zac-perna

How to Train Better (Hint: Don't do what this guy did)

Wed, 10 May 2023 18:45:19 GMT

This week in the gym I saw something that scarred me for life. It made me question if I even belong in the gym or if I should just pack it up and quit. What did I see? Allow me to paint the picture:

I unrack the dumbbells and waddle backwards to my bench- hoping I don’t miss the bench entirely on the sit down and send 35kg dumbbells caving in to the centre of my chest. The first six reps of shoulder press was done in a few big exhalations and minor grunts but over the sound of my headphones is an even louder grunt -no- a SCREAM. Someone is screaming. Someone is getting stabbed. I look over to see if i can identify the stabbing because after all I am a witness and I see this kid, 14 years old, training with his friend who was a grown man. The kid was screaming. It turns out he is around 19 but just looks young. In any case he isn’t getting stabbed at all. He’s just in the middle of a set of chest press. Screaming with every push, screaming at his training partner to HELP then LEAVE IT then YEP then MORE, then 5 MORE then PARTIALS then NOPE. His body convulsed under the press performing what he considered reps and then calmly left the machine and picked up his log book and eloquently wrote something down with the proud smirk of a teenage girl and her diary. I am not exactly sure what he wrote down in his diary but It can’t be about the train wreck of a set that he just performed. It must’ve read something along the lines of “Today I locked eyes with her in the gym. She looked at me! I think I love her…And then I f***ed up the chest press beyond belief. RIP rotator cuffs LOL. Speak soon xoxo”. There’s no way he wrote down the reps as a means of progressive overload. There can’t be. There is no way to track the shit show that unfolded before my eyes. And that’s where I found the problem:

Progressive overload has to be standardised. The problem with meticulously overloading is it allows too much room for error (increasing risk of injury) AND encourages the mindset of changing the exercise to allow for more reps or weight over time. How many people start with a good rep and then finish with a completely different movement in order to get that last rep in? (Like old mate and his seizure). However, those that train well professionally make sure their first reps look like their last. That way, the standardisation allows for an ACTUAL way to track your progression.

Your muscles don’t know how much weight you lift, they only know how much FORCE they produce. (Read more about mechanical tension here) . So if you have 100kg on the bar and move it so horribly that your chest contributes ‘x’ units of force, and the next guy has 70kg on the bar performed well enough that his chest contributes ‘x+50’ units of force, then clearly the second person is going to make more chest gains even though the first one used more weight. Hence the truth behind more is not always better. More weight isn’t better if it causes one to change the movement, recruit unwanted muscles, recruit momentum and take advantage of gravity and basic physics.

This is why I train with the least amount of weight to yield the highest result. I manipulate elements of form to achieve this and it feels great on my joints, feels great on my muscles and it means I don’t have to tax my entire nervous system just to train to failure. And at a worst case, if I don’t make the extra 2% of gains than someone ruining their body and joints, at least I’ll be able to train for life and minimise my risk of injury.

Just thought I’d try and put into words what was puzzling me so much. If you agree, share this on your IG story and tag me so I can see that I’m validated .

In any case, here is this week on Wednesday:

What I’ve seen: That kid on the chest machine (unfortunately)

What I’ve been practicing: Batch working. This week I’ve been condensing as many things as possible into batches and it has fast tracked the hell out of productivity. Eg) I’ll film a week’s worth of content in one day, meal prep more of my meats in advance and write in advance. Very handy for things that have higher set up costs.

What I’ve been reading: I actually went back to the vault and took out Tony Robbins unlimited power . Some things are quite dated but you learn a lot from how he navigates the world. Very interesting!

What I’ve been watching: I have a habit of starting new shows and then moving on to the next one but one that always has my heart is Succession . The new season is out and it is just a sick show. If you haven’t seen it, this is your sign to start season 1 (but do so without a phone or any distractions because it can be hard to understand - like a modern day GOT).

Have a great week guys, train hard, train well and thankyou for wanting to hear from

Why I Meal Prep & How I Do It

Wed, 10 May 2023 18:39:34 GMT

Lately, I’ve been cooking a lot of my own food and eating the same thing over and over again. When I’m achieving results, i personally love this lack of thought. But a lot of people would cringe at the idea. As when it comes to dieting, there are a few kinds of people: Macro Trackers, Meal Planners and intuitive eaters. All have their own merits and all resemble zealous religions with how people follow and defend them. I’ve pretty much done everything minus the sacrificial rituals you’d expect to accompany each of them.

I’ve tracked macros in the past and noticed how annoying it was to be constantly having to think about food, what I’m going to eat, getting the scales out and micromanaging the components of a meal. I’ve also done the most boring meal plan on earth and I’ve intuitively under and over eaten. I believe the best result works somewhere in the middle but leaning more towards a structured meal plan approach.

In my personal experience, an enjoyable meal plan works best for me and is almost like a hack in and of itself. Before any dieting phase i will do a few things:

Write down my meal plan in accordance with my macros. (If you’d like me to do this for you then hit the link below)
Ensure my meals are enjoyable and satiating
Cook my food in batches. I’ll cook 2-3 days of protein at one time (all of my meats) and 2-3 days worth of carbs (rice/potatoes) and then cook my vegetables as fresh as possible.

Preparing meals like this will ensure freshness and also consistency. I won’t substitute foods or cheat on my diet if the food is already cooked (and tasty). Most people struggle with dieting because they make it harder than it needs to be. They make the same decision multiple times per day on “what should I eat?” And over time this compounds into hundreds of micro decisions that constantly weigh you down mentally. To me, when i purely track macros it feels like I think about food one thousand times per day. Whereas when I have my set meal plan it’s simply done!

Don’t force yourself to think more than necessary. Set your plan, prepare as much as you can and then forget about it and let the results kick in.

What I’ve been reading: Tony Robbins- Awaken The Giant Within. Although somewhat dated, this is still a great read. If you’re struggling with things you’re putting off or requiring action to get that one thing going that scares you then this would be a good one to try.

What I’ve Heard: “You don't become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are. Outwork your self doubt.” - Alex Hormozi said this and it’s been doing the rounds as a sound bite on short videos. A very simple approach to gaining confidence in any area as confidence is linked to competence! *i type this as I yell to my reflection that my calves are worthy of love*

What I’ve been eating: Decided to be a maniac and smear some Meredith’s goats cheese on my steak. Absolute game changer.

The Secrets and Strategies of Cold Water Exposure

Wed, 10 May 2023 18:36:40 GMT

I couldn’t think of a worse time to write about the benefits of ice baths. Ten years ago you might find a few elites like Tony Robbins and super humans like Wim Hof swearing by cold plunges. But today, every weirdo and his dog harps on about cold water exposure, alongside their (supposedly deliberate) manic breathing episodes. Sadly, I guess I am one of those weirdos now even though I’d love to distance myself as much as possible from those kind of people. You know the kind, the ones that perceive their own farts as bad energy expelling from the body and let out a smile and a deep inhalation as the air escapes through their pursed gluteal eye and enters their nostrils.

Long story short: I tend to avoid weird, hippy juju beliefs and instead am attracted to activities with immediate benefits. I discovered cold showers two years ago and immediately noticed the benefits. And yes, I was the first person to turn the tap to the unknown and wait for the ‘not hot’ water to land on my skin. One of my greatest discoveries to date alongside hot food and warm baths. I graduated from cold showers to ice baths and the benefits doubled.

In a nutshell, cold water exposure can have a huge array of benefits but my favourites are:

Mental resilience after finishing something you didn’t think you could do (or wanted to do). Being left with a feeling of success and a small win to carry through your day to trigger a further cascade of even more wins.
Immediate surge in dopamine and adrenaline. This is probably my favourite benefit and takes me out of the aforementioned class of weirdos and puts me in the same bucket as junkies. After an ice bath i feel like I’ve just shot down three espressos and thrown away the glass.
Any Physiological benefits that go unnoticed but are supposedly doing their thing (improved ability to manage adrenaline and stress hormones, circulation and skin health).

You don’t have to jump straight into an ice bath for these benefits, you can start in the uncomfort of your own shower . If you’re new to this, start with 30 seconds of cold showers. Big deep breaths help and just savage the f*** up and push through it. Continue adding 10 seconds every few days until you reach two minutes. Your body will quickly adapt and you’ll learn to better handle the cold.

If you do have access to an ice bath, start with 30 seconds. The first 30 seconds are going to be the hardest so this is as bad as it gets fortunately. Once you get in your breathing will want to go into shock. You’ll immediately start taking shallow breaths while your brain tells you something is wrong and you are going to die unless you get out. Wrong. Take deep breaths “fully in” and slowly. Calm your mind and override the defensive part of your brain telling you things are horrible. Tell yourself it’s just a sensation on your skin and nothing to worry about. Continue calming the mind through deep, slow breaths. Lean into the sensations on your skin. Take notice as to what it actually feels like such as tingles, numbness or a slight ache instead of “my foot is about to snap off”.

My brother Joel and I have been doing daily ice baths for over a year now and live for them. This week we managed to throw our parents in there (figuratively) and guide them through. Our dad survived one minute thirty before getting out and shivering. Mum survived 20 seconds before screaming in agony and launching out of the tub. To her credit, she redeemed herself a day later with another time of one minute thirty.

It’s amazing how quickly you can see the benefits and I think an important way to start your day pushing through discomfort. We live in a very comfortable world that conditions and rewards mental laziness. So much can happen in your life if you change your relationship with things that make you uncomfortable.

So jump in, start small, increase slowly and get fully in.

What I’ve been eating: This week, I picked up some beautiful grass fed porterhouse steaks. Typically, porterhouse cuts are rough and chewy and I’ll go for eye fillets or scotch fillets BUT when you can see the small veins of fat (marbling) through your steak then it’s probably gonna be a good one. Salt before you cook, allow it to come to room temperature then grill to your liking.

What I’ve been reading: Lying by Sam Harris. VERY interesting read on the merits of never telling a lie. Santa Claus, white lies and full blown lies are all deemed wrong in this book and his justifications for the belief is actually super sound. It might give you some additional options to the question of “do i look fat in this?”

What I’ve been watching: Rabbit Hole (the show, not the literal holes). Kiefer Sutherland, despite looking like someone’s Aunty, is a spy of sorts and has himself caught in a web of sh*t that’s actually a great watch. High drama and action with the classic plot twists and cliff hangers.

What makes someone stick to their diet?

Wed, 10 May 2023 18:34:33 GMT

I walked right by the croissants, pastries and muffins at the Sydney airport yesterday in my fasted state and watched in envy as some people were biting into the freshly baked, crispy pastries in front of my eyes. I was hungry. In my hunger, a part of me wished I was them but another part of me instructed my legs to continued onwards and carry on with my fasted state. I then thought to myself: What was it that just made me walk right by? Like in that nanosecond of brain activity, what was that?

What separates me (proper hero I know) from someone who would've then 'caved' on their diet and face f***ed a croissant? Obviously fitness is a part of my life/job, so health should be important but I still wonder what is missing for the people that do care about health but struggle with simply staying on track?

I thought about it a lot on the flight home, on the drive home and then in my sleep that night and this morning I came to my final conclusion. The reason I quite easily walk straight past 99% of every tempting, metaphorical croissant of the world is because I have practiced and engrained a few key mental skills into my identity: Delayed gratification, discipline, flexibility and reward systems.

Delayed Gratification is practiced every time I reap rewards in the future for today's work. I practice it in the gym, in the kitchen, during working hours and most importantly- I acknowledge it's importance. I consistently remind myself that this is an important skill to develop. I make it a part of my identity so that I am the type of person that has patience to work now and see results at a future point. (See Jordan Peterson on Delayed Gratification)

Discipline is practiced through a deliberate exposure to pain in every rep in the gym and every time I silence the inner voice telling me to take the easy path. I have also made my ability to suffer some level of pain a part of who I am. I'm not telling you to electrocute my nipples and whip my back here, I just mean that I have seen the benefits that can come from not giving in to paining reaping the rewards of resilience.

Flexibility is needed to avoid the repercussions of an all or nothing approach. Knowing that I might eat a croissant if I want tomorrow gives me a weird kind of strength to say no to one today. Maybe one day when LUNE freshly bakes an almond croissant I'll decide that it's absolutely worth it and enjoy something not so healthy.

Finally, Reward Systems help me cement these mental skills in my own head. Without any reward system, animals (and people) cannot learn sh*t. So every time I practice one of these skills, I consciously pat myself on the back. I remind myself that I have just strengthened that skillset the slightest bit more. As if I've done one more good rep. Thinking like this reminds me of which key attribute are important in my personality.

An interesting thought! In any case, here is this week on Wednesday:

What I’ve heard: "A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought — they must be earned.” - Naval Ravikant. Sh*t I love this man. Have a scroll of his tweets and you'll be down a rabbit hole of insights.

What I’ve been practicing: Positive vocabulary. This is hilarious but genuinely works. Tony Robbins said that the words with which one uses will affect their mood and intensify emotions. For example, if I say (even to myself) that I'm enraged or furious, I'll get even angrier, whereas if I say that I'm a little annoyed, my mind will believe that I can recover much faster from an annoyance than catastrophic event.

What I’ve been reading: The Happiest Man on Earth- Eddie Jaku. I don't usually enjoy sad reads but this is as hopeful as it is sad. Eddie was a holocaust survivor and talks about his experience having given him a reason to be the happiest man on Earth and smile every day. Crazy and compelling story I think everyone should read, even for just pure perspective.

What I’ve been eating: Protein Pancakes. Add 1 egg, 4 egg whites, 1 scoop of vanilla EHP Oxywhey and blend. Butter up a pan and pour the mix in, add a few frozen berries and once the bottom has cooked, place it under a grill to cook the top. Add some yoghurt and sugar free syrup and you're on your way to low calorie gains!

Have a great week guys, train hard, train well and thankyou for wanting to hear from me