Finding what works for you, the fitness lie everyone wants to believe.

Provocative as the title might be it’s more true than people may want to accept. 

It’s true that you’ll need to find the elements in training that work. 

What’s not true is how people perceive this.

You don’t find what works for you and then that’s it forever, it’s doesn’t. 

What you find, it’ll work once or maybe twice because your body is quite the adaptive little machine.

There’s something called the Law of Accommodation you see. 

You can google the super technical description of this, I’m going to try and keep it simple. 

Essentially you will find that the stimulus you expose your body to will have an ever decreasing effect because of how your body adapts, becomes more resilient and generally stronger.

After a specific point you’ll need to change something.

It might need to be something major or maybe something minor, that’s where individual difference comes into play. 

Some need more aggressive tweaks than others because they have a hyper efficient nervous system in regards to adaption and reducing the stress effect on the body, while great for survival it might not be great for achieving the exact result you desire. 

Others have a notoriously inefficient body when it comes to adapting to change, meaning they might be able to milk something for a longer period of time. 

Eventually though everything stops working.

Therefore when people talk about finding what works for you while they’re not wrong it’s a very poor message to pin all your hopes on because it hints at their being one ultimate answer. 

There isn’t.

To constantly grow, adapt, change, progress etc, you’ll need to subject yourself to something a little different eventually. 

Given the above how is it some people can stay on the same ‘program’ for literally decades and still make consistent progress?

As much as it contradicts my notion above there is a very simple reason for success without apparent change. 

The body is being subjected to a level of stress that is required, novel and forces adaptation.

My bias is to choose a few movements to train and simply do those for as long as humanly possible. 

I’ve literally trained the same 6 for about 3 years now, progress is still being made though because things do change as the reps, sets, loading, intensity, tempo, rest periods and various other variables will be tweaked.

Alternatively I could keep the same set/rep protocol and change the movement variations. 

Either way it’s not a case of finding what works for you in the sense of the perfect program. 

It’s actually about understanding how the body works on a biological level. 

The general adaptation syndrome (GAS), developed by Hans Selye is a great and necessary place to start, as is learning about SAID – specific adaptations to imposed demands. 

All of this comes down to stress, stimulus and then recovering.

The issue isn’t what you do, it’s how you do it, how long for and for what purpose. 

Too many people want all of their problems to be solved by a magic way of training that will constantly provide them ongoing results without any need for change.

Nice as that idea is it’s just not how life works. 

You’d do well to give away the idea that you need to find ‘what works for you’ and instead seek out what works.

Perhaps you’d rather say ‘what works for you right now’ or ‘what works right now’, semantics aside the overall idea needs to be fuelled by these three key elements – Stimulus/Stress, Consistency, Patience.

Each is needed, and further more you’ll find keeping notes on all of your training helps as well. 

There is not ever going to be a perfect way to train. 

If you listen to those that have climbed the mountain and became immortalised they all say a similar thing. 

It’s not just about finding what works for you, it’s about learning and understanding the feeling they needed to achieve each and every session, that is the real core essence of finding what people say word for you. 

Finding how you need to feel each session.

Connecting with your body on a deep level that allows you to know you’ve done what you need in that session to achieve the results you’re after is where all the gold can really be found. 

There’s no magic formula for this. 

It’s something that sits just beyond the realms of logic & science.

The next time you train try to do so in silence with no distraction, just a note pad and pen.

Write down each set and how you felt before, during and after it. 

Take your mind to the place reserved for those that wish to succeed.

Like a master of a craft that has become indifferent to any one specific tool, use any and everything you have at your disposal.

Eventually you’ll find that with you seek from your training in doing this. 

Although if the isn’t something you want, that’s okay. 

In that case hire someone to help guide you with tried and tested methods because everything works when you’re consistent and patient enough to allow it to.

Be deliberate (and have intent) in your choices and actions, especially in training.

Enjoy,
Ross 

One Consistent Reason People Plateau & Fail

There’s many reasons, yet one of the biggest ones is as follows.

So many only want to do what one specific thing in training.

The Fun Stuff.

Of what is considered fun in their opinion. 

Yep, in regards to training and physical transformations or climbing to whatever height is desired the common and consistent issue a lot of people have is they simply won’t do what is needed. 

It’s easy to do the fun stuff. 

You might see this as hitting the big weights with low volume. 

Getting a pump. 

Smashing yourself with cardio so that you’re nothing more than a sweaty mess on the floor after each and every session.

Obviously enjoyment of training is important however it’s not everything.

I’ve personally known a lot of people that only do training they enjoy and while they find it easy enough to go do 2-3 hour sessions they’ve got no improvements in health or physical prowess to show for it.

This is because they refuse to do all the other things that accumulate the additional benefits.

Having all of your ducks neatly lined up is essential for long term progress and change. 

Many find this the hard part because there will usually be a lot of things they don’t like doing that fall into this category and that is where as a coach/trainer I find many hit their on personal wall. 

I tend to describe the entire process like this – Your starting at point A, to get to point Z you need to do the following…. If that’s not something you think will be sustainable in regards to a lifestyle change however adopting the behaviours/habits etc you’ve said you like will have you move from doit A to perhaps point F. This is great however without the rest we’ve discussed you’ll never get any further than F and no closer to point Z. 

Having people realise all that needs to change can be tricky.

One of two things needs to happen.

• They accept what needs to happen to achieve what they want and adjust their life accordingly forever.
• Their expectations are lowered and less lofty outcomes are set.

In this regard I’ve found it then comes down to how far people are willing to go. 

A lot will say they want ‘it’ bad and will do whatever is required. 

Courageous as these words sound all you need do is look around at how many have given up after the first hurdle because beyond that point had more necessary (and less enjoyable) needs that had to be met which they weren’t willing to do. 

Of course no one needs to do anything they don’t want to. 

That being said such people have no business then saying how much they want ‘it’ because their actions reflect their level of commitment.

If all training needs to be for you is fun, that’s great, genuinely.

Go train and have fun.

Just be aware that if you truly wish to make a lifestyle change then you’ll need to accept the majority of what is required for this won’t be fun or enjoyable in the early days. 

Take fat loss as an example. 

Eating less overall food, ensuring a higher quality of food, keeping highly refined and hyper palatable foods to a minimum, adding in training elements you may not enjoy because of their necessity and various other changes to your life that mean you may have to change your social circles.

There can be no change without change.

And change isn’t always going to be fun, although in the end it’s usually worth it. 

Have you been guilty of only wanting to do what you consider to be fun in your fitness journey?

I certainly have and it lead to years of plateau, endless excuses and didn’t make me feel any more fulfilled because that could only come from moving forwards which required doing various things that often get left out of many fitness influencers sales pitches. 

Remember if something sounds too good to be true it usually is.

Life isn’t fun all the time and often filled with things we need to do more commonly than things we want to do. 

Training is exactly the same.

Enjoy what you enjoy and when it comes time to crack on with the less pleasurable elements sim to think of the long term benefits that will come as a result. 

Enjoy,
Ross

Book recommendation – Eat That Frog, by Brian Tracey 

The short version summary = do what you really don’t want to do first, then any/everything else will pale in comparison.

If you really struggle do the things you dislike then you’ll need this book in your life. 

German Volume Training – 5 Ways To Apply Nuance To It

Made popular by the writings of Charles Poliquin, the 10×10 method has been battle tested.

In its original incarnation you’d be looking at performing 10 sets of 10 reps with perhaps your 15-20RM and roughly 60-120 seconds of rest between each set. 

Used first by weightlifters in their off season to build some overall lean mass it had the aim of creating a larger foundation for which they would be able to increase the strength of their competition lifts.

Typically they did the 10×10 on squats.

This was because their legs got a lot of work and were a key component of both quick lifts (Clean & Snatch), so the more muscle and strength the possessed the more potential for higher totals.

Of course they had to learn to recruit their new potential strength through various skill trainings.

It wasn’t just a case of the added muscle and everything got better, they still had to continue working, refining and honing their sport. 

The basic principle behind the method itself is pretty solid. 

You’re trying to create a massive physiological disruption in the body that not only creates sufficient mechanical tension, motor unit stimulus/fatigue and anabolic hormone increases, you’re also aiming to create some mental fortitude as well. 

I say this because doing an honest 10×10 is quite tough and tends to work for perhaps a good 6-10 total sessions, after which point you’ll need to reduce volume (by 2/3rd’s), recover and then move not the next stage of your training. 

Additionally if your really time your rest periods and select an appropriate load each set feels like a money set. 

To reiterate, this is the original protocol – 10×10 x15-20RM, 60-120 seconds rest between sets.

Here is a sample template for training as well:

Day 1 – Push

Day 2 – Pull

Day 3 – Off 

Day 4 – Legs 

Day 5 – Off 

Push – Warm up as needed so you don’t snap yourself up

A1 – Close Grip Barbell Press: 10×10

B1 – Dumbbell or Cable Fly: 2-3×8-12

C1 – Overhead Tricep Extension: 2-3×8-12

Pull – Warm up as needed so you don’t snap yourself up

A1 – Deadlift: 4×6

B1 – Wide Grip Pull Up: 10×10

C1 – Incline Bicep Curl: 2-3×8-12

Legs – Warm up as needed so you don’t snap yourself up

A1 – High Bar Back Squat: 10×10

B1 – Prone Hamstring Curl: 2-3×8-12

C1 – Calf Raise: 2-3×25

^^ Keep the rest at 60-120 seconds for everything, this will have a rather nice positive effect on growth hormone production, and also apply a basic tempo of 4-0-X-0 to all the movements. 

Remember you want to rest and recover just not fully, enter your next set still feeling a little winded to really help accumulate an oxygen debt. 

Run the above for 50 days, then change the protocol, when you hit the prescribed sets/reps add 2.5% load. 

What you’ll find below are 10 additional options for this glorious training protocol.

I’d suggest running it in its basic incarnation perhaps 2-3 times before progressing to one of these more nuanced options.

1 – Super Sets

A great way to improve your training density is to add in a paired movement also following the 10×10 set up, the rest will be adjusted slight however it allows for some really quality work to be done. 

Use the classic 15-20RM for your starting load. 

Example:

A1 – Close Grip Bench Press: 10×10 – rest 90 seconds before moving on to A2

A2 – Wide Grip Pull Up: 10×10 – rest 90 seconds before moving on to A1

You don’t need to use an antagonistic pairing, you can use an upper/lower one if you’re really after something a little spicy.

A1 – Wide Grip Pull Up: 10×10 – rest 90 seconds before moving on to A2

A2 – Squat: 10×10 – rest 90 seconds before moving on to A1

Using this you can cover the full body in 2 sessions (session A, session B), alternate these across 3 days per week ‘Mon/Wed/Fri’ for a total of 6-10 sessions of each, if you have the work capacity then use a 4 day option of training Mon/Tue/Thur/Fri.

2 – Reduced Rest 

This is tough, don’t expect to get all 10×10 anytime soon because you’ll be setting the rest at only 30 seconds.

You’ll find using the 20RM as the base load is a very wise idea.

The sets might look like this; 10,9,8,6,5,5,3,5,5,4

Over your next 10 sessions aim to achieve all 10×10, if you then feel free to increase the load by 2.5% and begin again if you have sessions remaining, or chalk up your victory and move on to something different. 

3 – Paused Reps

Apply this to only one 10×10 lift per training block as it’s horrid. 

The tempo prescription would be as follows: 2-3-X-0.

A 3 second pause rep will make hitting all 10 reps a true challenge, once again use the 20RM for this, however uncle the option before this use 120second rest between each set. 

I’d also suggest doing only the 10×10 movement in this session and utilise a 5 day split like the original template once more using it for 50 days like in the example mentioned above,it would look like this:

Day 1 – Squats – 10×10 wth pause reps

Day 2 – Upper Body Push

Day 3 – Off

Day 4 – Upper Body Pull (no deadlift)

Day 5 – Off 

4 – Circuit Application 

This is to do done with bodyweight or kettlebell movements.

You’d perform each movement back to back aiming for 10 reps per set if possible then rest after the last one for 60-120 seconds. 

It many look like this:

Bodyweight Option:

A1 – Hindu Squat 

A2 – Press Up 

A3 – Glute Bridge  

A4 – Inverted Row 

Rest 60-120 seconds 

Kettlebell Option: (use two light bells)

A1 – Double Bell Swing

A2 – Standing Press 

A3 – Racked Squat

A4 – Pendlay Row

Rest 60-120 seconds 

These examples aren’t set in stone, you can play with the movement options, just cover the full body in 4 different ones. 

5 – Heavy 10×5 +1

It might seem easy on paper to read that you’ll be using a 12RM for 10×10, however it’s not. 

If you fancy this option you’ll be start out doing 10×5, then each session you’ll be adding 1 rep, so 10×5 > 10×6 > 10×7… etc.

Once again using this protocol on just one lift is preferable using the 5 days split and also ensure you take the full 120 seconds or rest and if you wish to make it more of a challenge use a 4-0-X-0 tempo as standard, example:

Day 1 – Squats – 10×5 +1

Day 2 – Upper Body Push

Day 3 – Off

Day 4 – Upper Body Pull (no deadlift)

Day 5 – Off 

Once you are able to hit the 10×10 you can choose try attempt this with your 11RM, then once you master that go for your old 10RM in the same fashion, just don’t do this in back to back blocks. 

Give the above are 50 days blocks I’d suggest the first one being for squats, the second a pressing movement then the third for some kind of pull (not deadlifts) this will mean 150 days to get back to the original squat movement whereby you can now use your 11 or 10RM. 

Do this entire thing twice and you’ve got a solid year of training.

You’d get your mental reprieve from the days that don’t have the 10×10 focus whereby you can apply some other sensible protocols, just don’t be trying to leak multiple thing at the same time, that’s a good way to fall to bits.

Some final thoughts.

10×10 has stood the test of time for a reason, and thats because it works. 

While it’s not perfect it can really be something to build a solid year of training around provided you’re sensible with it. 

You’ll find that it might take you a couple of attempts to get it right, however once you’ve nailed the original version you can start playing with the nuanced ideas above. 

The hard part is being consistent with it.

Sadly some find it very boring, however the results are worth it in the long run. 

It’s a great opportunity to really change your physique, add strength and mentally take yourself beyond where you are now. 

Please fire across any questions you may have. 

Enjoy,
Ross 

Bonus Nuance Ideas –  

Super Sets w/Reducing rest each session – take of 10 second of rest each session, use 20RM

Heavy+ Use your 8RM and perform 10×5 – great for a strength boost, rest 120seconds.

Online Antics, How Much?

How To Deal With Online Enquires That Only Ask For Prices 

(Skip to TLDR if you’re short on time)

The pandemic forced a lot of fitness professionals to adjust very rapidly.

It was very much a case of survive or surrender in the last 18+ months. 

Seeing some flourish and take their business Online was really good to see, especially as they made leaps and bound in regards to their coaching ability/skills.

One point worth noting is that the digital life isn’t as care free as people think. 

In truth you’ll never be free of your work when you are using endless 0 & 1’s to generate revenue.

There will always be something to do regarding creating content, writing email responses, keeping an eye on clients and generally ensuring you’ve got a presence and are at the top of peoples minds. 

Now this might only end up translating to a couple of hours a day, however it’s a daily habit.

As many benefits as the online life has to offer there are also a few small ball & chains that come as a part of the entire experience.

We’re not going to cover them all today, just one of the main ones from a sales perspective.

People that ask immediately for price.

Face to face the subject of money can an dis often put off as long as possible. 

When you’re safely hidden behind a screen it’s another matter entirely and this is because it can be pretended that the conversation didn’t happen if it doesn’t go as expected and takes a sharp slide sideways. 

Additionally there’s no emotion asking something online, it’s just hammering away at keys.

How people will ask for your prices will vary, yet it will mostly be direct.

This brings up one thing I get asked a lot from many PT’s – “Do I advertise my prices?”

In truth there is no right or wrong answer.

There’s as many reasons for advertising your prices openly as there is to have a POA (price on application) approach, one key factor is not only your own preference and what you feel most comfortable doing, it’s also the message you’re trying to convey. 

Is it one of a high quality low budget affordability openly (high inclusivity) displayed for all to see.

Or is your message one of a high quality service that puts all the focus on the benefits a person will receive, how it will help improve their life and have them feeling the best they have in years with a few ‘requirements’ before pricing is even touched on (an air of exclusivity).

Knowing the message you wish to share is so very important.

Not only will it provide a clear direction for you in which to create your business from, it’ll also be something that resonates with the right people. 

In fact it will be worth writing down what ‘one thing’ you want to get across to people. 

Then how you want people to feel after hearing that message you wish to share.

You can apply this to all of the content your potential clients will be reading, watching, listening or interacting with, basically any/all of your content.

From here it’ll be easy to envision the tribe you’re trying to lead. 

Okay, now that random off shoot is out of my system we shall dive into a few ways to deal with direct messages/enquires that deal 100% with asking for price. 

Personally I have three questions that I will default to.

Potential client – How much is coaching?

Potential reply 1 – 

“Hello there, thanks for reaching out.

I’ve got to be honest I like the direct approach, before I answer though there is something that needs to be asked my end.

Is the price the most important element to you?

The reason for this is because all of my services require a minimum of a 12 month commitment that has a 50% deposit requirement upfront to reserve a place, then the remainder will be paid within the first 4 weeks of  starting.

Are you able to commit to this minimum requirement?

Look forward to hearing from you. 

Many Thanks,

Ross”

Potential Reply 2 – 

“Hey, 

Thanks for getting in touch. 

As I’m sure you can appreciate a lot of enquires cutting to the chase and asking for the cost straight away come my way. 

While I do appreciate this direct angle, I’m sure you understand that there’s a reason you don’t find mine advertised and that’s because they’re what you’d consider ‘budget costings’.

I have one question to ask you before we get into the nitty gritty of price. 

What service/experience are you trying to find?

The reason I ask is because training with me requires at least a 12 month commitment (this is paid upfront as well), is this something you’re prepared to invest as I’m aware such a service isn’t for everyone and I’d rather not waste your time if this isn’t something of value/benefit to you.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Many Thanks,

Ross”

Potential Reply 3 – 

“Greetings & Salutations, 

Your enquire as to my coaching services and their cost is very much appreciated.

Luckily there isn’t much to confuse or overwhelm when it comes to my fee because there is only one, the difference comes in who you wish to invest in the experience.

Are you looking to train in a 1-2-1 fashion or as a part of a group?

The benefit of 1-2-1 is the focus is 100% on you.

However the benefit of working in a group is a cheaper individual cost (you can be a part of an assigned group or set one up with people you know) and also an added sense of community as you’ll have people to keep you company on your journey.

Which of these two will you prefer?

Look forward to hearing from you.

Many Thanks,

Ross”

Potential Reply 4 – 

“Alright Skipper,

Great to hear from you.

I appreciate your curiosity surrounding the fee for the coaching experience offered. 

Put simply it’s going to cost you the same as your average holiday does for a family of four to somewhere that will offer as many great experiences, all be it without the lasting lifestyle change and potentially epic physical transformation.

Oh, that’s also not forgetting insurances, visas and spending money on top as well, not just the cost of the holiday package.

The other difference is that a holiday lasts for two weeks, maybe 3 if you’ve gotten a great deal.

Working with me is a going to last an entire year.

Is this something you’re ready to invest not only your hard earned cash, yet also your time in?

Look forward to hearing from you. 

Many Thanks,

Ross”

Potential Reply 5 – 

“Hi, 

Straight down to business and crunching the numbers eh?

i can appreciate that, so here is the answer.

You’ll find you can engage my services for the entire year for the reasonable investment of £XYZ.

Here is a link to a PDF of everything you get too (plus some free bits to help get you started incase this full service isn’t affordable for you)…… ‘link’

Now before you scarper, delete all correspondence and block all my social media at the sight of that fee, please may I ask a favour?

How much did you expect it to cost and what did you expect for the fee you had in your mind, this is because it really helps me ensure I’m offering everything I possibly can to make sure the entree experience isn’t only memorable and life changing, yet also of indisputable value & benefit for you. 

I look forward to hearing your thoughts & suggestions.

Many Thanks, 

Ross”

In the end any enquiry is a person that can potentially become a client.

The tricky part is establishing the place they’re in mentally in regards to what is called the ‘state of change’ because some are more likely to find price the limiting factor than some that are still on the fence.

As much as it pains me to say, price will often make or break a potential client conversation.

Too expensive and you price people that might be ready to buy out of contention.

Go too far towards the side of budget prices and those that can afford more will not see your service as valuable.

This is the dichotomy we face as fitness professionals.

As such it comes down to the message you’re looking to share as this can deeply influence how people view your service and their potential perception of the kind of fee you’ll charge.

It’s why in my experience it’s better to not openly advertise your fees online. 

By all means if you’ve got a special event or offer (limit to 3-4 of these a year), then throw up some numbers as the purpose of such things is a quick boost/influx of cash flow, as opposed to a long term strategy for creating a sustainable business. 

For all your regular business though keep the prices behind a POA approach.

How difficult you make it to gain access to your prices will vary based on your experience, target demographic and personal preference/comfort.

In the past I’d see if I could get people to ask for it three times. 

This worked fairly well at weeding out those that were flaky and didn’t have any intention of signing up, although the feedback from those that did convert said it was a little tedious and a few said it felt like I was trying to play a game. 

These days I’ll have one barrier (like the examples above), there hasn’t been any negative feedback to this, in fact most have appreciated it as they’ve said it’s made them truly think and consider what they’re getting into. 

You see while I like you need to earn a living, I’m not just going to take on anyone.

I cant afford to from a mental standpoint as the days of dealing wth all and sundry are long behind me. 

This is due to knowing my own value as a coach/trainer and also having enough respect for the people that offer their own time to engage with me as my aim isn’t to waste it and if I’m not the best person to help them then I shall not hesitate in saying so or referring them to someone better suited. 

In the end its not about me making a profit (nice as that is).

It’s about doing what’s right/best for the person stood in front of you asking for help. 

Hold this attitude towards all people and while it may coast a few bucks here and there in the short term it’ll come back to you tenfold in the future because people will know you’re not in it for the money and that you do in fact care about them as a person and their needs. 

TLDR – The Short Answer 

• Don’t put regular fees/prices online, have a POA approach 
• Have one barrier before providing your fees
• Special offers (2-4 per year) advertise those freely online, fee and all
• Aim to engage in a conversation to learn more about what the person sees as valuable & why

An online enquire is just like any other sales enquiry.

It’s all about listening to the person and addressing their needs, concerns and answering their questions truthfully. 

You might take a few attempts to find your natural flow with this. 

Don’t worry if that is the case because fitness is about attracting and connecting to the right people, not merely a lot of people. 

Hopefully you’ve found the above helpful in some way. 

If you’ve got any additional questions then please feel free to fire them across. 

Oh and if you’re looking to hire me as your coach (for either PT or Fitness Business Mentoring).

Ask yourself this one crucial question:

“Can I put up with his long winded answers?”

Enjoy,
Ross 

Lifting Helps Your Life

6 Life Lessons I Learned From Powerlifting 

Odd as it might seem that arbitrarily lifting an inanimate object from the floor to simply put it back down again for no other reason to see if one can do it can teach you a lot about life. 

Well, it did for me. 

A quick summary for those of you that would rather have a bullet point style of learning.

• You’re not as strong as you may initially think, yet that doesn’t mean you give up
• No one makes it very far on without help from others 
• The competition isn’t yourself it’s the idea of yourself you hold in your head 
• Rest and down time is crucial 
• Failure is inevitable and what matters most is how you learn from it 
• Becoming strong is as a choice, conversely so is staying weak 

These might not mean much without some additional context. 

Heck perhaps they speak to you on a deep level, I don’t know.

All that can be said is that over the next 1000 words or so you’ll find a little more depth and substance to each of the above. 

Much like being strong, gaining a new perspective is also a choice to be made.

Hopefully a little of mine will help you, and in return perhaps you’ll be able to share a little of yours in the form of lessons you’ve learned from a hobby that carried over to life too. 

1 – You’re not as strong as you may initially think, yet that doesn’t mean you give up 

Sometimes you get under the bar and the second your body takes the strain from lifting it out of the rack you have an immediate realisation.

You’ve not got this, not even in the slightest.

At this point there is a choice, succumb to ego and give it the good old college try.

Alternately you can admit you need to build some more strength, and with that understanding you get several spotters and set yourself the goal of lowering the bar under control, then you may have the spotters help you up.

There is always the outside chance you go down and stand back up though. 

Regardless of what happens the sharp jolt of reality that appears to make you question everything you thought you knew about yourself (from a strength perspective) is something crucial for development.

Lifting is about aiming for that little bit more, just like life. 

2 – No one makes it very far on without help from others

In powerlifting you can make some great progress without nay formal coaching. 

Plenty of people have, in the end though coaches are needed to take the game to the next level because those subtle nuances of preparing for lifts that are far above what is considered gym strong can’t be learned from those that have not lifted them or anything close. 

While from a technical standpoint form can be much of a muchness and easily understood, the reality of being under a chunky load changes things.

Taking what is a weight that will require almost everything you have physically & mentally to lift is quite draining. 

What’s more interesting is that when we look at trying to do it alone it becomes much harder. 

It’s why asking for help is crucial.

Swallowing our pride and shifting our perspective from “how can I achieve this’ to ‘who can help me achieve this?’ is truly game changing.

Why struggle on your own when there’s a lot of people that have already learned lifting (or life) lessons that required them to pay the price of injury, or even heart break, why would you also want to pay that price too when you can instead take their wisdom and avoid such a toll.

3 – The competition isn’t yourself it’s the idea of yourself you hold in your head

Self image is an interesting thing. 

When it comes to the sport of lifting weights from point A to point B and back again it’s easy to associate everything that you are with a number or perhaps a specific lift. 

This is where people get stuck because as they begin to receive praise for their achievements they start to have those become ‘all that they are’ and even align their self worth with them. 

True enough there can be a great boost in confidence from the praise that comes with hoisting what are weights they once thought unmovable, there is a darker side to it all. 

What happens when those weights are missed in a training session or can’t be lifted again?

Identities can start to crumble and a lot of self doubt can creep in. 

You see we’re not so much competing against ourselves and the weights we’re lifting, although we are in one sense, in the deeper perspective it’s our own self image that is really what we’ll have to content with. 

Say your’e known as the ‘one with the good squat’ and on top of that you’re small too, so your strength or what is actually not that strong (180-200kg regular squat in the gym) is something you stay in the area of each training session because your ego needs to so it can feed the self imagine you now have.

Once people become ‘someone’ for say their lifting abilities or hobbies etc, they can go to some extreme lengths to live up to this ‘image’ or ‘idea’ of whom they are. 

This leads to stagnation, plateau and eventually regression due to the law of accommodation.

Don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with being proud of what you do.

It’s just worth remembering that what you do in regards to lifting is merely a part of who you are, it’s not your entire essence of reason for being.

Easy as it is to succumb to the allure of being knowing as ‘that powerlifting patriot’.

Just as in life, don’t get too hung up on a specific image, they will come and go so there’s little sense in getting so attached to what is only brief that exists in your own mind when you can choose a better one. 

4 – Rest and down time is crucial 

Chances are this sounds deceptively like common sense.

What’s funny is that the attitude of embracing the grind, always be hustling and work work work, renders this wonderful advice useless. 

People don’t take rest.

When they do it’s because nature has forced them, in the fitness business we call this an injury.

Mother nature in her infinite wisdom gave us plenty of protection mechanisms ranging from the GTO, symptoms of fatigue/overreaching and even slight strains or niggles to warm up we’re about to break. 

As you’d expect the dominant species on the planet to do, we ignore these and power on forwards.

I’m sure you know the rest, something snaps and requires a lot of time off.

Coupled with that ever stressful part of our existence called ‘life’ this often means we struggle to reach former heights.

Not because we lack the potential.

Rather it is due to our eagerness to return to ‘hard training’ and sticking our foot down on the gas pedal, which leads to another red line event and we then repeat this cycle until we’re much older and then reminisce stories of our glories back in our early 20’s before the injury occurred. 

The same thing happens in regular life as well. 

People burn out and break mentally, which unlike most physical injuries can literally be something you never recover from fully. 

This is where taking time away form lifting and life is essential.

Booking a month off can seem scary and very costly, however the mental/emotional credit you put in your bank is well worth it and usually leads to an exponential growth of ones self which can have some very positive impacts on not only life, it can be great for training and business too. 

Don’t fear time off, instead fear looking back and realising you never dared take any.

Trust me in the end that will be the one thing you have very little of and would give anything to have a few precious years back, so don’t waste them while their still in an abundant (or semi-abundant) amount. 

5 – Failure is inevitable and what matters most is how you learn from it

When things go wrong and your best laid plans fall spectacularly to pieces leaving you with a hot mess where you expected success to be it can be quite a blow to the old ego. 

Years of academy training wasted! 

Sadly that is life and you will miss the total you wanted in a meet, or something will crop up and disrupt your magnum opus of an accumulation block. 

Have a cry, make notes as to why it happened and who you can ask for help o avoid it happening again or what behaviours you need to change to become the sort of person who that doesn’t happen to again and leave that failure as a past lesson (and memory).

You see mistakes and failure are a part of life.

Even if you have the best mentors, coaches, listen and apply all the sage advice you are gifted, there will be some things that are just meant for you.

Understand that the moment of pain, suffering embarrassment, etc, they’re all your tuition fee. 

You’ve paid the price to learn, now you’ll know that which you need to become better. 

So long as you don’t make the same mistake again and waste the fee you’ve already paid you’re golden.

Don’t be a lifter that refuses to adapt. 

There is a time and a place for all methods, protocols, ideas and philosophies, as is there a time for them to become a fond memory.

You’ll thank your younger self for this attitude when you’re arriving into your golden years with a smile, instead of a smoking husk that flew too close to the sun more often than was required. 

6 – Becoming strong is as a choice, conversely so is staying weak 

My last lesson that covers both lifting an ilife is a simple one. 

It’s all about choice. 

If you wish to lift 500lbs on say a deadlift, then you will no doubt need to train for it, unless you’re some kind of genetic wonder (these do exist to be fair). 

Alternatively you can choose not to train for that, although you’ll need to accept the literal strength boost you’d receive will never be realised.

Just like in life if you choose to go for a promotion at work that might be a few stations above your current pay grade yet you know you can do the job and get it, you’ll reap the rewards, whereas if you procrastinate and ‘hold off’ until the most opportune moment then you’ll probably remain in the exact same place you’re currently in. 

I’ve seen it happen so many times.

People choose what they are over what they could become.

If you’re ever presented with the opportunity to change or remain the same always take the leap of faith and go for change.

Reversion is always a potential option, however you’ll never be able to be what you could from your missed chances.

It took me a long time of stagnating in the realms of powerlifting to realise this because I got stuck and became fuelled by my egos need for importance, to be seen as someone… anyone that had a modicum of respect that wasn’t really respect (and from people that didn’t actually have any stock in my life either), it was entertainment for them and only fleeting, you’ll never please the mob so don’t even try because you’ll end up as it’s slave.

Choose freedom of self, be someone you can look at in the mirror with no regret or “I wish I’d….” attitude. 

You owe it to yourself to become more. 

It’s why I stepped away from PL, while I enjoyed it this hobby got taken as far as possible.

No sense in staying in the same place, strength can continually be built in different ways, so why not explore them all?

^^ If you’re a natural talent in a sport that might be a reason why you won’t drift away form it to be fair and is understandable.

As for the rest of us, enjoy our fitness hobbies to their fullest, gain what we can and then learn to love and enjoy something else to further grow in experience, wisdom, perspective and skill. 

There you have it.

A few lessons from my limited powerlifting experience that also crossed over to life

Perhaps you’ve got some lessons from your chosen training endeavours that also have a great crossover to life, if so it’s be great to hear them so please do share them. 

Enjoy, 
Ross 

5 Reasons why it’s beneficial to Squat & Deadlift in the same training session

Hitting the squat and the deadlift on separate days is common in many training splits. 

Often it will be claimed that you’ll be able to lift more and work each lift more intensely this way. 

In truth that’s not necessarily wrong, however there is ample benefits surrounding training both of these lifts on the same day that go unnoticed.

I thought it would be worth shedding some light on this.

Why?

Well that’s one of the benefits funnily enough, so if time is something that is precious to you then here is the bullet point version of this entire piece:

• Extra stimulus that can help promote more overall strength gain 
• Save time by getting more out of one combined session than you would from two separate ones 
• Increased frequency helps with higher overall strength and can also lead to more lean mass 
• You’ll potentiate the deadlift by doing the squat meaning more muscle recruitment 
• If you plan on competing in Powerlifting training you’ll gain a competitive advantage 

Hopefully this summary has sparked your interest in hitting both lifts in the same session. 

For those of you still here that are keen to know the details inside of each of these points then you’ll find all of that by continuing to share your time with me.

Firstly one common concern is that to squat & deadlift in the same day may increase injury risk.

An understandable thought however experience across many years from many different people can reassure you that it’s more a case of poor form being more likely to injure you than doing lifts that are not miles apart from each other. 

No one bats an eyelid at doing bench press and rows on the same day. 

Same goes for various other antagonistic pairings or even whole body style movement pairings. 

It’s not that you won’t of course approach your training with diligence and care, you’ve just got to remember you’re not made of glass and will probably be oaky, unless you’ve already got an injury or are under a period of massive life stress, in which case taking some time off from all training might be a good idea. 

Now the common sense/perspective considerations are done and dusted, time for the 5 reasons.

1 – Extra Stimulus 

Obvious as it might seem reading it, this is something that is actually forgotten.

Squatting at the start of a session to the follow it up with deadlifts will really help ramp up the amount of stimulus (hopefully positive/adaptive) for the quads/glutes/hamstrings and posterior chain which will aid in building a robust body.

There is also a secondary benefit in that hitting the deadlift directly after the squat has a good overall impact on work capacity.

Work capacity just to reaffirm it, is the ability to repeatedly perform high quality efforts. 

The deadlift is a lift where most can find it hard to sustain a high level of output/effort at the best of times, however in doing it after the squat there will be an even high drop off in performance which will lead to a certain level of inefficiency that forces the body to adapt to handle the stress.

Over time the intensity, volume & density will increase because of working these lifts together.

Essentially meaning you’ll be getting more benefit from this one session than you might from two separate ones from a work capacity standpoint for lifting and life too.

Yep, you use your lower body a lot in daily life, especially the squatting and hinging patterns.

2 – Save Time

Hitting the two lifts in the same session can really chop down your training time. 

This is great for those periods of life when you’re in a pinch.

It also allows you to add in additional days of training on weaker/lagging body parts, or even to have you go off an enjoy other activities with friends, family and so on. 

Utilising an Upper/Lower split works really well when you combine the squat & deadlift in training.

Example:

Session A – Squat & Deadlift + Accessories 

Session B – Press & Rows + Accessories 

Weekly Organisation – Two week Example 

Day 1 – Session A – Heavy SQ/Light DL

Day 2 – Session B

Day 3 – Session A – Light SQ/Heavy DL
Day 1 – Session B

Day 2 – Session A – Medium SQ/DL 

Day 3 – Session B 

You’ll find this makes for a great training set up that allows a good work/recovery ratio provided you cycle the intensity either via ‘fatigue cycling’ or ‘specialised variety’.

Additionally if you can only train twice per week if life really gets busy then you’ll know you can fully focus on either your upper or lower body which a lot of people find far more beneficial than two full body sessions simply due to the enjoyment factors. 

3 – Increased Frequency of Training 

As touched on above in the first two points you’ll actually be able to gain more exposure to not only your loire body training movements, it will also free up more potential time for hitting some upper body ones that you’d quite like to prioritise too. 

You might even find some great benefit in setting up a three full body training sessions with rotation orders of lifting priority, here’s what I mean by that using the S/B/DL .

Session A – 

A1 – Squat

B1 – Press

C1 – Deadlift 

Session B – 

A1 – Press 

B1 – Squat 

C1 – Deadlift 

Session C – 

A1 – Squat

B1 – Deadlift 

C1 – Press 

You’d put in your accessory work for upper body pulling and any other needs you have either after each main lift or perhaps once all three of the main lifts have been done, there’s not ‘right or wrong’ answer to that, it’ll come down to your desired training outcome overall.

What is worth noting though is that rotating the order of your lifting can really make a session interesting and help in fatigue management.

I’d suggest you squat before deadlift as a general rule because of the next reason/benefit.

4 – Free Deadlift Potentiation 

Hitting some good squat can have you need multiple warm up sets. 

The same is true for deadlift.

Well, at least it is when you do them in separate sessions.

When you combine the squat & deadlift together you’ll find your focus and deliberate warm up for your squat to allow you some solid working sets means you are able to almost jump straight into deadlift due to your nervous system being primed and on a high. 

That is provided you didn’t just train for the sake of making yourself tired/fatigued.

By that I mean in a non-productive way, as of course you’ll incur some fatigue and that is necessary for progress, however I’m referring to the kind of fatigue that is nothing more than extra work with a low amount of positive adaptive stimulus attached to it. 

Warm up in the squat you might have planned sets of 6. 

You start with the bar for a few sets until it feels smooth, then add 10-20kg each set until you hit your working weight for perhaps 3-4 working sets. 

After this you can move onto your deadlift sets, which might be 4-6 reps. 

No need to do sets with the bar, you might feel able to slap on say 100kg and hit 6 with ease, then you may only need a couple of additional warm up sets adding 20-40kg each set until you’re at your working weight for a further 3-4 working sets.

It  may turn out you’re one of the lucky ones that can walk off of squats do one warm up for deadlift and crack straight on with the working sets, either way you’ll need to do far less than warming up than if it the sessions were separate.

5 – A Competitive Advantage in Powerlifting 

When it comes to training the aforementioned lifts in one session with what is essentially minimal rest in-between you’ll find that if you decide to step on the platform the extended rest you get has you pretty much hitting your deadlifts with a full tank of gas. 

This is due to the work capacity benefit mentioned earlier on. 

It’s not uncommon for people to hit massive PB’s of 20-40kg more in a meet.

How? 

Because hitting deadlift straight after squats in training means there will be some residual fatigue which means the loads will be perhaps a tad lighter, yet the doubled up stimulus (at least for this elf us mere mortals that don’t hit 5+ plates on each side for both lifts) really helps in the development of strength and hopefully lean mass too (provided nutrition & recovery are on point).

You’ll also not be worried about doing both lifts on the same day as you’ll already be used to it.

So there we go, 5 reasons why it’s beneficial to squat & deadlift in the same session.

Leave any additional questions below. 

Enjoy, 

Ross

Change The Physical To Change The Mental

Mental change can be quite a struggle to achieve without physical change, at least in my experience.

Take losing body fat as an example.

People do it to feel better, more confident and happier in themselves

Truth be told, depending on where you are in the world being leaner, more muscular and facially symmetrical can have you live a very easy life.

It’s what some called ‘Pretty Privilege’

Now one other technical term is ‘The Halo Effect’ which means you’ll see someone in a specific light.

You may have also heard it as ‘Rose Tinted Glasses’, there’s a lot of different ways to say what is essentially the same.

In the modern world people are more depressed, anxious and mentally fractured than ever before

There are many reasons, however one major contributor is our ever decreasing physical activity.

People don’t like walking much these days.

Nor do they like being surrounded by nature or creating something in their garden or perhaps an allotment

This results in people merely distraacting themselves.

Always hoping to one day have the mental change they desire, yet not really doing what is required to achieve this.

It takes a rare person to ‘will’ themselves into a better mental state, although it can happen. It’s actually a much easier option to aim for creating a physical change first that helps build momentum and can lead to habits wanting to be tweaked for more results.

Additionally being more physical in life has people opting for higher quality foods, this helps cognitionan mental clarity.

Basically there is a knock-on effect towards good things

If you wish to create a mental shift, why not achieve a physical one first.

It doesn’t need to be anything astronomical or grand, just something physical that has you feel fulfilled.

Enjoy,
Ross

Are you one of these people?

The hardest thing about change is accepting it needs to be permanent

All too often people want all ther esults with none of the sacrifice.

Sadly nothing changes if nothing changes.

Additionally the only temporary things in life that seem to remain indefinitely is ‘temporary governments’ or ’emergency powers’

In regards to people habits and lifestyles these are very resistant to change that lasts beyond a fleeting moment in time.

Of course people don’t need to keep their habits for any longer than they deem them necessary.

Yet these same people then can’t seem to accept why they go backwards.

When will y’all ever learn

As you can imagine I’ve grown very tired of this at this point in my life.

Hearing the same excuses, same reasons and justifications.

What’s really funny is that people think they’re all uniquely exclusive to them, when in reality they’re literally the same ones everyone uses.

Don’t misjudge me though.

I’m far from perfect and equally as susceptible to getting stuck in one place, however I’m fully aware of it and don’t attempt to say it’ anything other than what it is.

That being I can’t be bothered (for lack of a better term)

When something isn’t a priority or there is no deep desire for it then for me I simply won’t do ‘that thing’ and that’s all there is to it.

Life is pretty simple, espeically where health & fitness is concerned.You either do things that benefit them or you don’t

Just be sure to make a conscience choice, accept all that comes with it and remember what was written above, there can be no change without change.

Enjoy,
Ross