The Z-Factor: The Missing Link Between You and the Body of Your Dreams
The Z Factor
The Missing Link Between You and
the Body of Your Dreams
Gene Zannetti
Copyright © 2012 by Gene Zannetti
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Three Dimensional Approach
2 Embracing Fanaticism
3 The Genesis of Z
4 The System
5 Getting Started (Goal Setting)
6. The Full Program: Exercise Plan
A) Foundation Research
B) Workouts
C) Cardio Bouts
7. Nutrition Plan
8. Mindset Plan
9. Fanatical 4-Life
10. The 6-Week Calendar
1
Introduction: The 3 Dimensional Program
Most people are still in search for the body of their dreams. Maybe you fall into this category. Many people have tried just about everything to reach their fitness goals, but have yet to find success. If this story is all too familiar, then you still have not found the Z-Factor- this missing link between you and the body of your dreams.
Consider the evolution of home fitness programs. Up through the 1990’s most fitness programs only contained an exercise plan. Think of Tae Bo and Buns of Steel. This can be considered a one dimensional system, as fitness is only approached from one angle- exercise. Figure 1 depicts this model.
At the turn of the century, as knowledge of Exercise Science grew stronger and stronger, a paradigm shift occurred. Experts realized that poor nutrition can destroy any attempts at weight loss and strength gains. Exercise alone will not produce the desired results if the individual has poor eating habits. As a result, detailed nutrition plans began to appear as part of home fitness programs. Think about P90X and Insanity. They contain complete instruction on both exercise and nutrition. The 2 dimensional model is schematically expressed in Figure 2.
Many people have achieved success with the two dimensional model. Still, a lot of people out there have yet to reach their fitness goals. What are they missing? What are you missing? If words like motivation, focus, confidence, emotions, and consistency come up then it will not surprise you what the third dimension is. I don’t think that I am telling you anything new when I say you need to have a good mindset to achieve a goal. Most people know that their mindset can make or break them, yet they do not take any steps to improve in this area. Leaving your mindset to chance is just as neglectful to your fitness success as failing to include exercise or nutrition. Fortunately, sport and exercise psychology have come a long way in recent years. Alas, the fitness paradigm has shifted again, into a three dimensional model. Figure 3 depicts the new model and illustrates the illusive (yet still very obvious) missing link between you and the body of your dreams, the Z-Factor.
Fitness is never just physical. Envision your body (representing your exercise and nutrition) and mind were represented as two horses attempting to pull a cart. If the two horses (your mind and body) are pulling a cart in different directions, how far do you suspect the cart will travel? Quite possibly nowhere. Your mind and your body are intimately connected in ways that are not necessarily observable on the surface. To achieve the body of your dreams, or any goal you have for that matter, they cannot be at odds with one another. Two horses pulling a cart in the same direction will cover ground, and lead to goal attainment. You must train your brain the same way you train your body for success to occur.
This is not to say that Mindset is above Exercise and Nutrition. In fact, no one dimension is greater than the other. Mindset is not the Z-Factor. Rather, the unification of all 3 dimensions (exercise, nutrition, and mindset) is the Z-Factor. Z represents a lifestyle approach to your goals. Each of the three dimensions is equally important. The neglect of one dimension is detrimental to the success of the entire system. Most fitness programs fail because they neglect of one or more of these dimensions. Z-Fanatical Fitness is the first (but surely not the last) fitness program to develop a comprehensive Mindset Plan. Three dimensional fitness programs are destined to be the wave of the future. Z-Fanatical is taking the forefront and leading the revolution. Figure 4 represents the evolution of the fitness model over the years.
Back to the important question: How can YOU improve or make a real and lasting change in your body? A 3-dimensional ideology, not so subtly, implies the necessity of a mutually reinforcing fitness program to succeed. I will elaborate.
Which of the two strategies is correct?
a. Change from the outside-in -> Exercise/nutrition improves the way you feel.
b. Change from the inside-out -> Changing how you feel improves your exercise/nutrition.
You have been misled. The answer is C: All of the Above. You should want both. Every little bit helps. When you are trying to make a change, no new action or habit in the right direction is too small.
Making changes in your mind and body (exercise/nutrition) simultaneously will reinforce one another in a reciprocal interaction (figure 5).
MIND < --------------------------------- >BODY
Figure 5
When you improve your body (through improvements in exercise and nutrition) your mindset changes and when you change your mindset, your body (exercise and nutrition) improve. You are left with the chicken and the egg phenomena of which came first. In this case, do you really care which causes the other so long as you possess the body of your dreams?
When entering a war it is wise to proceed with as many weapons as possible. Up until this point in time, the most people have fought their personal war with their body without one of their most powerful weapons- their mindset. Z-Fanatical Fitness will thoroughly arm you with ALL of the weapons you need to win your war.
It is important to remember that CHANGE is what we are ultimately striving for. Body transformation and mental change go hand in hand. Change can be quantified and explained specifically. Psychologists have broken down CHANGE into five stages: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance.
Definition of Terms:
1. Precontemplation: Ignorance or denial that a change needs to be made.
2. Contemplation: Recognition that a change needs to be made (Goal Setting)
3. Preparation: Readiness to take action within the next month (Creating or finding an action plan)
4. Action: You have begun following the Action Plan
5. Maintenance: You have followed the Action Plan for over 6 months.
Prochaska, J. O., & Velicer, W.F. (1997). The Transtheoretical Model of health behavior change. American Journal of Health Promotion, 12, 38-48.
Change is deemed after 6 months of new beha
vior have been completed. This does not mean 6 months is the end-all-be-all. Stage 5, or the maintenance stage, only means that you are presently in the highest stage of change- Fanatical, so to speak. It should also be noted that a habit is formed somewhere between days 21 and 30 (or a little over 50% of the way through our program). For this reason, it is recommended you make day 21 a landmark in following this program. You want to always see the light at the end of the tunnel. If the light is too distant, it will be difficult to see. You decide for yourself what stage of change you are in right now, and then get ready to jump levels with Z-Fanatical Fitness!
One final point to note here about change is that no one in this world can MAKE you change. Change can be facilitated, but never enforced. Remember, as my wrestling coach used to say, “you can lead a horse to water- you can drown the son of a gun- but you cannot make him drink.” YOU are the only person who can truly change you. I can only give you the tools to help you help yourself.
2
Embracing Fanaticism
The first order of business is to change the way fitness is traditionally viewed. (Mindset Mastery begins now) Moderation and balance need to be thrown out the window. Not because they are not excellent principles, but because they are terms typically used as an excuse to be lazy and take it easy. “Over-train” is another term like this. Sure it is out there, it is a real thing, but this is scarcely a concern for most people in the world. Throw out terms like moderation, balance, and overtraining. The most successful people in sports, business, and life go hard, really hard. The surest way to be successful is to get fanatical! But, what does it mean to be fanatical? Let’s break this definition down very specifically.
There are 3 pillars that hold up Fanaticism: Intensity, Consistency, and Constant Improvement. See the Fanatical Flow Chart in figure 6 below.
Intensity:
Participation in whatever you are presently doing at the highest level that is possible by you. Everyone is at a different point right now, so everyone’s present potential is different, that is okay. The most important thing is that you engage yourself to the best of your ability, right now. Forget about everyone else- compete with yourself. Do not hold back, don’t save anything for later. Empty the tank. Make sure to rest and recover after, but then get back to a full effort.
Crucial to intensity is enthusiasm. Excitement is energy from the world acting on an individual. Enthusiasm is energy from within an individual acting on the world. There is a big difference. Enthusiasm implies passion, positivity, and taking action. It is important to live with passion. Passion is the unadulterated fuel that powers your intensity. Anger can be fuel, but it is charged by negativity which will ultimately fail your intensity. Anger is not the premium octane you are looking to fuel your high performance vehicle, passion is. You must love what you do. Love yourself, love your goal, and love your journey. It is important to have a good feeling about where you are now in the present and where you are going in the future. If a basis of basic acceptance, happiness, and contentment is not present, attaining your goal will NOT make you feel better for long (if that is the case, put this book down and seek professional help for your own sake and return when you are ready).
Be positive in your thoughts and actions. Life has enough good and bad to focus on. Realize that you have the power to choose what you focus on. Therefore, choose to look on the bright side of things. Positivity allows you to take action. Go after what you want, go all out, and be bold- err on the side of gutsy. More often than not, action beats inaction. When in doubt, take action.
Z-Fanatical depicts intensity through the philosophy of exercise- Threshold Training (see Chapter 6).
Consistency:
Prioritize your action plan each day. A priority is a lot like pulling the pin to open your shoot when sky diving. You make sure you do it. Okay, this is life, things come up and extenuating circumstances do occur. This should be accounted for and anticipated. You should execute your action plan effectively 90% of the time. Circumstances that derail you from your goals more than 10% of the time are not “extenuating”- they are your failure to plan ahead.
Set a goal and commit to it. I am sure you have a goal. Your already present goal seeking orientation is a big reason you are reading this to begin with. More important than committing to a goal, you must commit to a lifestyle. Your time must be prioritized around your goals, not the reverse. A 3-Dimensional, holistic approach is taken. Nothing is left to chance. A temporary, short-term approach to your goals will only get you short term results- then things will shift back to the way they were before. Commitment also suggests endless resilience. Failing once or thousands of times has no bearing on your effort or your resolve. You fall off the horse, you get back on. There is no quit in you.
Z-Fanatical depicts consistency through its 6-week program calendar (See appendix).
Constant Improvement:
In Japanese, “Kaizen,” which means constant improvement, is more of a life philosophy than a word. Their self-scrutiny and endless striving is a big reason their products, appliances, and cars put others to shame. Depression, which is normally associated with this attitude in Americans, has no relationship whatsoever in Japan. This is probably because imperfection is not seen as a weakness, but as something that will always exist and thus improved upon. It doesn’t matter where you are right now. All that matters is how good you want to be. You don’t let a day go by without improving yourself in some way. Even when you make mistakes, slip up, and fall off the horse (we are all human, this will always be part of the process, accept it), we get right back on and continue riding. We always strive to get better- no matter how many failures or setbacks come our way.
Z-Fanatical Fitness is an attitude and approach to your fitness goals. Fitness is a lifestyle, not something you do. Exercise is not a verb, it is a noun- you live exercise. If you want a great body, you must, to the best of your ability, shape your life around your fitness plan. This same philosophy applies to your nutrition.
Nutrition must become a lifestyle. I hate the word DIET for many reasons. I do not like that the first three letters spell die. I don’t like that dieting implies something short-term, something you go on and off. Nutrition must also be viewed as a noun- something you are. This lifestyle approach to your goals is what embracing fanaticism is all about.
Z-Fanatical depicts constant improvement with the progression system (see chapter 6) that allows you to jump levels.
3 The Genesis of Z
Both of my brothers and I have participated in the sport of wrestling since elementary school. We progressed to high school state place winners and later into national rankings in college at the Division 1 level. Needless to say, we needed to stay in peak physical condition year round if we wanted to compete at a high level.
Travel days, excessive workloads, unpredictable schedule changes, and family vacations posed a challenge. How could we burn fat, get stronger, and build endurance with limited time, space, and no equipment?
We first attacked the time constraint. We decided to simulate a wrestling match with 10 minute workouts. We knew if we wanted to get results in a small period of time we would need to exercise as hard as we could. We would have to throw balance out the window and get fanatical. Threshold training, which includes circuits and intervals, was the only option. Research continually shows that you can achieve the body of your dreams with consistent 10 minute workouts as long as your effort is at your own personal limit- your threshold.
Next, we created each workout to isolate a target muscle groups for the full time. We wanted constant stress on our legs, or abs, or triceps. All the workouts were designed to be a combination of cardio and strength.
To allow us to exercise anywhere, we designed our workouts to include no equipment and require only a few square feet.
A wrestler’s fitness goals are to have very low body fat, lean muscle, and great cardiovascular endurance. These fitness goals of wrestlers mirror that of society. Many people
have asked us for the simple and effective workouts that we created. There was however one more major problem- few could keep up with us. We realized that each person has a different threshold, or personal limits.
To solve the problem of different personal limits, 5 different levels were created so that everyone could train at their own threshold. However, the workouts were still too difficult for some people. Modifications were added to make the exercises even more accessible to a larger population.
Finally, we created a system was created that allows EVERYONE to achieve measurable results within weeks. Z-Fanatical Fitness was born. Results of the program are easy to observe as you can quickly remove modifications, jump levels, and notice dramatic changes in your body.
Z-Fanatical Fitness has since evolved into a group fitness class, 6-week program, and approved continuing education provider by AFAA, NASM, WITS, AAAI, IFPA, NETA, ACSM, ISSA, and AFPA. Individuals and group fitness classes have loved the satisfaction that comes with an all-out effort and a transformed body made possible by Z-Fanatical Fitness.
Our mission is twofold (1) to make threshold training (and its evidence-based benefits) available to people of all fitness levels through DVDs and Group Fitness classes in gyms everywhere (2) to revolutionize the approach to fitness as a 3 Dimensional entity- Exercise, Nutrition, and MINDSET.
4 Z-Fanatical Fitness System
The success of any system is dependent on its effectiveness and sustainability. We will attack these terms one at a time. Figure 7 below depicts the model presented below.
Effectiveness
How do you determine if something is effective? Intuition? Conventional wisdom? Opinions of your friends? Did you ever stop and think that maybe someone scientifically studied the topic that you are currently speculating and guessing about?
The entire Z-Fanatical Fitness Program is rooted in research and the opinion of experts. Together, research and expert opinion comprise an evidence-based model. This means something to scientists and professional academics, and it should mean something to you too. There should always be a plan, and the plan should be congruent with up to date scientific evidence. It is certainly foolish to do something with no reason or intent. It is doubly foolish to guess when the facts are readily available to you. But isn’t it triply foolish to insist to do things your own way after you have seen the facts? And not to be uncharitable, but isn’t it quadruply foolish when all this should be glaringly obvious? It is time to quit speculating and start looking at evidence. None of the 3 Dimensions of Z-Fanatical Fitness will be presented without evidence, logic, and expert opinion.