“So, what are you going to do?”
This question is asked a lot by people who want to know what kind of workout I do. It’s not so much about what I do, but rather the principles I use in all of my workouts. My workouts will change depending on my body and goals. There is no one perfect workout. It’s true, sorry.
It is important to be realistic about your goals. Some people may want to build muscle. Others may want to gain strength or lose weight. There are many different types of workouts that can produce results. However, it might not be optimal for your goals. For example, you may have gained 5lbs muscle while doing a particular workout. But if your workouts were more optimized, you could have gained up to 10lbs. This is true for strength and weight loss.
It’s not about what others are doing. But it is about what you want to do. My mentors, as well as many powerlifters and professional bodybuilders that I read about, have taught me a lot. Their training programs are tailored to what they desire. If they are looking to become a productive wide receiver, a wide receiver won’t do the same training as an offensive lineman.
What are these principles I am babbling about? Thank you for asking. Even if they weren’t asked, here they were:
1) Workouts that are specific to your goals – Your workouts should be in line with your goals. Training for strength, speed, power and weight loss is possible. If you want to build muscle mass but are running an hour per day on a treadmill, your training may not be aligned with your goals.
2) Have a purpose in your training – Your workout time is yours. You can be totally selfish, clear your mind and get away from all the noise around you. You should train like this. Talking to people around you, texting, checking Facebook, or any other distraction from your workout can be very counterproductive. It’s just the truth. It is unlikely that Jerry Rice and Michael Jordan would have seen them checking their phones while they were practicing or training.
This tip may be the most important of all. It is a terrible thing to do is start a program and then after two weeks, abandon it in favor of a new program that you read in a magazine or was recommended by a friend. To get comparable results, you must give the plan at least 8 to 12 weeks. You don’t want to be known as a workout jumper. I can’t count how many times I’ve been told “I did the [insert exercise here], but I didn’t see any results after two weeks.” Then you can insert your face in hand reaction to try and instruct these well-meaning souls that even the best workouts don’t yield great results after only a few weeks. Sorry, I was ranting. Okay, I’m done. You will not know what your body responds to different types of training if you jump from one workout program to the next. What do you prefer: high volume, low intensity, max sets, drop sets? It’s impossible to know what your body responds to and you won’t see the results you want.
4) Eat to support your exercise – this should be obvious, but I will say it (you like that Old English). You might be better off staying home and watching TV than supporting your workouts with a good nutrition plan. This applies to those who are looking to build muscle and burn fat. I appreciate you if you’re just going to the gym to keep active. You should still adhere to a healthy nutritional plan:
You will be well-prepared to support your workouts and achieve the body you want if you can hit the four windows of opportunity in nutrition. These are the 4 windows of opportunity:
1) Breakfast
2) Pre Workout (30-60 minutes before exercise).
3) Post Workout (25-45 minutes after the exercise).
4) Bedtime
These 4 steps will be mastered quickly and you’ll see amazing results.
5) Pump up the Jams – Want to get great workouts in your gym and stay on track? You can plug in your iPod to listen to your favourite tunes. According to the U.S. journal Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology participants who listened to their favorite music while jogging increased their endurance by 15%. It’s pretty sweet, right?
If you disagree, I don’t know your search.
Okay, so whatever is better than hearing conversations you don’t want to have, bad gym music, and listening to the guy scream while he is sitting next to you. You can crank up your favorite songs, such as Britney Spears or Taylor Swift, and still get the same results. It’s not possible for anyone to hear you so they won’t judge you. You know what I mean and you kind of like it.
Okay, that’s it for now. But I can promise you that you’ll see great results and start to reap the benefits of your training if these five principles are implemented into your workouts. It might be something you enjoy a lot.
