Heavy Leg day breakdown

The past couple of weeks we have been doing mainly hypertrophy workouts, and we have decided to switch back to heavy sets. Instead of doing shoulders yesterday we did legs, a nice change in the way we split. We also are mainly focusing on our major compound lifting, which are your barbell movements. If you want to get stronger and grow, you need to move heavy weight with barbells. Dumbbells help assist and work out your stabilizer muscles more but your barbell movements are most important. With the barbell weight rising, so will your dumbbell weight and everything else. 

This being said lets break down our Leg day
First lift we went to is our go to when we start leg day: the Leg press. We were excited to start because the night before we talked about setting a 3 rep PR (Personal Record). The leg press itself is already 165lbs. We added 200 lbs and warmed up doing 2 sets to 15. Then we put on 400 lbs and did a set of 3 reps. We put on 200 more lbs and did 3 more reps. By then our muscles are nice and loose. With these 3 reps we make sure that we are doing them deep and slow. Now when we get to the heavy pr weight we focus on speed, power and explosiveness. We place 2 45lb plates on and a 10lb plate. Totaling 1165lbs on leg press. We powered through that set for a clean 3 reps. We took most the weight off and left 290lbs on the press and did burn out sets of 100. which were killer on the quads and hip flexors. 

From here we went to the squat rack, which is somewhere i lack in strength with. We set up 135 on the bar and warmed up. Hips lower than knees to get a deep squat. Did that for 2 sets. We then went right into it with 225. My first set i only got 4 reps. My next 2 sets i did 3. When squatting, some people have trouble figuring out how low is low. A lot of people say "ass to grass" and others say 90 degrees. Honestly, as long as you are parallel with the floor, meaning your thighs (90 degrees) you are benefiting from the squat. I see a lot of guys putting on 315 (because they want to look MACHO! lol) and barely move at all. For some reason too they get excited about this. If you are moving heavy weight, it is going to be a struggle from the start. Going 90 degrees ensures usage of the quads, glutes and hamstrings. Mostly the hamstrings when pushing the weight back up. 

Next was our deadlift. Due to my partner having a slight disk injury in his lower back, i only did 3 sets of deadlifts. Started with 225lbs for 10 reps. Then i moved on to 295lbs for 3 reps. From here i put on 365lbs and got it for one. When i put on this weight i lost form in my lower back, and pulled the weight like a Romanian deadlift. Which is fine because my lower back can handle that kind of tension. Deadlifts are essential if you want growth and power. Possibly one of the best lower body/back workouts you can do. If you aren't doing them i suggest you add them in your program!

After all these heavy sets we went to leg extension machine. This machine is great to fine tune your quads. With the cable machines, it isn't about moving the whole stack of weight. Put a decent weight on there that you can maintain 10-12 rep range and fully extend and flex your quads. with these we worked up to 130lbs. Tip here is, again, pick a weight you can maintain form. I know, what form?! it's a machine! Well i am talking about your extension. Putting too much weight on this machine will cause you to extend only to 75%. So make sure you get a good set in. You'll know you did when you get off the machine and can't walk =) 

Last thing we did was calve raises. Nothing special here that we did. Put 3 45lb plates on each side and started with 20 raises neutral, which is feet shoulder width apart and toes pointed straight. next we turn our feet outward and to 20 raises. This implements the muscles underneath the calf. Next with turned our toes inward, working the outside muscles. 3 sets of this. 

Make sure you are getting a great leg day! It will help you grow all around. Symmetry is key to being strong. I can say by doing legs twice a week, it has helped in my growth in other areas in the gym. Lift hard Auktane fam. Till we blog next time!

Survival Of The Fittest!

Putting to rest an annoying myth

"I want to tone but i don't want to build muscle and get huge."

We have heard this too many times from women who want to tone up that flabby underarm area and butt. They seem to have a correlation with heavy lifting and muscles, which is a correct correlation. What is inaccurate is thinking within a month you are going to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger by lifting heavy weight you aren't used to.

To say you want to tone up really mean to build muscle. When you are toning your muscles you are breaking them down, tearing muscle fibers and rebuilding them to be stronger. Ladies, let me tell you. To get "huge" you would have to have constant complex carbs and protein throughout the day in your diet. 6 meals a day plus a routine mainly consisting of compound lifts IE bench press, barbell squats, barbell shoulder press etc.

Don't be afraid  if you put on muscle. At the end of the day you will look a whole lot better. Just make sure you feel good in your own body, and happy with your work at the end of your gym session. 

Find a routine that works for you that has moderate weight lifting and cardio as well. To really tone your body you will have to lift moderate weights. You need resistance! 

TACKLING MULTIPLE GOALS HEAD ON!

We've all been there. Sitting. Thinking to ourselves what goals we want to accomplish by the end of the year. Lets face it, many of those goals mainly the ones we deem too unforeseeable to accomplish will go unfinished. So how do we find the time, energy, and ultimately mental strength to push full steam ahead to accomplish our goals? This is a question I ask myself on a regular basis when it comes to my fitness goals and life goals in general. What I'm about to disclose is not backed by scientific findings or any scholarly works, but is an assessment of my physical abilities and perhaps an opportunity to you as a reader insight on your own capabilities if you set your mind to it. As I write this I am currently training for the NYC Marathon on November 2, 2014. My marathon training consists of an average of 5-6 miles of running per day 5 times per week in addition to a long run on Saturdays which range from 9-20 miles of running depending on the weekly schedule. On top of my marathon goal I look to maintain an athletic physique by continuing a strength conditioning regiment. As I did when I figured out what goals I wanted to achieve for this year I first asked myself why I wanted to accomplish these goals. Without a strong reason or purpose our minds like adolescents tend to favor our wants despite the importance of our needs. Therefore strive to give your goals a personal connection and valuable meaning as to why you ultimately want to strive for these goals. For instance, for my marathon I am running on behalf of Team For Kids Charity to raise a goal of $2,600.00 for underprivileged kids around the world whose families do not have the financial abilities to support them through running programs to allow for not only the health but well being of these kids. I chose this charity because I've seen personally how technology and gaming has affected our youths today and is a large reason for child obesity in the United States. This type of strong personal connection is what pushes me everyday I train knowing that if I do not give it my 100 percent effort each day that I am not only failing myself but the kids connected to my charity. My second question on setting goals is HOW are you going to achieve your goals? There is no cookie cutter method to doing this as everyone's goals will differ and at many times can be converge at separate extremes. My biggest tip to this is plan ahead and consider the alternative actions you must take if you happen to come along a wall along the way. Lets face it that we will all encounter these walls, from unexpected personal or family events, injuries, illnesses, or even the occasional lack of motivation. As long as you plan ahead to make sure you're one step closer to your goals and make sure that life doesn't take you of course the consistency will continue to allow you to achieve your goal. Now this might come off as common sense or basic knowledge but the key of consistency is often lost in large goals that we have never imagined obtainable. To give you a retrospect of this idea, consider the goal of making $100 dollars. Anyone with the basic abilities to work and want to work can easily obtain this goal and it is not too far fetched that one may wander off this path towards this goal because they don't have the hunger to want it that bad. Where as say a goal of obtaining 1 million dollars is a much harder goal to obtain. In working towards this goal much more care and precision planning and organization is required. Additionally you must think and act accordingly to your goals. This is because the mind of a world class athlete or a multi-million works and thinks differently than that of an individual with less ambition and willpower. If you want to be like those that have achieved the goals in which you aspire your mindset must be as those that have already paved the way for you. Do you think a multi-millionaire sat around waiting to win the lottery or it to fall on their lap. Do you think the world class athlete is sitting around thinking they can hold off their workout for another day or eat whatever they want because they think they deserve it? That is the type of questions you must ask yourself and understand that your hard work and determination will allow you to successfully achieve any goals you may have. Thank you for reading this and I hope it helps you in achieving your goals. As always we are here to help and if you have any questions or concerns please reach out and let us know!

Updates!

Hope everyone has a good weekend! Currently we are seeing some good feedback with the blog and instagram page, but we want more!

We are soon purchasing a high end camera so we can start filming for our YouTube channel we have. Also I am working on a solid logo that we will then promote on some t-shirts. Working on t-shirt designs as well. The rest of this year will be an amazing journey for us!

What to expect on our channel!
We will have full workouts with voice overlay of myself and my partner describing each lift and muscles to focus on and tips. We will also have some inspirational videos/highlights of ourselves and our sponsored Auktane athletes. One thing this fall we want to do as well is provide live feed from some expos as well!

This is just the beginning, won't you follow our journey and be a part of greatness?

Friday Motivation, because we care

When it comes down to it, it's just weight!

I used to tell myself all the time when it came to doing weight i've never done before on certain workouts, "i'll see" or "i'll try and get this next set." Even before we start we begin to psychologically put ourselves at a disadvantage. Then my lifting partner and best friend said to me one day while we were on decline bench press, "Bro, it's just weight." Whoa. You know, you're right! It is just weight. At the end of the day when you go home, that 50lb dumbbell or 315lbs you couldn't deadlift is just weight and it will be just that the next day.

A different scenario. You and your friends are jumping off say, a 20ft jump into a quarry. You step up afraid of heights and to you that 20ft is 2 miles high. You pace back and forth and talk yourself out of it until your friends tell you, bro it is just water, you'll be fine. You say whatever and take the plunge only to feel the sudden adrenaline rush when you surface from the water. That is just about the same feeling when you are stuck on a weight, plateau even, or you have been sitting comfortably with a certain weight and are intimidated by going 10lbs heavier. Well, tell yourself, it's just weight!





Don't be afraid of failure. Don't be afraid to lose, or make mistakes. These are how you adapt and become better than you were yesterday. Strive to be stronger, strive to be faster, and strive to be greater. This doesn't apply to men, this doesn't apply to women. This applies to everyone wanting to conquer life. This applies to anyone wanting to conquer anything that is in their path. When you want to up the weight, take a second and tell yourself, it is just weight, i got this. Talk yourself up, and do it out loud! Let everyone know. Do not be scared of someone judging you and laughing. If they do look at them and laugh back like you are crazy. Use that to motivate you to get a new PR(personal record). Smash each PR in the gym every week. 

So ask yourself. Are you willing to take my challenge? I want you on your next gym day to pick one workout and do a heavy set of 6 reps on a weight 5lbs more than what you think you can't do. You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish. 

 

 

Make sure to follow our instagram! @Auktane_fit

Shoulder and tricep workout (no photos)

Today was my arms day, and due to some tension in my left lower bicep head, I only did shoulders and triceps today.

Shoulders.
Started with seated barbell military press. 35lbs to warm up. Nice slow reps to ten. From there I went right into my sets. 7x5 of 65lb dumbbells. Made sure I kept good posture and went deep enough into the repetition. Some people go too deep or too shallow when they press. No more than a 90 degree angle. Going past this and you are engaging other muscles. The point of this workout is mainly your shoulders. Maintain a consistent speed of your reps. Rest was no more than a minute.

Next was a superset. 4 sets of seated Smith machine press. 1x15 1x10 2x8. Superset was on the delt raise machine and shoulder flies on a pec deck machine. Moderate weight, no breaks in between. Sets of 4.

After that I went over to a squat rack and did superset number 2. Frontal trap shrugs on barbell. 4x25 with a pause rep at the last repetition. Great tip for these that have helped many people activate more of the muscle: look at the ground and tuck your chin into your chest. You don't have to look in a mirror for this lift. Imagine you are trying to make your shoulders touch your ears, and shrug! Simple right? Tucking the chin and looking down gives a full range of motion versus looking straight ahead. You can also look straight up in the air to work them a tad different as well. From the shrugs I went to the dumbbell rack and used 20lbs in each hand and did side delt raises for 12 reps then front raises to 12. Immediately dropped set to 10. Did this for 4 sets.

Triceps:
Due to time I had to cut it short. But, started off with decline skullcrushers 3x12. If you aren't familiar with these, anchor your feet in the decline bench and have someone pass you the weight. Normally an easy curl bar. Hold the weight in front of you and bend at the elbows. Keep from your shoulder to elbow stiff and only the forearms bend. Bar should go over top of your head, then push weight back up. Some people touch their forehead on the rep. I don't suggest doing that if you're new to the exercise.

Then I did rope push downs with a superset of overhead extentions and one arm tricep push downs. 3 x 15 for these. Finished it off with a burnout of dips. I got to 40.

I am sorry for lack of pictures for those who haven't done some of these workouts. But look soon to our YouTube channel and instagram for videos on all of our workouts!

Follow our journey! @hara.kiri_ @auktane_fit @drphantastic

For the ladies, weight loss made simple.

All of our blogs so far have been mainly male oriented. So i decided to write this one solely for the ladies! 

Weight loss is important to a lot of people. You want to fit in to those new pair of jeans you bought that used to be your size a year ago, or that yellow polka dot bikini. But many seem to find it difficult to lose weight. Granted though, due to disorders and psychological disadvantages are the exceptions. 

So you went out and bought $200 worth of gym apparel and got that membership to your local fitness club. Now what. Well before you spend the cash and time, there are many simple things you can do at home and work to headstart your weight loss! 

-Cut out sodas and other high in sugar drinks
Many people love soda. Simply cutting soda out of your regularly meals and beverages can yield average 8-10lbs loss in a month or so. Many people that see they need to chose better health choices switch to a diet soda. Does diet soda make a difference? Yes. Good difference? No. When i am in my local mall i see many overweight people ordering large meals with a diet coke. First off in diet soda they have artificial sweeteners instead of sugars. Studies have shown that a consistent use can result into diabetes. Soda, diet soda, they are carbonated and caffeinated. Solution? Water. Water is the best thing to switch to when you want to lose weight in a short amount of time. If you go from drinking coffee and sweet tea and soda everyday to water, you will see results. It is recommended to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. First noticeable difference is in your face. I don't know what it is but most people who hold weight lose it in their face first. 

-Stop skipping Breakfast!
Most important meal of the day. You hear it all the time, but why? Starting the day with a healthy hearty breakfast kick starts your metabolism throughout the day. 

metabolism

  Use Metabolism in a sentence

me·tab·o·lism

[muh-tab-uh-liz-uhm] Show IPA

noun 1. Biology, Physiology . the sum of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its material substance is produced, maintained, and destroyed, and by which energy is made available.

Simply put, energy. People who have a faster metabolism than others burn through food and calories faster. Skipping your breakfast just prolongs the lag in this process. Leaving you feeling sluggish and slow. Start off the day with some fresh fruit and eggs. Many links online you can google for amazing healthy breakfast recipes that are easy to make. 

-Snack Time, Fruit and veggies or that tasty snack pack!?
In between meals you tend to want something to snack on. Normally if you are busy at work and don't have time you go to that vending machine and get chips or cookies or my favorite, blueberry muffins! Pack your lunch and plan ahead! Assume you will get hungry and pack some carrots, or celery sticks. Celery is a great choice. Being mostly made up of water and fiber. Fills you up for the time being. It really comes down to being well prepared the night before and being consistent. 

-Get a good nights rest. 
Trust me i know how you feel. Sleep. Ah, never enough ZZZz when you need them. But it is true, sleeping average 8 hours a night around the same time not only helps metabolism but also yields weight loss. 

These are just a few tips on what you can do and change. If you are already doing these then great! Keep up the great work.  

Follow our journey on instagram @auktane_fit @hara.kiri_ @drphantastic

Enjoy your weekend!

Ah the weekend! Full of friends, cheat meals and relaxation for some. I am spending my Saturday morning with a two mile run on the treadmill then work at 2pm. Hooray for the weekend -_- Nothing really to post tonight or yesterday. Been a bit busy. I did have an amazing leg day today. Started with a tripe set. Leg pressing 600lbs to 225lb box squats to box jumps. did 5 sets of 15. And I also hit my abs fairly hard today as well. Tomorrow I am going to post an in depth look into Different versions of proteins and what may be right for your manner of lifting and diet. I know it can get confusing on which protein to take, and when to take it. As I am shopping at my local GNC ( I know! Don't yell, I just hate shopping online!) I hear guys coming in asking the sales associate "hey, I just started lifting and i'm not too sure on what I should be taking. I want to put on size but not much. Any advice?" From here the GNC man takes them around the whole store, showing his favorite goodies obviously because he just wants to make extra cash. OR. because he doesn't know what he is talking about.

So look for that blog in the a.m. people!

Thank you for those who take the time to read my blog! Don't forget to follow my instagram page!

@auktane_fit @hara.kiri_ @drphantastic

Back and chest workout

 We want to see your progression pics and daily life in the gym and fitness! Hashtag #Auktanefit in your photos and add our instagram page and we will follow back and follow your journey as well!

Today we did back and chest. If you remember in my previous post when i talked about the one vs twice a week split lifting i posted how Monday was a chest focus( we did chest day sunday this week) with light back. Well today was our back with light chest. However, we decided to switch it up. Muscle confusion is one of our 10 commandments of lifting. We started with a chest exercise and then back and so on.

 We did a three lift circuit with the decline, incline and flat bench. One round to 15 reps with 135lbs. One after the other starting with decline to incline finishing with flat. Then we went up 185lbs on decline and flat, incline was 155lbs. each a set of 5 reps totaling 15 that round. Last round we upped the weight to 225lbs on decline and flat and 185lbs on incline. We didn't take any breaks other than taking weight off and on. At the end the 225 and 185 felt so heavy!

Next we went over to the pull up bar and did a marathon. We do ours a tad differently than a conventional marathon. 10 x 10 no rests. we focus on explosion and speed with these to really blast our upper body. Still maintaining a nice lateral squeeze though.

From there we went over and did 6 sets of dumbbell incline press. We stayed at 15 reps each set with these to get a really good pump and a break from that heavy set of chest in the bench workouts.

Then we did dumbbell lat pulls.We worked up to 65lbs and stayed there and did 5 sets of 15 reps.

Really great workout to isolate and blast your Lats. Notice in the top picture on the neutral form: shoulders are even, and back is in a natural curve. On the way up though the right shoulder slightly raises. Too many times i see people doing this lift and keeping their shoulders in the neutral position. That is incorrect form because you are targeting more of your bicep rather than your back. When you slightly raised the shoulder you can really squeeze into your Lat.

From here we went over and did 4 sets on the "Pec deck" or the pectoral fly machine. I like doing this towards the end of our workouts because, when doing this the right way, you can target most of the pectoral muscle, or chest.

If you are one of those people who grab the bars and just do the motions then read carefully! Nice slow movements. There is no need to rush through this workout. Yes i guess you can do them fast and get a pump but you are only exhausting yourself out. In the picture here notice how the back is up against that pad completely. Also his posture is upright, instilling that his chest is protruding, enabling him on flexing to target the chest fully. A pause of one second is recommended here.

After this we went over to the Lateral row machine. Another of our favorite go to workouts for back. I have always loved this machine, but recently i fell for it all over. I noticed when doing some of my back workouts i would hunch over when preforming the lift. Simple solution was to just stick my chest out. You really feel it on this lift.

A little trick you can try to insure maximum Lat targeting is, before you pull the weight close to you, pull your shoulders back, or try and make your shoulder blades touch. This will ensure you use most of your back for the lift. Then make sure you stick your chest upright and pull in the weight. Biceps are a secondary targeted muscle with is fine. Also when pulling the weight, it is okay to lean back a bit, this will give you a better rage of motion.

Lastly we did 5 super sets of cable lateral pull downs and cable crossovers. We did decent weight to 12 reps nonstop.

Overall it was an amazing workout today! We did some different lifts like our bench triple set, but those are the things that will maximize growth. Here are pics of our backs after our workout. Progression for us and progression is what we love to see!

Look for our Auktane Athlete feature on a future blog highlighting one of our friends in the gym. His name is Roman who is a 4th degree black belt in Tang Su Doo. Active weight lifter and aspiring MMA contender. This guy is driven and is what being Auktane is all about.

Follow our journey on instagram @Auktane_fit @Drphantastic @hara.kiri_

Importance of Leg Day

Face it! We all dread leg day. I honestly can say i know no one that enjoys it. Seems like no matter how hard you lift them during your said leg day, you can't get extremely excited to finish your sets and lifts. Many men never lift legs, and if they do they don't give it 100%. There is vital importance though to lifting your legs! 

Face it and come to terms with it. You focus more on an upper body rather than your lower body. Most guys do that lift in the gym. See psychologically we tend to think women will look at us in a sexual manner if she sees us with a huge chest, and chiseled back and bulging biceps that rip and tear every single American Eagle t-shirt you wear. Do yourself a favor and get this thinking out of your head. 

 If you are a natural lifter like myself and my partner are then you have at one point in time experienced a plateau in your journey to obtain the perfect physique. Some tend to look at a pre workout because they think that will give them the edge on their lifts. When that doesn't work then they research heavier supplements such as pro hormones and even steroids. Leaving the last two for another blog, a simple solution is simply lifting your legs, once a day or even twice a week. 

When you don't lift your legs properly or even at all, you miss out on up to 45% natural testosterone in your body. Naturally after your mid 30s you start to lose test (most men do. Some don't till later). Lifting your legs daily will help you break through any plateau you come to face. It will also help you grow in size and strength!

A trick that i use and have used is this: i lift chest and back the day after my leg day. My natural test is high in my body after 24 hours and I'm able to give it 110%. This way i can still build a very nice pectoral region and a strong wide back while utilizing my leg day! 

Like i have said in previous blogs. To each of their own. Maybe you have strong legs naturally and don't see the need to lift your legs. Others use body weight to strengthen them such as cardio. At the end of the day, if you are struggling with a plateau and you skip leg day, it is time to rethink and revise your workout routine and incorporate legs in there. Try it for a month and log your gains. I bet you'll be surprised with your results!

As always Auktane fam, lift hard and kill it!

Survival of the fittest

Fuel your drive
Follow our journey on instagram: @Auktane_fit @hara.kiri_ @drphantastic

Protein Synthesis and training split. One day vs twice a week

"Research reveals that when you train a body part, protein synthesis remains elevated generally no longer than 48 hours. In most cases it is elevated approximately 36 hours, after which time it returns back to a baseline level. This science is not "new" news either. We have known this scientific reality for decades."
 

Exert from Protein Synthesis, Muscle Growth And Training Frequency, http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/protein-synthesis-muscle-growth-training-frequency

I Have trained many different ways in my years of lifting. I started out after high-school doing a 3 days a week full body workout. Monday/Friday upper body and Wednesday lower body (legs and abs). Then to a 5 day push pull muscle one a day workout. This is the most used method of training that i see everyone using. Normally it is: Monday Chest and Triceps. Tuesday Back and Biceps. Wednesday Legs and Abs. Thursday off day. Friday back. Off weekends or light cardio. A variant of this workout is off Wednesday. Legs Thursday and a second chest day on Friday. Then i went to a full body two a days workout. This had a 2 days on, one day off, one day on and two days off schedule. Workout was in five total phases. Seems confusing but this 2 month plan really helped my endurance and strength. here is the link if you want to take a in depth look at this program: Waterbury High Frequency Training Program.

Now my current methods are a split. Utilizing basic knowledge of the window you have in protein synthesizing i can maximize my muscle growth and strength gains with my workouts. This looks like: Monday Chest and Back- Heavy chest with high volume secondary workouts and light back with high volume workouts. Tuesday Shoulders and Arms- Heavy shoulders with high volume secondary workouts. High volume arms. Wednesday Leg day. Heavy beginning with high frequency secondary plus drop sets. Thursday Back and Chest- Heavy Back with high frequency secondary workouts and high frequency light chest. Friday light, high frequency shoulders and heavy arms. Saturday Legs. Sunday rest day. 

   

Now most of you are saying, "Won't you over-train your muscles and minimize growth?" There is no such thing as over-training! Just under-training. To optimize your growth you need a greater training frequency. After 48 hours more than likely your muscle you worked out hard is still sore ex. Legs. The growth window is a strict 48 hours, the soreness you are feeling is due to tearing your muscle fibers down. 

 

In  the article above it goes as far as saying to go to a full body workout with optimal rest in between sets. To each and their own in my opinion. Any way you may train or try out just remember one thing: Train each day with ferocity and like a beast!

  Follow our journey on Instagram: @hara.kiri_ @auktane_fit @dr.phantastic

Addressing the little green monster in the room

Gym Intimidation <----- Little green monster. haha

Face it. We have all been there. Excited to finally get into a gym and off of a couch, and motivated so much that we could probably rebuild Noah's Ark. You changed into your new gym apparel that you took hours picking. Making sure that everything matched and fit just right to keep you in tune with your new gym physique. Till this exact moment when you walk in the free weight side of the gym and see an array of machines and bars, plates and mats. You start to try and figure out lifts from a Bodybuilder dot com workout you found and pick up the dumbbells, and you see this guy curling 45lbs. Mind blown, you decide get in the zone and pick up weights 10lbs heavier and do what he is doing, mirroring his routine. Only to struggle and ultimately pull something.

This unfortunately is one of the main reasons why a lot of individuals do not return to the gym. Seeing others in the gym lifting massive amounts of weight, or hammering down a intense cardio routine can intimidate you. Most of the time when a new member starts working out, they perceive everyone is looking at them and "making fun" of them because they are weak. Trust me when i say this; that is not the case!

 Most of the time when someone new is in the gym, (as immature as this sounds, it is true) those lifting like to make eye contact and make sure you are noticing them bench press 400lbs. It is what a lot of guys do. Even women! Granted that there are those in the gym that may be saying to themselves or others, "oh look at this weakling walking in to our gym." Prove them wrong by staying motivated, and humble yourself. Yes most of these guys are douchebags (not really but lets face it, they come off kind of douchy) but they know their stuff.

Lets get down to business

Getting past gym intimidation and sticking it out at ANY gym is mostly a mental game, because 9 times out of 10 after that first couple weeks of consistency there will be a moment of weakness where you will just want to give up. Not entirely but you will start by skipping a day. Then the next and the next etc.... Here are some tips to sticking it out and accomplishing your goals in the gym, and making new friends!

• Come in with a game plan
  Most of the time people walk in expecting to just pick up weights and feel the burn. Although that may be the case, not having a solid routine and a plan causes what i call "Gym A.D.D". This is when you start a lift and a set, and then completely quit in the middle of repetitions and move on to something else. The simplest way to make a quick and easy program is: start off small and simple, and don't overload yourself. Start going Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Monday and Friday can be all upper body lifts, and Wednesday is legs and abs. 3 sets of 8-12 Reps. Do this for a month or two and cardio in between those days if desired.

• Don't be afraid to ask for help There is nothing guys at the gym like more than sharing their vast knowledge of workouts, hypertrophy routines and supplemental nutrition. Basically letting you know that they are the Arnold of their gym. Ask them! Ask them what? ANYTHING! You are unsure how to grow your chest or Deltoids? Then go to that guy with a gorilla chest and ask. In most cases though they guy with a huge chest more than likely has it in his genes. Muscle growth is mainly genetic. Yes you can be strong in any aspect from proper nutrition and workout regiment but if your father and his father and his father's father never had a huge beefy kind kong chest, you most likely won't either. 
• Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was New York
  All the T.V ads and infomercials and magazine ads can tell you that you can get rock hard abs and lose 30 lbs and gain muscle in a week as long as you try their product. Trust me when i say it is all false propaganda. When lifting, it is best to do things the right way. Yes it will take time but consider this: your body is like a blank block of marble and you are sculpting it into a masterpiece. Now, you aren't going to hammer and chip at the marble as fast and quick as you can to make your masterpiece are you? You will take your time. Fine tuning the details until every curve, crevasse and crease is perfect. That is exactly what you are doing when you lift. Making sure your form and stance is proper to get the most out of your workout. Eating the right foods and fueling your body till you see your masterpiece unravel right before your eyes.  

 Be persistent and consistent and i promise you. All your hard work and sweat and nights of pain will pay off. Stay motivated. 

-Adam A. 

a We are super friendly! Email us your fitness questions and we will make a feature answer on our blog and YouTube Channel! AuktaneFollow our journey: @hara.kiri_ @auktane_fit @dr.phantasticFitness@gmail.com

Birth Of Auktane Fit

Let me first start off by saying thank you for taking the time to visit our blog! We are extremely thrilled to launch our brand over the internet through social media.

We are two guys. Two, ordinary men that lift at our local gym and had the idea to start our own fitness brand. Our lifting style is hybrid. Constantly changing, and hitting every aspect for our body: Strength, growth and endurance. Our drive and determination and "never back down" attitude in the gym is what makes us unique. My partner and i push each other to our limits, and then past them. The most amazing thing about it all is where we both began. Fresh out of high school weighing 125lbs. Ordinary small guys, who put in over 6 years of hard work.

Consider this our mission statement:

What we hope to accomplish.
 
Inspire you, and help you. We know how hard it is when you are starting out weight lifting and conditioning. You may have already had times where you walk into the gym and start picking up different weights with no plan, or goal and start doing random sets. That is where we come in! We are here for you! Not us and some hope of internet fame and glory, but to help you succeed. If we can reach out and help a handful of people, then we will be happy. 

We are excited for you all to join us in our journey! 

Adam A. 
  
Follow our journey on instagram: @hara.kiri_ @auktane_fit @Dr.Phantastic