Ray Vargas | ISOTONEX High Intensity Training

Serving the San Jose, CA area

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Procrastinators Unite! Tomorrow..

The key to long-term success is focusing on today. Every day of every week, you must strive to improve and re-align yourself with your current goals. At ISOTONEX we use the phrase “Get 1% better each day.”

The goal is to start each day with a clean slate and make last week a thing of the past because that’s exactly what it is – the PAST. Forget about what you did wrong or did not accomplish. If you tried your best; the week was a successful one – regardless of the outcome. Start every day with a fresh attitude and continue to strive for greatness.

ISOTONEX is all about our clients’ success both in and out of the weight room. We take the business of obtaining long-lasting results very seriously and aim to continuously propel all of our clients to the next level in life.

On that note, I would like to share a thought provoking passage from Charlene Summers. The message is simple, but a powerful reminder to seize control of your life:

Successful People Make Decisions:

“It’s your life. You decide what you’re going to do with it. If you don’t run your own life, someone else will. You’re in control of your life to the degree that you make decisions. To control the outcome of anything, you control the action at the point of decision-making. If you let others make decisions for you, you give up control. When you control the decisions, you control the actions. Take charge of your life, so there is no longer a need to ask permission of others. When you ask permission, you are giving someone veto power over your life. Only you are responsible for your life. Take control and start making those decisions.”

The simplicity of success lies in your ability to develop good habits and eliminate excuses. It is imperative to prepare for challenges because success will always be connected to your actions. Everyone gets knocked down from time to time, however there is no failure when you are making your own decisions and growing from the experiences.

Make short-term goals and push towards them constantly. Move ahead boldly and confidently with hard work and persistence. Believe that you can overcome whatever lies in your path.

If there is some area of your life that needs attention; ACT NOW and be sure to invest the time and energy needed to fortify your mindset with strength, power and BELIEF.

Like a stick of dynamite, you can blast through any obstacle in your path.

T.N.T=Today Not Tomorrow!

Ray Vargas, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

ISOTONEX High Intensity Training & Sports Nutrition

Serving the San Jose, CA area

Telephone: 408-506-2209

Schedule a consultation here

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ISOTONEX Client Spotlight – Katie

To help with real life visualization and encouragement, I love to share a “Client Spotlight” award. I hope the stories are motivating, inspiring and help you to visualize yourself celebrating the same level of success!!

The individuals who earn this title will also receive one FREE week of personal training as additional bonus for all of their hard work and dedication.

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT – Katie

The Journey: I began working together with Katie early last summer, as she was set on improving her overall health and fitness. As a young professional looking to grow her career, including a recent move to California, Katie endured the stress that comes along with change. She describes her past weight gain as a result of “convenient food choices” and “not finding time to consistently work out.”

The Moment: “As a birthday present to myself, I decided to sign up with Ray and incorporate the ISOTONEX program into my busy schedule. I knew I needed a more constructive outlet for handling stress.”

The Decision: “Growing up I was always very active and involved in sports. However, as a young professional out of college, my focus changed and I found myself working long hours – neglecting my health. My goal was simply to get back to being an athlete!”

Results: Katie recently completed her first 16-week ISOTONEX program. “I definitely feel stronger, healthier, and have a lot more energy!” As of December 2008, Katie has lost a total of 51 lbs and 4½% body fat!

“I can’t even describe how great I feel, it’s truly AMAZING! I’ve already started another 16-week program and I’m looking forward to reaching my final goal!”

Most Rewarding: “People have come up and told me that I’ve inspired them.”

Katie’s Tips: “I truly believe that the journal is critical in holding yourself accountable! A friend of mine has a trainer who does not require his clients to keep a journal, which definitely allows for ‘slip-ups’. In my opinion, if a client is serious about improving their overall health and has made the financial commitment, then it’s important to implement the ENTIRE program!”

Congrats Katie!

To see more of Katie’s story and many other success stories just like hers, please visit this page.

Ray Vargas, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

ISOTONEX High Intensity Training & Sports Nutrition

Serving the San Jose, CA area

Telephone: 408-506-2209

Schedule a consultation here

Posted

Spring Fever & Staying Positive

Spring season is in full force with summer rapidly approaching! Yes, it’s that time again to start planning for family vacations, time at the beach with friends, and preparing for the warmer weather.

As we all know, the country is currently in some tough economic times. These circumstances affect us all in various ways. However, that does not mean we have to put the summer of 20011 on hold until the tide turns.

Often we are not able to choose many of the challenges we will face in this life, but we can choose how we will address them! A can-do attitude is a MUST to make the dreams of your life become a reality!

“Your Attitude determines your Altitude” - Zig Ziglar

While I always give motivational talks and pump my clients up, moreover my goal is to help establish clarity for them both in fitness and in daily life. By providing clear life coaching advice, I help people move forward methodically towards exactly what they want in life in-spite of all the “bad news” we are constantly bombarded with every day.

One tip I often suggest is to use the current conditions of the economy to realign goals and get back to basics. Ask yourself, “What do I love to do?” and focus your energy towards your passions. Find the good opportunities that still exist everyday all around each of us.

“Every decision you make – every decision – is not a decision about what to do. It’s a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do.” – Neale Donald Walsch, Author of Conversations With God

Think positive: Our on-going belief systems are the most important resources we have draw upon in tough times and will either help us to stay strong or can completely break us down. It is important to nurture your own spirit, keep your faith and always have a strong internal sense of purpose. Let’s face it personal and professional challenges are a fact of life.

Attitudes can spread like a forest fire out of control, it’s important to extinguish the bad ones and replace them with optimistic can-do attitudes – and to do so without delay! Every great accomplishment begins with a dream. Our dreams form our vision, our vision establishes our beliefs, and our beliefs determine the actions needed to accomplish our dreams. This chain of events allows us to take charge of our destiny. (Paraphrased from the Blue Angels)

Condition Yourself for Battle

During stressful times people neglect their physical health and emotional needs, which often results in decreased performance, chronic health problems, depression and a general state of “burnout.” Like a jet aircraft or any other precision machine, we all require care and maintenance to be dependable, emotionally sound and to live an inspired meaningful life – today and in the future.

Making it in today’s society requires you to be at “your” very best and to be ready to seize the next opportunity that will come your way. Sustaining peak performance involves physical fitness, optimal nutrition along with taking the time to rest, reflect and recharge our batteries. It also requires dedication, hard work and training. Visualize yourself on top regardless of the obstacles that lay in the way.

Success requires addressing the “what ifs” before they occur and being prepared to take proper action should a problem arise. Another very important key is to have clear established goals because with them in place it has been proven that chances of success are six times greater, efficiency is increased, and unnecessary guesswork that can lead to unwise decisions and wasted time / effort is virtually eliminated.

The struggle never ends!! However with great conditioning, belief in yourself, along with perseverance and determination you will win! Once you rise to the call of one challenge; you will prepare yourself to rise to the call of another. Soon you may even grow to savor the process and ultimately the person you will have become.

“The test of character is not persistence when you expect a light at the end of the tunnel. The true test is performance and persistence when you see no light coming and still keep moving forward.” – James Arthur Ray

To help with real life visualization and encouragement, I take great pride in celebrating the ISOTONEX “Client Spotlight” award. These stories are truly motivating, inspiring and showcase clients who are going for greatness in their lives!!

Ray Vargas, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

ISOTONEX High Intensity Training & Sports Nutrition

Serving the San Jose, CA area

Telephone: 408-506-2209

Schedule a consultation here

Posted

ISOTONEX Client Spotlight – Polly

To help with real life visualization and encouragement, I take great pride in celebrating the ISOTONEX “Client Spotlight” award. These stories are truly motivating, inspiring and showcase clients who are going for greatness in their lives!!

The individuals who earn this title are clients who are motivated to follow the program with great diligence, perseverance, and always show-up with a positive attitude towards working hard throughout their sessions. They also possess a great willingness to change old lifestyle habits; replacing them with a new healthier way of life.

“Spotlighted Clients” will also receive one FREE week of personal training as additional bonus for all of their hard work and continued dedication.

CLIENT “SPOTLIGHT” – Polly

The Journey: “I’ve been a Gold’s Gym member for well over a decade and in that time I have observed dozens of trainers. With a personal background in physical therapy, I was never convinced any of them could teach me anything useful or truly take my training to the next level. Then I observed Ray with his clients.”

The Moment: “I saw him training a client on the Smith machine. I wanted to do that exercise! Ray taught me and suggested I might appreciate a couple of sessions to liven up my training a little.”

The Decision: “I was getting bored with my routine, and I was excited to try Ray’s creative, high intensity, core-training approach. The first day, I thought I was going to DIE, and so did a lot of other people in the gym! Well, a couple of sessions were NOT enough! Working out the Ray-Way has become something I don’t want to do without!”

Results: “In four months time I lost 5% body fat, 13 inches and 11 pounds.”

“I am totally stoked every day at my progress. I can run with my dog while maintaining a healthy heart-rate making the whole experience so much more enjoyable. I have increased endurance, and I’m stronger and more agile while snowboarding and mountain biking.”

Most Rewarding: “I feel like a Barbie every morning in the closet! Everything fits. Pants I haven’t worn comfortably in quite some time are slipping on without the standard gymnastic routine. In addition, I’ve taken several pairs of slacks to the dry cleaner for tailoring, one pair I’ve had to take in twice!

Polly’s Tips: “Ray has access to make a difference in your body just two or three hours a week, if you’re lucky. It is imperative that you stick to the program – both nutritionally and physically during the other 165 hours of the week! He’s amazing, but there’s only so much he can do without your steadfast commitment.”

Congrats Polly!

To see more of Polly’s story and many other success stories just like hers, please visit this page.

Ray Vargas, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

ISOTONEX High Intensity Training & Sports Nutrition

Serving the San Jose, CA area

Telephone: 408-506-2209

Schedule a consultation here

Posted

My Big Sur Experience

One day during a recent training session, a client asked me if I ever ran a half marathon?  When I told her that I “had never run” in an organized event, she was surprised. Her response sparked some interesting thoughts within me. So much so, that I started periodically looking into races online.

Like most people, I thought twice about pushing my body in a new direction, so I did not sign up for any thing right away. It had been several years since I ran any type of distance, but I wanted to unlock the mystery of what was holding me back from registering for a race. At that point, the thought of doing a “distance run” was beginning to intrigue me more and more. The athlete in me wondered, ‘What could I still do out there? Could I run 5 miles still? How about 10?

Within a day or two of those thoughts, a friend approached me at the gym inquiring if I had ever heard of the ‘Big Sur’ Marathon?? He proceeded to inform me that ‘Runners Magazine’ rated it one of the Top 3 Marathons in the county. A light bulb went off in my head that this was the race for me.

As my first action step, I went home to do some research on the race and I was intent on signing up. Disappointment hit when I discovered the full marathon was already sold out. After searching the website, my hope grew again, when I noticed there was still an opportunity to sign-up for a 21 mile run on the same day and course. Without hesitation, I immediately signed up for that event.

Now I had four months to get ready!! Talk about a reality check, I hadn’t run more than 3 miles in several years. In my last newsletter, I shared an article titled “Burn Your Boats” by Robin Sharma. One section of that article reads:

“Who you truly are only surfaces when you place yourself in a position of discomfort and you begin to feel like you’re out on the skinny branch. Challenge serves beautifully to introduce you to your best – and most brilliant – self.”

It was in the spirit of this article, that my intention then became closing any option of retreat. Determined to hold myself accountable; I published my intentions on my website and started spreading the word to clients and colleagues. Disappointing my clients was not an option, I had to demonstrate the same effort and dedication that I ask from them on a daily basis. I realized that to get the best out of others; I had to get the best out of myself.

With this mindset, I devised my game plan to complete this 21-mile distance using the tips on “goal setting” in the previous newsletter.

Again those tips are as follows:

  1. A well organized Plan of Attack with tangible, incremental steps to success.
  2. Laser-like focus for the tasks at hand.
  3. Constant re-evaluation of progress with short-term bench marks of success.

First on the list was a 10K in Campbell. Training began and was better than expected at the start. It remained on target until I was literally side lined with the flu two days before and could not run that race.

Onto plan B. Next on the list was a 10k in Los Gatos. Again training was on target until I injured myself trying to do an acrobatic move at the gym. Let me just put it this way, the handstand was fine; it was the dismount that was the problem! The result was a deep muscle contusion and nerve injury to outside of my left leg. On the positive side, I knew that running would not further exacerbate the injury. It was just something that needed time to heal. With that said, it made each step of running very uncomfortable.

Another adversity that I needed to overcome and admittedly the thought of using the injury as an excuse to back out briefly crossed my mind. When doing my best to justify this possibility within myself, the one thing that kept appearing into my thoughts was the following quote:

Champions do their best even when no one is else looking.

This was very powerful for me because I knew that I could still run the race. Therefore, I wanted to conquer that natural tendency to avoid the unknown. Something was holding me back and I wanted to overcome that feeling. The risk had to be taken. Choosing the safe route was not an option! Therefore, I was back to training the next day.

After one month, my first milestone in training was completion of the Los Gatos 10k (6.21 miles) in 54 minutes. Although, only a stepping stone to the larger goal; I proved to myself that I could complete a specified distance and my injury did not stop me! From there, I increased my weekly training runs incrementally: 8 miles, 10 miles, 12 miles and so fourth. Each time, I hit a new threshold of pain and discomfort. I seriously began to wonder if I would be able to complete the 21-mile distance.

At 210 pounds, I do not exactly have a typical long distance runner’s physique, nor do I consider myself to be a “runner.” Rather I prefer to think of myself as an “athlete who can run.” Nonetheless, the 21-mile run was obviously a worthy adversary not to be under estimated and I knew I could not back away from the challenge that lay ahead.

As the race approached, I began doing some more detail research on the course. Reading, “The Big Sur Marathon is 26.2 miles of the most beautiful coastline in the world – and, for runners, the most challenging.” (Big Sur). The tag-line for the race is as follows: “Beautiful as it is brutal.”

The race began at 6:30 in the morning, and required catching a designated bus at 4:45 in the morning that would take the runners on a 45 minute drive to the starting line. Predicted temperatures were in the 40’s and some year’s head winds have reached speeds 40 miles per year. In fact winds are such a factor on the course, there is a point in the course named “Hurricane Point” or referred to by runners as “Huri-Pain Point” which involves a 700 ft ascent over the course of 2 miles. It’s straight up the whole time.

The day finally arrived, and in the end I achieved my goal by completing the run in 3 hours and 53 minutes. ‘Big Sur’ delivered all it advertised and then some. The course was both extremely beautiful and challenging at the same time. The course produced on its promise of ‘pain’ when 18 miles in, I experienced some severe cramping in both of my hamstrings. This drastically slowed my pace for last 3 miles, but determined to reach my goal I was able to keep moving.

The beauty of the coast and the sense of accomplishment crossing that finish line made it all worth it! It was so revitalizing to overcome the obstacles that were presented along the way. As a fitness professional, this feeling of joy, sense of accomplishment and rejuvenation are what I aspire each of my clients to experience.

My hope of sharing this story is to inspire you to conquer the unknown. I encourage you to get outside your comfort zone, set goals for yourself and accomplish them. My wish is that somehow this story inspires you to seek your full potential and to discover, health, happiness and harmony along the way!

Ray Vargas, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

ISOTONEX High Intensity Training & Sports Nutrition

Serving the San Jose, CA area

Telephone: 408-506-2209

Schedule a consultation here

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Navy Seals Motivation

This is one of my favorite quotes and I wanted to share it with you.

“I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.”

 

Ray Vargas, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

ISOTONEX High Intensity Training & Sports Nutrition

Serving the San Jose, CA area

Telephone: 408-506-2209

Schedule a consultation here

Posted