Total Results Blog

Most regular readers of this blog are probably familiar with a list that is titled, "Ten Things That Require Zero Talent." This collection of principles is attributed to Bill Gross, who is the founder of a technology incubator called Idealab. I first came across this sign a couple of years ago in the weight room at Dominion High School when I coached football there. As someone who was definitely not the most talented athlete during my playing career, this mindset really spoke to me. Talent, you see, is vastly overrated, and is something that you really do not have any control over. Desire, drive, and a willingness to do what it takes counts for far more, in my opinion. This is something that I have tried to instill in the players that I coach, and it is applicable to Total Results clients as well. You do not have to be the most genetically gifted individual to achieve great training results.

Here is the list in its entirety, as well as how each principle relates to Total Results exercise.

Be on time. Clients are typically in a better mental state when they aren't rushed or frazzled from running late. Your mental readiness has a direct impact on how you physically perform. It is always a good idea to arrive a few minutes early for your session. Remember, we are creating sustainable habits, and promptness pays dividends in all aspects of life.

Work ethic. Total Results workouts are hard; they are supposed to be, since producing lasting physical change is a difficult process. Consistency produces progress, and giving your best effort is a victory unto itself. Take joy in that process and rise to the challenge.

Effort. This is truly the name of the game; I learned that from my former colleague Alan Stein Jr. over 25 years ago. Effort is not related to the amount of weight that you lift, it is about how you lift it. It is about pushing through discomfort and seeing each exercise through until its rightful conclusion. Leave no stone unturned.

Body language. At one point, it was thought that 93 percent of communication is non-verbal. While most experts no longer believe that to be accurate, your body language says a lot about your mental state. If you look like you are dreading your workout, you probably won't perform very well. However, if you walk into the studio with purpose and confidence, you will have a positive metabolic experience.

Energy. The challenges of life and the law of averages dictates that you will not always be super-energetic. However, the mind can defy the body in many instances. You will be more authentically energetic if you handle business between workouts (sleep, nutrition, hydration, etc).

Attitude. There is much in life that lies outside of your control, but one thing that you do have authority over is your attitude. You can choose to look at things in a positive light, or you can decide to be negative. It's up to you. Positive people tend to perform better in whatever task they participate in.

Passion. I realize that most people do not have the same enthusiasm for exercise that I do, which is one reason I went into this industry in the first place. That being said, it's okay to get excited! Having the ability to participate in these workouts is truly a gift; not everyone is as fortunate. I try to remain upbeat (but clinical) in my instructional mannerisms, because I believe that enthusiasm is contagious.

Be coachable. This is probably the most critical element to your Total Results success. It is our job to coax the best possible performance out of every client. As an instructor I maintain a positive attitude, but part of my job is to be critical and correct mistakes. Please do not take this personally; it is all designed to make you better.

Doing extra. You could probably show up once or twice per week, give excellent effort in your workouts, and see some positive benefit. However, if you want optimal results you have to be willing to do the work in between sessions. Managing stress, drinking plenty of water, sleeping 7-9 hours per night, incorporating low level movement, supplementation, and eating properly will give you the best chance for success. Don't be satisfied with mediocrity.

Be prepared. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Be mentally and physically prepared for your workout. Come dressed and ready for your session, or arrive a few minutes early with clothes to change into. Staying up late the night before is a bad idea; get to bed at a reasonable hour, especially if you have an early morning workout. Take a few minutes to shut everything else out and focus on what needs to be accomplished in the next twenty minutes. Finally, accept the fact that this will be uncomfortable, but it's nothing you haven't been able to handle before.

You do not have to be experienced in the ways of high-intensity exercise, or be an elite athlete to reap huge benefits from Total Results. Some of our biggest success stories are clients who never touched a weight before they first walked into our studio. You simply need to have desire and a willingness to do what it takes; it has nothing to do with talent! Self-improvement is a powerful internal motivator. We can teach technique, promote good habits, and give encouragement, but the rest has to come from you.

For years we have stressed to both novice and experienced clients that properly performed high-intensity exercise is not fun. Creating a muscular and metabolic stimulus is hard work and entails exertional discomfort, labored breathing, occasional nausea, and general systemic fatigue (albeit brief). Sure, it's probably not most people's idea of a good time; we tend to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Keeping your emotions under control, intellectually processing instructions, and maintaining your focus under difficult circumstances can be a tall order for even the most veteran clients. However, what if you changed your mindset? What if you approached each workout as a challenge, an opportunity to improve? What if you began each session with an attitude of "bring it on!"? You might just look at Total Results workouts as fun.

I know this sounds crazy, but take a step back and examine exercise through a different lens. What could be better than overcoming a challenge and accomplishing something meaningful? Part of the fun of accomplishing meaningful tasks is that they require effort. Think back to when you were little and you learned to tie your shoes. At first you struggled, but with consistently applied effort (and a little help from a parent or grandparent) you eventually learned how to do it. Obviously tying your shoes does not require the same level of physical or mental effort as does a high-intensity workout, but you understand the point. As author Ryan Holiday says in his 2025 book "Wisdom Takes Work," "No one can accomplish greatness in any field if they are not driven by love and fascination and genuine reverence." That fascination and wonder is what spurs you on in the face of something difficult, and it makes the end result more worthwhile.

Competition makes everyone better. This is true in athletics, in free market economics, and in technology. Most of us are more competitive than even we realize; who among us hasn't felt their competitive juices flowing from a backyard game of cornhole? We often want to know what others are doing so that we have a means of measuring ourselves. There is a competitive element to Total Results workouts, but with a twist. Here, you are competing against yourself rather than someone else. There is no meaningful comparison between you and someone else, unless you are an identical twin with the exact same set of genetics. Instead, find a way to make it a game; try to improve upon your previous performance in some way, whether it is something as objective as time under load or weight, or something subjective like better focus and breathing. Squeezing out one more repetition when you thought you couldn't will give you a tremendous feeling of accomplishment, and it is fun!

Holiday discusses a conversation between Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman and one of his graduate students. "Think back to when you were a kid," Feynman says. "When you were a kid, did you love science? Was it your passion?" "As long as I can remember," the student replied. "Me too," Feynman said. "Remember, it's supposed to be fun." Exercise is not fun every single minute, but on the whole it is still something that gives me immense pleasure. The entire process of instruction is fun, from the charting to the equipment set-up, to the actual instructing of clients during their workouts. It is an opportunity to help someone learn and achieve a level of fitness that they did not believe was possible. I see things through the eyes of my 23 year old self at times (when I first got into the business), and am still amazed that I have the opportunity to do this for a living. My own workouts are a highlight of my week. No, exertional discomfort and gasping for breath at the end are not particularly pleasant, and I do still experience some mild anxiety before I start. That is normal. I look at the workouts as non-negotiable; they must be undertaken in order to achieve continued health and physical independence. The fun is in rising to meet the challenge, but also in doing what you know most people are unwilling to do. As Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice once said, "Today I will do what others won't so tomorrow I can do what others can't." I am privileged to be able to workout every week - not everyone is as fortunate.

How do you define success? That depends on your values, but as six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick says, "Success is not a solid, straight line." You will have your ups and downs, but keep it all in perspective and focus on what you can control. Most of all, you can control your effort and attitude. You can choose to look at your workouts as drudgery, or you can make your own fun and compete against yourself. It's all up to you!

Nathaniel Altman is a journalist and author of more than fifteen books on alternative healing and nature. Some of his titles include "The Honey Prescription," "Healing Springs," and "A Russian Herbal." Three previous editions of "The New Oxygen Prescription" were published in 1995, 1998, and 2007; the fourth edition was released in 2017. The author's personal interest in oxidative therapies came about as a result of being the primary caregiver for a friend who eventually succumbed to AIDS. Under the supervision of a physician, Altman administered to his friend daily infusions of 35 percent food-grade hydrogen peroxide. These infusions eased discomfort, shrank a Kaposi's sarcoma by half within three weeks, and gave his friend a greater quality of life before his ultimate passing.

Oxidative therapies involve the use of ozone or hydrogen peroxide, added to a base of oxygen or water, in order to introduce active forms of oxygen to the body. This can help to kill diseased tissue, viruses, fungi, bacteria, and microbes, and eliminate them from the body. Ozone is an elemental form of oxygen that, as the author states, "...Is created in nature when ultraviolet energy causes oxygen atoms (which are normally found in pairs, forming oxygen molecules) to temporarily recombine in groups of three." This unique molecule was used to disinfect wounds during World War I, and was also studied and used in 1930s Germany to treat inflammatory bowel disorders, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. Hydrogen peroxide is chemically known as H2O2; it mixes easily with water and can be considered a close relative of ozone. It is a substance that is naturally present in our body and helps our immune system to function properly. The medicinal use of hydrogen peroxide dates back to the 1920s when British physician T.H. Oliver used it to successfully treat critically ill influenza patients in India. German physician William Frederick Koch administered a substance he called glyoxylide (believed to be the same oxygen found in H2O2) to successfully treat cancer patients. Dr. Koch was sued by the FDA, and though he was eventually acquitted he left the U.S. and continued his research in Brazil.

How do oxidative therapies work? According to Altman, "Simply put, oxidative therapies can help accelerate oxygen metabolism and stimulate the release of oxygen atoms from the blood stream to the cells. When levels of oxygen increase, the potential for disease decreases. Germs, parasites, fungi, bacteria, and viruses are killed along with diseased and deficient tissue cells. At the same time, healthy cells not only survive but are better able to multiply. The result is a stronger immune system and improved overall immune response." In addition, oxidative therapies stimulate the production of white blood cells, oxidize petrochemicals, break down macronutrients to be used as energy, increase the production of interferon and tumor necrosis factor (which are used to fight infections and cancer), and increase the delivery of oxygen from the blood to the cells. Ozone can be administered in a multitude of ways including intramuscular injection, intravenous injection, as well as through a bagging technique. Hydrogen peroxide can be taken orally (in distilled water), intravenously, or even added to a bathtub of warm water. Speaking of water, ozone is often used in municipal water treatment, and was even used in the pools at the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles.

Oxidative therapies have been used for decades to treat cancer. German scientist Otto Warbug discovered in 1966 that a lack of oxygen at the cellular level is a key precondition for the development of cancer. In 1974, German doctor Joachim Varro learned that tumor cells have a peroxide intolerance, which suggests that certain types of cancerous growths may be inhibited by ozone and hydrogen peroxide. Even as early as 1962, Dr. J.W. Finney of Baylor University Medical Center published his findings in the Southern Medical Journal about the benefits of hydrogen peroxide as an adjunct to radiation therapy.

There have been promising findings regarding ozone and HIV/AIDS patients. Drs. Michael T.F. Carpendale and Joel K. Freeberg published a report in the journal Antiviral Research. According to Altman, "Carpendale and Freeberg showed that HIV could be 99 percent inactivated with only 0.5 ug ozone/ml of human serum, and completely inactivated by ozone concentrations of 4 ug/ml of human serum. Those concentrations of ozone did not harm healthy cells." Dr. Frank Shallenberger conducted his own study that was presented in 1993, in which he administered intravenous ozone over fourteen days to five randomly selected AIDS patients. His findings were very encouraging. As the author describes, "Dr. Shallenberger's findings support the hypothesis that ozone therapy can have long-term positive effects on AIDS patients. While not a cure, ozone therapy can play a role in improving the quality of life of persons living with AIDS. Soon after the results of the Shallenberger study were released, the Nevada medical authorities attempted to close down his practice."

There are a whole host of musculoskeletal problems that ozone and hydrogen peroxide have been used to treat over the past forty years. Some of these conditions include arthrosis (degeneration of cartilage), herniated disc pain, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Small injections of ozone or hydrogen peroxide, known as regenerative injection therapy, produce an anti-inflammatory response and result in enhanced healing. In the case of disc herniation, ozone hyperoxygenates the area and initiates the repair process by stimulating collagen deposition.

Nathaniel Altman did an outstanding job of writing this book. He covers the subject without bias, and was up front in the book's introduction about his personal interest in oxidative therapies. The author also states very clearly for the record that he does not have any affiliation with any doctors, clinics, or companies that are mentioned in the book, and that outside of the royalties earned from the sales of the book he does not have a financial interest. There is a list of resources in the appendix section, including databases, organizations, and additional books in which you can learn more about the subject. I highly recommend reading this book to see if oxidative therapies can improve your quality of life.

Optimism is often high in January. A new year has begun, and we have many ideas about what we want to accomplish over the next twelve months. Ideas are the fertile soil of creativity, but without structure, discipline, and a plan of action, great ideas can remain in the theoretical rather than the practical realm. If your desire is to become stronger, fitter, and have more energy so that you can maximize your life, you are not alone. Millions of Americans begin a new calendar year with a vision of losing twenty pounds, improving their eating habits, and starting a regular workout regimen. Unfortunately, a large percentage of those folks fail to sustain their initial enthusiasm and fall back into old habits before spring. In order to succeed and take your mind and body to a new level, it's going to require something different. Are you finally ready to make that commitment to yourself?

I am not a big proponent of New Year's resolutions; as I said earlier, most people fail because they don't have a plan of action and they don't create habits that are sustainable. You don't need to wait for the start of a calendar year to get serious about improving yourself. Procrastination is a mistake; it's time to develop a sense of urgency! I am much more of a believer in creating a vision board. You can design it any way you like; some people like to draw or cut out pictures of things that they want to achieve and put them on poster boards. Others draw squares on poster boards to make them look like bingo cards, and write things that they want to accomplish into each square (I did this for 2026). Most importantly, your vision board should be displayed somewhere that it can be seen every day. Why put forth that effort if you aren't going to see on a daily basis what you want to achieve? Statistics show that people are far more likely to achieve their goals if they are written down and frequently viewed.

A commitment to yourself does not need to take up a lot of your time; it simply requires a willingness to do what needs to be done. Total Results exercise fits that description to a T. However, before you commit to something (particularly our exercise program), you must understand what this entails. Our workouts will be brief, but they will be hard. Most people who come through our doors for the first time have likely never experienced training in this fashion. You will experience fatigue and exertional discomfort - this is simply par for the course. There may be times when you want to quit, but you must press on. People often ask, "When does it get easier?" The answer is that it doesn't. Your easiest workout is your first session. While we do not expect you to exercise intensely in the first few sessions, once you reach a certain level of proficiency and conditioning, each successive session will be demanding. This is necessary in order to stimulate continued physical improvements, and it also explains why the workouts must be both brief and infrequent.

Total Results exercise requires a significant physical and mental commitment, but not a large time commitment. Our sessions will last no longer than twenty minutes, and clients exercise once or twice per week. That's it. Less than one hour per week. You can exercise at any time of day; physiologically, there is no "best time" of day to workout. You can come first thing in the morning, during your workday, or after work. If you can't make it during the week, we also take appointments on Saturdays. A highly educated instructor will supervise every session, keep detailed records of every workout, and provide a level of professionalism, knowledge, and accountability that you cannot find in the gym. Remember, it doesn't happen by itself!

So what is stopping you? None of us knows when our number is up, so don't take a day for granted. As I said earlier, successful habits are those that are easy to follow. One or two twenty minute sessions can fit into anyone's week if they want it badly enough. You have tried other methods, now experience a method that has proven to be effective for more than 40 years. There is no sense in waiting until tomorrow or next month. Make a commitment to yourself today.

John Little is a fitness writer and author of several books, including the Bruce Lee biography "Wrath of the Dragon." He co-authored "Body by Science" with Dr. Doug McGuff in 2009, which in my opinion is the single greatest book ever written for the layperson about high-intensity exercise. In 2025, Little published "Mike Mentzer - American Odysseus", which is a detailed biography of former bodybuilder, philosopher, instructor, and writer Mike Mentzer. The author brings a unique perspective to this project, having been friends with Mentzer for over 20 years before his untimely death in 2001 at the age of 49.

Mike Mentzer grew up in Ephrata, Pennsylvania in a complicated family dynamic; he had older half-siblings from his mother's previous marriage in addition to his younger brother Ray. At the age of 11 he saw his first bodybuilding magazine, and soon thereafter he began weight training. As he grew large and strong throughout his teenage years, it was clear that he had the genetic potential to pursue competitive bodybuilding. Upon graduation from high school, Mentzer did a stint in the Air Force at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. It was during this time that he first started using steroids to prepare for bodybuilding contests (amazingly, they were not illegal until 1990). The story takes a most interesting turn when Mike learns about Nautilus training principles in the early 1970s from a fellow competitor, and he even spent several months in 1974 living in Florida and training with Nautilus founder Arthur Jones at Nautilus headquarters.

In the 1970s (and probably still today) bodybuilders utilized a high volume approach to their training, often doing split routines four to six days per week with as much as twenty sets per muscle group. This was the way that Arnold Schwarzenegger trained, and most bodybuilders followed his lead. Mentzer's methodology (heavily influenced by Jones) involved three full-body workouts per week, taking each exercise to muscular failure, and totalling about an hour per workout. Based on what we know now this was still very high volume, but much less than what other bodybuilders were doing. Mentzer's high-intensity strategy propelled him to a win in the Mr. America competition and a second place finish in the 1979 Mr. Olympia contest. If not for corrupt judging and the heavy-handed influence of Schwarzenegger (returning to competition after a five year retirement), Mike likely would have been victorious in the 1980 Mr. Olympia. It was at this point that he walked away from bodybuilding, never to compete again.

Mentzer never officially retired from bodybuilding, he simply stepped out of the limelight and retreated to a more quiet life. There was a family history of mental illness, and Mike struggled with depression for much of his life. He began self-medicating during the 1980s, acquired other bad habits that would lead to trouble down the road, and was in a dark place for several years. John Little proved to be a trusted friend during this time and helped him get back on his feet. It was during the late 1980s and early 1990s that Mentzer started a thriving personal training and consultation business, working with bodybuilders as well as the general population. An intellectual at heart, Mike began studying his clients' data and realized that there was an inverse relationship between intensity of effort and volume/frequency of exercise. He renamed his approach "Heavy Duty", and began reducing the duration and frequency of his clients' workouts. As a result, they made much more sustained progress over time.

Unfortunately, Mike's lifestyle, genetic factors, and the years of steroid use created significant health problems that ultimately led to his death in 2001 at the age of 49. However, his influence in the high-intensity exercise community continues to this day, in no small part due to John Little keeping the flame going. Mentzer was very different from his contemporary bodybuilders; he was bright, articulate, well-read, studied philosophy in his spare time, and even had aspirations of becoming a psychiatrist. He took the time to ask questions and learn about physiology so that he could maximize his own workouts as well as those whom he trained. His Heavy Duty approach was quite similar to what we do at Total Results, at least in terms of volume and frequency, and I believe he even had conversations with Ken Hutchins in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Hutchins mentions Mentzer in his writings). Mentzer had a significant influence on me, not just in terms of his training approach and cerebral mindset, but he also inspired me to read the works of Ayn Rand. I owe an eternal debt of gratitude to him.

John Little does an outstanding job of telling Mike Mentzer's story. He shares personal anecdotes and experiences based upon his friendship with Mentzer, but is also critical of some of his life choices. Mike's death is a cautionary tale of steroid use, and sadly, he recognized the role they played in his demise once it was far too late. Bodybuilding is a niche sport filled with drug abuse and corruption, and while this book is about far more than just bodybuilding I recognize that probably will not incentivize most folks to read it. However, in my opinion this book is worth reading in order to shine a light on Mike Mentzer and his contributions to the science of high-intensity weight training.