Best Workout Songs

It is very rare to walk through a gym today and either not hear music or not see headphones in everyones ears. The reason for this is that we all have a way of connecting with music. For me, music is essential to my workout. If you were to ask any of my friends, you would find out that I am one of the guys who is always singing at the gym. I just can't help myself! In this post I want to talk about music and how it can help you reach your goals in both the gym and life. I am also going to list some of my favorite go-to songs for my own personal workouts.

Lose Yourself 

Eminem says that "you better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go" and he is right. Certain songs have the ability to bring out emotions and feelings that we have inside of us. We all know there are songs that make us happy and songs that make us sad. There are songs that take us back to a special place in time and songs that make us thing about our future. Then, there are songs that motivate us and give us the vision of our dreams coming true. These are the songs that can help you find success in the gym and have helped me find success both in the gym and in life.

What Songs?

The first thing that is absolutely necessary to do is to know clearly what your goals are. You should always be thinking about them. Write them down and change them if need be, but always have your goals in mind. The second thing that I am asking you to do is to allow yourself to let all of your emotions come to the surface. If you truly want music to be a catalyst to reach your goals, you have to be comfortable with all your emotions. Once you do these two things, it will be clear to you what songs are perfect for your workouts and achieving your goals!

My Favorites

Instead of a weekly motivational video, this week I am including ten of my favorite workout songs. Clicking on each song will allow you to give it a listen!

1. The Fighter by Gym Class Heroes
2. Hall of Fame by The Script
3. World's Greatest by R. Kelly
4. Since U Been Gone by A Day to Remember
5. Remember the Name by Fort Minor
6. Who Says by Selena Gomez
7. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
8. Till I Collapse by Eminem
9. It's My Life by Bon Jovi
10. Dare You to Move by Switchfoot

Motivational Quotes

My post today is going to focus highly on motivation and one of the main sources of motivation for myself which is quotes. As my family and friends could tell you, I am always saying, reading, or tweeting motivational quotes. For me, I look to quotes for a constant message of motivation. No matter what you are trying to accomplish in life, there is one constant across the board that you will always need to achieve success - motivation. Today, I am going to list ten of my favorite quotes that motivate me to not only go to the gym, but also to be successful in all aspects of life. What I am asking all of you to do is to open yourself up and really let these quotes speak to you. I want to challenge everyone to become a little more vulnerable today, in order to be a little more successful tomorrow.

Ten Quotes for Success

1. “Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal — a commitment to excellence — that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”–Mario Andretti

2. “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”–Winston Churchill

3. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”–Arnold Schwarzenegger

4. “He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.”–Chinese Proverb

5. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” – Coach Carter

6. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”–Ralph Waldo Emerson

7. 

    "When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability...Too be alive is to be vulnerable." - Madeleine L'Engle

8. "People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing.  That’s why we recommend it daily." –Zig Ziglar 
9. "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." - David Brinkley
10. "Both desire and imagination are stored in the mind of the individual and when stretched, both have the potential to position a person for greatness." - Eric Thomas 

Motivational Video

This week's motivational video talk about the importance of letting yourself fall in love - the importance of becoming vulnerable. Click here to watch!

 

Pre and Post Workout Tips

Whenever you first start working out at the gym, it is important to know the proper ways to prepare for and recover from your workouts. If you do not take these things seriously, it can lead to certain injuries or soreness, which will set you back in your goals. I am going to discuss specific things you should do both pre and post workout that will help prevent injuries and help you get the most out of your workouts.

Stretching

Stretching is essential for warming up before any type of exercising. This will help keep you flexible as you age and help in all essential bodily functions. I have found that it is important to focus on your body and find the parts of your body that might need more stretching than others. For example, my back always needs more stretching than any other part of my body. This is the case for a lot of working professionals who sit at a desk for most of their day. Because of this I like to use a foam roller and do yoga more. These are two great things to use for stretching your back. Here are some other simple stretches you can do before and after working out.
 

What to Eat

What you eat before and after a workout will help determine the efficiency of your workout.

Pre-Workout

A lot of people skip eating before they workout to save on calories, but by doing so they are losing the energy they need to have the best workout possible. Certain snacks are great to eat an hour before going to the gym to give you this energy. The best thing for your body is some carbohydrates before a workout. I like to eat either a banana or whole wheat bread before I workout. Other smart options would be oats or fruit smoothies. Be sure to avoid fatty foods that could cause you to cramp up.

Post-Workout

After a workout is important to fuel yourself on both carbohydrates and protein. For me personally, I drink a protein shake and have two pieces of grilled chicken after a workout. This covers my protein, and then I will usually have some whole wheat pasta for carbohydrates. By having both protein and carbohydrates, my muscles recover and grow faster. It is important to make sure you eat about 30 minutes to 2 hours after a workout. This is the time where your muscles need the fuel.

Hydrate

Finally, we lose a lot of water when we work out. I can not stress enough the importance of staying hydrated both before, during, and after a workout. Even if you do not think you are thirsty, you should still be drinking water.

Motivational Video

The motivational video for this week talks about chasing your dreams no matter what they may be. Click here to watch and JUST TAKE THE FIRST STEP!

Failing to Prepare = Preparing to Fail

Now that I have written a post about my journey in the gym, I want to talk about what the biggest excuse for not working out is. There is not enough time in the day for me to work out. I am sure you have all said this once in your life, but guess what, you're wrong. You can always make time for the gym and being healthy. From my experiences there are two things that are necessary to overcome this obstacle - finding your why, and planning out your days.

Find Your Why

First I want to talk about finding your "why". What I mean is that you have to know in your heart why you are going on this journey to change your health. For many people it is personal. It could also be to live longer for your family, or to be able to provide your family. It could be a way of finding success in your career or maybe your want to feel good about the way you look. No matter what it is, if you do not know your "why" you will not be successful. So what I urge you to do is to figure out what it is that drives you to be better, what that thing is that you have in your heart. Keep that "why" close to your heart so whenever you feel like giving up or taking a day off, that "why" will drive you to keep going and stay motivated. 

Plan, Plan, Plan

Now, in order to avoid the excuse of "not having enough time to workout" you have to learn how to plan. One of my favorite quotes is by hall of fame basketball coach John Wooden and it reads, "failing to prepare is preparing to fail." He is right. You have to prepare your schedule for every day. If you know you have work from 9-5 and then have to be home after to take care of the kids, wake up an hour early and go for a run. If you plan your time beforehand, you can make this work. 

Sundays are Important

A tip I would like to suggest is to take advantage of Sundays. Every Sunday I set out my schedule for the week. I write out what workout I will do each day and what goals I have for myself for each workout. I have to schedule around classes and when I was on co-op sometimes I had to wake up at 5:30 to workout. Normally this would be hard, but because I planned for it, it was a lot easier for me to wake up. Another major aspect of planning that is important is planning your meals. If you know you are not going to have enough time to make a healthy dinner, cook on Sundays and then reheat your healthy meals during the week. Planning is a necessity when it comes to success and all it takes is a little time management and commitment to become a successful planner. 

Motivation for Week

Last week, I ended my post with a motivational video that I enjoy listening to. I am going to make this a regular part of my posts. The video I will share with you today is about sacrifice and what great things it can lead to. Please leave comments if anyone has any questions about planning or about beginning your journey in the gym.

My Journey in the Gym

In this blog "Gym Leads to Dreams" I will be sharing my own personal journey in the gym. I will also be offering insights and tips on how I stay motivated, how to develop training programs, how to plan your meals, and how to perform exercises correctly. For this first post however, I want to take you briefly through my journey and how the gym has not only helped me develop physically, but also in my personal life and professional career.

College Begins

My life changed when I came to Drexel as a freshman in the Fall of 2012. I was a 135 pound, 5'8" skinny kid who didn't know the first thing about the gym. I was also beginning classes pursuing a degree in Sport Management. With my dreams of working as an executive in the NFL in my head, I was told by multiple professors and guest speakers throughout my first term that it was almost impossible to have a successful career in the professional sport industry without being a former player or without having close connections. I knew I failed on both of these criterion, so essentially I was being told I would never achieve my dreams. This is where I turned to the gym so I could prove to myself that I can grow and better myself each day. I needed an outlet where I could prove to myself I could accomplish something big. My goal was that if I could achieve a change physically, I would be able to do so professionally and personally as well.

No Limits

I want to offer my first piece of advise here - never put up limitations for yourself. No matter what you are trying to accomplish, you will never reach it if you put up limitations for what you can accomplish. Throughout your whole life, others will put up limits for you by saying you cannot do something. What you have to do is prove that those "limits" are meant to be broken. 

I have to credit my good friend, Mark Panusky, for taking me under his wing and showing me around the gym when I first began. As a beginner, it could've been easy for me to be intimidated at the gym. I was struggling to bench the barbell (45 pounds), while Mark was benching 275 pounds. However he told me that it doesn't matter what other people are doing, rather it is about taking each day and being a little bit better than you were the day before. 

                                                            Today

I sit here today now weighing 175 pounds and benching over 200 pounds. While there is still room to grow (Mark is up to benching 365 pounds!) and still goals I have to reach in the gym, I have a found a way to prove to myself that I can better myself and accomplish my dreams. During the 2 and a half years I have been at Drexel, I've grown professionally by landing internships with the Philadelphia Flyers, Sixers, and most recently the Philadelphia Eagles. This is only the first step in my career, but I developed a starting point for myself because of the belief  instilled in me from the gym. Whether it be getting through a break-up or meeting friends from around the world while studying abroad, I've also developed a confidence both personally and socially which is rooted back to my achievements in the gym. 

A Little Motivation for You

The beautiful thing about life and humanity is that every single person has the ability to better themselves. For me, I found that in the gym and I am here to help you do the same. All I ask is that you have an open mind and try it for a couple weeks. You might be getting out of a relationship and have a lot on your mind, or you may be struggling to find a job in your industry, or you may be dealing with the loss of a loved one. No matter what the situation or what is causing the stress in your life, the gym can help you realize all the amazing things you can accomplish and just how beautiful your life truly is. I leave you here with a video that I go to for motivation for my life.