1. Prioritize – Train areas of concern or that are not favorites at the beginning of an exercise routine, when you usually have the highest level of concentration and energy. Human nature dictates that one will procrastinate doing or avoid what is difficult or of least interest.
2. Train To Failure – Complete each set of an exercise so well that not another repetition can be achieved without resting. Once you are able to complete a specific number of repetitions and sets, increase the difficulty of performing an exercise (i.e. add load, decrease rest time, increase repetitions, or destabilize the exercise).
3. Attitude – Take a “can do” attitude towards difficult training tasks. Break down ominous long-term goals into manageable short-term objectives on route to success.
4. Seek Professional Help – Hire a qualified personal trainer/coach to develop a goal-oriented plan, set measurable benchmarks, instill accountability, and help motivate achievement.
2. Train To Failure – Complete each set of an exercise so well that not another repetition can be achieved without resting. Once you are able to complete a specific number of repetitions and sets, increase the difficulty of performing an exercise (i.e. add load, decrease rest time, increase repetitions, or destabilize the exercise).
3. Attitude – Take a “can do” attitude towards difficult training tasks. Break down ominous long-term goals into manageable short-term objectives on route to success.
4. Seek Professional Help – Hire a qualified personal trainer/coach to develop a goal-oriented plan, set measurable benchmarks, instill accountability, and help motivate achievement.
5. Nutrition – Eating well is one of the keys to changing body composition, whether the goal is to reduce body fat percentage or gain muscle mass. A poor diet will not provide adequate amounts of essential nutrients for energy to work-out and allow the body to optimally function. Not even the best exercise routine can overcome this shortcoming.
6. Diversity – The Law of Diminishing Returns starts to kick in when training with the same exercise regime beyond 2 months. The human body is highly adaptive to healthy amounts of applied stress. Training should be progressively challenging relative to a person’s level of fitness to produce continual and measurable results that are meaningful.
7. Over-training – More is not necessarily better. My motto is “hit it hard, and then quit it”. Any routine that compels you to be in the gym for hours at a time is clearly too long. The body only has so much energy to devote to any given episode of exercise. Under normal circumstances the average person’s body’s ability to keep up with the high demand for energy during intense bouts of exercise is severely hampered by workouts exceeding 60 minutes. In turn, this can lead to excessive muscle breakdown, extreme soreness, extended recovery periods and inevitable injuries.
8. Shut-up and lift – Yes, there is a social aspect to training in the gym, but most of your focus should be on working out. This especially includes the time spent resting between sets. It is very easy to waste time, and lose momentum and intensity, when your workout is constantly being interrupted by long-winded conversations. Instead, save the idle chit-chat for Starbucks.
9. Get a plan – Successful people know what they want out of life. They constantly seek and engage in activities that give passion, purpose, and meaning to their lives. People who are certain about what they want to accomplish are more likely to succeed in making positive significant life changes than those who are not. Thus emphasizing the importance of clarifying one's goals.
10. Stop making excuses – If you are serious about making a commitment to your health then the first step you need to take is getting your mind right. Getting your mind right means prioritizing yourself. Stop using the excuse that you don't have time to exercise, because of your commitments to work and family. If your health starts to severely fail, you won't be able to direct much attention to either one of those important entities. Taking time to take care of yourself doesn't make you a bad husband/wife, parent, or employee; it makes you a better person emotionally, physically, and mentally. Life is full of important tasks to keep all of us busy around the clock; taking time for you should be among them. Rest assure no one ever looks back at the end of their life and says, "I should have worked more."
