps to solidify proper behavior and execution. Consistent and honest feedback is the key to improvement in any aspect of life, especially in exercise.

Discomfort is a natural part of high-intensity exercise. In order to stimulate true positive change in the human body, you must do something intense and significant to induce the body to adapt, and that feeling is not pleasant. I would not sell anyone a bill of goods that our workouts are fun, but they are critical for building and maintaining skeletal muscle mass. I am certainly not a masochist, and I don't enjoy seeing people in pain, but the dull ache and intense fatigue that you experience during a workout is brief and is not indicative of injury. As my friend Al Coleman used to say, "Don't run from the discomfort, chase after it." Also unpleasant to some is the cold temperature and fans that we have in our exercise studio. This is necessary in order to keep you from overheating during your workout. High-intensity exercise causes your muscles to produce a tremendous amount of heat, and if the workout space isn't properly chilled or ventilated you can overheat sufficiently to short-circuit your performance. No, it isn't particularly enjoyable to be in a cold environment with fans blowing on you, but this is what is necessary to optimize your workout experience. You will warm up within the first two exercises. I also must maintain a clinical demeanor during your session. Sometimes this throws people off initially, but I can assure you that I am not trying to seem distant or unfriendly. Exercise is a serious endeavor that requires focus, and chatting mindlessly during your workout can increase your risk for injury as well as diminish your performance. I enjoy talking with clients before and after sessions, but proper perspective must be maintained. Our studio environment and my instructional style are all carefully cultivated to give you the best opportunity for success.

All we want is for you to prosper. No one ever said our workouts are easy, but the reward comes when you start to see and experience the fruits of your labor. Understanding why we do certain things will help you to focus on what is important and keep things in proper perspective. Not every workout will be record-setting, of course. You will have some days where you feel great and others that are a struggle. Be emotionally mature and take responsibility for your success as well as your failures. We are your health partners, and everything that we do is geared toward making you better.

Posted February 08, 2024 by Matthew Romans

Three Pillars of Health: Weight Training, Intermittent Fasting, and Nutrition

Total Results is not simply an instructional exercise facility. Yes, exercise is critically important, and in order to achieve a top notch workout experience you need a clinically-controlled environment with proper temperature controls, specially engineered equipment, and a knowledgeable instructor to regulate safety and push you to the requisite level of effort. I see myself as a teacher, and that goes well beyond what happens during the 20 minutes of your workout. In my estimation, there are three pillars of health that will optimize your results. Those pillars are intermittent fasting, proper nutrition, and high-intensity weight training. I discuss these three concepts with clients on a regular basis.

Intermittent fasting involves waiting at least 12 hours between your last meal of one day and your first meal of the next day. That description is a bit simplistic, but it's not really that complicated to understand once you dive in a little deeper. Most recommendations call for fasting between 14 and 18 hours per day, but other sources have suggested fasting for 24 hours a couple of times per week. A 16 hour fast and 8 hour feeding window (time between your first and last meal of the day) is what I generally stick to, and it's not as difficult to follow as you might think. The benefits of fasting include hormone regulation, blood sugar control (avoiding spikes and crashes), lowering blood pressure, fat loss, reducing systemic inflammation, maintaining insulin sensitivity, and enhancing your body's ability to use body fat as a primary fuel source. There are a lot of different ways you can practice intermittent fasting; through experimentation you can find the strategy that best fits your lifestyle. It's a bit of a challenge at first, but after a few days or a week you find it's not that difficult, especially since you should be asleep through a large portion of the fasting period. If you eat a proper diet, fasting comes much easier, which smoothly brings me to the next pillar of health.

Nutrition is the means of giving your body the raw materials it needs to not only achieve and maintain homeostasis, but also make physical improvements. If you don't put the right fuel into your car, it won't go anywhere. You need all three macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat, although carbohydrates are the least important to consume. This is because the body can create glucose out of other substances through a process called gluconeogenesis. There are essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids, but no such thing as an essential carbohydrate. This is why ketogenic diets are quite successful. I'm not suggesting that you need to get on a ketogenic diet (although I wouldn't discourage you if you did), but I do recommend a single-ingredient, whole foods approach. Limit sugars and processed foods, and if you see ingredients on food packaging that you cannot pronounce, you don't need them. Try to get your carbohydrates largely through fruits and vegetables, but minimize the fruits with high glycemic indexes (like bananas). You need protein that comes from quality sources: chicken, fish, beef, eggs. Eat plenty of good saturated fat; this will come from the aforementioned protein sources, but also through butter, nuts, and some other dairy like full-fat yogurt. If there were a fourth pillar of health I would include supplementation with vitamins and minerals, but it makes sense to include that here. At minimum, take a vitamin D supplement, but also consider fish oil, magnesium, vitamin C, and zinc. These will help fill in any nutritional gaps you may have, and also enhance your immune system.

Weight training is the X factor. Total Results exercise is essential for building and maintaining lean muscle, improving bone mineral density, strengthening connective tissue, improving metabolic and cardiovascular conditioning, increasing your resistance to injury, and helping you to maintain your functional independence. That is a lot to accomplish in one or two 20-minute sessions per week! Our exercise protocol can also help with things you probably haven't even considered, like contributing to better sleep, stress management, and improved focus. Your skeletal muscle is the only type of muscle tissue over which you have volitional control, and it is the single most important contributing factor to your overall body shape and appearance. No other form of physical activity can do more for your body or your mind than strength training, and the Total Results exercise protocol is the safest of them all. Five to seven exercises encompassing the entire body, performed once or twice per week in proper form and with great effort, is all that you need. It's certainly not easy, but it is simple.

All three pillars of health must be practiced in order to optimize results. As I have said before, exercise is not a panacea. It is an extremely important component, but only one cog in the wheel. If you weight train without intermittent fasting or proper nutrition, you will get stronger but may carry excess body fat, have blood sugar fluctuations, unregulated hormone levels, and be deficient in several key vitamins and nutrients. Although intermittent fasting can make up for some holes in your diet, without weight training you won't speed up your metabolism, combat sarcopenia, or reverse osteoporosis. On top of that, consuming a traditional western diet with lots of sugars and processed foods will make it virtually impossible to get into ketosis or fast comfortably. Proper nutrition will not yield maximum results without the other two pillars.

You must incorporate all three health pillars in order to optimize not only your physical improvements, but your overall health. Combining all three is not as difficult as it seems, but it does require a true desire to change and a willingness to be honest with yourself in order to make lifestyle changes. If you create good habits that are simple, they will be easier to follow. Making an appointment at Total Results will not only instill a sense of accountability, it will help you get into a sustainable routine. Schedule a consultation and start practicing the three pillars of health today!

Posted January 26, 2024 by Matthew Romans