Who Runs ConsistentlyFit
Hi, my name is Jon Schumann, I am the creator of ConsistentlyFit.com
I have been interested in health and fitness for most of my memorable life. It probably all started from watching too many Arnold Schwarzenegger movies when I was a kid but I knew the body type that I wanted.
As you will be able to tell from my pictures, I didn’t quite get to Mr. Olympia but it still served as inspiration to continuously pursue my fitness aspirations.
Through high school, college and the years following graduation I worked out pretty regularly. I had periods of almost statistically improbable lack of success, periods of way too rapid success and everything in between.
My fitness journey is one that I think is pretty typical and relatable to most people. I did what I found on the internet, ate the latest fad diet and was generally up and down constantly. I went from periods of high motivation to slothishly lazy. The results were…well no results at all really. I just could not achieve that six pack, the muscular chest, toned arms strong legs or at least couldn’t keep them for very long. I was stuck in the cycle of average.
It wasn’t until I seriously reevaluated my approach and did things differently that I was finally able to make improvement, and most importantly stay that way CONSISTENTLY.
- I realized the importance of setting goals to give me direction instead of aimlessly wandering the gym catacombs.
- Once I had goals, I could find and create workout routines that would help me achieve them
- I stopped neglecting the importance of nutrition and the intricate role it plays in overall health and fitness.
- I stopped fad diets and workouts. These got me some quick results but were not maintainable in the long run. Instead I focused on changing my lifestyle in order to achieve lasting results.
- I learned from my failure. I was literally being insane, trying the same things over and over and expecting different results. I adjusted my approach and tried new things.
Now I keep a few key principles at the center of my health and fitness routine which is what the articles on this site will be centered around.
1. Weight Training
My fitness program centers around strength training as its core. I train for aesthetics but an amazing side benefit of a good lifting program is that you can get stronger and healthier while still looking good.
I focus on high volume training while emphasizing progressive overload so that my progress does not constantly plateau. I also center every lifting session around one or more compound movements followed by some auxiliary movements.
I think keeping a core set of exercises and varying your secondary exercises is a great way to keep the workouts fresh and keep you progressing.
2. Keeping Cardio Intense and Fun
I hate distance running. I hate it with the fire of a thousand suns.
When I finally admitted this and decided to do something else my results finally became maintainable.
I got into Muay Thai kickboxing in college and fought on the amateur level for a while. I loved training and it is an extremely fun and challenging way to get your cardio in.
My cardio sessions now are a mix of kickboxing, high intensity circuits, weighted circuits and sprints.
This type of cardio is extremely challenging, always changing so it never gets boring and SHORT. No more hour-long treadmill or elliptical sessions.
3. You Can Never Out Train A Bad Diet
I used to think that if I worked harder than I could eat whatever I wanted but that simply is not true. Your food is your fuel.
Not only is it impossible to look how you want with a poor diet it is impossible to feel good with a poor diet.
I also know that no “diet” is going to get you lasting results. You have to change your eating HABITS to achieve long term success.
4. It Has Got To Be Maintainable
If what you are doing does not mesh with your everyday life there is no way you will be able to keep it up and see lasting results.
You can have a life and still be healthy and look great. Tayloring your fitness plan to you and more importantly your LIFE is essential. When I created a plan that worked for me I could actually maintain it and didn’t dread my next meal or gym session.
5. Core Strength
Having a strong core goes beyond just having a six pack. It is paramount to your overall health and keeping you healthy as you age.
It is literally the trunk of your body and with a strong core the rest of your body can grow and develop safely.
But yeah, it’s about having a six pack too.
Why Start ConsistentlyFit?
Before I go any further let me give you some of my credentials:
Yep that was it. I am not a personal trainer with years of success stories to share. I do not have research papers published.
I am not a fitness professional. I am not a fitness competitor. I am not a model. I go to work, have a house, responsibilities, friends, family and a life. Pretty normal.
Here is what I do have. EXPERIENCE and RESULTS
I have read the articles and books, watched the videos and more importantly went through the diets and workouts. I am not saying this makes me an expert by any means but it does give me something to share.
Along the way I found some interesting statistics:
- 45 million Americans go on a diet each year
- Americans spend $33 billion on weight loss products annually
- The average American goes on 4-5 different diets a year
- 70% of New Year’s Resolutions involve health and/or fitness
- 92% of those goals go unmet every year
What does this mean? One people want to get in shape. Two, I have been apart of every one of these statistics and at some point you probably have to. Why do we fail so miserably?
- There is an overwhelming amount of information out there.
- Everyone thinks their fitness opinion is right. Some diet and exercise styles have become cult like in their conviction and subsequent “missionary” work to convert you over to their way of “being healthy”.
- We eat like crap. Plain and simple
- We do not set goals properly
- We do not prioritize our health properly. What does anything mean if we do not have our health?
- We think of health and fitness as a chore that we have to fit into our life
Getting fit and leading a healthy life is about more than understanding how your muscles connect and the chemical process your body goes through to make energy. While I recommend looking those things up on your own and understanding them, there is more to being fit and healthy than that.
Experience matters when talking about fitness and I have had some of the same struggles as you over the last 15+ years of trying to get in the shape that I want. I have had the same goals, the same confusion, the same failures, the same plateaus and the same motivational cliffs.
I have tried many different diets, exercise variations, workout routines, classes and pretty much anything health and fitness related that you can think of. I want this site to be an honest, no bullshit place where I can share my experiences with you on both what worked and what did not to hopefully help eliminate some of the confusion and share some of the things I have found helpful along the way.
I want to give you the perspective of someone who is not getting paid to workout and provide realistic examples of my EXPERIENCE, not an essay on physiology or nutrition.
It all boils down to this:
- If you are not motivated
- If you do not enjoy what you are doing
- If it does not fit with your life
- If it is too restrictive
- If it is not helping you achieve your goals
- If it does not make sense…
….then it is not maintainable and you will ultimately not make any lasting change in your life.
No amount of research or scientific backing can make something work for you personally. Your fitness goals should be personalized to you. I want to share the things I have found to work for me and while these may not all be for you at least I can provide some ideas and personal examples to try and help you wade through the sea of fitness and diet advice out there.
The biggest thing I did was shifting my mindset to think of health and fitness as a way of life and not a finite activity like a diet.
Below are some pictures of me throughout the years while on various diets and flavor of the day workouts.
Once I reevaluated how I was going about getting shape and centered my life around the five principles I listed above I was able to transform my body and more importantly keep it that way year round.
I still strive for improvements of course but I can enjoy what I see in the mirror now and most importantly am confident in myself.
Looking good is great but more importantly, changing your lifestyle will allow you to be confident in who you are everyday of the year.
After I adjusted my approach, I transitioned to a larger and leaner body which is easy to maintain. Below are a few pictures throughout the year. There are minor fluctuations but overall it is consistent and is something I do not have to strain to maintain.
Most importantly I want this site to be an interactive place where people can share thoughts and experiences. I would love to hear your feedback on my articles and if it helped you. I would also love to hear your thoughts and ideas about what you have found helpful. Your experience is just as valuable as mine.
I appreciate you reading and I hope to grow this site into an online fitness centered community where people can openly ask questions about their everyday fitness goals.