7 Things I’ve learned as a PT/Coach that will help overcome almost any problem – Part 7

Today brings the last lesson for you fine folk that have taken the time to read these ramblings.

By now you’ve gathered each one has been about your perspective of the world you live in.

It’s all because of the fact that for the majority of us, we’re in control of all that we do.

While it is true that some people only have the option of a bad choice vs a worse choice, this isn’t the case for what I’d consider to be an average person living in a developed country.

Our issue is that we’ve become entitled and lazy for the most part.

And this brings me to my final thought.

The difference between want and need is intent.

A lot of people want what is easy, convenient, low in effort and high in perceived reward (even though that’s rarely the case).

When it comes to needs these are brought about by intent because they have to be addressed with some focus and can’t be half arsed otherwise things go sideways fast.

It’s the same with strength, that comes about from having the need for it not the want of it.

Accepting the above regarding intent will allow you to focus your energy into something that will be of great reward in the long run, and this is why many don’t actually go down this route – the pay off won’t happen until much later.

Even though you may get 5, 10 or perhaps 100x the return in the end, the long of how long it may take puts the majority of people off ever going down the road that will lead to true gold.

You don’t have to apply any of my lessons.

However I would urge you to consider it because in the end you’ll thank yourself for it.

Enjoy,
Ross

Procrastination = You’re just scared

Chances are you’ve heard of people knowing what to do but not doing it.

I’ve heard plenty of folk complain about not having enough time and too much to do.

This often isn’t really true.

Time is all we have and there’s plenty of it.

What people lack is courage.

Instead of taking action and doing what they know NEEDS to be done they will faff about with minor distractions that give them the excuse to avoid facing the fact they’re scared of doing that which they know needs to be done.

I can’t say all the reasons for the compounded fear.

Everyone will have their own specific nuance to that based on their life experience.

What I do know is this; most have the fear of the worst outcome if they did do what was required.

As an example, say someone is overweight and knows they need to lose a decent chunk of their excess body fat for health reasons.

A few common fears they have:

• Negative judgement
• No support from friends (instead they’ll face shame/ridicule)
• Losing their current identity
• The potential for failing and looking stupid
• Criticism for changing because now they’ve made others feel bad

We allow our limiting and fear based beliefs to get in our way.

Here’s a question to ask yourself:

What are your afraid will happen if you do what you’re avoiding?

Answer that and you’ll be able to pick apart the belief that limits you.

Do this and you can move forwards in life.

Be warned though, it won’t be pleasant because having to admit the only real barrier (typically) in our lives is our own mind/perception is a tough medicine to swallow.

However if you can take it like a champ your life will change for the better.

Enjoy,
Ross

Are you average in your press?

The overhead press has fascinated me for years 

Long before men would ask one another:

“How much can you bench?”

They used to ask:
“How much can you press?”

Or a least that’s the general notion, and I don’t actually know if it’s 100% true or not, but I’d like to think there’s a high probability it was the case.

Pressing things overhead isn’t a strong movement/lift for me personally and it took a solid effort across about a year to hit a strict bodyweight press.

And when I say strict that is by modern standards 

The form requirements that used to be used in pressing comps back in the 50’s and before would have probably said there was too much lean back.

Pressing was dropped in weightlifting comps for this reason

Around the 1970’s if memory serves. 

Well, that and people learned how ot cheat more load up so it couldn’t be called ‘strict pressing’ anymore, which was a shame. 

Bench press was also involved in the fall of the press as the staple test of upper body strength 

If you’re wondering what the ‘standards’ are for the press these days, you’ll find a good guide there: 

https://strengthlevel.com/strength…/shoulder-press/kg

You’ll also find a lot of other interesting strength guidelines using this site and provided you’re honest with your data you’ll find where you rank in the grand scheme of things. 

This was written on the press page, so a quick copy/paste.

“What is the average Shoulder Press?  The average Shoulder Press weight for a male lifter is 64 kg (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift.”

I’m sure some will look at 64kg and think it’s not too heavy.

And in the instance of total weight it’s not, however the data on this site is across a fairly large pool of folk – Our community Shoulder Press standards are based on 4,350,082 lifts by Strength Level users.

So the average gentleman these days doesn’t possess great overhead pressing strength it seems 

For ladies this was their note – “What is the average Shoulder Press?  The average Shoulder Press weight for a female lifter is 34 kg (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift.”

Again this is an average.

True enough some will press more and that’s what we call an exception, not the average.

Some people really don’t like the idea of being average

And many reject the idea (or possible fact) they’re below average, that really hits the psyche hard 

True enough we will have highs & lows with our strength levels.

However a solid overall base of strength is something useful to have and I’d say if you can be ‘average’ within regards the ranges given for people who actually lift you’re doing well in life. 

Why?

Because more people don’t lift at all, so what is average within the realms of trained lifters is several levels above that within regards to ‘everyone else’.

Now I know the idea of comparison isn’t liked in 2024 

However it’s a useful tool for setting your own self driven standards from a training perspective.

After all, what would you rather be 

Average among lifters or average amount non-lifters

I’d be interested to know your current pressing numbers 

On my end I’ve only got a 60kg press currently, and I know this because I did it recently to see how my left shoulder felt now the tear is more healed (haven’t tried heavier).

Nothing impressive and a good 15-20kg or so under bodyweight currently, so that might be a small target for me this year now 

As always, it’s be good to know your thoughts on the above so please do leave them below.

If you plays sports, train like an athlete not a body builder

Yesterday I was talking with one of our fighters down the gym about S&C 

Typically they have the C covered in spades.

But a lot lack the S component within their training for these reasons:

• I don’t want to get too big, I” get slow.
• I don’t need to lift as it won’t help me fight better.
• No high level guys lift like that, why would I?

Generally the fear of looking like a body builder creeps in

As we all know it’s super easy to end up at 250lbs+,stage lean and bound with muscles on top of muscles, so their fear is understandable. 

In my almost infinite wisdom I offered some perspective.

Firstly a lot of what was thought was myth and strength training didn’t mean body building, although they’re similar in perception to most their reality is very different. 

Here is an example I gave for how he might program pressing:

A1 – Close Grip Press x4-6
A2 – Close Grip Press (50% weight reduction) x3-6*
3-4 sets – 120-180 seconds rest between sets 

*The first press would be a controlled negative with the concentric being done as fast as possible (ideally less than 1.2m/s) the second set would be performed by pulling the bar down as fast as possible, stopping it just off the chest then driving it up as fast as possible (rep total time of less than 1.5s ideally) so that force/velocity can be maximised.

It was also mentioned that explosive press ups could be used. 

This is a form of contrast training and could also be done in reverse, so explosive movement followed by heavier one, although it’d result in a slight different outcome. 

Above is more focused on speed-strength, basically moving loads at an average of 1m/s (up to 1.3, or lower if possible) 

I’ve often found people in amateur sports fear lifting.

It goes to show how they’re still very stuck in the past within regards to their training methods because the majority of higher level folk understand the benefits of strength

And of course the don’t neglect mobility either because what is strength if you can’t use it.

Now don’t get me wrong, you still need a lot of focus on your sport itself so that you learn how to express the strength you have in the right way.

Although from a super simple standpoint these 6 lifts will help most sports (in my experience):

• Deadlift 
• Snatch 
• Press 
• Split Squat 
• Front Squats 
• Pull Ups (or rope climbs)

But that’s a conversation of its own to have. 

The bottom line is this, strength training isn’t body building.

If you’re someone who has a sport of two you partake in, how does your training help, or maybe even hinder performance?

And do you know why 

Do leave your thoughts below.

A little something to start before 2024

DUP – How to make it work when you’ve not used it before 

Daily Undulating Periodisation…..

A while back, around 2015 ish.

This had a massive rejuvenation thanks to a few Drs and strength aficionados.

Their ideas were linked to powerlifting specifically and involved full body sessions to maximise lifting frequency which would provide greater returns on the proficiency in the big three.

Across the three days there’d be a Strength Day, Power (or speed) Day and a Hypertrophy Day.

Simply put this was done to maximise the potential development of the lifters as much as possible. 

There was also variance in the lift variations based on the day.

However if you wish to delve into that then start off with reading the work of Dr Mike Zourdos.

What we’re going to do is take the idea of different rep ranges and their application in training.

We’ll also look at how this can be a full body approach with the reps being the same for each lift keeping consistency across the day, and also how the different ranges can be used on the same day.

Here’s the basic set up – 6 sets for each exercise 

(The reps don’t nee to be like the example, you can use various combinations)

Day 1 – 8 rep sets	Day 2 – 6 rep sets	Day 3 – 10 rep sets
Front Squat	Front Squat	Front Squat
Incline Press	Incline Press	Incline Press
RDL	RDL	RDL
Row	Row	Row

As you can see the lifts stay the same and the reps change day to day, I’d suggest the sets staying the same as well for simplicity.

One benefit is you’ve not got a lot of thinking to do.

Since the reps will be the same for each working set you just need to select the appropriate load.

With this being done you just complete the sets and then go home. 

A downside is the accumulated fatigue that will occur, plus the length of time in each session will differ but to keep the time in check you can super-set exercises.

Example:

Day 2 – 6×6 

A1 – Incline Press
A2 – Row
B1 – Front Squat
B2 – RDL  

Load wise you can use a % of 1RM chart and link the weights to the reps suggested, or you can let the reps dictate the weight on the day and use a daily RM.

• Novice lifters would do well with a RAMP to a daily RM as they’re still gaining base strength
• Intermediate lifters fair better with set %
• Advanced lifters will know their required loading due to experience 

As you can see the above is very simple and works well for a training block of 6-10 weeks. 

However it can also be periodised in this way:

Weeks 1-3: reps 10/8/6 – base loads
Weeks 4-6: reps  10/8/6 – +5-10lbs 
Weeks 7-9: reps 10/8/6 – +5-10lbs 

Deload (do one session for a week) then adjust loads

Or like this…..

Weeks 1-3: reps 10/8/6
Weeks 4-6: reps  9/7/5
Weeks 7-9: reps 8/6/4

Deload (do one session for a week) then adjust loads
Weeks 10-12: reps 10/8/6 + 5-10lbs over starting base weights
Weeks 13-15: reps 9/7/5
Weeks 16-18: reps 8/6/4

There’s plenty of options in keeping the same rep set up and lowering rest, increasing TUT via tempo, you could add sets and so on. 

We can also have each rep range utilised in each session, and here’s how it looks. 

Day 1 –	Day 2 –	Day 3 –
Front Squat – 8 reps	Front Squat – 6 reps	Front Squat – 10 reps
Incline Press – 6 reps	Incline Press – 10 reps	Incline Press – 8 reps
RDL – 10 reps	RDL – 8 reps	RDL – 6 reps
Row – 6 reps	Row – 10 reps	Row – 8 reps

The different rep ranges across the different lifts will help in potentially managing fatigue.

This is because having every lift hitting 10 reps for the 6 sets can be tough for some due tot he varied strength levels across the exercises.

Order wise I’d put the 6 rep movements first, just out of personal preference and also because a 6RM will require more neural drive (strain wise) than a 10RM. 

It’s also going to mean a better flow of training as well. 

However it can be mentally enjoyable for people to go from higher reps to lower reps to medium reps and so on.

Personal preference is worth considering here as that will aid in improving consistency.

It’d look like this – 

Day 1 –	Day 2 –	Day 3 –
Incline Press – 6 reps	Front Squat – 6 reps	RDL – 6 reps
Row – 6 reps	RDL – 8 reps	Incline Press – 8 reps
Front Squat – 8 reps	Incline Press – 10 reps	Row – 8 reps
RDL – 10 reps	Row – 10 reps	Front Squat – 10 reps

The 10/8/6 reps are not set in stone as mentioned.

5/3/2, 7/5/3,10/15/20 all are viable and will be dictated based on the outcome desired. 

In addition to this there doesn’t need to be a straight rep/set protocol like the examples above. 

Here’s an example with some world famous protocols:

Day 1 –	Day 2 –	Day 3 –
Incline Press – 10×10	Front Squat – 10×10	RDL – 10×10
Row – 10×10	RDL – 12/10/8/6/4	Incline Press – 12/10/8/6/4
Front Squat – 12/10/8/6/4	Incline Press – 3×6-8 +3 drop sets	Row – 12/10/8/6/4
RDL – 3×6-8 +3 drop sets	Row – 3×6-8 +3 drop sets	Front Squat – 3×6-8 +3 drop sets

A solid way to train the full body or even Pull/Push/Legs.

Since I don’t want to leave you hanging here is how it’d work on PPL.

Session 1 – Pull Day – 8 reps	Session 2 – Push Day – 10 reps	Session 1 – Leg Day – 6 reps
Session 4 – Pull Day – 6 Reps	Session 5 – Push Day – 8 Reps	Session 4 – Leg Day – 10 Reps
Session 7 – Pull Day – 10 reps	Session 8 – Push Day – 16reps	Session 9 – Leg Day – 8 reps

This would take 3 weeks to get through before returning to session 1 whereby you can increase loads or change another lifting variable if required.

Take a good read and fire across any questions you’ve got.

Enjoy, 

Ross 

Do you carry as much muscle as you think?

Building muscle is a worthy pursuit in life

Many attempt and while they do indeed achieve some additional lean mass in the form of pure muscle it’s rarely as much as they think.

Realistically the average individual (male) can add about 25kg of muscle tops, based on digging into the info

My own main research on it spanned across older writings of people like Dr Hatfield and other scientific folk such as Dr Casey Butt, right through to more anecdotal notes from lifters (some famous, some not) that said they’d added above 2-3 stones of muscle over their training time.

Dr Butt has a good book called – ‘Your Maximum Muscular Potential’ – it’s a legit read and will really give you an idea of your genetic limits when you’re lean.

While it’s easy to hit your size goals with fat, that’s not nearly as respectable or even desirable as doing it with muscle and being lean.

I can’t remember who noted this specifically (someone for the US) but these tend to be a guideline for how much muscle most gents can add over their lifetime.

Year 1 – up to 20lbs, but more like 10 for most and after this it roughly halves each year genearlly speaking.

So…

Year 2 – 10lbs – 5lbs

Year 3 – 5lbs – 2.5lbs

Year 4 – 2.5bs – 1.25lbs

Year 5 – 1.25lbs or less

If you are on the top end that means in 5 years you’ve potentially added around 40lbs of muscle is we round it up, which is 18kg or so, and that is in addition to what you had going in (if you are untrained).

Although most only add about half of that due to not doing what is necessary – training hard enough, appropriate nutrition, good recovery and a lot of consistency.

But this isn’t a gospel, just something noted by several folks.

This had extra weight added to it’s validity when the ‘fat free mass index’ bits cropped up this added more perspective

But the biggest chunk for me came from the bioelectrical impedance analytics (BIA), Bod-pods, Body Stat machines, Dexa or DXA scans etc.

These are kinda seen as the gold standard for body composition.

Plus they also help highlight to folk that fat free mass isn’t just muscle, it’s bones, organs and everything else.

DXA has around a 2.5-3.5% general inaccuracy rate, which is the lowest around

I think BIA is around 4-6% on general inaccuracy so something legit like a Body Stat, not one of those hand pieces of rubbish of body fat scales you buy from Argos.

At least to the best of my knowledge.

This is what makes me often look at people from that objective standpoint when it comes to their body composition as most aren’t carrying as much muscle as they think they are.

It’s why getting truly lean scares many

Most will get lean and say they lose all their muscle and size, and they’re half right in what they say.

The did lose their size, but that size wasn’t because of muscle it was because of having far more body fat than they thought, and possibly a decent chunk of water retention as well

It’s then we look to body builders that step on stage.

Look at the natural shows, you’ll be able to see the consistent sizes of folk (height, structures, and anatomical notes to be made) because anyone that claims natural and isn’t will be much bigger than the rest and while they could be that 1 in a million…

Chances are they’re on gear, especially if natural they have comparable size to body builders that are open about their PED usage

But as I said, they could be the exception although it’s unlikely.

The last time I personally did my own stats through the methods above my own muscle carried was around 20kg, but I’d imagine that’s less now due to not being capable of training legs properly due to injury (I’ve lost size on them so clearly lost muscle).

At the ‘peak’ of my own lifting journey when all I did was lift I topped out at 21kg of muscle based on the tests/data

I’d be curious to know where Im at now, but to hazard a guess I’d say 19kg or around that (or that could be my Anima’s delusion hoping to be a couple of rungs higher that it really is)

So dear readers, what was the point of this post?

There wasn’t one beyond wanting to share a thought and some surface level knowledge on the topic with the hope of sparking a discussion in the comments.

After asking yesterday about why ‘size was the prize’ it just opened up this thought chain

If I really think about it, this is probably why my bias is and always will be steeped in being on the leaner side of life because then I know exactly what I am physically.

Yes being ‘big’ might be cool for some, but for me if I got bigger but it was just an excessive amount of fat that does little more than provide some extra leverage and insulation for the winter then it’s not worth my time.

But in saying that, this mindset has held me back from gaining more muscle at faster rates (note eating enough)

We’ve all got our crosses to carry in this lifting journey.

Anyway, how much muscle do you think you have in lbs or kg?

Perhaps you know it specifically

Either way, do share your thoughts below.

How to achieve your goal

I’ve got 3 simple questions for you to ask yourself.

Be sure to ask them often.

They will help you get from point A to B and beyond.

Before you do something ask this: Will this help me move closer to what I want or take me further away?

Each time you feel stuck ask this: What one thing, even is small, can I do that will have me take a single step forwards?

When you start to feel you can’t keep going, ask this: How will I feel if I stop now? And… How will I feel when I succeed?

This can help you keep moving forwards.

And remember this.

You don’t need to go at lightning speed, merely one step at a time because that’s what will take you where you want to go.

Not rushing, being greedy or trying to force anything.

You’ll get there by taking one step at a time, so tread softly and go far.

The biggest mistake I made for at least 10 years, if not more

Lately I’ve been reflecting deeply on my life.

It’s occurred to me that there’s been one consistent issue that hasn’t been addressed.

Despite knowing it was there, the path of omission was chosen.

This wasn’t the way.

There’s a lot of talk about listening to your gut.

Intuition, as it were.

On my side of the fence I found that I stopped being honest with WHY I was training and what it was doing for me and the overall benefits that were sought.

Out simply these were my real driving factors – competency & respect.

In my mind there has always been a high link between what one can do and how much respect is given.

Growing up watching various martial arts films I saw what these physical specimens were capable of and found myself in awe.

I wanted to be like them because to me they walked the walk.

To me this was the way.

But….

Due to the modern world, and people slowly chipping away in the end I became lost.

The focus on living for others took over and it caused a lot of problems.

Not being true to myself was truly killing me and resulted in an empty husk fuelled by bitterness that viewed the world through jades eyes.

This came from a place I didn’t know existed within me, or rather had not admitted was there.

As times and landscapes changed people didn’t seem to repeat of value what I could do, they only cared if I was of use to them.

So this resulted in sacrificing what was valuable to me in an attempt to feel valued, respected and needed by other people.

This was a colossal mistake.

It lead down a very shadowy path that resulted in nothing good.

Being a mere human such a thing happening was inevitable.

Everyone loses their way but not everyone finds the path back.

I’ve seen so many continue to wander in the wrong direction, or at least towards very negative outcomes.

If you’re not sure if you’re on the right path then it’ll be worth asking yourself this question – why am I doing what I’m doing?

Don’t just answer arbitrarily.

Give it some deep thought, ideally in a place where you can be by yourself and surrounded by silence.

Take a notepad and pen with you.

Write down ALL of your answers because the more time you give yourself the deeper within you’ll go and find truth.

I will say it may not be that comfortable.

Your ego will resist.

No one wants to admit to not being authentic to who they are.

Presumptuous as this is for me to say, it’s often the case for the larger majority of people and if you find yourself experiencing a little fear and resistance when doing this then please keep going because you’re getting closer to truth.

It’s not going to be easy.

But it’s going to be worth it.

You might not be hungry you might just be…..

Thirsty
Bored
Tired
Or Emotional

It’s not uncommon for people to turn to food a knee jerk reaction, but before we go on I’d like you to remember this ONE THING.

Food isn’t the enemy.

Often it’s something we head towards because of familiarity and potentially because it’s a learned coping mechanism that brings a sense of equilibrium, control, comfort or reprieve.

Looking at the 4 listed words above – Thirst, Boredom, Tiredness, Emotion.

These are all elements that people tend to mistake for hunger, odd as it might sound.

A lot of people think they’re hungry when in actual fact they are probably just thirsty and grabbing a drink such as water, fruit tea or something else with little to no calories will actually tick the box required.

If someone is genuinely hungry then even after drinking say 250ml of a beverage they will still have a clear signal.

This can help you relearn how to understand, listen and become connected with your body again.

But what if you’re bored, how can that become confused as hunger?

Quite easily.

When someones attention is wandering from their current task or they’ve simply got a chunk of empty space/time to fill they can turn to food.

This is actually a learned behaviour that has become habit.

Think back to being a kid and being bored.

Did you go to Mum or Dad with the ever classic line of – “I’m bored…..”

What was their response?

Did they provide you with the attention, validation and support you needed or put you in front of the TV with food or just give you food?

In which case there’s a high possibility of learning that to relieve boredom you can do it via eating because you’re then technically doing something.

That something in the form of eating might be good for boredom relief in the short term but it is terrible for your waistline in the long run.

To know if you’re actually hungry or simply bored there’s a simple solution – DO SOMETHING.

It can be anything.

Skip for 10min, do 100 squats using an OTM of 10 squats per min, hit 50 pull ups with an OTM of 5 pull ups per min or maybe 20 kettlebell swings for the same OTM idea.

You might even decide to go for a walk, draw something, start a painting, phone that close relative you’ve not spoken to in a while that you know you really NEED to speak to because they’ve not go long left…..

There’s endless options.

After the fact you can then think deeply and connect with your body and ask the big question – “Am I still hungry?”

If you are then you’ll know, but usually most people won’t be and their solution to the problem was simply to go do something.

What about being tired, how does that translate in to a false hunger?

From a simple technical standpoint it’s because you’re suffering a little fatigue and as a result you will want a mental pick me up.

This often comes in the form of seeking out sugary foods because they give you an instant spike in energy.

But you can achieve the same outcome though what some call fire breathing.

This technique of fire breath is quick-paced, rhythmic, and sustained for a long period of time.

It’s easily found in yoga practices and will leave you feeling invigorated because of how it affects your sympathetic nervous system.

You can also achieve similar outcomes through some movement flows or dynamic (but controlled) movements.

These will again have a beneficial impact on your nervous system that some say is a ‘neural charge’.

I’ve found things such kettlebell swings performed with a slid intent (35-50 reps) great for reawakening my body and helping me understand I wasn’t hungry, just a little down regulated in a nervous system sense.

Something like the above (breathing or movement) will often result in the phantom hunger vanishing.

Now the last element can end up leading down a deep rabbit hole….

Emotions are often driving peoples metaphorical bus and they will take you where THEY want to go based on how you’ve learned to cope with them.

People will turn to food when their emotions are running high, low and anywhere in-between.

I will be honest and say I can’t tell you what your personal emotional signals are, that will take focused work from you to know.

What I can share with you is how my own emotions work.

Personally food isn’t my go to when emotions are running rampant, training is.

Being naturally aligned with always moving about is one reason for this, and another which I’d say is actually the biggest reason food isn’t the ‘go to’ when the heart takes over from the head is this – I didn’t get given food to keep mom quite, calm, happy etc as a kid.

This is one thing I’ve noticed with a lot of people.

Those that head to food when feelings join the fray do so because it was engraved into their mind/body to do so at a young age.

Food was given when they were happy, sad, good, bad, being rewarded or being punished.

Food was the result/outcome of almost all of their childhood triggers which is why seeking it in almost every situation is their first port of call and when this loop can’t be fulfilled an astronomical amount of distress is the outcome.

The reason for that can be understood in brain chemistry (neurotransmitter cycles), neural pathways and mental impressions.

While it is entirely possible to rewire brain & rewrite your mental programming it’s not easy.

I’d also highly advise you have help in doing this because you might unlock some doors you’re not prepared to go through alone.

Starting out if you feel hunger creeping in grab a pen and paper (a dairy is deal) and write down the following:

• What is happening in the moment
• How has it made you feel
• What is the INSTANT response you WANT to do
• How will this make you feel in the moment
• What will you feel later once the moment (and eating has passed)
• Why do you want to change this pattern
• How will you feel once you’ve changed the pattern
• Why is that IMPORTANT to you

Take some time to go over the above a couple of times.

Don’t aim to change too much too soon.

First I’d suggest working to understand the difference between truly what feeling hungry is for you so that when that specific feeling isn’t there then you’ll be able to seek out what’s really going on.

If you want to chat about the above then please do reach out.

Enjoy,
Ross

How NOT to gain muscle in 2023

Here we find ourselves again.

January is done and already I’ve heard a lot of people express they’ve given up on their health & fitness goals.

Sad as this is, it’s not surprising.

Too many people lack focus and allow themselves to get easily distracted.

Others take on far too much in one go and as a result it all comes crashing down around them

You know anything worth having will take time to cultivate.

So why don’t you ever stick at anything long enough to allow it to gain a positive forward momentum?

^^ That’s a genuine question – leave your answer in the comments.

Now to address the title of the post.

Here’s how you can avoid ending 2023 without any additional muscle mass.

– Skipping sections of the body

Train your whole body because that will lead to more development in the long run.

– Smashing every session

You can only train ‘balls to the wall’ hard for about 3 weeks, then you’ll burn out. Put your ego to one side and get yourself a solid program that will help you do what you NEED and reign you in a bit.

– Inadequate sleep/recovery

You’ll find what you do outside of your training routine is equally important, so don’t neglect this aspect.

– Looking for the next best program too soon

Also known as program hopping and seeking a magic bullet.

This will end in disaster because your lack of consistency will result in a lack of adaptive stimulus and no overall progress.

– Inappropriate nutrition

When trying to gain mass people end up eating very poorly and in too much excess, this doesn’t help you gain muscle….

It just results in excess body fat and no one really wants that.

Aim to eat in a caloric surplus (from nutritious foods) of about 300kcal starting out and adjust up or down 100kcal from here by looking to roughly a 0.5-1% gain in total body mass week to week.

– Not tracking your training/nutrition

Keep a diary because if you’re not tracking you’ll be lacking.

– Lacking tension & control in your lifts

Heavier is only better when you have full control over what you’re lifting.

Tension is key and if you can’t control yours (be that producing it quickly, sustaining it or ramping it up) you won’t make progress.

– Doing too much volume on favoured muscles

You might love bench press or barbell hip thrusts, however they will tolerate only so much volume before your die hard attitude of “more is better” will backfire and the reward will be stagnation at best and injury at worst.

If you want to know how much you need then you need to track your training and access total volume/average intensity to find your own personal sweet spot.

– Doing too little volume on un-favoured muscles

Unlike what you love to do there’s plenty you avoid like the plague but in doing this you’re leaving a lot of potential hypertrophy (muscle gain) on the table.

– Doing exactly the same as you’ve done since day one

If something is working then by all means stick with it, but once it stops working willingly give a loving send off and being something new.

– Forgetting to have a clear goal

Trying to chase too many rabbits will result in you catching none of them.

Choose ONE goal and work at it until you achieve it before thinking about setting new goals.

You’ll find plenty of writing on this page regarding ‘how to’ build muscle, yet that’s nothing more than words because the SECRET is in the application.

Now go, apply the knowledge and finally make progress.

Enjoy,
Ross