Military fitness trainer and inventor of Strength Stack 52 fitness cards, Sergeant Michael Volkin, has only three main rules for staying in shape. He refers to all three of these rules as the DCNs of fitness. “If you use my rules of DCN, you will have a killer body and be healthier than ever” he claims. So what is DCN? We wanted to know too, so we asked Sergeant Volkin.
Question: Sergeant Volkin, you have said the DCNs of fitness encompass everything you need to get and stay in shape, can you tell us what DCN stands for and why it’s so important?
Sergeant Volkin: DCN is an acronym that stands for diversity, consistency and nutrition.
Diversity is important because your body has an amazing ability to adapt to exercises. But people don’t realize that. I see the same people in the gym month after month doing the same exercises. I call those “zombie workouts”. They are just going through the motions. What they don’t realize is after a while (about 4-6 weeks typically) your workouts start to become less and less effective. If you spend about 15 minutes a day planning to make your workout the following day a bit different, the difference it would make in your workout is enormous. Major changes aren’t needed, you could plan to do a new exercise or even change the speed at which you perform your normal routine. That’s one of the biggest benefits to Strength Stack 52. These fitness cards allow you to constantly introduce new exercises into your routine.
The C in DCN is the hardest for most people to accomplish. This stands for consistency. You must exercise consistently to get the results you want. Too many people get motivated sign-up for a gym membership then stop after about a month. Have you ever been to a gym in January? It’s a zoo! New people flood the gym every year because of new year’s resolutions, but by February the newbie’s are nowhere to be found. The best way to exercise consistently is to plan time for your workouts. If you block off an hour a day 7 days a week to work out, you are much more likely to complete your workout. Yes, you should plan for 7 days a week because a couple days out of your week something is going to cause you to cancel your workout. If you plan for 7 and do 5 workouts, that would a fantastic accomplishment. It’s important that you do whatever you can to not schedule anything over your workout time.
Photo credit: Biokinetic
The N stands for nutrition. Yes, working out alone could make you fit, but proper nutrition only accelerates that process. I could write a book about how to supplement an exercise program with nutrition, in fact, I have a product soon to be launched called Weight Loss Stack 52 that does just that. But my advice to you is stop with the fad diets. You don’t need to starve yourself to lose weight, you don’t need to avoid all carbs or go on celebrity diets, simply make smart eating decisions. If you’re hungry, eat something, just instead of eating a bagel; eat something healthier, like a piece of fruit.
Combining those three elements, diversity, consistency and nutrition, you will become as healthy as you want to be. Most importantly, accomplishing these three elements won’t change your life. With a little bit of preparation and smart decision making you could make incredible health improvements.
7 Replies to "The DCNs of Fitness"
Amanda H April 16, 2014 (12:00 pm)
Love this! I knew that mixing things up, exercising consistently, and eating well were important but I like having this simple acronym and clear explanation of things to keep me motivated. Thanks for sharing!
o
Cassi
Twitter: lawrtw
April 16, 2014 (4:10 pm)
I like that acronym too.
D: Besides getting bored with a workout I use my HRM to tell me when to change things up. When it starts to drop below where it has been it’s time for something different.
C: I’m good here. I work out before I start the day…well, I check my email on my phone first.
N: Being a picky eater this is where I struggle. I don’t like many fruits & veggies so I have to find creative ways to make me eat them.
o
DSTPRL April 17, 2014 (12:25 pm)
Hey Cassi!!! I would love to hear how creative you get with the fruits and veggies you like. Is it a texture issue or just a taste issue?
The Frugal Exerciser
Twitter: Laurend1985
April 20, 2014 (2:35 pm)
The N is the probably the hardest for me to do. I have a tendency to eat too many sweets from time to time but the D and the C, I’m really good at. Does Sergeant Michael Volkin train in your area? Visiting from the #swowlinkup.
o
becca
Twitter: _Everyday_Life_
April 21, 2014 (1:18 pm)
I had no clue about the fact I should change up my routine. I love waling so I take a walk everyday I never knew this could be bad by my body getting use to it. I also do situps and squats every other day maybe I need to rethink what i’m doing maybe alternate walking with bike riding.
o
DSTPRL April 21, 2014 (1:35 pm)
Becca – you can continue walking but step it up a little each time. No leisure stroll, quick pace. Swing those arms. Walk like you have somewhere to be. Changing it up keeps the body guessing, burning calories and making changes. That is the only way to go. Walking is good for you – my mother lost 20 lbs doing it BUT she walked HILLS, she walked FAST and with a stick she carried for protection and as weight. Change it up is all.
becca
Twitter: _Everyday_Life_
April 24, 2014 (9:06 pm)
But what if walking fast is difficult I mean walking for me takes a lot of thinking as I have MS. So i have to really thing about putting one foot in front of the other and telling myself heal-toe. If I try to speed walk or run I lose balance and fall. Could i possible change it up by carrying weights or maybe adding something else. also as I’ve said i’ve been doing squats that i can now do without holding onto anything but i’ve added 2 lbs weights that I hold. As for sit ups I still do those on my stability ball I got from my PT guy.
o