Why PT’s that look the part can get more business than those that don’t

Will people hire you just for looking like you train?

Yes, yes they will.

The opposite is true and you might find yourself being avoided for hire if you look like a potato.

How a fitness professional ought to look is quite a controversial subject.

In a world that is always trying to promote body positivity and shame anyone that might hold their own physical appearance to a different style.

Speaking form experience most people will buy with their eyes first.

Think about the last time you went shopping and actively sought to buy bruised or rotting veg.

Chances are it’s either for a rare occasion and a very specific reason or never.

Here are some benefits to looking the part:

• Proof you live by your own advice
• An opportunity to explain how you also ‘have fun’ while maintaining a specific physique
• Free advertising
• Symbol of authority in your field
• Your specific aesthetic will attract people that want to achieve similar

While there are benefits to be had, you must also remember that you’ll need the following skills too.

• Being personable
• Rapport building skills
• Understanding sales processes
• Physical & nutritional programming ability (delivering the goods)

Have what many consider to be a ‘good aesthetic’ will be subjective, however all you need to do is scroll through social media to see what is currently the most appealing for the demographic you’re trying to appeal to.

Arguably most general population want to achieve a look akin to that of one they had back in their early 20’s or whenever their glory years were.

You know, when everything came easy to them and people would be complimentary and validate them.

Chances are they’re still got clothes from those times they’re secretly desperate to wear once more.

This is usually very achievable, not to mention that you’ll be able to amass some solid testimonials from successful clients, if helping average people look a little less average is your target niche (it’s a very lucrative one).

A word of warning though, your own look doesn’t want to be the only aspect of your marketing & identity.

True it might help turn few heads and make it potentially easier to get hired, you’re going to need to also convey the message that you’re human as well.

Meaning you like cake, chocolate, a gin or two, etc.

Essentially talking to people on their level because many are put off by what they perceive to be required in terms of sacrifice to achieve a specific aesthetic, and this might be true for elite level competitors however for the average Joe/Jane there’s a high change they an train 3-4 days per week and still enjoy various foods they thought would be banished forever.

Of course you’ve go to educate them and instills habit change, however you can also help them see it’s not all about training 11 days a week eating only chicken & broccoli.

Above all else be honest with people.

Have various photo transformations (including your own) so that you can explain what lifestyle people lived or were/are living when the photo was taken.

This will allow you to ascertain just how far your new/potential clients want to go and the change they’re willing to make.

Finally, as a fitness profession train for you health first and foremost.

Then decide how you want to look because while many won’t admit it, we all want to look a certain way.

A way which will get us the attention we desire while also allowing us to live the life most sustainable to us.

Don’t accept the ‘fit shaming’ body positive crowds opinion, just know that you’re merely seeing the world differently and that if they are truly body positive then they’d accept you as you are too.

Be that someone that looks like them or someone with an ass so firm it can ricochet pennies into the ceiling.

One last thing before we go, ask yourself this – Would you trust a dentist with rotten teeth?

Enjoy,
Ross

Lift, Lift, LIFT!

“I want to be big and strong”

 

^^ A sentence many a man has said over the years and continues to say to this day.

 

“I want to be lean and strong”

 

^^ Something I’m pleased to announce more women are saying, it seems there has been a shift in them saying ‘I just want to be skinny’ to now learning the benefit of being lean and strong, it’s great to see.

 

While it is only my opinion, I feel everybody should be strong.

 

I’m not talking about record breaking strong, just strong enough to stay healthy and stave off the effects of ageing on the body.

 

These sports all centre around lifting:

 

– Weightlifting (olympic lifting)

– Body Building

– Powerlifting

– Strongman

– CrossFit (some may not like this one)

 

Did you know lifting weights can have the following positive effects on the body:

 

– Improved bone density

– Ligament/tendon health

– Delayed sarcopenia

– Hormonal benefits: Higher testosterone, better insulin regulation, more growth hormone, lower cortisol to name a few

– Lowers body fat (great for improving health)

– A higher TDEE (total daily energy expenditure, more calories burnt in a day)

– Increased strength for sport/daily life

– A boost in confidence

– Looking better naked (the most important benefit, obviously)

 

Those are only some of the benefits, there are numerous more.

 

Personally I’d say the mental improvement is the pivotal one as this can have the biggest impact on a persons life in a very positive way.

 

However….

 

If you’re not an athlete and lift for health/confidence you should do it because you enjoy it, not because you feel you have to, that’s the secret to balance and long term sustainability.

 

Don’t eat yourself up if you miss a session, chalk it up to life and sue it as a rest day, that way you’ll be more motivated when you get to go in, excited to train in fact. Keep this in mind and you’ll find you don’t fall out of love with training.

 

What if lifting isn’t for you?

 

That’s cool, find soothing you do enjoy, here are some other options for improving strength and all achieving all the other benefits mentioned above:

 

– Calisthenics: bodyweight/movement training, loads of fun

– Martial Arts

– Gym Classes

– Track & field

– Kettlebells (sport or hard style)

– Climbing/outdoor sports

 

There are almost endless options.

 

Find something you enjoy, training shouldn’t be a chore.

 

Now go, have fun and make progress.

 

Ross.

Failure Mindset

Morning Guys,

 

Do you live with the failure mindset?

 

Plenty of people live with the attitude of:

 

“That person is … Bigger, Stronger, Leaner, Fitter etc… than me because of … Genetics, Money/Born with a Silver Spoon, Steroids and so on…. I will never be like that.”

 

This is the failure mindset and all it serves to do is hold you back because you’re expecting to fail. I’ve said it plenty of times before, too many people make their excuses as to why they won’t achieve XYZ and as a result never achieve anything.

 

Sadly I feel the failure mindset is actually something that our culture is feeding these days, what with all the ‘safe spaces’ the ‘words hurt’ and ‘You all deserve nice things’ campaigns people are becoming mentally weaker by the day. Don’t get me wrong, some things people say really do hurt and there is no need for them but most of the time people need to simply grow a thicker skin and crack on with life.

 

If you’re wondering what’s prompted this post today, the answer is simple. I’ve been in the failure mindset for a while, mainly due to not feeling that I was reaping the rewards for the effort I was putting in, when in reality I was missing certain elements that would allow success. The fault was mine because of my mindset, I stopped training as hard as I should have, I wasn’t eating enough and as a result make slow and lack lustre progress. It sucks but we reap what we sow so it’s time to kick myself up the ass and get back to the righteous path of the iron.

 

I have made plenty of mistakes, this mindset being one of them. It’s time to learn from that mistake and do what needs to be done.

 

Do you live in the failure mindset?

 

Sit down and write a list of all the things you are meant to be doing to achieve your goal, then write down every excuse you use to avoid doing what needs to be done. Once you’ve done this take a moment to change those excuses in to behaviours that will allow you to succeed and break free of the failure mindset.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

Do You Really Need That Specialist Exercise?

Walkouts, Partial Reps, Banded Moments, Movements with Chains, Lockout Reps, Board Pressing, the list of specialist exercises is numerous but do you really need them?

Too many people get caught up in doing things they have no real need for. I am guilty of this on the odd occasion but found that it only severed to hinder my progress in the long run because there was no need for the specialist movements.

You will find these types of exercises common for high level power lifters but they serve little purpose for us normal folk. If I had to give people some variations of lets say the big 3 I would suggest the following:

– Pause Squats

– Front Squats

– Box Squats

– Paused Bench

– Narrow Grip Bench

– Pressing Overhead or High Incline

– 1/2 – 1 inch Deficit Deadlifts

– 2-4 inch Block Pulls

– Snatch Grip Deadlift

– Overhand Deadlift

That’s pretty much it. While it’s nice and quite fun to try some of the specialist exercises there is little to no need unless you’re squatting/deadlifting 3xbw and benching 2xbw. The variations I’ve suggested will be more than enough to help keep you busy for months if you rotate them properly.

Do you need some guidance on a program too?

Warm Up Sets x4 at 3-5 reps (40,60,70,77%)

Week 1 – 10×1 + 70-80% back off AMRAP set -10min

Week 2 – 5×2 + 70-80% back off AMRAP set -10min

Week 3 – 3×3 + 70-80% back off AMRAP set -10min

Week 4 – 2×5 + 70-80% back off AMRAP set -10min

*increase weight and start over.

*2 lifts per day – EG Squat/Row, Deadlift/Press

*Lower body would work better with this programs set rep progression.

*Upper body = Volume or Ramping, try 8×8 on the volume with only 30 seconds rest on upper body pressing/pulling movements or Ramp up to a 3-5RM (meaning you do 3-5 reps and add weight each set until you hit technical failure, then you’re done).

An example day might be as follows:

Workout 1 – Squat/Pull Up

Warm Up Sets – Paused Squat x4 at 3-5 reps (40,60,70,77%)

A1 – Paused Squat – 10×1 – 100kg + 80kg AMRAP (10min time limit)

B1 – Pull Up – 8×8 – Wide Grip Body Weight/Weighted or Pull Down

*Optional C1 – Ab Roll Out – 1×12

Workout 2 – Deadlift/Press

Warm Up Sets – Overhand Deadlift x4 at 3-5 reps (40,60,70,77%)

A1 – Overhand Deadlift – 10×1 – 100kg + 80kg AMRAP (10min time limit)

B1 – Press – 5RM Ramp Start with Overhead Press and hit 5RM (You can alternate your Pressing movement to your own personal desire, one day might be overhead press, the next time around it might be bench and so on.)

*Optional C1 – Ab Roll Out – 1×12

A weeks training might look like this:

Monday – Workout 1

Tuesday – Workout 2

Wednesday – Off

Thursday – Workout 1 – Front Squat/Pull Down Neutral Close Grip

Friday – Workout 2 – Snatch Grip Deadlift/Incline Press

Saturday – Off

Sunday – Off

Repeat last weeks exercise selection, keep weights the same on SQ/DL but move on to week 2’s reps (5×2).

There is nothing stopping you from adding in a sprint day on Saturday or some CV just regulate the intensity so that is doesn’t disrupt your recovery and adaptation phases.

In the world of lifting it’s best not to try and run before you can walk. Learn the basic movements and learn then well, then once you’ve started to hit the upper limits of your natural strength (around 3xBW SQ/DL & 2xBW Bench) then it will be worth adding in some specialist exercises to help you past your sticking points.

Enjoy,

Ross

Build A New Body: Part 1

There are a great deal of programs floating around on the internet and today i’m going to give you another one to consider.

This will be one of several programs I will be writing for you that will help create a 12 week training cycle to help you add lean mass, strength, strip fat and feel much more confident because of the results you will achieve.

Today’s program will consist on what you will ideally be looking to do for the first 3 weeks of your training block. It will help you build a good foundation of lean mass while starting to bring up your base strength in preparation for the next 3 week block, here is what the basic outline of what the primary goals of each will look like:

Weeks 1-3 – Hypertrophy/Strength

Weeks 4-6 – Hypertrophy/Strength

Weeks 7-9 – Strength/Conditioning

Weeks 10-12 – Strength/Conditioning

The first 6 weeks is based on building the foundation, then the second 6 weeks will be about utilising/realising the strength you’ve gained from your newly built muscle to it’s full potential while also adding in some conditioning style work to help keep you lean and feeling ‘fit’ don’t worry if you think they will contradict each other, they won’t if programmed properly and the correct volume/approach is used.

So now you’ve got the basic idea shall we get started?

4-4-4 is the first method you will be using is based around the following:

– 4 Workout days per week

– 4 Exercises per workout

– 4 Sets with varying rep ranges

The days you workout are down to you, that could be Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday or whatever.

As for exercises you will want to cover the full body in as little movements as possible, I will give you two guideline workouts A/B where you will hit all the major muscle groups, here they are:

Workout A –

– Front Squat

– Snatch Grip Deadlift

– Bent Over Row

– Supinated Grip Pull Up

Workout B –

– Press – Shoulder Width

– Bench Press – Medium (narrow is you want more triceps, wider if you want more chest)

– Dip

– Face Pull – Pronated Grip W/Thumbs Facing You (think you’re hitting a double bicep pose when pull to your face)

*You can do which ever day you want first, it’s down to personal preference.

Now it’s time for the rep/set scheme I will recommend for you.

– 12,10,8,6

– Use a 4-1-1-1 tempo (4 second eccentric, 1 second pause, 1 second concentric, 1 second pause)

Suggested loading:

– 12 – 65%

– 10 – 70%

– 8 – 75%

– 6 – 80%

A very simple descending pyramid that will help you begin to build a base. As for a warm up I would advice doing what you need to do so that you feel mobile and ready, remember a good mobility routine will help you stay injury free and improve your performance and overall life for that matter (There are lots of options on YouTube, you’ve got a great book called Becoming a Supple Leopard and much more to get ideas from).

I can’t tell you your weights but the suggestion I have given will be a good starting point, but remember the stronger you get the higher these numbers will go, not only % wise but also because you will be able to lift more. Start off light so you have somewhere to go, if you start too heavy you will stagnate and can even get hurt if you’re not careful.

The above program is designed to be followed for 3 weeks, then you will move on to the second 3 week block which I will get uploaded in due course.

You will obviously need to know about nutrition as well, here is a good starting point for you:

LBMx 17-19 = Muscle Gain Caloric Range

Protein – LBM x1 = Grams per day, multiply this by 4 to get calories of protein for the day.

Carbs – Protein x1-3 = Grams per day (depending on style of training/overall daily activity, desk jockeys use x1, site workers use x3 and people in the middle use 1.5 or 2), multiply this by 4 to get calories of carbs for the day.

Fat – What ever calories are left divide them by 9 to get your fat in grams for the day.

Example Equation:

175lbs x 19 = 3325 total cals

175lbs x 1 = protein 175g x4 = 700 cals

175g x 2 = carbs 350g x 4 = 1400 cals

3325 – (700 + 1400) = 1225 cals

1225/9 = 136g fat

So these example calories/macros would be:

3225 Total Cal

175g Protein

350g Carbs

136g Fat

Get the idea?

*Eat mostly single ingredient whole foods to get the bulk of your calories, doing this will sort out your micronutrients without you having to worry too much. think 80/20 – 80% single ingredient foods 20% what ever you fancy. Just keep the callers correct and the overall macronutrient ratio sold and you can’t go far wrong.

Breakfast/AM – Fat/Protein

Snack/AM – Fat/Protein

Lunch/PM – Complex Carbs/Protein

Snack/PM – Complex Carbs/Protein

Dinner/PM – Complex Carbs/Protein

Post Workout Protein/Simple Carbs – regardless on time of day.

This will be a good place to start, you can make adjustments according to your own persona needs as you see fit.

You now have the first 3 weeks and some basic ideas for nutrition, it’s time to get in to the gym and start working (Y).

Enjoy,

Ross

Yesterdays Results

Morning Guys,

Building is the aim, but with all the set and rep ranges out there which one should you use?

There was the famous 6×6 & 8×8 that was used by Vince Gironda

Or the hugely successful 7-5-3 Wave Loading System found under the tutelage of Charles Poliquin

You even heard stories of how well people did on Dorian Yates’ ‘Blood & Guts One Set to Faliure’

Some even did phenomenally well on the very simple 4×8-12

But the truth is that all of the systems work, lets be honest and accept that if they didn’t work they wouldn’t be spoken about.

The hardest part isn’t finding a set/rep scheme that works, it’s finding one YOU can stick with for the long haul, in our society of quick fixes and instant gratification we want to add 30lbs of lean muscles, drop 50lbs of body fat and look akin to a Greek God all by last week.

Sadly life doesn’t work that way. If you want to build some decent lean muscle you will need to be prepared to put in the hard work, eat adequately and have everything pretty much on point. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a life but you must understand that the more effort you put in and the more sacrifice you’re willing to make the faster and less time you will need you will achieve your results (which could still be in the years in most cases).

Now the obvious points are out of the way it’s time to give you some options to help you on your way to a better you.

The rotation of set/rep schemes will be set using a 3 days on 1 day off rotation until you have done the particular set/rep scheme 4/5 times (this will last mean each set/rep system will last around 3 weeks or so) with a total of 4 different rep/set options to go though. The main exercises will stay the same for all 4 mini blocks, as for assistance work you can add in some DT (Density Training) that should take no more than 10min and the chosen assistance movements can change every 3/4 workouts if you feel the need, but remember a change is only needed if you have become stagnant on that particular exercise.

Parameters for the mains lifts:

First 5 Workouts (weeks 1-3):
Reps/Sets: 10,8,6,20
Loading % of 1RM: 70%,75%,80%,60%
Tempo: 6-1-1-1 and 2-1-1-1 for the 20 rep set
Rest: 90 Seconds

Second 5 Workouts (weeks 4-6)
Rep/Sets: 6×6
Loading % of 1RM: 75-80%
Tempo: 4-1-1-1
Rest: 30 Seconds

Third 5 Workouts (weeks 7-9)
Rep/Sets: 5×5
Loading % of 1RM: 80-85%
Tempo: 3-1-1-1
Rest: 90-120 Seconds

Forth 5 Workouts (weeks 10-12)
Rep/Sets: 5,4,3,2,1
Loading % of 1RM: 82,85,87,90,92%
Tempo: 2-1-1-1
Rest: 120 Seconds or as needed

The main lifts will be comprised of the following:

– Squat (Front or Back)
– Bench Press (Incline of Flat)
– Deadlift (Overhand only)
– Bent Over Row (Supinated Grip)
– Press (Military or Behind Neck)
– Pull Up (Weighted or Body Weight)

Now it’s time for the interesting part, the workouts themselves.

Based on 3 working days you will only be required to do 2 movements per workout, plus 1-2 assistance movements if you feel the need.

Day 1:
A1 – Squat
B1 – Pull Up
C1 – Dumbbell Curl (5-10min on timer, do as many reps as possible in the time limit)

Day 2:
A1 – Bench Press
B1 – Bent Over Row
C1 – Skull Crusher (5-10min on timer, do as many reps as possible in the time limit)

Day 3:
A1 – Deadlift
B1 – Press
C1 – Lateral Raise – Do one set of C1 followed by C2, minimal rest between transitions.
C2 – Face Pull or Reverse Fly (5-10min on timer, do as many reps as possible in the time limit)

Day 4: Off

Repeat.

The above is a very simple progression that will help you build some quality lean muscle tissue while keeping things fresh and interesting. as I mentioned above you can change your assistance exercises as you see fit but try to keep the main movements the same as this will help with the accumulation f overload stimulus.

One benefit of these workouts is that they won’t take long to complete, perhaps 40min tops meaning that you will have lots more free time to spend with friends and family, eat lots of good foods and because the workouts are so short you will look forward to your next one, unlike some other extreme training programs that kill your motivation to train.

You will also need to make sure you’re eating enough, if you want my opinion on how to make a educated guess then do the following:

LBM (Lean Body Mass) x 17-19 = Daily Calories

LBM x 1-1.2 = Protein in Grams for the day x4 = calories from protein.
Protein x 1.5-3 = Carbs for the day (1 if you’re a desk jockey. Use 2 if you’re somewhat active at work and 3 if you’re job is very physical) x4 = Calories from carbohydrates.

Daily Calories – (Protein Calories + Carb Calories) = Calories of Fat per day, divide this number by 9 to get your daily grams of fat.

Now go and make some progress.

Enjoy,
Ross

The Mind Mouth Connection

The hardest part about any ‘diet’ is the psychological aspect.

Lets be honest, if you’re told you can’t have something you will invariably want it more.

Sever restriction in your food choices can lead to some serious mental disassociation with food and lead to eating disorders.

How can you avoid this?

Don’t restrict yourself… Pretty simple really.

However, there is something worth remembering, that people often forget and that is to make sensible choices.

What is a sensible choice? Is there such a thing?

Eating more Meat, Veg, Whole Grains (if your guts don’t suffer that is) & drinking plenty of Water, what as a child we would have seen our grandparents doing more often than not. Obviously that’s not to say they didn’t enjoy cakes, ice cream and other such delights a few days each week but the majority of the time they filled their plates with what could be call ‘foods found in nature’ as opposed to ‘foods made by man’ this often served to achieve the following:

– More Protein Consumed

– More Fiber Consumed

– More Water Consumed

All of those 3 help to improve your overall health and how you feel throughout the day. While we can indeed fill our bellies with various sweet treats and have minimal damage to our waistline (provided the necessary energy balance is achieved) it would more than likely leave us feeling pretty crap.

Personally I see nutrition as a battle of wills. If you don’t follow someones nutritional beliefs then you’re wrong and you’re going to die and forever burn in hell, nutrition sounds a lot like religion…

Back to the original point.

Overthinking what you ‘should or ‘shouldn’t’ eat can lead to some serious problems, there are lots of us who have been in this position. This is why IIFYM or Flexible Dieting has helped so many people, it has given them the freedom of choice once again, but as with anything the real concept has been lost in the shroud of media hyper and 1000’s of instgram pictures leading people to believe that the only things that are eaten by following this style of eating is Cakes, Chocolate, Ice Cream and Pop Tarts, but this is simply not true.

Why all the posts of these foods then?

Who wants to put up pictures of what they eat the majority of the time (meat & veg) when a sweet treat is far more pleasing to the eye.

If you speak to anyone who follows these approaches you will find that they eat lots of foods from various sources, but all of them eat a good amount of Protein, Fiber and drink plenty of Water. Nutrition isn’t hard for the average person, it’s just made hard.

If you’re ‘diet’ is causing you psychological issues because of a ridiculous list of foods you can/can’t eat then the best option is to walk away from it because it’s doing you no favors and you could end up in a very bad place.

Eating what would be considered as ‘children’s foods’ for the lack of a better term (sweets) as the majority staple of your diet will do you no favors in terms of your health, but not having them in your life for those times you fancy them can be much worse mentally in the end. If you find you’re craving something sweet then go and have a small amount of it, chances are the reason you’re looking for a food of that ilk is because you’re cortisol levels might be excessively elevated, or your serotonin is a bit low, or maybe it’s just another way of your body telling you it needs some more energy because it hasn’t had enough. Who really knows, just listen to your body on that one.

It’s always better to have a bit of what you want than to forgo it and end up binge eating another day which will lead to larger psychological issues down the road.

Use some common sense and you will find that you don’t go far wrong, or alternatively hire a nutrition coach to help you.

Simple.

LOSE 4 INCHES OF BELLY FAT IN A WEEK!

Now I have your attention, I have an important message for you.

You’re being LIED too.

Everyday you see the stories of ‘ 6 week success’ that companies and some individuals spout out and how you can achieve the same results, all you have to do is buy their products and you will be endowed with the knowledge you need, but sadly this is all bollocks. Lots of the photos are either photoshopped, stolen from people who have taken years to achieve their results or the results of shall we say ‘Enhancement’ (steroids).

I hate to be the one to say it, well… Actually I don’t.

If you see a head line that claims any of the following:

• Lose X amount in X.
• Gain an inch to your arms in X.
• Fat Loss without exercise.
• Pack on muscle in just X weeks.

Basically anything that sounds too good to be true usually is. I understand how desperately people want results and for things to be better/sorted but life doesn’t work that way, trust me. You should always believe half of what you see and less of what you hear.

What is seen in the clever marketing campaigns is nothing more than smoke and mirrors, like that used by the magicians of old it’s all a clever act to get you to part with your hard earned cash. But guess what, it works, again, and again…. and again.

There is no quick fix, magic pill or secret to success.

Okay, there is a secret list of things to do and I’m going to give it to you for free.

Seriously…

FREE!

For the more dedicated and goal driven person:

1. Set a goal.
2. Plan out how to achieve said goal (yourself or by hiring a coach)
3. Establish your individual caloric/dietary needs.
4. Begin exercising (lifting weights) 2-4 times per week – Goal dependent.
5. Begin exercising (steady state cardio) 2-5 times per week – Goal dependent.
6. Keep multiple dairies – Training, Nutrition, Progress.
7. Work hard and be consistent.
8. Enjoy the journey, it’s going to be a long road. Remember this is a life style change, not a quick fix.

If that list seems confusing here is a much simpler one that will cater for the general goal of ‘look and feel better, while increasing confidence’:

1. Eat more protein from whole foods.
2. Eat more fibre from whole foods.
3. Eat less refined/man made foods.
4. Move more – Ideally 3 sessions of vigorous exercise (weights+cardio) per week should be enough.

Don’t believe everything you’re told and blindly follow like all the other sheep, be different, after all, being different is something that sets us apart from he rest of the animal kingdom.

Hard work, patience and consistency is what achieves results, not quick fixes.

Enjoy,

Ross

Me, Myself and I

Morning Guys,

Planning is a key element that is missing in most people gym routines these days.

Without a plan you will never really be able to progress, typically.

Even having a cookie cutter program (5-3-1, 5×5 etc) will give you more benefit than simply going in to the gym and aimlessly lifting weights without meaning or purpose.

There are several ways you can make a plan –

1 – Hire a trainer.
2 – Hire an online trainer.
3 – Sign up at a gym that programs your training for you.
4 – Use a cookie cutter program that’s RELEVANT to your goal.
5 – Lift on feel and write your own programs (not advised for many).

With the first 3 options they all involve a commitment. Obviously by commitment I mean they cost money, however it will be money well spent in my opinion.

The last 2 options are the most common ones that people opt for, mainly because we don’t see the value in parting with our hard earned cash. How foolish we can be.

If you are going to choose the last 2 options I have some words of advice for you – Use the standard programs with downloadable spreadsheets, progression plans etc that people have kindle already made and that can be found online for free. DON’T write your own programs, it’s suicide because you don’t know what you need.

I say the above with many years of hindsight, I planned my own programs for years, BUT, I based them off of a basic 5×5, 5-3-1 or West Side style workout and I searched the internet for the spreadsheets I would need to be able to track my progress.

I would say it’s fair to say I would be much stronger than I am now if I had now written my own programs. I spent many wasted hours int he gym without purpose, don’t let this happen to you.

Start by asking your self these questions:

What is your SPECIFIC goal?
How can you achieve it?
When do you want to achieve your goal?
Where will you need to make changes in your life to achieve you goal?
Can you really do it on your own, or is that your ego talking?

Simple questions that will help you understand how much you need help.

Enjoy,
Ross

You’re Not Training Hard Enough…

Morning Guys,

You’re not training hard enough.

No, you’re not.

If you were then you wouldn’t be looking of rate next best program, you would be slowly and steadily making progress.

I have noticed that lots of people seem to be training much LONGER but not HARDER.

While this is only my opinion and lots will disagree, if you spend more than 45-75min in the gym then you’re not working hard enough, period.

In my opinion if you can train ‘hard’ for longer than that then you’re not training hard enough or you’re on some form of PED (steroid) because there are very few exceptions to this rule.

Why between those times?

Depending on the length or warm up you need (some people need up to 30min with all their pre mobility etc), once you’re body feels ready you start lifting and pushing yourself.

What does hard work feel like?
How should your reps feel?
How should your breathing be when running (cardio training)?

Reps –

Lets say you’re doing 6 sets of 6 reps, the first 2 sets of 6 should feel easy ish, the next two you will want to be struggling to get 6 and the last two you should only get 4, perhaps 5 reps out and those should be a struggle. This is coming close to hard work.

Alternatively you could go in with the ind set that even on your first set the 6th rep should be a fighting struggle to achieve (I like this mind set).

Cardio –

You shouldn’t be able to hold a conversation. Simple.

Too much chatter when CV training means you;re not working at the correct intensity, you should be abel to get out maybe 3-5 words or single sentences, but if you can talk almost normally then you need to be working harder.

This all sounds quite logical doesn’t it?

You’d be surprised at the amount of people who have ‘pseudo intensity’. What is it?

Pseudo Intensity is when people are working hard ish, but they often hold a lot back, this is why allows them to stay in the gym for upwards of 90min and sometimes even 3 hours.

There is a simple equation I like to remember, it goes like this:

Hard Work + Consistency = Results

Okay, there are some nuances to that but the general ethos is solid.

Now stop faffing about and go do some proper training!

Enjoy,
Ross