Simple ways to reach your goals pt. 1

There are a few basic rules you need to follow if you want to be successful in the gym. No matter your goals, the same basic rules apply. If you follow them, you will be successful. If you don’t, you won’t. Simple as that.

 

1) Be consistent! If you have a killer routine but do it a few times a month, you won’t get anywhere. If you have a solid routine and do it 3+ times a week, you will get results. Period. Getting stronger, faster, leaner, and more badass means that you’re giving your body a stimulus to respond to and it adapts to that stimulus. If you don’t consistently give your body that stimulus, you won’t get any better. On another note, stop doing random stuff all the time. It might be exciting to do whatever workout you read in every new Muscle & Fitness but if you keep doing random things, don’t be surprised if you never get stronger or more jacked.  Be consistent not only means hitting the gym consistently but sticking with something for enough time to see it yield results.

2)   Keep it simple! Especially if you’re new to training, it can be easy to follow a routine that looks cool in a magazine or website only to find it hard to stick to and not have it yield results. There’s a reason why people have been squatting, deadlifting, and pushing weights around for a long time. It works. If you get better at deadlifting and squatting you will definitely see better results than making sure you isolate your triceps every time on the triple overhead extension assault of death exercise that I can guarantee some asshole made up to fill up space in magazine. If you can consistently progress on the most basic exercises, you will see results. It’s as simple as that.

3)   Make it a priority. One of the hardest parts of starting to workout is making it a habit in your life. Just like everything else you do on a regular basis, working out needs to be one of them too.  In order to make it a priority, have a goal (see #5).  Find a way to make what you want in the long run (your goals) more important than what you want right now (beer and nachos and netflix). Setting goals, having a trainer, and training buddies will ensure that you stay accountable.

4)   Recovery. This is an important one. Don’t let your training go to waste.  Proper nutrition, sleep, mobility, and soft tissue work will make sure you get the optimal results and keep you healthy and injury free. Don’t overlook the things that happen outside of lifting as it could completely derail your efforts.

5) Have a goal. It doesn’t matter whether you want to lose weight, get strong like a bull, compete, or just workout on a consistent basis. Find your goal and use it to motivate you. In the end, no one can motivate you except yourself. No amount of inspirational pictures on Facebook or quotes you wrote on a post-it can get you to do what you need to do.

 

-Coach Lily