As founder of www.MyTrainer.com, I get around to a number of training facilities and because I learn so much about training, I like to try many different forms. For starters, the cross training and social benefits are awesome, and I have always found that various forms of fitness build on each other.

Well, recently, I met up with an old friend and we starting training together at what was at one time a rival gym to one that I owned here in new Jersey; it’s called Diamond Gym; one of the most authentically hard core training facilities in the country.

The exercise machines, I’m not kidding (and to it’s credit) have not been replaced in some 30 years. It’s hard core. Yes they now have a second floor that has everything from cardio equipment to step aerobics, but the main floor is like muscle beach. Just like my old gym with body building pictures everywhere, including Arnold!

I haven’t been in a gym like this in 15 years, at least, maybe more. I used to be a competitive bodybuilder and when I was done, I was DONE!

But never say never, or forget your roots. These are my roots and this is the kind of place where I first learned how to train. And how wonderful it was to train like I used to.

For now, this feels right, because exercise and training is always about much more than exercise and training; it’s about the social, psychological and personal development that comes with it. Always remember this!

This training is right for all those aspects of my life right now, including the full circle experience that comes with it. It has enlivened, awakened a part of me, that can only come out in a place like this. If you’ve never experienced coming into a gym like this, just for the heck of it, try it, even it your conscious mind says "that’s not for me".

The people are wonderful, no matter how big or intimidating (looking) they may be. They are people, and they respect you no matter what you’re experience or size. They will help you I’m sure.

It will also bring something out in you; something you may have never experienced before. Like say… the animal that you are.

Here are a few video’s of my recent training experience. 
 

  Live, and Train, like a Pro!

 John Allen Mollenhauer is the creator of Fit For Power a Performance Lifestyle Solutions, the better healthier, more successful ways to achieve your goals in life, business and sport. As a former worn down workaholic turned Healthy High Achiever, John Allen (aka “JAM”) will teach you how to Live Like a Pro, optimizing your lifestyle the way athletes do for better results. He is the creator of the Healthy High Achiever - Unleash the Full Potential of Your Lifestyle to Perform, Look and Feel Better!

I was reading a post by my good friend Scott Tousignant, who publishes the sites, Unstoppable Fat Loss and The Fit Bastard.

He is a really knowledgeable guy and when it comes to fat loss, I pay attention to what he has to say. That said, I don’t always agree with everything he has to say.

The title of this post, is a post that he made recently on the Unstoppable fat loss blog.

Go there and read it, here is my response….

Hey Scott,

As you may have suspected, it was inevitable that you were going to prompt a debate from me on this one. I think this lifestyle / fat loss program debate is one of THE most important subjects when it comes to developing an elite body… fat loss and fitness, health and success

Glad you got the conversation started here. As a Fit Bastard reader, I wanted to share my thoughts and in the end, what being "unstoppable" means to me.  

"The Lifestyle approach to "fat loss" is a bunch a crap!"

I agree BIG time, and disagree BIG time with that statement, but I think I know where you are going with it…

The truth we share; if you are going to take charge of an out-of-shape body, you have to take things to the next level. You have to challenge yourself to create a new "set point" and go into a period where you raise the bar on the quality of the food you are eating, your activity and training levels. This promotes personal growth and development, fitness and… fat loss. 

Scott, you are one of the best in the business of helping people with fat loss. 

I am the best in the business when it comes developing a health and success promoting lifestyle… getting your lifestyle working for you, not against you by making the lifestyle shifts that make the difference. 

In a Performance Lifestyle, we refer to "Challenge Periods"; if you want to loss weight and significant amounts of it, YOU WILL during a challenge period, not to mention develop new levels of personally powerful, confidence building fitness. It only happens when you challenge yourself.

To that end, that’s why I promote the Fit Bastard, and other select fat loss and fitness programs. I agree with you; as you said we have to mix it up to "challenge our bodies in new and unique ways."   

But you know, overweight is the most obvious symptom of a poor lifestyle so we have to be careful not to discount or cloud the subject of lifestyle one iota.

A poor "Lifestyle" is the reason why someone has to lose significant amounts of weight to begin with.

It depends on what kind of lifestyle you have.

A "traditional lifestyle" causes the overweight condition. If, for example, you are living a life of moderation in everything (which is a failing proposition), you ARE coping out.

The traditional "moderation in everything" lifestyle is an impotent approach to life… when you are all caught up consuming stuff that’s really consuming you and your energy, like junk food and junk TV and so much "convenience" that you don’t have to move your deconditioned body… you look around and you think it’s normal to be that way; it’s not. Don’t get me started! 

But if you live like athletes do, this a very different deal; not to mention a better quality of life.

YOU, already have a great "athletic" lifestyle so when you challenge yourself, you’re going from great to even better. That you don’t have to strip off mounds of pounds is because you have a "Lifestyle plan"; a lifestyle approach to fitness… I would think that’s why you are successful at challenging yourself!

So let’s clarify… I think your point is, if you think your going to push to new heights living on a never-ending fat loss or fitness program "for life", that idea IS a bunch of crap. Amen brother! 

That is NOT a successful lifestyle.

But to say that a lifestyle plan or lifestyle approach to fat loss is a bunch of crap, is where I take debate; it depends on what kind of lifestyle you’re living.

BTW, the "purpose" of our lifestyle is not to lose weight. When we change our lifestyle, fat loss is usually a benefit because we’re living better, and this symptom lessens. The point of changing our lifestyle is to achieve our goals more successfully, in a healthier way.  

I for one, do the same thing that you do, which is to challenge myself with a new fitness routine or "program" that raises the bar every couple of months; but "for me" those challenge periods are not back to back, they take place when I’m ready to go to the next level.

Like you, I have a lot more going on in my life than fitness and I don’t need to be ready for the beach all year round or the Olympics for that matter.

My lifestyle is optimized, it is athletic, health and fitness promoting so I can sustain success. It also enables me to maximize the results I can achieve in any challenge period.

I think the reason most people are unsuccessful with  fat loss or fitness programs, of any kind, is because they have poor lifestyles underlying their attempt.  Suffering from overwhelm and exhaustion, for some fatigue, will STOP you in your tracks despite your good intentions and desire to succeed.

No lifestyle plan, means you are STOPPABLE! 

Living non stop on weight loss or fitness program’s and without a successful lifestyle to fall back on, is very challenging.

I know you are not saying don’t have a healthy or successful lifestyle, but I have to debate the "Lifestyle approach" "Lifestyle Plan" semantics in your article, because a lifestyle fitness plan is required if you are going to be successful with fat loss and fitness.

When we don’t have a lifestyle plan or strategy, we ARE relegated to weight loss programs for the rest of our life, which I know is not something you do or advise anyone else does; but that IS what most people are doing.

Our lifestyles, over time, enable us to live at or near our ideal weight… all the time, but the "challenge period" is required to take things to the next level, and we need this from time to time. If getting closer to elite fitness, and a beach body is your objective, bottom line, you have to challenge yourself.

I think that is what you are saying.  Is that right?

I’m saying that if you don’t have a lifestyle reinforcing your health (energy and fitness) and your success, you will hop from program to program and this is a chaise-your-tail way to live and not a true lifestyle, maybe not even an enjoyable one for many. Depending on your lifestyle it can be down right crappy.

What I know to be true about you is different. Let’s clarify.

I for one, even though I live a Performance Lifestyle, don’t want to be challenged non stop. I sometimes need extended periods of the status quo, but because my lifestyle is naturally athletic and based on sound fundamentals, the status quo doesn’t promote significant weight gain.

Sure I’ll gain a few, when I’m not challenging myself, but that’s normal. Weight fluctuates, especially if you factor in time periods of great stress. Stress of the wrong kind, has that affect. I am going through one of those periods right now and I’ve gained some weight, even though I live incredibly well.  

The funny thing is, we are saying something similar. Maybe even the same thing, and this my friend opens up the debate… it’s not one or the other, I think it’s both!

We need a lifestyle plan and fitness / fat loss programs to take things to the next level, that’s what being truly "unstoppable" means to me. 

I would love to debate this publicly Scott, as I think everyone would benefit from the lifestyle plan / fat loss - fitness program debate, if you are up for it and think it would benefit others as much as I do. By the sound of your article and interview, it sounds like you are. 

PS, I could lose a few pounds, so as soon as I’m ready, I think I’m going to challenge myself.

PPS, I’m going to put myself through 8 weeks of your  Fit Bastard workouts. Yeah.

John Allen Mollenhauer is the Founder of MyTrainer.com where fitness video’s are free for everybody! He is also the founder Performance Lifestyle Solutions, the better healthier ways to achieve your goals in life, business and sport. As a former worn down workaholic turned healthy high achiever John Allen (aka “JAM”) will teach you how to Live Like a Pro, optimizing your lifestyle the way athletes do. He is the creator of the Healthy High Achiever - Unleash the Full Potential of Your Lifestyle to Perform, Look and Feel Better!

Eddie Enriquez is a Performance Lifestyle pro, athletic trainer and my partner at www.MyTrainer.com. He is a great guy through and through and I couldn’t be happier to introduce you to him.

He’s the founder of the Centers for Athletic Performance and he’ll be contributing many article posts to Fit for Power.com. Actually he will also be co authoring Fit for Power, the exercise plan for fitness, fat loss and quality of life, with me.

If there is one philosophy that we have always shared when it comes to fitness, is a calmness about training and exercise. I say this in light of the fact that we both love to train and we train hard, when we do, but we have always trained when we’re ready and don’t make more out of it than it needs to be. Like me, Eddie, knows the significance of all other aspects of lifestyle and their role in the results we experience. This is why we say exercise plans for fat loss, fitness and "quality of life".

Eddie knows a great deal about structuring great workouts for fitness and fat loss, (when you understand athletic performance, you know a lot) without over structuring your schedule. If there is one thing that will put your plan on hold is over training or over structuring your exercise plans.

So stay tuned to some amazing guidance from Eddie and many other trainers that we will both refer to for demonstration on www.MyTrainer.com.

John Allen Mollenhauer is the Founder of MyTrainer.com where fitness video’s are free for everybody! He is also the founder Performance Lifestyle Solutions, the better healthier ways to achieve your goals in life, business and sport. As a former worn down workaholic turned healthy high achiever John Allen (aka “JAM”) will teach you how to Live Like a Pro, optimizing your lifestyle the way athletes do. He is the creator of the Healthy High Achiever - Unleash the Full Potential of Your Lifestyle to Perform, Look and Feel Better!

Jon Hinds is one of, if not THE best trainers in the fitness industry today and the fitness mentor to John Allen Mollenhauer “JAM”, creator of Fit for Power, a Performance Lifestyle solution.

Jon Hinds is one of the owners of Lifeline USA and the founder of the Monkey Bar Gym, one of the coolest fitness facilities anywhere.

Check out this video, he is using some great portable fitness equipment that will challenge you while using your body (the ultimate gym), and its own weight for training resistance.

Jon makes everything look easy he is a master of the physical body and can teach you what few can. But don’t be intimated, he’s just down to earth good guy. We each have mastery in something, and this is his gig.

If you ever get a chance to go to the Monkey Bar Gym in Wisconsin, it’s a mecca worth making! 

Much more on Jon Hinds to come…

John Allen Mollenhauer is the Founder of MyTrainer.com where fitness video’s are free for everybody! He is also the founder Performance Lifestyle Solutions, the better healthier ways to achieve your goals in life, business and sport. As a former worn down workaholic turned healthy high achiever John Allen (aka “JAM”) will teach you how to Live Like a Pro, optimizing your lifestyle the way athletes do. He is the creator of the Healthy High Achiever - Unleash the Full Potential of Your Lifestyle to Perform, Look and Feel Better!