Random Thoughts

by Nia Shanks | Follow her on Twitter here

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a Random Thoughts post, and since I don’t have anything in particular prepared for this week, it seems like good timing for this type of blog post.

1) People can have different opinions on topics such as strength training, nutrition, politics, and religion and still be friends. It seems as if now more than ever that people refuse to be friends or considerate of anyone who has a different opinion than their own.

I have a totally different view point on strength training and politics than some of my friends, but we don’t love or respect each other any less. I don’t agree 100% with the strength training and nutrition opinions of some of my fellow fitness friends, but I still deeply respect them and listen to what they have to say. We’re not going to agree entirely on training philosophies and that is completely fine.

2) Having your own home gym is amazing. I’ve been training at home with my barbell set and power rack for a month now, and I absolutely love it. No waiting for equipment to be available and not having guys stare at me and make terrible attempts to start a conversation has been a real treat. Having my own gym is especially convenient when the travel conditions are less than favorable.

I strongly believe my results from training are only going to get better – I go outside, put on the music I want to listen to, watch my dog run around, and I lift. I don’t get distracted with the stupid things trainers have their clients doing, or people asking me what exercise they should do for their stomach. It’s absolutely amazing.

3) Being easily entertained is a good thing. I have noticed something the last few years – the simplest things amuse me. Whether it’s playing outside with my dog, watching eagles fly through the sky in the early morning, or walking on a frozen lake for the first time. I am easily entertained.

Note – yes, I really tried to bust out the moon walk on ice.

4) More often than not, simple = more likely to succeed. When it comes to strength training and nutrition, I like to keep things as simple as possible. This has been a real focus of mine this past year or so with myself and my clients. The simpler things are the more likely people are to get results and be consistent. My upcoming project Beautiful Badass does just that – it keeps training and nutrition simple. The results have been absolutely amazing and it makes training a lot of fun.

My training has consisted entirely of squats, deadlifts, push-ups, inverted rows, chin-ups, parallel bar dips, standing presses, floor presses, ab wheel rollouts, hanging leg raises, and hill sprints, and my results are better than ever. When it comes to building a stronger, leaner, and healthier body, I truly believe simpler is better.

5) A peek into my current training. I started using Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 Method again, but this time with an emphasis on powerlifting. I’m going to compete again but I haven’t set a date at this time. Right now I just want to get stronger and I’ll set a date for my next meet when I know I can dominate my previous performance. I have a training log that you can check out HERE.

Jim hasn’t released his 5/3/1 for Powerlifting yet, but you can get some information on how to modify things for powerlifting in this article.

6) Oldies but goodies. Here are some older posts that I think deserve to be mentioned yet again.

The Dark Side of Cheat Days – this isn't an old one, but I still think some people could benefit from getting rid of “cheat days” all together.

You Should NOT Train for Fat Loss – even if your main goal is fat loss, you should train for strength.

The Funniest Workout Video Ever – sometimes you just need to laugh.

Back to Basics for Better Results – the title says it all.

Stop Trying to Reach an Ideal Weight – for anyone who has an “ideal” weight in mind, this is a must read.

Women Should Not be Afraid to Get Strong – again, the title says it all.

Fasting for Weight Loss – this is an excellent interview with Brad Pilon about his method for easy weight loss.

Should Women Train Like Men? – the title says it all.