So when I say I have done the World’s hardest workout, I feel like it has to be up there. Of course I’m open to more suggestions and challenges but in terms of something done under 1 hour, well, I guess you’ll have to try it yourself and find out.

THE MENTAL BATTLE

The reason why this workout is so tough is not only the physical component but the mental fight you have with yourself. There are no designated rest breaks- get to the finish in the best time possible. You decide your rest breaks (if you need them) and this becomes a battle in itself. The guilt of resting, not resting too long, not resting long enough.

THE PHYSICAL BATTLE

Now the physcial side of things. I used the exercises I did fo this workout because it covers everything. Its a complete full body, strength, power, agility, speed and cardio based workout. Using my calisthenics expertise with the mix of my new found love for mixing in kettlebells this workout is NEXT LEVEL!

This workout format is not new, I’m not trying to claim that. But the exercises I added to it put my spin on things.

It goes like the song- 12 days of Christmas. if you don’t know the words and how it plays out- google that. Basically, we have 12 exercises, the number (day)next to each exercises represents the reps for that given exercise.

In my Bodyweight Built version of this workout my exercises are;

1- RUN

2- MUSCLE UPS

3-ROWS EACH SIDE

4- CLEAN+ PRESS EACH SIDE

5- REVERSE BURPEES

6- BALL SLAMS

7- BURPEES

8- THRUSTERS

9-PUSH UPS

10-CHIN UPS

11- KICK SITS EACH SIDE

12- SHOULDER TAPS EACH SIDE

You can watch the video here:

So, I want you to watch the video on my YouTube channel and let me know your time! It was hard, HOT and HUMID when i did this, you’ll see my time in the video. Yes, it also depends on how far you make the run component of things too. Have fun with it and let me know your time in the comment section of this video!

Matt

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It’s something about this time of year where there is a positive buzz around. New Year resolutions are in full swing and that’s awesome. You can’t complain when there is a positive vibe!

However,

I don’t believe that solely setting goals at the beginning of the year or New Year resolutions are the only way to go. Sure it’s a great way to get the year started but goals and objectives need to be revisited regularly and updated as you progress.

I recently did an Instagram post where I listed 5 of my new year resolutions. You can check out the post by CLICKING HERE. I wanted to elaborate a bit more on those in detail and how you can set goals and achieve them in 2018.

Firstly, opening up and revealing your goals publically is daunting, but it will go a long way to helping you achieve them. I’m not saying you have to plaster it on social media or write a blog about it (Yes, that’s me. I realise this) but even telling one person other than yourself will make an impact. Why? Because you instantly have more pressure to succeed if someone else knows about it. They will keep you accountable, no one really enjoys failing so its gonna suck if your best friend asks you about your goal and you haven’t even attempted it (Instant fail). This is the reason I did that post on Instagram and the reason I am writing it here, is it daunting? Sure, very!

So, some of my goals for are:

1. Be more patient. This stands for everything, with people I don’t know, with traffic, with work and with wanting things to happen all at once. That’s just not reality. Mostly because you can’t control what other people think or do. Making it pretty useless to get upset about things you cannot control. Patience- good things take time. Rome wasn’t built in a day!
2. Spending more time with my family. With Harley 14 months old and really developing so quickly I have made it one of my goals to be around him and my wife, Wilda more. It’s quite hard raising a child without family alone and Wilda has done the hardest job in the world for the past 14 months with her immediate family being on the other side of the world. It’s my goal to be there with them more and offer more support for us all.
3. Continue to expand www.bodyweightbuilt.com, the business I started with Wilda off the back of life-changing results in our fitness, body, health and lifestyle. Bodyweight Built training doesn’t need access to a gym or any equipment (at the very most, a pull-up bar). I want to continue to spread the philosophy of using your own body weight to achieve your maximum potential in overall physical appearance as well as wellbeing and of course lifestyle. Freedom to exercise wherever you are, no longer relying on a gym. There is a giant feeling of relief that comes with that, if you haven’t experienced it, I highly recommend doing so.
4. Spend more time in Europe and specifically Sweden. Over the summer months are preferable 😉 This ties in with goal number 2. Wilda is Swedish and her family and close friends all live there, it would be great for Harley to continue to grasp another language and culture too!
5. Do things that make me feel uncomfortable weekly. What I mean by this is to get myself out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to grow. Growth comes from a challenge. I’m very shy in a many ways and one of the big things I really want to improve on within this goal is to create weekly YouTube content and become more confident in speaking in front of a camera and crowds. To narrow down on this goal and the ‘weekly” side of things. I will post a new YouTube video on my channel every Wednesday. Check out my channel and video by CLICKING HERE.

There you have 5 of my goals for 2018. I do have shorter terms goals and I will assess change and revisit each goal and the others I have regularly. I highly recommend breaking up your goals into smaller goals, stepping stones to the end goal if you will.

Below are my tips on what type of goal length you should set yourself and the stepping stones to lead to each one.

1-week goals = Daily stepping stones

1-month goals = Weekly stepping stones

3-month goals = Monthly stepping stones

6-month goals =  Monthly stepping stones

12-month goals = monthly, quarterly and half yearly.

For the sake of not completely boring you, I’ll stop at 12 months (1 year), but I think it’s important to even make longer goals into 2,3 5 and even 10 years ahead. Where do you want to be at this very moment? Chances are they will change along the way, especially the long-sighted 3 years + goals but at this very moment.

Of course for all goals, everyday is a stepping stone, but I recommend breaking up the end goals (left column above) with smaller yet still substantial enough sized so you can do a detailed assessment on each stepping stone (right column above). Write them down, tell people about them (even if it’s just the one person) and work on them daily.

2018 can be the year you can change everything for the better. If you are not happy about something, ACTIVELY change it. Talking about it doesn’t change it, setting goals and working on them frequently does.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The post New Year Resolutions appeared first on Matt Fox.

But, what if you want more? What if what you are doing right now is fine, but you know you are worthy of more, you want to challenge yourself, learn something new and create another level of life experiences? Chances are that will require you to push yourself, take a leap of faith and get UNCOMFORTABLE. One of my favorite sayings goes: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten” and its right on the money! If you don’t change, things around you are more than likely going to stay the same, I’m not talking about the weather- that changes! I am talking about your life, whats in it and the circumstances around it. The same things will keep happening, you’ll find yourself in the same situations where you might constantly ask yourself, “why me?” and this won’t change until you do.

We are creatures of habit, so we naturally don’t like change, but learning to embrace change, push yourself to change is where the magic happens. Getting out of your comfort zone will lead to amazing experiences. I struggle with doing this almost daily still, as new things arise for me, but if I didn’t get out of my comfort zone originally, I wouldn’t be writing this article today. I remind myself of why I push myself to become uncomfortable and all the positive outcomes that have come with it.

Recently, I took another step outside of my comfort zone by giving a Podcast interview on the WHITE PONY NETWORK. Going onto a podcast and sharing my story was something I have wanted to do for a while but always felt uncomfortable talking about myself and facing some questions I might not have ever answered before publically (or even to myself). Getting asked to come on the show was this opportunity to do something I have wanted to do for a while even if it made me feel uneasy, nervous and UNCOMFORTABLE- that is why I knew I had to do it!

Sharing my story and answering some interesting questions about myself made me think about how I have progressed and overcome some difficult times in my life, in particular, fighting off Cancer at 21/22 years of age and starting a business pursuing my passion to help others achieve maximum health and fitness. The common questions of ;

How do I lose fat?

How do I become better?

How do I get stronger?

How do I become smarter?

All those are answered with the same response- Push yourself, get outside of what is comfortable for you. Learn how to do it, when we are “learning” we are experiencing and taking in something we previously never knew and that in itself gets you out of what is your comfort zone.

If you would like to hear my podcast interview you can CLICK HERE TO LISTEN, it’s a great insight into how I all started and kept moving forward, learning new things and following my passions. You can see the show notes and a brief summary of the interview HERE and it’s also available for free download on the Podcast app under “White Pony Network”.

PS. Another part of getting outside of my comfort zone is to become more involved with YouTube and creating videos and vlogs to share with you guys about my training and fitness philosophy as well as sharing some tips and things I am sure you will find value from.

Please check out and SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL BY CLICKING HERE

Until next time.

Matt

The post Getting out of your comfort zone – Podcast with Wes Petit White Pony Network appeared first on Matt Fox.

This has never been truer since starting calisthenics and body weight training. All movements and exercises form functional fitness, as well as help, develop a full range of muscles and movements patterns all at once. The gym and weight lifting never got me to the image of my body I had in my mind. Calisthenics and body weight training did.

As part of showing you how I have made a huge body transformation in myself and countless others worldwide with my online coaching www.bodyweightbuilt.com through this blog and my Instagram page, I have now started a YouTube channel where I will post all training, routines, tips and general fitness/lifestyle stuff I have done to make this transformation and continue to improve and become better and better.

My latest video is now up on my channel and you can see it by CLICKING HERE, In this video, you will see a workout routine that Wilda, Alberto and myself while in Croatia. This was a full body workout incorporating short sprints into our circuit. You will also see the hill sprints we did each morning before breakfast and at the end of the video, Alberto does a short interview with Wilda and myself where Wilda discusses her post-pregnancy fat loss and fitness routine. The beauty about Bodyweight Built training is not only that it can be done anywhere, but that anyone can do it! From all fitness levels and lifestyle, Bodyweight Built will help you develop your overall functional fitness and help you shape the body you will be proud of.

Here is the latest video. PLEASE LIKE, COMMENT AND SHARE IF YOU FIND IT USEFUL, don’t forget to subscribe for new videos 🙂

The post Get ripped with calisthenics appeared first on Matt Fox.

I constantly get asked about what is the best diet or foods to start doing or eating to improve a person’s body. In fact, it’s probably the second most common question I get emailed, DM’ed or asked in person (the old fashioned way) behind  “whats the best workout routine for “x”?” … So, I thought I would share my opinion, experience, and beliefs here with you all.

Firstly, I would like to make it clear that I have pretty much tried every “diet” or way of eating that is out there and the “next best thing” from paleo to the warrior diet, to vegetarian, to the 5:2 protocol to high fat keto diets and everything in between! I am definitely no stranger to trying different ways of eating and seeing the effects they have had on my body and mind. So, based on my previous experiences of eating, and watching what (if anything) it does to my body I wanted to give you my thoughts on what will lead to you achieving a great body. The most common chatter, new or old always seems to come back to the debate between high-fat diets (low carb) vs high carb diets (low fat).  Carbohydrates cop a lot of shit when it comes to fat loss with many out there advocating high fat, lower carb diets.

High Fat: 

The simple, short version (So I don’t bore you) of eating high fat relates to the belief that your body is primed to work off fat and by starving your body of carbs, your body will switch over to using fat for fuel, and hence, you’ll burn off the stubborn (belly) fat easier. When doing this way of eating, you need to be a super low carb and moderate protein with the majority of your calories coming from fats for the entire day. These fats should be good fats, from avocado, nuts, salmon etc. This doesn’t mean you can eat a big mac to get your fats in! With that in mind and the fact the carb intake should be quite minimal, especially those following a strict keto diet where eating slightly too many carbs can throw your body out of ketosis and take you days to get back in it, I personally found this wasn’t the best way for me, and the only thing that changed was my shitty mood swings, my hungry stomach, and my lacklustre energy levels. Now, I’m not saying this way of eating doesn’t work, for some it sure does, but I believe that any “diet” that requires you to drastically restrict a WHOLE FOOD GROUP is unsustainable and frankly, boring. My food options were limited, and for the results I achieved (nothing positive) I found it useless!

High Carb:

Eating high carb would involve dropping your calories coming from fats to a low level so the majority are coming from carbs- while keeping your protein moderate. As with eating high fats, getting the particular macronutrient from sugar drinks, or processed foods isn’t going to serve you too well. Sugar is a carb, yes, but I found the carbs that benefited me the most were those from brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes and especially- my favorite, the holy grail, a giant bowl of warm porridge (oatmeal) with a teaspoon of honey! With this way of eating, it’s important not to rush to the “low fat” products that get replaced with harmful sweeteners and crazy chemicals we can’t pronounce, it just means you need to eat as natural as you can. I also find more joy in carbohydrate-rich foods and when you think about it, you can eat twice as much food if you eat carbs over fats… how?? Well, fat contains 9 calories per gram while carbohydrates contain only 4 calories per gram, so effectively you can eat just over 2 times more food in gram weight for the same amount of calories, so those of you who love food and are always hungry like me, this proves to be an extra reason to lean this way.

The winner:

For me personally, the best results came from eating from all three macronutrient groups in relation to my body and daily activity levels. I don’t deprive myself of any food groups, but I do watch the numbers of what I am eating. I found this to be an easy way of life that can be adjusted day to day and because of the fact your not restricted in eating anything, it’s 100% sustainable. No cravings, no binges, no cancelling social plans because you can’t enjoy a pizza at the amazing Italian restaurant, you get my point. I also found that my energy levels, my mood and my muscle gains and fat loss had never been better than when I knew what my daily macronutrient targets were and I stick to them. If I had to put them in a category my macros would lean towards the moderate to high carb intake daily. Why?Because for me it works the best, it gives me the best variety of foods and my general mood and energy levels work best this way.

In concluding, as long as your macros are coming from healthy food sources and your not making up your fat content from big mac’s or your carbs from those muffins at 7/11 then it’s whatever fits best into your daily life. As mentioned, when you know your macros, you can change the foods on any given day due to circumstances or availability and still end up with the same over calorie intake number, no need to avoid food groups or hate on carbs, you can definitely eat carbs (and lots of them) and still show off a lean, defined and muscular body!

So, don’t be afraid to eat carbs and in my humble opinion, scrap your high-fat diet and eat from all food groups, enjoy everything you can within your calorie range to help achieve success. Of course, eating is only one piece of the puzzle, the correct training program is key, the main reason my body changed was when I changed the way I train. So, if you want help with knowing how much you should be eating to achieve your goals as well as the correct training to be doing then check out my Custom Built 1 on 1 program by CLICKING HERE.

Now I’m off to smash a huge bowl of porridge! Until next time,

Matt

PS. I have just launched my YouTube channel and I’ll be doing workout routines and eating tips  on there too, so don’t forget to subscribe by clicking here > SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

PPS: Here is my first video:

The post What is the best diet appeared first on Matt Fox.

If I told you that you could build more muscle without actually moving you could possibly think I’m either crazy, trying to joke with you, or caught up in another crazy fad that doesn’t work (or all of the above!)

But, it’s true and I’ll explain how it can be done easy and effectively.

As you keep reading I’m sure that some of the exercises are already familiar to you but maybe you just didn’t realize the full benefits of what you’re doing!

Static or isometric holds are how it’s done. This is done by forcing the muscle to work while it is maximally contracted, by holding at that contraction point for a period of time to cause an overload of the muscle. The difference between this type of stimulus exercise and using a Full Range of Motion (ROM) is that when using ROM you are limited to your weakest point, meaning you can only lift or do as many reps as your weakest muscle part will allow- think pull ups!

I’m not saying you should do one or the other, I am simply saying there are many different ways you can keep changing up your routine to create muscle stimulus.
The huge benefits of static and isometric training are many. For one, and maybe the most important benefit is the fact it can be done with successful results by complete beginners to advanced athletes. As with beginners, the technique to perform certain exercises and movements may not be up to par and could be cause for injury, working on isometric and static exercises to learn how to use this high level of tension is the perfect starting point.

Isometric training also helps build strength at a particular point in your ROM, so if you want to target a specific point in an exercise that lets you down on the full movement you can isolate that to improve your weak spot and therefore make the ROM movement more complete.

Muscular endurance and strength is also a benefit of static training. While static training puts stress on your CNS (central nervous system) quite quickly it causes your muscles to fatigue faster than if you were performing ROM exercises where there are slight breaks at certain points of the movement. Its ability to increase strength is based on the fact that every muscle fibre needs to be engaged for the entire time during the hold and static movement.

I highly recommend incorporating some of this training into your current fitness regime. If you are wanting to give this style of training here are some of my favourites;

Plank hold: A well-known core exercise I’m sure you have all done or at least seen in action! This exercise not only works the core but the shoulders, chest and leg muscles too. Start off by doing 4-5 sets of 30 secs without breaking form and build your way up. You can see my Youtube clip of this here 

Wall sit: A great leg burner! With your back against a wall, lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Position your feet so your calves are parallel to the wall behind you. Knees should be bent at 90 degrees. Place your hands on your hips or hold your arms out in front of you. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat 4-5 times and build up the amount of time and sets you can do.
 You can see my Youtube clip of this here  

Pull up hold: This is done by getting into a pull-up position, pulling yourself up so your chin is above the bar and then holding this position for a period of time. This will work your whole back and arms and really test your mental strength as your whole body starts to shake with fatigue. Again, build up and start by holding for 5-10 sec with 4-5 sets gradually increasing both as you find your body getting stronger.                   You can see my Youtube clip of this here 

Push up hold: Just as the pull-up hold was held at a contracting point in the movement so is the push-up hold. As the name suggests, Start in a normal push-up position and lower yourself with chest towards the ground as you would any normal push up. Now, instead of pushing yourself immediately back up, hold and pause as your chest is just off the ground! Start with 5-10 secs and build your way up with sets and reps. You can see my Youtube clip of this here 

Chin up hold: Very similar to pull up hold but will put slightly more emphasis on the biceps. I have found that this type of hold is harder if you hold your forehead to the bar, rather than chin above it, as is the case with the pull-up. The reason being is that it will keep your arms at more of a 90-degree angle which will isolate your biceps more and really make them burn! You can see my Youtube clip of this here 

Wall assisted handstand hold: Again, as the name suggests you’re going to get into a handstand position with support from a wall or even a friend. Holding your body weight upside to fight gravity and build those shoulder muscles. Your core and glutes will also get a workout here and you push up through your arms and torso to lengthen your entire body. You can see my Youtube clip of this here 

There you have it. Six great exercises you can do that will help build muscle, strength, and endurance all without you having to really move! These exercises will also help with your ROM and full variation of each exercise. If you incorporate these into your training I can promise you, you will start to see major improvements across your whole program!

Any questions or want to know more? Just reply to this email.

Matt

The post How to build more muscle appeared first on Matt Fox.

Jumping off the 2.5-hour flight from Stockholm to Croatia into the beautiful blue skies and the 35-degree weather was happiness! We were lucky enough to come here last year, just Wilda and I, while Harley was still in the stomach, this was to be different again now that he’s out in the world and an insanely active 9-month-old with plenty of his own opinions! None the less we couldn’t wait to get back to this place we fell in love with.

Travelling with an infant has its challenges that’s for sure! Our luggage increased a huge amount, I can’t get over how such a little person requires so much stuff! Wilda’s parents met us at the airport and drove us to the beautiful seaside town of Punat, where they own an apartment- 200 meters from amazing turquoise water and only 100m from one of the best outdoor gym’s I’ve been too (shocked face). After 4 days of broken up travel, it finally felt like holiday mode. The food in Croatia is some of my favorite, fresh seafood, and amazing tasting meats- safe to say I would order my standard meat platter every night for dinner, maybe pancakes and ice creams for dessert…..nightly! (can’t help myself)

Everywhere you walk around this little town, ice cream vendors are, there is no escaping the amazing tastes of countless flavors!

I knew I was going to enjoy myself with the food and desserts here, food is and always has been a weak area for me- I love it so much I don’t really have an off button when it comes to eating…. Those who know me actually refer to me as a Labrador (slightly embarrassing to admit publicly, but the truth none the less) But hey, everyone is like that on holiday right? I mean you go away to unwind from your normal day to day life and treat yourself to sleep ins and ultimately food, holiday mode doesn’t have to be the time to completely let yourself go, In saying that, I have found you can still enjoy all the food and drink you want to, if you allow for it in your daily activities.

My tips for eating what you want and enjoying yourself, but keeping off the fat are:

1. Instead of lying on the beach and having the occasional quick dip to cool down, I would make it a goal to swim (500m to 1km) twice a day, yes this was exercise but swimming in the beautiful waters and watching the fish made it seem more like a privilege than a chore, it also burns calories and give you a great full body workout, you don’t need to swim like Phelps either but get out there and put that extra energy from the ice cream to good use.

2. The island was full of fig trees and amazing fruits, we snacked on these and made it our aim to get up every morning and go for a workout (if you follow me on Instagram you would have seen my workout spam 😉 ) and finish that off by walking around picking fresh figs, a sweet, candy alternative!

3. Walk as much as you can! This is obviously not always possible depending on where you holiday, but it can still be done! We walked down to the beach and super market every day instead of driving, not only does this make you exercise without really thinking about it, you see more of your destination and if you don’t have a car, you’re saving money on transportation to- 3 ticks!

4. I have written a full post about this previously, but probably my biggest tip is using IM (intermittent fasting) while on holidays- hang with me here… I know you are probably thinking I just said you can eat what you want and now you’re reading the word “fasting” but this is how you can do it. The least favored meal of the day for me while away is breakfast, I sleep in more, eat dinner later, so I’m not as hungry as I normally would be. Given that, I typically don’t eat until midday-1pm as I know I really want to pig out in the afternoon and especially at dinner! Using this method allows me to have fun and eat big dinners, maybe a few beers and socialize over dinner without having to be that anti-social guy in the corner weighing his food or knocking back a slice of bread- LIVE A LITTLE!

Punat-I love it here, everything is so peaceful, it’s a town for families to unwind, no yacht week or crazy day parties here – Punat is on the island of Krk and is more well known for its olive picking and lazy days by the beach more than anything else! I knew it already after visiting Phi Phi Island many times, but island life is for me. The family goals are to live on an island (we have a few in mind) for at least 4 months a year! The people are friendlier, everything is easy and people aren’t stressed- no tooting horns or road rage, just flashing smiles and greetings- the way life should be.

Those holiday workouts…

For Wilda and I, working out together and exercising is part of our lives, this probably increases even more while in holiday mode, rather than lazy days not doing much, we have been getting up (mainly thanks for Harley) at 530am then off to do our morning routine of hill sprints and then some type of strength training- a great way to start the day before heading home to get ready for the beach. It’s also nice to get some alone time with Wilda, even if we are both gasping for air and red in the face!

Harley’s first real dose of hot weather and some beach action has been heaps of fun, he loves the water and as long as he’s moving and keeping entertained, has been so well behaved. Wilda and I only have ourselves to thank for the fact Harley literally can’t sit still- which always calls for activity filled days! Thank god for the help of Wilda’s parents and Wilda herself being so amazing with Harley! Harley doesn’t sit still for a second (not an exaggeration, I promise) that I’m exhausted after 30 mins with him! Mum’s, I don’t know how they do it…. Hat’s off to you all!

Seven days in amazing Punat and I am genuinely sad to leave, something about the place and the love for island lifestyle inside of me really draws me to these places and I find it pretty depressing to leave. I can’t wait to be back next year for a longer period of time.

If you’re ever in this amazing country that is Croatia, do yourself a favor and stop by the island of Krk, spend some time in the picture perfect coastal towns scattered all around and enjoy the people and wonderful food.

Now it’s off to spend some time in Stockholm and catch up with friends and family we have there- another beautiful city I’m grateful to experience.

Until next time beautiful Croatia…..

PS> Don’t forget to subscribe up at the top of the page so you can keep up to date with all our travel and fitness adventures! 🙂

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Everyone has dreams. What are yours?

More importantly what are you doing to turn these “dreams” into  reality?

If you aren’t setting goals towards achieving this dream you need to start now! Goal setting is crucial to achieving success for the main reason being that it gives you focus, it gives you a purpose and when things get hard or you feel like you want to give up, it gives you your “why”. Last night I was cleaning out some old paper work (yep, the physical type where I wrote with a pen and paper haha!) and I came across a list of goals I wrote exactly (well within a few weeks) a year ago from today! It was amazing to see that out of the 8 goals I had written on my note pad (with an expiration date of when I wanted to have ticked them off), 6 had been 100% completed and 2 were in the building phase- meaning they had been started and were not far off from completion.

So, how to create your goals and use them to help you achieve your desired outcome? Here are my top 5 tips to setting powerful goals plus what I found worked well for me and many others I have encouraged.

1. KNOW YOUR GOAL/S

Now this sounds simple, but it needs to be clear, specific and measurable.

By measurable I mean you need to be able to put a time and date to completion. Without a date, where is the motivation to work on it daily/weekly/monthly? Once you clarify your goal clearly in your mind you move onto number 2.

2.SETTING A DATE

This tip can be a little daunting but it’s super important because it holds you accountable. You must set a date! An expiration limit to when you want to achieve this/these goal/s. Without a date it becomes nothing more than a wish. If you want to add even more accountability to your goal/s- tell someone, tell many people! It’s not arrogant to proclaim your goals publicly and it will put a little bit of extra pressure on you to go after them, because the more people that know, the more people will ask you about it. A great quote by Napoleon Hill reads ” A goal is a dream with a deadline!”

3. WORK BACKWARDS

What I have found to be really useful and help you become clear on long term goals, even 5, 10, 15 years out is to work backwards. This is a great method because it allows you to break down major end goal/goals step by step, creating smaller goals. For example, if you have a goal for 5 years and you are clear on what that is, you can then divide that into yearly goals, things you want to mark as “done” each year which are a stepping stone towards that 5 year major goal. The more specific the better when it comes to dividing it up. If you want to divide it up monthly, great, half yearly, perfect! It all helps. I have found that when I am setting yearly goals, I like to break that year down into months and then the first month into weeks, especially if you have a new goal. Breaking the first month into weeks can really give you that focus to get going!

4. PUSH YOUR LIMITS

You want to challenge yourself, push yourself out of your comfort zone with a goal or goals that seem out of reach to you at this very moment. Goals that almost make you feel uncomfortable, such as telling other people. For example, if you don’t currently have a job, your goal could be “that by this time next year I will have a job paying….” ($50k, 60k, 70k a year whatever it may be). Then you will apply tip 3 and figure out what you need to do to get there! If you don’t set a goal that challenges you, pushes you out of your comfort zone and excites you – you need a new goal!

5. WRITE IT DOWN AND RE-EVALUATE

It seems obvious, but many people don’t write down their goals. YOU NEED TO! I find the old fashioned pen and paper is the best option over phone/computer because I connect more when I am writing down the words rather than typing them. I still make a copy on my phone and computer but my original is always done in a notebook! Once you have them written/typed down, you need to check them and re-evaluate how you are going. If you have reached a certain goal already, set a new one, don’t stop. If you are a bit behind on others, break them down further (daily even) and work on those, checking them off each night before you sleep and setting new ones for the day ahead.

The post 5 tips to setting powerful goals appeared first on Matt Fox.

Success is a broad term. What one person defines as successful the next person may not. However, most people view the most common, obvious sign of success by their financial means. Success equates to money right? Well, a lot of the time it does.  I mean the best athletes in the world are there because they are the best.  They have succeeded in being the best in their chosen sport and so they are compensated extremely well for it (most sports anyway), that being on a world wide stage.  Then to micro niche it, you could be successful among your friend group.  However with any type of success, no matter where it sits on the scale, comes some sort of jealousy.

In the past few years, I have changed my thinking and the way I look at or view success/successful people. Jealousy is a pretty common/normal human emotion I believe.  Everyone at some point in their life has felt it…..surely? So, the most common emotion to feel when we see someone with something we want (money, cars, holidays, boats etc- to name the superficial things) is that of jealousy or envy. I’ve felt it, sure, plenty of times, however now I don’t view it like that. I have been lucky enough to learn from some world renowned coaches how to turn this emotion of envy or jealousy into a productive, motivating emotion. To some degree it goes against human nature, so it takes some work, but once you can use it for a more positive emotion it sets you free.

When I meet someone I personally view as being successful I am no longer jealous.  I am HAPPY.   I love that they have an awesome business that allows them to make 7 figures a year from their laptop, working from anywhere and always travelling!  I’m not jealous because it shows me its possible. Why is that person different to you? If they have achieved something they want and you define that person as successful then why can’t you do likewise?

A MINDSET SHIFT

By viewing someone else’s success as a positive, motivating emotion it gives you a clearer image as to what needs to be done to get there. Instead of disliking out of jealousy someone who is successful, study what they have done to get there.  Learn from them.  Watch them and even ask them. If someone has done it before you, IT IS POSSIBLE. The success of others should bring you hope.  Their success should motivate  you to focus more and work harder for whatever it is you want to succeed at, showing you its not that far away!

ITS NOT LUCK
One of the things I hear often from people who still focus on the jealousy emotion is that someone successful is ‘”lucky”.  That word “lucky” is constantly used.  They are lucky, she is lucky, he is lucky – its easier for someone to accept luck rather than spend some time on thinking how that person achieved what we desire. Very rarely did that person you are jealous of win the lottery or get handed a multi million dollar business and sustain it. Very rarely does luck have anything more than a small, tiny slice to do with it, but very often this is all I hear.  Shift away from saying people are lucky, for we have no idea how hard they have worked behind closed doors. Instead of brushing it off as luck in your head or among your friends, think about how hard they must have worked to get there.  Put a spin on your thinking and how you perceive their situation.  This will make a huge difference to your overall outlook on life and help to stop unhelpful, negative emotions!

The post How to be successful appeared first on Matt Fox.

How to improve my fitness…

See, we are led to believe that fitness can only be achieved through going to the gym, using fancy machines and lifting weights, that to get the body you want, there is no other option. We are bombarded with advertising for gyms and fancy equipment everywhere we turn. TV, online, magazines, newspapers and social media tells us we need them to get us into the shape we want. I believed these marketing gimmicks for years! I believed that I needed to go to the gym daily, lift weights and slug it out- I did it for the better part of 10 years! I was stuck in a forced routine to drag myself to the gym (against my will) and fight the crowds for use of equipment. Not to mention the amount of time I wasted travelling there and back in peak hour traffic.

My results stayed the same, I didn’t improve, I hated going to the gym, being stuck inside when the sun was out, constantly getting niggling injuries and having my motivation get lower and lower with every forced session. Gym and weight lifting wasn’t it for me. I had gained so much knowledge over my life and athletic career on training methods that, in hindsight, I should have left the gym much earlier, but to be honest I was a little scared. I was a little scared about losing all the work I had put in, I mean I slaved away in the gym and hated it for years, what if all that turns out to be for nothing? Then it dawned on me, I already wasn’t happy with what I looked like or how my body felt- so what’s the worse that could happen?

So, off I went. Cancelled the gym membership and starting workout out where ever, whenever I wanted (outdoors mostly)keep in mind this was right in the middle of winter in Melbourne and even that didn’t deter me from leaving the gym! After only a few weeks of bodyweight training and feeling sore in muscles I never knew existed while weight training, I could notice results. I was a happier person due to the freedom I had with my workouts, if I was travelling I wasn’t stressed about finding a gym, when I got home at the end of a long day I could work out in the living room if I wanted too.

Muscles are built from resistance training and resistance doesn’t have to come from machines or weights. Your body provides more than enough resistance to spark muscle growth and strength gains. This form of training is functional, works multiple muscle groups at once and helps develop better body control by forcing muscles, joints and tendons to work together as one, not individually as most machines and weight lifting movements do.

EXERCISE- IT’S NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL.

The truth is very simple, it’s in proven results, I have done it myself and countless clients have done it too. You can start at any level, you don’t need to be in amazing shape or have years of workout experience behind you. It takes nothing more than a consistent effort, patience and determination- all traits that don’t require any special talent, age, body type, race or gender. The moment you do this, you will change your body for the better as well as your overall attitude towards health, fitness and exercise. No Longer do you need to rely on gyms or lifting heavy weights in unnatural movements. I’m not saying gym is horrible and shouldn’t exist, I’m just saying, that like clothes, one size doesn’t fit all, don’t be fooled into thinking it does. Think of your workout regime as you would when you are choosing a new pair of pants or getting a haircut- what suits the mannequin in the shop window is no guarantee to suit you. That’s your training summed up right there.

If you are not getting the results you’ve wanted, bored with the gym or want to gain back some freedom in your exercise regime you need to check out my body weight training programs- designed just for your , to suit your goals and your body without the need for a gym or ANY equipment. I will help you achieve your fitness goals and keep you accountable as we work together. All programs and more info can be found at www.bodyweightbuilt.com check it out and become part of this worldwide movement!

Until next time,
Matt

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