Welcome to the quick and dirty tips to slim down and shape up. My name is Brock Armstrong.

I'm the get fit guy and I've been noticing a migration in my local gym over the past couple

years. Sure, there are still a few folks who come in and head straight over to the treadmill

and the elliptical machine or the stationary bike, but lately it's

been getting harder and harder to get some quality time on the squat rack, the half rack,

the Smith machine, the weight benches, and even the cable machines. And you know what? I love it.

To me, this migration to the weight area of the gym signifies that people are recognizing that

getting strong and building some muscle is a valuable use of their time, arguably a better use

of their time than hitting the hamster wheels. I'm seeing as the amount of cardio that we actually

require in our lives can easily be incorporated

into the other 23.25 hours in the day that we spend outside of the gym.

All you need to do is what I like to refer to as adopt a carless mindset.

Now when you think of weight training, you probably picture some huge bodybuilders with beefy muscles and chiseled chests,

but it is so much more, and at the same time, so much less than that.

These days, regular-looking folks are hitting the weights, and even scientists are saying that

resistance training offers amazing benefits for

everyday regular-sized people hoping for better health.

Now as a coach, I have heard it again and again.

I'm too small, I'm too old, I'm too weak to start lifting weights.

And other people think that they need to lose a bunch of excess body fat before they hit the weights.

My favorite justification of all is that they worry that lifting heavy will make them bulk up.

Well, okay, let's knock those excuses and justifications off one by one.

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