How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

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How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by ironsides » Sun Feb 15, 2015 2:09 am

There can be many mental and emotional barriers to getting in better shape. Some are fairly extreme and beyond the scope of this guide, such as anorexia or bulimia. However, the ones that get most people in trouble are very simple, and are generally not that hard to overcome once they are recognized.

The most important aspect is not the specifics of a program or the details of a diet (though those are obviously important), but how you look at the situation. I don't mean in the sense that your mind is more powerful than what you do in the gym, although you'll need to have some self-discipline and commitment for obvious reasons. The main problem is that most people look at fitness in a warped, incorrect way. That's why they flunk, not because it has to be so hard in and of itself. What I mean is that you can't look at diet or exercise as a short-term ordeal that ends at some point when you aren't out of shape anymore. They must be seen as long-term lifestyle changes. That sounds kind of scary, but is actually not a big deal when you think about it, and once you start seeing results you will be motivated to continue.

Consider this: when people start dieting and exercise, they are often extremists about it. They try to work out 2 times a day, 7 days a week, or go on some crazy diet where they eat 500 calories composed entirely of herbal tea and tree bark. They hurt themselves or get sick or just hate life generally, and they fail. Then they get discouraged and get fat and out of shape again.

Was that a failure of willpower? Sort of, but the main problem is that the whole approach is wrong. You don't get in shape by killing yourself. You get in shape, and more importantly stay in shape, by accumulating significant, but livable, improvements to your lifestyle over time, and building on that. Not by going through some horrible ordeal requiring Olympian willpower.

Eating healthy just has to become how you eat most of the time. Exercise has to become a habitual thing you do every day or two, like mowing the lawn or taking out the trash. If you do just a little better all the time, but really stick to it, you can accumulate big gains very fast, and improve upon them over the long term. Once you start seeing improvements without having to kill yourself, it becomes very easy to keep on improving. You don’t have to stick to the following 100% of the time; but every little bit you slip up detracts from your overall results. The amount of time and effort you put into developing and maintaining your physical fitness is directly proportional to what you will get out of it and the magnitude of the results you will see. If you follow this advice only some of the time, you will only get some of the results. In the end, the wrong thing done consistently often times nets more results than the right thing done sparingly.

You can lose about 1-2 lbs of fat or build around .5 lbs of muscle a week as a male (females will build less muscle for a given amount of time due to hormonal differences). That's 50-100 lbs of fat and 25 lbs of muscle a year. In a year you’ll look way better than you do now and in three you’ll look pretty exceptional, assuming you are consistent and motivated. We know how the body works, we know what can be done, and we know how long it takes. Do not look for the easy-out, the miracle, or the fitness secret someone wants to sell you. You want results, not false promises - stick to a routine and diet and see it through. In otherwords, be persistent and be patient.

Another thing to consider is that many people find it hard to get into the shape they want because they have bad habits, especially when it comes to diet. Some of these are obvious, but many of them are not. Education about diet and exercise is very spotty, and the media (and even fitness magazines) often report nonsense that just adds to the confusion. Part of the purpose of this guide is to educate you enough to be able to identify your bad habits in the first place, and not just stop them, but replace them with habits that are positive. Habits are hard to break, but the rewards for replacing bad habits with good ones are immense and long-lasting. After a short while, you won't feel those cravings for sweets or soda. You'll start to feel anxious if you miss a gym day. You'll think "How did I live like this? Why did I spend those years being so unhealthy? This is so easy!"
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Re: How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by MadeByRockets » Sun Feb 15, 2015 4:00 am

So what you're saying is... www.bodybuilding.com/misc is not a good place to start?
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Re: How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by ironsides » Sun Feb 15, 2015 5:14 am

MadeByRockets wrote:So what you're saying is... http://www.bodybuilding.com/misc is not a good place to start?

misc died when teampunishment got demoted for saying the best movie with an all black cast was planet of the apes.
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Re: How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by kovenant » Sun Feb 15, 2015 7:17 am

There is a big difference being "in shape" or jacked up.
And bodybuilding is unhealthy , if done on a serious lvl that is.
Same for fitness or extreme diets.

Getting into shape requires determination and a change of mindset.
I lost myself about 60 pounds in about a 3/4 year.
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Re: How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by Oxytauren » Sun Feb 15, 2015 10:43 am

not if your naturally fit with an awesome metabolism, some of us are just lucky i guess, but this does mean its hard to put weight on, muscle or fat.
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Re: How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by Moxey » Sun Feb 15, 2015 1:09 pm

Good post, i wish was not lazy.
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Re: How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by nerdFlex » Sun Feb 15, 2015 8:21 pm

eat less
do more
and eat pizza once a week, it's been my motivation for the last few months and it works wonders.
Mediocre at best.
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Re: How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by cypherrage » Sun Feb 15, 2015 10:57 pm

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Last edited by cypherrage on Sun Sep 03, 2017 7:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by cypherrage » Sun Feb 15, 2015 10:57 pm

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Last edited by cypherrage on Sun Sep 03, 2017 7:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How to get Jacked - Part 1: Mindset

by Lemonfreezer » Sun Feb 15, 2015 11:20 pm

cypherrage wrote:How to not be black:

1) Be white


That's offensive to asians.

On topic: Mindset is EVERYTHING when it comes to getting in shape/healthy. If you plan on beginning a diet and work out and you're not in the right mindset well you've already failed. Motivation is key - mindset is pretty much the internal motivation and the best external motivation is having a partner with who to work out. Most people are like "Yeah I tried everything and I still can't lose any weight", pff yeah right - everything - except diet and exercise! Everyone just wants a magical pill or technology that will do it for them while they sit on the couch shoving chips infront of the TV. People like that deserve to stay fat.
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