Results

It’s All Inside - Success at Overload

Beginning a new exercise program is exciting. There’s the thrill of making a commitment to improve one’s health and appearance, the anticipation of compliments from friends and family, and for most people, the hope that this plan, this program, will be the one that sticks.

Training at Overload is no exception. Most, if not all, clients, start their training with the highest of expectations, combined with heavy doubts that any “real” results can be accomplished in just two sweat-free twenty minute sessions per week...it just seems too good to be true. This is a logical misperception, often based on years of failed attempts at other fitness programs.

Here’s the truth: The Overload protocol DOES work.

To get the most benefit from each workout, it is crucial to understand why and how Overload works, and how you, the client, are the most important factor in the success of your custom-designed program.

The only way to gain strength and build muscle is by working your muscles so hard that momentary fatigue results. At Overload, carefully chosen machines are used to help you safely reach that stimulating fatigue in three minutes or less. These short bouts of high-intensity training are far more effective than hours of low-intensity exercise, and also fit much better into everyone’s busy schedules.

It can be hard to change the ways of the past. Moving slowly, breathing rapidly, and exercising total control of your body’s movements are not actions most people are accustomed to. However, it is crucial to perform the exercises in this manner in order to achieve the optimum results.

When done properly, Overload is brutally hard work.

However, there is more than just physical effort required to succeed in high-intensity strength training. To properly focus on your muscles, you need to clear your thoughts of everything but the exercise. This unloading of the mind has been compared to many things by Overload clients, but the best description is a meditative state, similar to a Zen-like trance.

Overload facilities provide a clinical environment, with comfortable temperatures, and no distractions beyond the encouragement and guidance of your personal trainer. The rest is up to you.

Some tips to help you focus:

• First of all, relax. The only things that matter right now are your muscles. This workout is your only immediate task. Forget about work, family, and errands. This is your time.

• Find a focal point as you get seated in each machine, straight ahead. Focus your eyes on that spot while you work your muscles, and don’t look around the room. Don’t worry about how you may look as you work out. Just think about that focal point.

• Breathe! It is crucial not to hold your breath while you’re exercising at Overload- it distracts your mind, deprives your body of much-needed oxygen, and can result in dizziness and headaches which will end your session.

• Remind yourself that you can do this. Refuse to give up until your muscles offer no other choice. Keep your muscles working, and avoid lunging, heaving, or speeding up your movements. Stay calm.

• When you start to feel “the Overload burn,” that means your muscles are properly stimulated, and you’ve just reached the effective part of the exercise. To get the most out of this time, welcome the discomfort instead of trying to avoid it. Keep going.*

• Just when you think you’ve done all you can, close your eyes and continue the exercise. Think of nothing but your muscles, try only to finish the next movement. If you don’t make it, that’s okay: momentary failure is the goal of Overload. It’s just important that you actually reach fatigue, instead of giving up when it gets difficult!

Successful use of these meditative techniques will help you achieve the greatest results from each workout, and give you a much needed break from the rigors of your day. It will obviously take some effort to make this trance-like state a natural part of the way you exercise, but you’ll see the difference. Not only will your sessions be more productive, you’ll leave the Overload facility with a general sense of well-being, and the satisfaction of a job well done.

If you have any questions regarding the importance of focus, breathing, and relaxation in exercise, please don’t hesitate to consult your Overload trainer.

*It is important that each client be able to distinguish the physical effects of muscle stimulation from injury. This can most generally be determined by the sensations you are feeling.• Injury: sharp, stabbing pain• Muscle stimulation: dull, burning discomfort