How to maximize results and minimize wasted time and health risks

Welcome back to another article on how to get the best results from your TPSMethod.com membership.

Today we are talking about you, your performance, your success and your phone.

Your phone is an amazing piece of technology and it can be used for many positive things, but the gym is not one of them.

I am sure this will upset and possibly offend many younger members, as you have grown up with them as a part of your daily habit and are very attached to them.

Literally.

You are attached to them.

And yes, I understand that we offer a web based service that will help you unlock your true potential in the gym and out, but, I will repeat, your phone does not belong in the gym.

Let’s look at the Pros of using your phone in the gym first.

Having your phone with you is very convenient to film your sets and to use our website to watch a quick video on how to perform and exercise, as well as entering your current data for the day’s session.

Filming your work sets is the best way to get feedback from our team of coaches. Shoot a video, post it in the forum, find out what you did right and what needs improvement.

Simple, easy, convenient.

Watching a quick video on how to perform an exercise is also a very convenient way to get through your session and make sure you are doing it right.

Entering your data (weight, reps, percentage of max, RPE) right after a set is also pretty convenient thing to do as soon as you have recovered from your set.

Did you notice the common thread in all of the above?

Convenience.

While we at the TPSMethod.com want to make everything as convenient as possible for you to attain maximum results, convenience isn’t everything.

But, hard work and effort is.

Your phone and all devices emit something called Blue Light.

Naturally occurring Blue Light has some benefits, such as elevating your mood by increasing Serotonin production.

Serotonin does many things, including:

  • reduces depression
  • regulates anxiety
  • heals wounds
  • maintain bone health

While these are all good things, I’ll discuss the negative in a moment.

Let’s look at the Cons of using your phone in the gym now.

First off, your phone is a time vampire. How many times a day do you look at your phone and get lost in whatever you are looking at?

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Text messages
  • And so many other mindless distractions can and do suck up much more time that you think they do.

I see it everyday in the gym.

Someone does a set, grabs their phone and either looks at social media, uploads to the Gram, goes on Facebook or whatever site, and before you know it, they have rested 5, 10, 12 minutes or more between sets.

There is no reason to rest this long if you are looking to get results.

Your phone is a HUGE distraction.

We need to get in the gym, do the work and get out.

And hold up a minute, many of you will say that you have to check your email or texts for work.

You don’t.

Even the most powerful and successful people in the world with insane schedules can get away for at least 45 minutes to train. A common thread of highly successful people is exercise. They make the time for it.

Whatever is in your email can wait for a while.

Really.

It can.

Your phone also emits something called Blue Light.

I am not going to go into a long oratory on Blue Light, but here is a quick run down of what it does.

Some Blue Light is good for us (natural sources, such as sunlight) but not the kind from our electronic devices, that is bad Blue Light.

Let’s look at a few of the negative effects of Blue Light from our devices:

  • Increased Macular Degeneration:
  • Macular Degeneration contributes to PERMANENT VISION LOSS
  • Digital Eye Strain:
  • This is obviously self-explanatory, screens strain our eyes. Straining our eyes has a long-term negative effect.
  • Blue light prevents release of melatonin from the pineal gland:
  • A decrease in Melatonin production interferes with your Circadian Rhythm.
  • This means Blue Light can affect your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Melatonin is the substance that your body produces to help you sleep, naturally. Blue Light interferes with this.

But, some studies show that it can also increase the risk of:

  • Certain Types of Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Heart Disease
  • Artificial Increase in Serotonin:

As I mentioned above, one of the major things Serotonin does, to simplify, is that it elevates your mood.

It makes you feel good. While this isn’t bad, it can be.

Our phones become addictive, they make us happier in an unsubstantial way.

We should derive happiness from the relationships in our lives, by our hobbies, hopefully our work and more, not from a screen.

Or how many “likes” we get on social media.

Chronic use of the phone can put you in a better mood, but you don’t know why.

Not using it can put you in a worse mood, but you don’t see the correlation unless it is pointed out.

I am pointing it out for you.

Our phones become like a drug.

So, if we sum this up simply, and unscientifically, Blue Light exposure can:

  • Make us feel happier (in a manner that is unsubstantial)
  • Destroy our vision, permanently
  • Negatively affect our sleep patterns
  • Increase risk of obesity, Cancer, Diabetes and more
  • Make us dependent on the electronic device

Now I am not trying to be an alarmist, but the negative effects of Blue Light cannot be ignored.

You need to moderate your exposure.

Another thing the phone does that is tied to all of these other things is that it DISTRACTS us.

We do not need to be distracted in the gym.

Look at it like this, how often do you pick your phone up and only do the one thing you intended to do, such as send a quick text.

I will bet that you sent the text, then checked your notifications, saw that someone you like posted a social media update or a new cat video is up, and you looked at that, and then a few other things.

Before you know it, 5, 10 or more minutes have passed.

It is a distractor, and a time Vampire.

You did not join the TPSMethod.com because you wanted to waste time.

You want results.

I am here to tell you the you will get MORE results by getting your phone out of your training routine.

Here’s how to do it and get maximum results and satisfaction from our site:

  • Buy a notebook and a pen.
  • Before you come to the gym, review your training for the day or the week.
  • Review any videos on exercises that you are not sure how to do.
  • Transcribe your training for the day, or the week in your notebook.
  • After each set, record the data with pen and paper.
  • If you are going to film your sets, do one of two things:
  • Use your phone, but DO NOT check anything. Just record the set and put it down.
  • Or, use a cheap camera like a GoPro and upload from there to our Forums.
  • After you train, log in to the TPSMethod.com and update your data.

Now I know you are saying that this will take more time that you don’t have, BUT IT WILL NOT.

The time you save in the gym by not wasting it for 10, 15, 30 minutes or more in between sets looking at NOTHING on your phone is a huge savings. It will only take a few seconds to update your data on our site after you train.

Compare a few seconds, with 15 minutes or more wasted in the gym and you will see I am correct.

Remember, I am in the gym 40-50 hours a week and I see this everyday. It happens all the time, in every gym. It does not happen in our training groups or with people we coach because we simply do not allow any phones in the training area with our clients and athletes.

And they get results.

So, to sum it all up, ditch the phone, you’ll get a better training session, be more focused, limit your Blue Light exposure, have more free time after you train, and get better results.

I hope that I have shed some light (Dad joke of the day) on how to maximize results and minimize wasted time and health risks.

Now get to the store and buy a notebook.

Be Old School.