As any of my clients that work with me either Online or In the Gym will tell you, I’m not your typical Trainer/Coach.

When it comes to designing Nutritional Plans, I never count calories.

When it comes to measuring progress, I don’t use callipers or the scale.

And when it comes to training in the gym, I don’t need a fancy watch to tell me how “intense” I am exercising.

Maybe I’m too old school (or maybe I’m just too old) but the day I that allow a Generic Fitness App to tell me how many carbs I’m “allowed” to consume or how many calories I “need” to burn, will be the day that I request assistance for wiping my own ass.

Dieting 101

Look, the concept of “dieting” is fairly straightforward and simple to follow. The problem is though that dieting itself is not easy for most people to do and generally has a fairly negative stigma attached to it. Feelings of restriction and deprivation is what usually scares people away from the concept of dieting. And numerous so-called “Health Experts” know this and therefore try to market their products and/or services off their consumers’ fears by promising “quick & easy” fixes that provide lots of “flexibility” in one’s eating habits. The problem with this approach to dieting though is that it’s not sustainable and more often than not, will cause more adverse side effects rather than long term results.

The reality is that any diet will work for a short period of time. However if the diet plan is not set up correctly from the very beginning, then in my experience, it’s destined to become a failure. I’ve worked with dozens of clients over the years that have reached out to work with me on their diets due to negative side effects that they themselves experienced while following a poorly constructed nutritional plan. Remember, a diet that lacks adequate vitamins, minerals and nutrients can lead to all sorts of health issues that can potentially become irreversiable. Biologically, extreme dieting can lead to unhealthy changes in body composition, hormonal changes, reduced bone density, menstrual disturbances in women, and lower resting energy expenditure.

I’ve never used an Online Fitness App such as MyFitnessPal to track my diet or my clients’s diets, as I prefer to use my brain. The BEST diet plan to follow is a plan that has been designed specifically for YOU! A plan that takes into account YOUR goals, YOUR health history, YOUR genetics, YOUR activity level and YOUR lifestyle. This plan must also ensure that you are receiving all of your essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients. This plan should not only be counting your macronutrients, but more importantly it should be counting your MICRONUTRIENTS!!! And most importantly, this plan must be bullshit-free. This plan should be tailored and customized for you, but at the same time it needs to be realistic and sustainable.

Training in the Gym

In my opinion, the reason as to why most people do not get results from their workouts, is because they either lack consistency in the gym, or are simply not training intensely enough. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people sitting on a piece of exercise equipment for 15-20 minutes, cruising Instagram on their phone while they “rest” in between sets. If you are truly taking your sets to failure, your rest period should be used to recover and focus on your next set. Not take a selfie and contemplate on which filter to use before posting it on your newsfeed.

I see people following workouts that they find online. Perhaps some of the guys have googled “The Rock’s Workout” because they aspire to develop a physique like Dwayne Johnson. And maybe some of the ladies follow J.Lo’s lower body workouts, because they desire to have a body as incredible as hers when they reach 50+ years old. The problem with this theory is that both The Rock and J.Lo work their asses off both inside and outside the gym. And let’s be honest, most people are not nearly as dedicated as these two are when it comes to their workouts and their professions. So yes, theoretically you could follow both of these celebrities exact workout programs. However unless you are willing to give the exact amount of intensity that they give to each and every workout, following their programs are going to be somewhat of no use to you.

My point is that even the absolute best workout program on the planet (or on your fitness app) will not produce results, unless you yourself are willing to go above and beyond and push yourself to new extremes in the gym. This means no texting, no tweeting, no selfie taking, no cruising the gram in between sets. If you run a business or have a demanding job, a one hour workout AWAY from responding to emails will not shut down your business or end your career. Use your time in the gym productiviely by training efficienctly and with the utmost focus and attention. Don’t worry about logging into your fitness app to record your workouts. JUST GO WORKOUT!!!!!

Logging Out

I understand that many people find these fitness apps to be somewhat useful as they can help hold them accountable for their workouts and their diets. And honestly, I have no issue with this whatsoever. My problem with these apps and many others is that I feel they are slowly making people lazier and less independent. I remember when I was younger, part of the training and dieting experiences that I enjoyed was researching, understanding and applying the concepts that I learned towards improving my physique. Becoming more disciplined in the kitchen and more dedicated in the gym did not happen for me overnight. It took years to develop the mindset needed in order to balance a busy business while building and maintaining a healthier body. However the sense of accomplishment that I feel from doing this on my own along with the help from some incredibly knowledgeable coaches over the years, has provided me with the mental strength to remain focused on the ultimate goal and the physical endurance needed in order to help me achieve that goal.

So when it comes to your health and fitness, yes, there is an app for that. But no an app I plan on using anytime soon……

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance